Signed, Sealed & When to Deliver: Wedding Invitation Etiquette

Photo courtesy of Blue Barn Photography

Let’s be real: your wedding is essentially one of the biggest, most exciting parties you will throw in your adult life. And how are your friends and family going to find out about this fabulous celebration? The invitations, of course! After all it’s not a party until their invited, right? 



Wedding invitation designs have come a long way since the formal announcements of decades past. You can now find the perfect invitation to fit your personality and wedding style! While options are now vast, the one thing that hasn't changed is proper etiquette. So, whether your wedding will be more traditional or laid back, these are some essentials to help you when sending out your invites! 

WHAT TO INCLUDE ON YOUR INVITATION? 



A wedding invitation’s sole purpose is to formally invite your guests to your wedding and give them the pertinent information they need to know about your big day! Important details to include are who is hosting the wedding, the statement of invitation, the location and time, but most importantly, you and your fiancé’s names! Let your personality shine through your stationary while making sure all the essential information is obvious. 

Photo courtesy of Brett & Jessica Photography

ENVELOPE ETIQUETTE



Although snail mail is somewhat of a lost art, we all know how to address an envelope. Nevertheless, addressing your wedding invitations is innately different than a common correspondence. It is important that you provide the correct titles and full names for your married friends, couples living together, families with children and everything in between. We also recommend avoiding abbreviations and spell out “street”, “apartment”, the city and state, etc. 

Photo courtesy of Nancy Ray Photography

Photo courtesy of J & J Photography

SIGNED, SEALED, WHEN TO DELIVER



Timeliness is only polite when sending out your carefully written, beautifully addressed invitations. The standard is 6 to 8 weeks prior to your wedding date. This allows plenty of time for guests to respond and ample time for you to accommodate their needs. And don’t forget to include an RSVP deadline. 

Photo courtesy of Rachel Red Photography

Design and sending your wedding invitations should be fun, not mysterious and confusing. This should be one part of the process that is fairly stress free, and we hope our guide has helped put this decision in the “easy win” category of planning. Have more questions? Feel free to leave them in the comments! 

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