If you’re in the wedding planning process and have questions on wedding invitations, we’re here for you! Our parent company, Alliey + Co, also owns and operates the cutest custom wedding invitation store in De Pere, WI. Today, we’re sitting down with Kylie from the Social Graces Paperie team to bring you answers on the invite ordering process, paper types, ideal timelines for ordering/sending and etiquette. Read up below, and leave us a comment if you have any questions!
Q: Thanks for sitting down with us today, Kylie. to start, can you go over the general timeline for ordering invites and save the dates?
A: Absolutely! Thanks for having us. At Social Graces, we always recommend ordering save the dates about one year to 9 months out from your wedding date, and they should be mailed 6 to 9 months in advance. For wedding invitations, we recommend ordering those 4 to 6 months before your wedding and sending them out 8 to 10 weeks in advance of your wedding date. That means, all of the summer 2020 brides should be stopping in now to order invitations. Don’t do this too late, because we do get busy after the new year, when we have lots of newly engaged brides stop in!
Q: Do you have any advice on where to start with wedding invitations? There are so many options out there!
A: Yes! The cool thing about invites is that there are SO many choices and ways that you can make your invites reflect your personal style. We remind brides that your invites are really your guests’ first glimpse at the style of your wedding, so you want to make sure that they reflect that. Because there are so many choices, we always recommend stopping into an invite store. That way, you can sample paper stocks, look at embossing/foil options and even see samples of calligraphy from local artists. In our store, we have hundreds of samples and it’s a great place to start.
Q: We have a lot of clients who decide not to invite children to their reception. What’s the best way to word this on an invite?
A: We get this question a lot, too! There are some cleaver ways that you can convey that decision in a clear and concise way. On the invitation envelope, you should only address it to the Mr. and Mrs. of the house. We also suggest indicating an “adults only reception” on your invite suite’s reception card. Another way to make this clear is on the RSVP card. Instead of asking “number of guests attending”, you can ask “number of adults attending.” Any or all of those options will help communicate the message!
Q: Do you have any advice for mailing invites once they’re ordered?
A: The biggest piece of advice I can give is to take a stuffed invite suite to the post office and get it measured before buying or placing postage on the envelope. Many brides are surprised by the amount of postage needed for larger invite suites. You want to make sure you have the correct amount on your envelopes so they aren’t returned to you.
There are also several items that can add to your postage fee, such as square invites, oversized cards, ribbons with knots, folders and more. Be mindful of these things when ordering if you are working in a budget. Our staff is trained on these items and can help you when you’re in store.
