Wedding Invitation Tips and Advice

• If children will also be included as guests, you can choose to   write out their individual names on the addressed envelopes or   put "and family".  For example:

  Mr. and Mrs. Bob Simpson, Cathy and John

  or

  Mr. and Mrs. Bob Simpson and Family

• If the children are older teenagers (say 16 years of age or older),   you   may wish to send them an individual invitation, just like   you would an adult.

• If you don't wish to include children at the ceremony, do not   include their names or "and family" on the outside of the   envelope. It's suggested you add "Sorry, but children are not   invited", "adults only" or something similar somewhere on the   invitation to make it clear. If you wish to include them at the   reception, but not at the ceremony, you could note this information   on the response cardor on the invitation itself at the bottom   in some fashion.

• When issuing invitations to a guest who is single, it is polite   to put  "and Guest" on the outside of the envelope so that they have   the option to bring  along a companion.  For example:

  Mr. Ralph Jones and Guest

  or

  Miss Sarah Campbell and Guest

• Be forewarned. Usually 7% to 10% of the guests who respond   with a yes will not actually attend the wedding. In addition, 20% to   30% won't make it to the reception. This can wreak havoc when   budgeting for a sit down dinner. You may want to consider a buffet   style dinner instead.

• In some cases, you'll want to invite people to the ceremony, but   not the reception or vice versa. If so, then you will need two sets   of invitations printed. One that includes reception information and   one that doesn't.

• If you don't receive a reply from some guests by your reply date,   do not hesitate to call them. It is important that you know how   many are attending so you budget accordingly.

• If you decide to order invitations, be sure to do so at least 4 to   6 weeks before they are scheduled to be mailed. If you plan on   mailing your invitations around the 15th of March, order them   between February 1st and 15th.

• Double, even triple check everything before it gets printed.   This includes invitations, response cards, envelopes, wedding   programs, etc. whether you're doing them yourself or your having   them professionally printed. Check for spelling errors especially.

• Always order extra invitation envelopes and response card envelopes.   There will inevitably be a few mistakes when addressing these and   you'll want to have a few extras on hand.

• You should mail your invitations at least 6 weeks before the    wedding date and indicate that you would like a response at   least 3 weeks before the wedding date. So if your wedding date   is July 1st, mail your invitations by May 15th and ask that they   respond by June 7th. This will give guests time to receive their   invitations and reply by mail, which in turn, gives you time   to firm up catering plans, seating arrangements, etc.

• If your wedding is going to actually be held on a beach or other   outdoor area, be sure that you let your guests know this, so they   can dress appropriately.