Congratulations! You're engaged! You've probably signed up on a wedding planning website, bought or put together a planning binder, and googled "where to start wedding planning".  That is a WHOLE lot of planning!  Well, we are here with some advice and tips about what to include in your wedding invitation to help with this new, exciting, and at times, the overwhelming chapter of your life.

Who, What, When and Where

Including who is getting married, the date, time and location of the event are the very basics.  Start with these, because without them... the wedding invitation is just another piece of paper.

Who

Tell your guests who are getting married, please please put your names on the invitation.  You don't have to include your middle names if you don't want to, but we would highly suggest putting your first and last names on the invite.  Your guests may know more than one couple with the same names, and the invitation also serves as a keepsake for some.

What

Mention the marriage/ceremony/celebration/wedding on the invitation. This will come later, but depending on the style of your invite, it may be more casual and you want to tell your guests exactly what you are inviting them too.  Unless of course you are planning a surprise wedding and are just inviting people over for a "barbeque". *insert air quotes*

When

Your wedding date, including the day of the week, month, day, and year.  More couples are planning their wedding for over a year in advance, so don't assume your guest will know the wedding is next year.  You may choose not to send out Save the Date cards, and that is perfectly fine! You can totally send out your invitation early. The "Saturday Summer Wedding" is not the norm anymore as Friday weddings have been shown to have higher RSVP/attendance rates than Saturday weddings.

And for the love of all things sweet... the TIME. You MUST include the time for the events.  Deciding the time for ceremony and reception can be difficult because it sets two big parts of your wedding timeline in stone. We will talk more about the time and timeline in another post.

Where

List the venue name, or names if the reception is in a different location as well as the address.  There may be more than one location with similar names, or your guests might think the name of the venue is in a completely different location than it is. Make it easy for your guests so that they don't have to dig for further information.

Example:
Kristin ter Steege and Justin Jones invite you to celebrate their marriage on Saturday, July fourteenth, twenty eighteen at one thirty in the afternoon at the Italian Canadian Cultural Centre located at 1511 St Edward Boulevard North, Lethbridge, Alberta.

Who is Hosting

Traditionally, the bride's parents hosted the wedding. When we say "hosted" we mean who is paying for the wedding.  But this isn't about tradition, and we cringe a little to even say "bride" and "groom".

Listing who is hosting can become complicated with certain family dynamics like divorced or blended families, or parents who have passed away.

Theme

Now that you know what information to include in your wedding invitation, it is time to choose what it is to look like.  There are so many options for your invitations, you can make them yourself, choose customizable kits from wedding and craft stores, order online, or go with custom invitations from a stationer.

By now, you have decided the look/feel/theme of your wedding, and your invitation should reflect this.  Your invitation is the first hint for what your guests can expect on your wedding day.  Depending on the theme, it may also give them a feel of what they can expect to wear to the wedding without having to state specific attire.

If your wedding is a formal occasion, and you want your guests to wear formal or black tie attire, you will likely choose more luxurious paper, fonts and features. 

How Guests will Respond

RSVP information should be listed on the invitation, or as an additional invitation enclosure. You may choose to have your guests RSVP by mail, email, phone or your wedding website.

If you choose by mail and include RSVP cards and envelopes in the wedding invitation, here are some things to include:

• Self-addressed and prepaid envelope for your guest to mail it back to you.

• A spot for them to check whether they decline or accept the invitation

• How many seats you have reserved for them can be listed on the RSVP card

If you are requesting a response by email, phone or your wedding website, make sure these are spelt and written out correctly and are easy to read.  We once had to contact friends to check what their wedding website was in order to RSVP because it was impossible to read on the invitation.

No matter how you want your guests to reply, include a "reply by date" so you get them back when you want. A lot of websites will suggest two to three weeks before the wedding, but we would suggest four to six weeks before the wedding in case you have to track responses down.

Bonus Tip: Lightly mark the back of the card with a number corresponding to your master guest list in case guests neglect to write their names on the response card.

Directions or a Map

If you are having a destination wedding, getting married out of town, have out of town guests, the address does not show up on map applications/GPS or is a little complicated to find, it is very nice to include printed directions or a map as an additional enclosure.

Bonus Tip: If the location does not show up on map applications/GPS or is difficult to find, consider putting up signs along the route guests should take to find the event.

Bonus Tip: Put the map on your wedding website as well in case your guests have forgotten the directions at home.

Wedding Website Information

On an informal wedding invitation, you can list your wedding website information on the invite.  If you have a formal wedding invitation, we suggest including the wedding website information on an enclosure card.

Gifts

This is the opposite of "things to include"... this is what NOT to put on the invitation or on an enclosure card. 

Telling your guests where you are registered, or even mentioning gifts or "no gifts" on the invitation or part of the wedding invitation package is an etiquette no-no. Reserve this information for your wedding website.  It may also be helpful for your parents and bridal party to know where you are registered so if guests ask them, they can advise where you are registered or direct them to the wedding website.

Reception Information

Couples are choosing to make their weddings their own and getting away from what the big wedding websites are telling them to do.  So if you are having a morning ceremony, and having a brunch reception, or an evening wedding and having a cocktail style reception... make sure you communicate this to your guests.  Specifically, if you are not hosting a meal for your guests, you should let them know so they can plan accordingly.

Attire

If what your guests wear to your wedding is important to you, state this on the invitation.  "Black Tie", "Cocktail Attire" or "Casual Attire", etc., can be placed on the bottom right corner of your invitation.

Addressing the Envelope

Proper etiquette is called for not just on the invitation, but when addressing the envelope as well. Double and triple check the spelling of their names.  If your guests are married, the envelope should be addressed to both members.Here is a very helpful article from the experts at Emily Post.

Bonus Tips for your Invitations

• Have extra envelopes in case of errors

• Allow plenty of time to address and mail out the invitations and get the replies back

• Organize your guest list in a spreadsheet or a guest management list on a wedding website

• Before buying stamps, take a completely assembled invitation to the post office to have it weighed for postage.

• Consider out of country invitations, the time it may take to get there and include the proper postage for their RSVP card

• If a guest receives a Save The Date, they MUST also receive an invitation - no exceptions