There’s no denying the fact that there’s countless exciting wedding planning activities! From touring extravagant wedding venues to sampling delicious catering options and visiting the florist, you’ve got plenty on your plate in the months leading up to your big day! Yet another item that can be included in this list is the invitations! The details included, choosing which colors to use and any other pizzazz that you wish to add is all a part of the fun. It really is a design project in itself! 

With invitations being such a memorable aspect of the wedding planning experience as a whole, our team decided to focus this week’s blog post on ensuring you create the perfect wedding invitation! Throughout the article, we’ll discuss some basics of wedding invitations in 2019 (such as the typical costs associated), as well as some common mistakes we’ve seen made that you’ll want to be mindful of!

Average Cost of Wedding Invitations

For those that’ve been following along with our blog, you might have seen a post a few weeks ago detailing some budgeting basics for wedding planning. Having a general idea of how much everything costs can go a long way to ensure you don’t go too over the top early on in the planning process and stretch your budget thin later on. 

Since the topic of the day will be wedding invitations, let’s take an inside look at The Knot’s 2018 report of all things related to wedding costs. “Based on respondents who hired a professional vendor for the service, the cost is $386.” While the cost of invitations closed in on a thousand dollars as you looked at more expensive weddings, the number of $386 is the national average. While this is definitely not a major expense compared to other items in the planning process, it is certainly something to budget for!

Time to Pick Out Invitations!

Now that you know the price range you’re looking for, it’s time to pick out those invitations. While this article will largely be centered on what not to do, it never hurts to toss in some best practices! By the time you’re designing these, you’ve likely already got an image in your head for the vision of your big day! Whether you’re going for more of a traditional style or a casual approach, the tone of the copy in your invitation goes a long way in getting the message across to your guests. Some other tips to keep in mind include keeping careful track of your replies and making sure to include any and all important details!

What Not to Do!

Mistake #1: Less Can Be More

When you’re designing your wedding invitations, it’s not uncommon to want to include a lot of details. You might want a cool map of where your wedding will be held, a brief hint at the flowers that’ll be on display and something unique that’s special to you and your soon-to-be spouse. That’s great, but it might make the invitation look much more busy than it truly needs to be. When it comes to wedding invitations, it doesn’t hurt to remember that “less can be more.” If you’re working with a stationer, get their opinion to ensure there’s a nice balance amongst the elements included.

Mistake #2: Postage

Might not be the first thing you would think of, right? Well, that’s exactly why it found its way on this list! In the midst of all the excitement from designing your wedding invitations, don’t forget about making sure you have enough postage on them for the postal service to get the letters from Point A to Point B. Based on factors like the paper size, paper weight and number of sheets included, it might require more than just one regular stamp. Just to be safe, once you have a completed invitation, take it to the post office and have it weighed. This will prevent any unforeseen headaches from popping up later in the process.

Mistake #3: Not Being Prompt

The last thing you want to do is give your guests short notice. Getting your wedding invitations out early will give your guests plenty of time to get it marked down on their calendars and ensure they’re able to make it. A general rule of thumb that a lot of wedding planners go off is sending them out two months in advance. If some guests are coming from out of town, this will give them plenty of time to make the necessary travel arrangements. As a side note, if you’re having a destination wedding, you might want to consider getting them sent out 3-4 months ahead of the big day.

Mistake #4: Proof-Read and Color Selection

With this being more of a design-related project, you’ll want to treat it as one. First and foremost, make sure to proof-read everything carefully at least a few times. Additionally, it doesn’t hurt to get another set of eyes on it just to be perfectly confident that there’s no spelling or grammar errors! At the same time, while we’re discussing design, there’s a happy medium between having an invitation that pops and one that includes a few too many colors! Try to keep a nice balance with bright colors and more neutral options! Maybe limit the color palette to around 3-5 colors.

Mistake #5: Who is Invited?

One of the most common mistakes each year revolves around not making the invitations perfectly clear. You don’t want there to be any confusion! With this being the case, you’ll want to make sure your guests know who all is invited. This all boils down to how you address it on the front of the envelope. Most of this deals with your guests that have kids. If you’re only inviting a couple (and not their children), then it would be addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Steve Johnson. On the flipside, if the whole family is invited, use “The Johnson Family.”

Mistake #6: Stamps on the RSVP Envelope

Here we have another rather small detail that tends to get missed from time to time. If you’re doing the invitations yourself, make sure all of the reply envelopes have a stamp on them before you seal them up! It’s a small detail, but definitely important!

Mistake #7: RSVP Instructions

Having just gone over one RSVP mistake, don’t forget to also be clear on when your guests need to RSVP by. Let them know how they can RSVP and when they need to do so by. We would recommend making them due at least a few weeks before the wedding day. You’ll want to have plenty of time to get an accurate headcount for the caterers and so on!

Mistake #8: Your Website, Not the Registry

As we’ve mentioned throughout this blog, it’s important to only include the most relevant details on your invitations. Remember, sometimes less is more! With this said, you don’t want to ignore all the registry details. A nice solution to this is including an insert to the invitation. This might have the URL of your wedding website, which is where they can also find the registry information.

Why Madera?

Hopefully, this list of items helps you create an internal checklist on what you should focus on when it comes time to do your wedding invitations. In any case, a simple piece of advice we always tell our couples here at Madera Estates is to make sure all of the information you include is relevant. Make sure there’s no surprises and guests know what’s expected of them. 

If you’re still in search of a wedding venue and are looking near the Conroe area, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team! We’re more than happy to set up a free tour of our venue or even just chat on the phone about any questions you may have.