Expert Wedding Planner Tips: Creating Perfect Wedding Invitations

Invitations are the first taste of your wedding that a guest receives. It sets the tone for the wedding day and invites (obviously) your favorite people to join in on the celebration.

I often get questions about where to order, when to send, and when to receive RSVP's. Here’s everything you need to know about the wedding invitation timeline!

Designing Your Wedding Invitations

There are several big box invitation stores, like Minted, that make invitation designing and ordering very easy. However, many couples choose to invest more in their wedding stationary for a more personalized and heirloom option. Morgan with Morgan Harris Design is an artist who puts so much detail and care into each custom piece she makes.

Here’s her expert thoughts on the design phase of creating the perfect invitation suite.

When choosing to work with a wedding stationer, the timeline is a little different when compared to ordering from big box stores (minted, shutterfly, etc.). Custom artwork takes center stage, so time is the biggest factor. Typically, I prefer my couples to reach out at least 6-8 months in advance. This sounds like a big chunk of time, but there's a lot that takes place behind the scenes. During this time, I am gathering detailed information about my couple, their wedding, and their wishes. I want to gather as many details as possible so I can truly provide them with a one-of-a-kind wedding suite. After gathering info, I spend most of the time designing and painting their custom work. Every piece of artwork I put on my cards is hand-painted, and depending on the complexity, I've spent a few hours just on one element (e.g. wedding venue, wedding crest, etc.). I love this part because I am seeing all of what's taking place behind the scenes, but my couples are anxiously awaiting what's to come. I don't give many sneak peeks because I love for them to be completely surprised once I share their proof. I'm also taking this time to source paper products and styling goods. As with every other industry, Covid has affected shipping times and product availability of stationery supplies. Many items are out of stock for weeks or just completely unavailable. This is not at all said to discourage anyone, but just to inform them that booking early is the best way to go, if possible!

Pro Tip from Morgan:

I'd love to encourage all couples to at least consider going custom with their wedding stationery. I know this is not a 'must' on every person's list with so many other things to budget for, but, if you can make the investment, it is so worth it. You will come away with an heirloom, pieces that are tangible and exist long after the wedding day is gone. I strive to make my client experience truly worth the investment.

Photos by Grettagraphy

Stationary by Morgan Harris Design

Ordering You Wedding Invitations

In order to get your invitations sent to your guests on time, you have to make sure they’re ordered with plenty of time! Sarah Strange with Sarah Jo Designs loves to document couple’s love through a tangible heirloom, like wedding invitations.

Here’s her recommended timeline for working on your custom wedding stationary:

12-14 months out | book with your stationer

12 months out | start the design process for your save-the-dates

8-10 months out | send out your save-the-dates

5 months out | start the design process for your invitations

8-10 weeks out | send out your invitations

4-6 weeks out | start design process for day-of stationery

1-2 weeks out | finalize and receive day-of stationery

1-3 months after | send out thank you cards

Pro Tip from Sarah:

Stationery is the first glimpse of the most special day of your life. As your guests receive a personalized, calligraphy-addressed envelope with their name, open the envelope to find a romantic, organic design that captures their attention, or glide their hands across letterpressed text, we get to create an experience with your wedding stationery. That's why it's important to book all of your wedding stationery with the same designer to remain consistent in the experience you're creating for your guests! 

Photos by Clickaway Photography

Stationary by Sarah Jo Design

Sending Your Wedding Invitations

You have your envelopes stuffed, addressed, and stamped and now it’s time to send them out! This is when things get real.

Others often recommend sending them out out eight to ten weeks before the wedding date. There are a lot of different variables with getting an invitation from your mailbox to your guests. I recommend you send them out ten weeks from your RSVP date. This gives plenty of time for guests to make plans for your big day!

Photos by Wayfaring Wanderer

Stationary by Pretty Words by Erin

Tracking Wedding RSVP

Tracking RSVPs is so exciting. It’s fun to know for sure which guests are going to be watching you marry your best friend and then hit the dance floor with you!

Knowing who will be at the wedding is important for many reasons, but two very practical reasons are the seating chart and the catering numbers. You’ve gotta know how many mouths to feed and where to seat each guest. I recommend asking for RSVPs three weeks before the wedding. This gives you a little flex time to follow up with remaining guests, if necessary. 

In the ten weeks leading up to your wedding you have so much on your plate with wedding planning AND planning for your life to begin with your future spouse. I’ve found that tracking RSVPs is often a burden for couples. I offer RSVP tracking to take this off your plate. I have all the RSVPs come to my address and I update your guest count once a week. You can log in to your Aisle Planner account and see the final number. This tends to be less stressful than opening your mailbox every day and entering in 150-200 RSVPs.

Interested in having me track your RSVPs? Let’s talk!