Engagement season is coming to a close soon and wedding season is about to kick into full gear! If you’re one of the ladies tying the knot in the near future, you’ll definitely want to be up to speed on wedding invitation etiquette. It’s pretty easy to forget about etiquette with all the things that need to happen when planning a wedding– themes, colors, venues, dresses, bridal party, etc.–the list goes on forever! 

Here are some of the basics you’ll need to think about when it comes to wedding invitations. Included are links to helpful resources that give you a great amount of detail and answer almost any question you might have!

• Start looking at invitations and save-the-dates about 8-10 months before the date. This will give you a little time to think about colors and themes while you’re looking to finalize a venue. 
• Send out save-the-dates 6-8 months ahead of the wedding date and wedding invitations 6-8 weeks before the wedding (The Knot). Invitations for destination weddings should be sent out 3 months in advance. This gives people time to make the appropriate arrangements to be there. 
• Without getting into the nitty-gritty of the fine details on wording for your wedding invitations, you’ll need to include some basics: the full names of the bride and groom, the time, date, month, and year of the wedding, and the location. Formal invitations will also include the names of the hosts, which are generally the bride’s parents. If you’re finding this to be a little tricky (perhaps the hosts are divorced), Basic Invite has all of your questions answered here!  
• Wedding invitations tend to be quite formal, using language and a format that has been used for centuries. Formal wedding invitations are common, but if you’re have a more casual celebration or perhaps a rustic wedding, there is no need to follow formalities to a tee. 
  

  

• While not on the formal invitation, do give your guests clear guidelines on attire, directions (with a map) to the venue, accommodation details, and information on any activities (like dancing). Not only will they be more prepared for the big day, but you won’t be fielding questions left and right from guests about these things. This information can accompany the wedding invitation but should not go on the formal invite.
• If you’re sending out more than just the the wedding invitation, such as a response card, there is a method to placing everything in the envelope. Refer to this guide here on how to assemble your invitations. 
  

  

• Do not list your wedding registry on your wedding invitations or on your save-the-dates. It’s impolite. You may, however, tell your bridal party and close family and friends where you’re registered and guests may ask them or they may tell guests. 
• If you have a wedding website, include this information the save-the-date, not on the wedding invitation.
• Gifts will likely be sent to the return address on the invitation or save-the-date. If you would like gifts to be sent to a different address, you should list an address beneath the RSVP line on the invitation. 

Some reallllly helpful tips: 

• Sign up now for mailing lists to get discounts and special savings on save-the-dates and invitations. 
• Save-the-dates are a little more informal and fun, and they’re also not required. If you’re having a small wedding and you’re not inviting a bunch of guests from out of town, you may not need to send out save-the-dates. If you are sending out save-the-dates, check out these save the date ideas!
• Ask friends and family in advance for their information. It will take time to correctly format every invitation. 
• Visit the post office to see how much it will cost to send out your invitations. If you’re sending out a lot of info with the invitations, you might be paying more. In order to do this, you should order a sample invitation set. 
• Register at common places such as Macy’s, Target, Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, and Pottery Barn in addition to any place you would like to register. You may have some guests who directly search for your registry all on their own without speaking to any family or the bridal party. 
• Order thank you cards before your wedding. This ensures you’ll be able to send them out in a timely manner. 
• Work with a reputable company that has great reviews and has great customer service. This is your wedding, after all. 

Sounds pretty crazy, right? Well, Basic Invite is here to put your mind at ease and simplify everything for you. They’re different than their competition in a few ways. 

Almost Unlimited Colors – Basic Invite is one of the few websites that allows customers almost unlimited color options with instant previews online. Once you select a design you can change the color of each element on the card to over 180 different color options. So, you can make sure the card is exactly how you want it – down to the littlest detail. 

Custom Samples – Order a printed sample of the actual invitation so you can see exactly how it’ll look when placing the final order. The print quality or paper quality won’t be a total mystery. 

Over 40 Different Colors of Envelopes – You can choose from over 40 different colors when it comes to the envelopes.  All envelopes are peel and seal so the envelopes can be quickly and securely closed. What a time saver!

Over 200 Wedding Invitation Sets -Each of the wedding invitations is part of a set. You can find everything from save the dates to wedding invitations and enclosure cards, wedding menus, wedding programs and even matching thank you cards! 

With everything you have to manage when planning a wedding you’ll definitely want to bookmark or save this post!

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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Basic Invite. All opinions are my own personal views. Photos courtesy of Basic Invite. Thank you for supporting the brands I love, which also helps support thesassylife!