The first thing you need to do is choose when you want to get married. Your date might be planned around your schedule, season or month of the year, a particular date, vendor availability, or even your budget. But step one is to choose your date. Once you select your date, you want to send out save-the-dates reasonably quickly. That way, your guests know it’s coming and can begin travel preparations if they live out of town. You may not know everyone you want to invite yet, and that’s ok! Start with family and close friends, and work your way from there.
When choosing a save-the-date design, don’t stress too much about colors or themes if you don’t have them picked out yet. Your main goal is to get penciled in on people’s calendars! If you aren’t sure about mailing out save-the-dates, we recommend using a free save the date website from Basic Invite. Their save the date websites are completely customizable! They’re mobile-friendly and super easy to use. You can instantly upload all of your wedding details, along with images and a convenient map with directions for your guests. Even though you can choose from 180 custom colors and a design suite to match your wedding invitations, you don’t have to know all of your details right away. And you can always update your website to match your theme and colors! Once you send out save-the-dates, take a breather. You made a huge accomplishment!
As you continue in your wedding planning, think about how you want your pictures to look. Do you want images that are clean, classic, and timeless, or are you looking for a moody and dramatic feel? That can help you choose which colors will compliment your preferred image style.
Deciding when to send out official invitations is a bit more tricky. You’ll need to know from your caterer and cake baker when they need to know your final guest count. Most vendors will want a guest count one month before the event. You’ll want to give yourself about two weeks as a buffer so you can receive late responses and tally them into your guest count. You’ll also want to give your guests a minimum of six weeks to respond – allowing for decision-making and delivery times. So to sum up, you want to mail out your invitations about three months in advance – enough time to get responses, but not so much time that people forget about your event.
To mail your invitations on time, you’ll want to have your guest list completed about five to six months before your date. This should give you enough time to have an invitation count, choose your design, order a sample, and get them ready to mail. Make sure you order a few extras for detail shots on your wedding day and to keep as a keepsake!
You can order invitations from so many places, but we have come to love Basic Invite! Each of their wedding invitations is part of a set. One of our favorite sets is their acrylic wedding invitation suite. Its classic elegance is the perfect wow factor for any wedding!
They have so much more than just acrylic invitations. They have all the wedding stationery you need: save-the-dates, wedding invitations, enclosure cards, wedding menus, wedding programs, belly bands, pockets, and even matching thank you cards! Basic Invite is one of the few websites that allows customers almost unlimited color options with instant previews online. You can change the color of each element on a card with over 180 different color options. The card can be precisely how you want it, down to the littlest detail. Customers can also order a printed sample of their invitation to see the card’s paper and print quality before placing their final order.
All of their envelopes are peel and seal so the envelopes can be closed quickly and easily. Plus, you can have guest addresses printed directly on the envelope for free!
They also offer Seal & Send wedding invitations – a unique wedding invitation with a tear-off RSVP postcard included! The Seal & Send is their newest collection, and brides are LOVING them. Currently, they offer over 30 Seal & Send designs, and, like their other products, they are customizable – even including foil options! What’s unique about their Seal & Sends is that guest addresses are printed on the front of each invitation, so no envelope is necessary! All you have to do is share a link, collect guest addresses, and upload them onto your design. Once you receive your order, all you have to do is add postage, fold your invites, and secure them with a sticker! Simple and easy.
While we love seeing all of the little details our brides pick, your upcoming marriage is what matters most! All of the stationary in the world doesn’t hold a candle to the beautiful gift of marriage. We hope this post helps check a few things off your wedding to-do list. Happy Planning!
