It is important to know the specifics of wedding invitation etiquette before ordering your wedding invitations. There are etiquette rules for everything from which words to capitalize to the color of the ink to use. If you are getting ready to order your invitations you’ll want to know these basics first.
Top 13 Wedding Invitation Etiquette Rules
- The invitation should be ecru, white or cream for a traditional or formal wedding. However, for a less formal wedding it is perfectly acceptable to use colored invitations to coordinate with your wedding colors.
- A sheet of tissue paper should be inserted in the invitation to prevent the ink from smearing. It also reinforces the formality of the invitation.
- Two envelopes are a must; an inner envelope that holds the invitation which is slipped into an outer envelope. The outer envelope is the one that is addressed and stamped for mailing.
- A separate reception card is optional.
- For a traditional or formal wedding use only black ink for the wording. For a less formal wedding the ink color can reflect that colors selected for the wedding.
- The names of those who are paying for the wedding should appear on the invitation. If one or both sets of parents are sponsoring the event, their names should appear. If neither set of parents is paying for the wedding, then only the bridal couple’s names should be printed on the invitations.
- Only the names, places and date are capitalized.
- Give the city and state on the invitation, but never the actual address or zip code.
- It is consider bad manners to mention gift registries in an invitation.
- Invitations should be mailed out a minimum of six weeks before the event. However, if guests are going to need to make travel plans for a destination wedding or if they are out of town, then the invitations should be mailed out at least eight weeks before the wedding.
- Save the date cards are a courtesy to your guests if your wedding is going to take place on a holiday or when a good number of your guests will be traveling in from out-of-state. They should be sent at least four months before the event, although the earlier you send them out the better. If the date has been set a year in the future and there are a number of guests that will need to make travel reservations, then send out the cards as soon as the date is set. Save the date cards can match the more formal wedding invitations that will be sent out later or not. Many couples are opting to go very informal with save the date cards, even going so far as to send out electronic save-the-date emails.
- Abbreviations should be avoided. Spell out streets, months, days, etc.
- Do not use contractions; “don’t” should be “do not”.
By following these simple, yet important, wedding invitation etiquette guidelines you can be assured that your wedding invitations will pass the inspection of the most critical etiquette aficionado.
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