Wedding Invitation Etiquette FAQs
With venues to decide upon, dresses to buy, rehearsals to go through and caterers to book; organising a wedding is certainly no easy task. However, whilst dealing with the really big things is of course vital, you mustn’t forget about other aspects which can be every bit as important.
Such as your invitations for example.
Your wedding invitation cards are one of the most important elements of your big day as they let your guests know where and when you and your partner are going to be tying the knot. Indeed, your wedding will be nowhere near as much fun if you don’t have your nearest and dearest family members and friends there to share it with you!
Like most important events however, there is a certain amount of etiquette involved with wedding invites. And, whilst your Mum (or a wedding planner if you want to go down that route) may be able to give you a better idea of what is and isn’t deemed to be ‘acceptable', you may well find that you'll still have a few questions which need answering.
With this in mind, we here at The Card Gallery thought we would share some our experience and furnish you with answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we get asked about wedding invitation etiquette.
When is the Best Time to Send out Wedding Invitations?
The best time to send out invites is six to eight weeks before the wedding as this should provide guests with enough time to clear their schedules and/or make any necessary travel arrangements. If you are getting married abroad then you will obviously need to send out your invites much sooner (three months before the big day is about right). If you are also thinking of sending out save the date cards then six to eight months is good benchmark to aim for.
What Should the Deadline be for RSVPs?
The deadline for your RSVPs should be no later than two to three weeks before the wedding. This will allow you enough time to get an accurate final head count to the caterer (one week before) and to finalise your seating layout. If guests miss your RSVP deadline then give them a quick call and tell them you need a definite ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Does Every Invitation Need to Include ‘Plus-One’?
While it's always nice to extend a ‘Plus one’ invite to every guest, it is not always practical, especially if you are having a very small wedding. Indeed, if you know full well that a guest isn't married or in a serious relationship then it is perfectly acceptable to omit the ‘Plus one’ on their invitation. For sure, most guests will know what an invitation that doesn’t have ‘and Guest’ (or another name) written in it means.
If you would like to find out more about the etiquette which surrounds matrimonial invitations then get in touch with us here at The Card Gallery by going to our ‘Contact Us’ page.
