I have designed a variety of wedding invitation suites and each one is always unique with its own vibe and style. However there are a few key elements of a wedding invitation suite that are necessary plus a few optional pieces! I thought it would be fun to go over the details to show how the elements of a wedding invitation suite can go from simple to complex.
More details on my wedding & event designs can be found here on my website!
The Main Invitation
This part of the wedding invitation suite is pretty obvious! I mean you can’t really have the suite without having the actual invitation.
In my experience the necessary details included on the invitation are the bride & groom’s name, whoever is hosting the wedding (maybe the parents), the date, the time, and the location.
However the actual wording on the invitation depends on the theme and formality of the wedding. I’ve seen anything from traditional (the parents request the honor of your presence…) to fun (bride & groom want you to come to their wedding!)
Since I’m mainly going over the elements of a wedding invitation suite in this blog post I will have to revisit the wording and design styles in future posts.
Insert #1: All the Details
Moving on from the main invitation a lot of suites will include a secondary card that shares all of the pertinent information in more detail so the guests know what is going on the day of the wedding. This card can be as simple as the wedding website address where the information lives to the addresses and timing of the ceremony and reception.
However the card can also go into great detail to include a map detailing where everything is taking place to venue illustrations, the sky is the limit these days!
The detail insert truly is an opportunity to help guests out plus add some character to the whole invitation suite!
Insert #2: RSVP aka the Reply Card
Another important piece in the elements of a wedding invitation suite is the RSVP card. First off let me say this can be done in a variety of ways.
- Postcard that the guests fill out and mail back
- Card & envelope that the guests fill out and mail back
- Online RSVP information
- Phone number RSVP information
No matter which way you go just be sure you have an RSVP deadline and that process is easy for your guests to follow!
*Side note, no matter how well it’s done there’s always going to be guests who might not follow the RSVP instructions quite right or who miss the deadline you will just have to check in with them after the RSVP date
Envelopes Galore!
In actuality when it comes to mailing the wedding invitation you really only need the main exterior envelope. However there are additional options that I want to go over just so you’re aware of all the potential elements of a wedding invitation suite.
For my own wedding I only included the outer envelopes, but had fun using multiple envelope and ink colors! You can see more details in the full post on my wedding designs.
Main Envelope aka the Outer One
This is a must! Unless you have a super simple invitation that is a postcard and there are no additional pieces that need to be contained, but I feel like that applies more to Save the Dates. One other note is that the “container” for the invite suite could potentially be the envelope by using heavy cardstock and having pockets inside, which is a super fun option, but even in this case you still have the outer envelope to address.
Regardless of how the envelope is made, there are the few key elements that need to be on the outside:
- guest’s address (of course!)
- stamp – make sure you have the correct postage based on weight, if you include everything I have listed out then you will definitely need to weigh the suite and see if you need additional postage!
- return address, this is very important incase any invites are not able to be delivered
The actual layout, design, and wording of these details will depend on the overall design of the invitation suite since this will be the guests first impression of the wedding! I’m partial to calligraphy addressed envelopes since that is one of my favorite things to do! I will definitely go into those styles and details in depth in another post I promise!
Inner Envelope
The inner envelope is definitely an optional piece in my book, I’ve received many invites without and a few with them. It usually relates to how formal the wedding is. It does add a nice extra touch but is really up to you and your vision on if you go with this. One perk to using an inner envelope can be to specify who all in the house is invited to the wedding. It’s also a way to add the kids names to the invite without having them on the outer envelope.
RSVP Envelope
This is the 2nd optional envelope and depends entirely on how you are dealing with your guest’s replies. But if you are using an envelope or postcard, make sure you have the address you want the responses to go to already printed so it’s super easy to send out. It’s also great to include the postage already on the reply card, it’s just one more way to help your guests get you the reply easily.
Invitations & Weddings!
As I was wrapping up this blog post I realized just how many wedding topics there are that deal with design and calligraphy and I can’t wait to cover more in future posts. Like the actual design styles of invitations and the wording along with all of the collateral pieces that are used in weddings. If there’s anything specific you would love to know more about just leave me a comment below!
Thanks!
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