What to Include in Your Wedding Invitation Suite - Paper Goods Explained
It’s time to order your wedding invitations and you are wondering exactly what pieces you need to include with your suite. We created this post to explain what exactly each piece is used for from the invitation down to the registry card. What you will use will be determined by your specific wedding, budgets and personal preference!
Save the Date
Save the Dates are the first communication you will have with your guests about your big day. If you are wondering if or when you need to send these out make sure to read this blog post which talks all about it. Save the dates will only be sent to people invited to the wedding so make sure to lockdown your final list before mailing these.
Invitation
The main wedding invitation should include the information for your wedding ceremony such as the date, time and location. The wording on your invitation will be specific to your day and show whether it is a formal affair or more informal. Stay tuned for a post all about choosing the proper wording for you event.
Response Card
The response card should be sent with your invitation and will be used for your guests to send back if they will be attending your wedding or not. It should have a space for their names, to reply yes or no and can have other selections on it such as meal choices for plated dinners. Do not forget to put the “reply by” date as well to avoid late responses. It is also traditional to provide a pre-stamped envelope for the response card in situations where guests need to mail the response card back to you.
Detail Card
Detail cards are optional but highly recommended. They can be used to communicate any relevant wedding information such as acommodations & travel info, your wedding website, reception information, attire requests or even pre/post wedding events. Think of what you would want to know if you were attending a wedding and make sure to notify your guests of those things. If you need to provide directional information and the information above we recommend using two cards to make sure it all fits properly.
Directions are only recommended if you are getting married in a remote area where guests may not have access to google maps etc.
Reception Card
Reception cards are great to use if your reception is not at the same location as your ceremony. You can provide the location and start time (very important if there is a lag between the two) as well as dress code if necessary. Although you can place this information on your detail card some couples prefer to have this information separated. It is also a great option if your reception information is the only detail needed, since a detail card is slightly larger and all the space would not be needed.
Registry Card
Registry cards are used to share your website with your guests where they can stay up to date on all of your wedding information. This can be used in pair with your detail & reception cards or in place of them if you have a lower budget and need to reduce your enclosure cards. These are also sometimes used for guests who are omitting the mailable response card and would like guests to reply online.
Envelopes / Guest Addressing
All of our Save the Dates, Invitations, Response Cards and Thank You Cards come with your choice of envelope and complimentary return address printing. Return addresses will commonly be the couples address or whoever is handling the communications. This is important in case your invitations need to be returned to you from the postal service. Guest Addressing is always highly recommended and will include your guests names printed on the front along with their mailing address. If you are not hiring a calligrapher printed guest addressing is a must and will complete your suite while saving you hours of having to handwrite the addresses. In countries where invitations are hand delivered the front will include the guest names only and the back flap can be left blank or include the couples names or monogram.
Double Envelope
Double envelopes are used for formal weddings and include a larger outer envelope and standard inner envelope. The outer envelope will include the guests mailing address as normal and the inner envelope will include all guests invited to the wedding but can be slightly less formal. For more information on how to properly address double envelopes read our blog post here.
Thank You cards
Thank you cards are used to send thanks to your guests for attending your wedding and any gift they provided. It is considered proper to handwrite these and is acceptable to send within 3 months of your wedding date.
Embellishments
Embellishments are enhancements for your suite such as wax seals or a vellum jacket to wrap it all up. Stay tuned for a second post that talks all about embellishments and when they can be best used!
If you need more help figuring out what pairing is best for your budget you can fill our our inquiry form here or ask questions in the comments below!