The Stationers Guild

As readers of this Blog are aware, I rarely find much illuminating information on the internet for “wedding invitations”  that is not  promotional.  Today, I was thrilled to find  an excellent article on how to avoid Five Common Mistakes for Wedding Invitations.   This Blog article was posted on BridalCookie.com and when I have some time, I will check it out to determine if this website offers other useful advice for bridal couples.  Rather than regurgitate this well-written article (also a novelty in today’s fast-food social media), I will briefly list the five common wedding invitation errors that surface regularly:

• Not Enough Postage:   Wedding invitation paper stock and the enclosed reply card set often push postage into uncharted territory.  Always take a sample down to your local Post Office to determine the correct postage.
• Order Extra Invitations and Envelopes:   It is wise to order 25 more invitations and envelopes than you actually plan to use.  Inevitably, you will find that a couple of friends or relatives were left off the initial list and some envelopes may not be addressed improperly.   Ordering an extra 25 invitations is considerably cheaper than initiating a separate run of 25 after your original 150 invitations have been delivered.  In some cases it could cost 40% of the cost of 150 invitations.
• Don’t leave your invitations to the last minute:   Ideally, your guests should receive their invitation not less than 8 weeks before the event.  Some leading design companies take three to four weeks to print invitations and it can often take two to three weeks to finalize wording, font styles and layout.   We recommend starting the process six month before the wedding event.
• Content Mistakes:   Workding with an experienced stationer in your neighborhood will certainly help reduce the many errors we often encounter in online wedding invitations.  Proofs and several extra sets of eyeballs will eliminate 99.9% of errors, poor etiquette and proper formatting problems encountered in crafting wedding invitations online or with inexperienced friends. 
• Not setting an RSVP Deadline:    This is a critical organizational element.  Always include an RSVP deadline.  If you don’t hear from your guests, you have a perfect excuse to call.  Everything you can do to keep the logistics simple and up-to-date will relieve stress on your wedding day.

Again, thanks to Bridal Cookie for this excellent advice.

Sheila P. May
Therese Saint Clair