Creating your beautiful wedding stationery can feel overwhelming, especially when it comes to properly wording your enclosure cards. For this reason, we consulted Rosebud Calligraphy in Orlando, FL. They shared their expert knowledge on sending timeline and invitation etiquette. Ideally, you should start this part of your wedding planning 6-9 months before your wedding date.
Stationery Timeline
Katherine, owner of Rosebud Calligraphy, created a best case scenario timeline for your stationery mailing and due dates. She suggests you begin with Save the Dates 6-9 months in advance. However, we understand that you may have missed this deadline. Don’t worry, Katherine says, “Workk with your stationer to create a timeline that aligns with your specific needs and wedding date.”
Mailing and Due Dates
- Save the Dates for Destination Weddings: Send 9 months in advance
- Save the Dates for Local Weddings: Send 6 months in advance
- Invitation Suite without a prior Save the Date: 12 weeks before the wedding
- Invitation Suite with a prior Save the Date: 8 weeks before the wedding
Wedding Stationery Etiquette
Many of our couples reach out with questions about how to properly address their invitation collection. For instance, How many stamps do I need? Whose name goes on the envelope? Do I use abbreviations? These are just a few of the questions we assist our couples with at Socialite Event Planning. Below is a list of answers and tips from Rosebud Calligraphy on all of these questions and more.
Outermost Envelope:
- Typically, a couple will go on the outside of the envelope and additional attendees (such as plus one or children) will be included on the inner envelope.
- Adults over 18, living at the same household, should each receive their own invitation. For example, a household with a married couple, and an adult child, would receive two invitations. If this same household has a child under 18, they would be included with the married couple’s invitation and the adult child would still receive their own.
- In formal etiquette, if a married couple has different last names they will be separated by “and” on the envelope.
- If it is a couple that is not married, traditionally they are written on separate lines with no “and”.
Inner Envelope:
- This is where you will list the plus one or children under the age of 18 that are invited to the wedding.
- Informal personalization is used on the inner envelope. For example “Granny and Pop Pop” instead of Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Muncy.
Response Card Envelope:
- Remember to put postage on your response card envelope.
- Number your response cards! Include a small indicator on the back of the card and match it to your guest list. This way if a guest sends in their response card, but forgets to put their name on it, you’ll know who it came from.
Expert Tip: Avoid using abbreviations for anything on the invitation suite or envelope addressing. (St. should be Street, Dr. should be Doctor and FL should be Florida.)
If you are feeling overwhelmed with your wedding stationery etiquette, Click Here, to connect with our Owner, Stephanie, and ask her for wedding planning help.
What To Include On Your Invitation
Another area that can create a long list of questions is your invitation text. Katherine shares her best practices for what information to include on your invitation. As well as sample wording for enclosure cards.
Do’s and Don’ts for your wedding invitation and details card:
- DO NOT list your wedding website on the invitation. Instead, a details card that lists some of the items they can find on the website. For instance, accommodations, attire details, registry to name a few.
- Wording for your details card: Please visit our wedding website for nearby accommodations, weekend itineraries, our registry, and fun things to do in Orlando
- DO NOT include hotel booking links on a details card. These tend to be long and can often look confusing.
- DO list transportation information on the details card.
- Sample wording for transportation: Transportation will be provided to and from from the (main hotel) to the (venue). Buses will depart from the hotel lobby 30 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony and will return every half-hour beginning at 9 P.M.
- DO NOT include the full street addresses for your wedding and event venues on your invitations. This can be listed on your details card.
- If you have the ceremony and reception in two locations, DO include both addresses and start times.
- DO NOT list a ceremony start time earlier than your actual start time! Guests know to show up early, if you have a ceremony start time of 5pm and you put 4:30pm, guests will arrive at 4pm and then wait almost an hour for your entrance.
- Avoid including the entire entrée description on the response cart. Instead, opt for a short indicator with the protein choice (beef/ chicken/ fish).
Expert Tip: The phrase “the honor of your presence” is formally used when the ceremony is taking place in a house of worship. For other venues “the pleasure of your company” is traditionally used.
Sample Wording For Enclosure Card
Another most asked question from Socialite Event Planning couples, “How do I politely say I don’t want kids at my wedding?” Through our collaboration with Rosebud Calligraphy, we have a few samples of how to word this sometimes sensitive topic, along with some other suggestions to help you navigate your wedding stationery etiquette journey.
Adults Only Suggestions:
- We kindly ask this be an adults only event.
- Pleas join us for an adults only reception at…
Reception (separate location):
- Please join us for a reception immediatley following the ceremony at…
- As aforementioned, include the additional transportation information in the details card.
Rosebud Calligraphy
We are thankful for the expert advice provided by Katherine. If you are looking for a custom experience for your beautiful wedding stationery collection without the custom fee, consider working with Rosebud Calligraphy as part of your wedding planning dream team.
Rosebud Calligraphy offers a personalized touch that sets your invitations apart. From selecting the perfect wax seal and color to approving design elements, your input matters every step of the way.
With the Invitation Collection, you get the convenience of online ordering combined with the attention and expertise of an experienced and professional stationery designer. These collections have been created with the Rosebud Calligraphy couple in mind and can be customized to fit your aesthetic and style.
When you work with Katherine and Rosebud Calligraphy, you get to create wedding invitations that capture the essence of your love story and set the tone for your special day.
For help making your wedding a day to remember, complete or Contact Form and tell our owner, Stephanie, what your dream wedding looks like.
