A guide to help you plan what information to include within your wedding invitations
One of the main areas the couples I work with get a bit stuck on is regarding what information they need to include within their wedding invitations.
So to help couples planning their stationery, I’ve put together a quick outline of the key information to include and some of the additional sections you may wish to include.
Sections
I’ve broken this down into three sections:
- Body of the Invitation
- Additional Information
- R.S.V.P
As each wedding is unique, not all of these suggestions may apply to your day, so feel free to only include those that do.
Body of the Invitation
This is where you include all of the key information for you day, including the following:
- Who’s getting married (full names/first names only - it’s up to you)
- Date of the wedding
- Arrival time and ceremony start time
- Venue name - Street Address, City/Town, Post Code (optional - see Additional Information)
- Carriages/End time (when do guests need to book taxis for)
Also consider:
- An Introduction line
You are invited to the wedding of . . .
Your parents names invite you to the wedding of . . . - What the day will include after the ceremony is complete
Dinner, drinks and dancing to follow
Additional Information
Below are some of the most commonly included additional bits of information that couples like to provide their guests with within their invitations
- Venue details - Provide the full address of your wedding venue/s, including postcodes (if not already provided in the body of the invite)
-
Finding the Venue - Here you’d look to provide information for your guests to find the venue.
This could include:- Directions for the venue/map
- Sat Nav recommendations (especially if it’s difficult address to locate)
- 3 Words
- Alternative modes of transport (e.g. nearest train station, local taxi firm details)
** If the venue for the ceremony and the reception are different, make sure you include both address sets of address details and how the guests can get from the first venue to the second.
- Parking - Is parking available during the day/over night and when do vehicles need to be removed the following day
- Accommodation - Here you may provide possible suggestions for where guests can stay for the night/s
- Does the venue have accommodation options?
- Is there a special rate offered to guests?
- Does the venue recommend any local hotels?
- Are there Air-B’n’B’s in the area?
- Menu /Food Choices- If you require your guests to select their food choices for the day, be sure to include a copy of the menu and details of how they can inform you of your selections (see R.S.V.P section for more)
- Gifts - Let your guests know if you’re having either
- A gift list and how to access it - website/password details
- Would prefer money towards your honeymoon/home
- Asking for charity donations - provide the details of how to donate
- Requesting that it is a giftless wedding.
- Children - Advise guests if this is an event where children are welcome or if you would prefer it to be a child free celebration. If you’re providing entertainment or childcare on the day, you may also use this section to advise your guests.
- Website - If you’re having a wedding website, be sure to include the address details and password (if required). You may also wish to outline what information guests will be able to find on the site.
** Even if you are having a website, it is worth including key information that your guests may require on the day of your wedding, such as taxi numbers, full address, carriages, just in case they’re unable to access the website for any reason.
Here some further sections you may wish to include:
- Dress Code - e.g. formal wear, casual dress, a theme, do they need to consider the venue e.g. uneven surface/field
- Map
- Pre/Post Wedding event details
- Bar Information - will guests require cash or card for the day
- Timeline of the day
R.S.V.P
Let your guests know how to let you know if they will be attending your special day.
This could be either by:
- Text message / phone call / Email - Provide contact details
- A Wedding Website - Provide the link and login details
- Posting their RSVP to you - Provide the address details for them to return them to you
Further information you may ask your guests for when responding to you invite are:
- Dietary requirements/Allergies
- Food choices
- Song requests
And most importantly be sure to include the date by which you need to have responses to the invitation by.
Why is it important to include all the information?
One of the main benefits of making sure you’ve covered off all the information that you need is peace of mind, for both you, and your guests. You will know that your guests have all the details they will need to enjoy your celebrations.
It’s also useful for your stationer to have an idea of how much information you will need included within your invitations, especially when making suggestions for layouts, styles and creating images as part of the design.
Top Tips
Here are a couple of tips I’ve learnt in my years of designing wedding invitations:
- If you have a lot of information to give your guests, try to be as concise as possible. You want your guests to be excited at receiving their invitation in the post, but not exhausted by the end of reading through it.
- Being direct with your wording isn’t a bad thing. Some couples when planning their wording have a tendency to over explain some sections of their wedding invitations, mainly when it comes to Children & Gifts, for the fear of coming across rude or too direct based on their decisions/requests.
- You don’t have to reinvent the wheel - If during the planning of your stationery you find a well worded example that relates to your day, you can use that within your own invitations.
- If you are stuck on how to word a particular section, ask your wedding stationer if they have any examples of how other couples have phrased sections that you can use to help you plan. I have a document that I send to my clients when I’m working with them that covers most areas that they can lift ideas from and tweak to fit their needs.
About the author:
I'm Chris, an artist and wedding stationer based in Whitstable, Kent.
I've been designing bespoke illustrated wedding stationery since 2016.
All designs featured within this article are my own.