Requesting the honor of your presence: All about the paper
Once you have all of the major choices for your wedding selected ( venue, photographer, videographer, music and officiant ), it's time to move on to other details. This is where your wedding consultant can guide you to establish what is the most important and how much to spend on each category.
One of the first things you will need to order is save the dates. These are simplejust alerting your guests only to who are getting married, the date and the city. Also any travel information and hotel blocks should be included in when you save the date, so that guests can start to make travel plans. No other details are given, as these are saved for the invitation. "Save the dates" used to be optional, or just something to send to out-of-town guests, but have really become the norm.
Also, you will need to secure hotel rooms for your out-of-town guests. If your wedding is at a hotel, it will provide you a block of rooms. Sometimes you will need to get rooms at another price point, or will need rooms if your wedding is not at a hotel. Make sure you get rooms without an attrition clause: This way you are not obligated to sell all the rooms, since you really cannot control where your guests stay, as many are brand-loyal. Room blocks will end about a month before your wedding date, so be sure to indicate that on your "save the date." These should go out about nine to 12 months before the wedding. I love to suggest something different that will catch the guest's eyes and really stir excitement such as a refrigerator magnet, luggage tag or something with your photo on it, as some may have not met your fiance( e ) yet.
When picking out your "save your date," you can also pick out your invitations. Some couples like to have the "save the dates" and invites match or coordinate, but they don't have to. The invitation should set the tone of the wedding itself. You will need to order your invitation, reception card ( if your reception is in a different location from where the ceremony is ) and the RSVP set. Additionally, you can include the hotel information and a directions/map card as well.
I suggest numbering your guests, and then penciling that number on the back of the RSVP card very small on the back. It will make receiving your RSVPs easier when you can't read a guest's writing, and there is no return address. Make sure you stamp these with return postage. Also consider thinking outside the box and doing something unexpected if your style dictates that. I have done invitations sent in stunning silk boxes, tied with French ribbon and secured with a brooch. I have also done fun invitations that were a ViewMaster, a jigsaw puzzle or a chocolate bar.
As for addressing, you should have all the addresses from your "save the dates," with any changes that you may have noted since this mailing. You can have the invitations hand-addressed by yourself, a family member or a professional calligrapheror have the invitation company print the name and address on the envelope. I suggest taking a finished invitation to the post office to measure and weigh for proper postage. Then, since you are there, you can pick stamps that fit your theme, or you can order personalized stamps online. These can be fun, as you download a photo onto them. Make sure you figure costs of addressing and postage into your wedding budget.