So it’s time to organise your invitations? There’s so many options, sometimes it can be a little overwhelming! To narrow it down, try to consider:
- Your chosen theme
- Colours you like
- Budget you have to work with (don't forget to include thank you cards!)
- What kind of invite you'd like - digital print, letterpress, foil, wood, acrylic etc (there’s so many options!
What stationery do I need?
So you’ve chosen an invitation style, now what else do you need?
Depending on your budget, the most common items people include in their invitation package are:
- RSVP card - make it so much easier for your guest to reply to your wedding. All they need to do is fill out the card, pop a stamp on and put it in a mailbox. Gone are the days or buying formal RSVP wedding cards and handwriting a written response. Some couples prefer to have their guests reply by phone or email, but the idea of being able to keep the returned RSVP’s as a keepsake is a really nice idea… and great for those who don’t love technology!
- Wishing well card – You will find that most couples now prefer money over gifts. With so many couples living together before they get married, there isn’t much left to buy! Consider using a nice poem to request money, but always give the option for your guests to give a gift if they really want to. Some other ideas are money towards your honeymoon, a gift registry, or money towards a house.
- Map or accommodation card – Ceremony or reception location a little hard to find? Then consider a map card. We can custom draw maps showing locations, and also include written directions if needed. An accommodation card is a good option too if your reception location is out of town, or for destination weddings.
- Information card – too much information to fit on your invitation? Then an information card is a great addition to include information about kids, food, or events the day after the wedding.
- Some stationers will be able to put together a nice little package deal for multiple cards. For example, Life is Peachy has a basic stationery package available which includes an invitation, RSVP card and wishing well card. Check out our wedding packages for more information.
How many do I need?
Always order more than you think you need! It’s so much easier to order more to start with, then try to add on extras later. Most invitation designers will have minimum print runs, so it can be a very costly exercise to order more down the track.
Remember that not every guest needs an invitation. You will have couples, families and households on invitations so you’ll need approximately 60-75% of the amount of guests invited.
Remember that some people may not be able to make it, so you might like to invite other people closer to the wedding.
Size really does matter!
With postage costs on the rise, it’s important to consider the size of your invitations and envelopes and how many stamps you’ll need to post them.
Think about this… if you have 100 invitations, that’s up to $200 spent on stamps alone if you need 2 stamps per invite. That’s before you even consider the cost of the invitations!
Popular sizes for invitations include square, rectangle (5” x 7” or A5), or DL (envelope size).
If you ask your local post office, they will be able to guide you as to how many stamps you need for the invitation size you’ve chosen.
Most of our invitations have been designed with postage in mind, and they generally only require 1 stamp per envelope. If they were just a touch bigger, they would need 2 stamps and double your postage costs.
Choosing a paper type
Matt, metallic, textured, recycled…. The list goes on. There are soooo many paper types available now for invitations and stationery and sometimes it’s really hard to make a decision!
If you’re not sure of what best suits your chosen style or wedding theme, ask your stationery designer as they’re used to doing this kind of thing every day!
As a basic guide, we suggest the following:
- Matt – great for most themes, nice and clean but nothing too fancy. This is normally the cheapest of the paper options and often results in a great print quality
- Metallic – perfect for glitzy or chic weddings. Think chandeliers, candelabras, glitter and glam. Works really well with simple and elegant designs
- Recycled – suited to rustic, vintage and natural themes. A couple of years ago there was a big trend of printing white on kraft card. Now we’re starting to see this mixed up with adding colour and watercolours on the brown and letting the colour show through, it produces great results!
- Textured – this works best for minimalistic and watercolour designs. The paper texture adds an element of depth to the invitations and gives them a soft feel. Personally my favourite and very on trend at the moment, there’s so many types of textured papers around so see what your stationer has available!
- Still have questions? Email us at info@lifeispeachy.com.au or order a sample pack.