Photo credit: Isabelle from 2Brides.se
It can be frustrating and take a lot of time to chase up guests who haven't RSVP to your wedding. You might need to give the head count to the venue, plan the seating and order name cards. Here are a few things to consider when it comes to planning the wedding invitation.
Save The Date
A good time to send out save the date cards is around 8 months in advance or as soon as you have booked the venue and ceremony location. We recommend you to always send out a save the date if you have a destination wedding in Stockholm. This gives your guests plenty of time to book their flights, find accommodation, hire cars, get time off work, and make arrangements for children. It is totally ok to do this by sending a digital notice if you don’t want to print a card or do something more creative.
Invitation Etiquette
Etiquette says to send out the invitation 8 weeks before your wedding date, no less than 6 weeks. If most of your guests are local, and you don’t need extra time to plan this could work however our clients tend to want weddings that require extra planning so I think this is a very short timeframe and can also add extra stress for the wedding couple.
Invitation and RSVP for the Weddings We Help Our Couples Plan
We recommend sending out invitations around 4-6 months before the day and ask your guests to RSVP at the latest 2 months but preferably 3-4 months before the wedding day.
The reason for us setting an early RSVP is because our couples tend to have international guest and many of our weddings require extra planning. We help our wedding couples to order special décor and this is sometimes based on how many guests are coming. A few of our weddings are also tented so then we plan out the tent size and space needed and book all the rentals.
Early RSVP is especially important for summer weddings because then we have less time in the office. The same goes for our vendor partners who also are hard to get reply’s from during those months. The best is to finalize the heavy planning in May and then make smaller adjustments a few weeks before the wedding if needed.
What Should I Include In My Wedding Invitation
Names of the hosts (if not the couple)
The couple's names.
Date and time of ceremony.
Ceremony and reception location.
Attire details.
RSVP information
Extra Information About Weddings
RSVP cards
RSVP cards (or response cards) is used to collect your guests replys and see who is going to be able to come. You can also use RSVP cards to collect your guests diet restriction. They look cute but to be honest I have never planned a wedding where all of these cards has been sent back to the couple. Guests tend to lose them and it is extra work for the couple in my opinion.
Accommodations cards
Perhaps your venue also has accommodation? Many couples want to let their guests know what their favorite local hotels near the wedding venue are. For this purpose a separate accommodation card can be added to the wedding invitation.
Program card
If your wedding is a weekend celebration - such as a Friday night BBQ party, a Saturday morning yoga session, and a Sunday morning brunch after your Saturday wedding? If so, it may be helpful to include a program.
Attire cards
If you have a specific dress code for your wedding and other wedding-related events, you may want to include the dress code for each event.
Reception or after party card
If your wedding ceremony and wedding reception are at two different locations or if you will have a after party at another location then the dinner location, you can include extra information about this.
Map and directions cards
Short and sweet a cards with a map and/or directions on how to get to the ceremony and reception.
Wedding website card
If you want to make things easier for yourself and your guests, you can just add all the information to a wedding website instead. When you send out your wedding invites then include a card with the website URL. There are many free and paid wedding websites, or you get help from a designer. We can also help to set this up for you if you want.
Are You Planning a Wedding In Stockholm?
We can help you get started and offer both digital and local wedding planning help here in Stockholm. We also have great connections with wedding planners all over the world if you need help finding a planner in your area.