We heard that you’ve set a date and venue for your wedding, and all (well, most) of the key details are locked down. First of all, congratulations! Second of all, what now? You’ve got to tell your guest list, and do it in a way that’s stylish, fun, and introduces your guests to the themes and concepts of the wedding. That’s a lot! Enter the wedding invite suite, your wedding style guide that fits in a not-so-small envelope.
What Are The Basics of a Wedding Invite Suite?
The classic wedding suite must include an invitation, a response card for your RSVPs (with its own envelope), an envelope for the whole package, and postage for both sending them out to your guests and your guests’ return mail to you. Of course, they should be aesthetically coordinated with the rest of the wedding, and should serve as the introduction of how the big day will feel.
Your envelopes should be large enough to fit everything comfortably, and in a color that’s a part of your wedding color theme. Additionally, addressing and posting your envelopes is another opportunity to get creative.You can try your hand at calligraphy for an extra-personal touch, or hire a calligrapher. Fun and beautiful labels are also a great option for addresses since they pair well with illustrations and frames printed on them! Postage is also a good place to express yourself, given the number of beautiful stamps out there. Our tip: bundles of vintage stamps can turn each invite into a miniature collage that’s personalized to its addressee.
Go Online
These days, many couples opt for a light version of the above for a wedding invite by using a wedding website to record RSVPs. In those cases, the main invitation includes the website address (or even a QR code) so guests can RSVP and select meals online.
If you ask us, we prefer the classics—physical RSVP cards are a great experience for your guests, especially less tech-savvy ones, and there’s no feeling like getting an RSVP card back in the mail.
That being said, forgoing RSVP cards in favor of your wedding website can offer convenience and simplicity, all with a friendlier price tag. The important thing, of course, is to commit—if you’re going to send guests to a wedding website, then seize the opportunity to make it look nice and reflect your creative vision!
The Add-Ons
When you’re thinking about your wedding invite, it’s always a fun idea to think of how to go beyond the normal invite-RSVP card combo. The sky’s the limit, but our favorites are reception cards, directions cards, and itineraries. Reception cards are nice as an add-on, and a must for weddings where the reception and ceremony are in different locations, since you’ll want to specifically call out the dress code and other details (are kids invited?) of the reception.
We’re also big fans of direction and itinerary cards. In the age of smartphone maps, a printed directions card is both an analog throwback, and a nice choice for weddings in a more rural location where cell service can be spotty and local knowledge can outweigh what your smartphone thinks.
Itinerary cards are a key part of the wedding invite if there’s a whole weekend planned, or if it’s a destination wedding. It can be helpful to show where everything is on a map, as well as having a non-screen center of information for your guests! It’ll also be a great keepsake. If you’re noticing a theme, it’s that we’re in favor of printing anything that would otherwise be confined to a phone.
Get Creative
While these are some of our favorites, your wedding invite should be a time to showcase the two of you, so there aren’t really any wrong moves for things you can include. If it’s flat, go for it! We’ve seen polaroid pictures, vintage postcards, ephemera from events that are specific to the recipient, and more! It’s your wedding invite, so it should look like you!
Wedding invites are some of our favorite things to make since they’re so personal. No matter how you set up yours, show it off to us on socials @foryourparty so we can feature it!
Shop This Post
