If you’re about to start preparing for a marriage ceremony, you want to make sure that you start all the planning arrangements on the right foot. Planning a ceremony can be incredibly stressful and tiring, so it’s best to start organising as soon as possible. One of the first things you should be doing is choosing the design for your wedding invitations. Indeed, your marriage cards are really important as they inform your guests regarding all the key information of your ceremony: the date, catering requirements, the venue, the RSVP cut-off and more. So, when planning your wedding invitations, make sure you follow this guide carefully to get the best cards for you.

Know the style you want

Before you choose anything, it is critical that you know the theme of your marriage ceremony. At the same time, you will need to find a location that is conducive to the theme you want. Do you want to get married on the beach? Have a secular arrangement? Or do you want a traditional service in a church? Perhaps you’re even considering a destination event in Hawaii or Fiji. It doesn’t matter what choice you make, however, what is important is that you reflect the tone and style of your ceremony in your wedding invitations.

For example, wedding invitations with a simple theme, like a white background, with simple neutral colours (i.e. black, grey) for text and patterns will suit a modern-style ceremony. On the other hand, a more traditional ceremony will likely require marriage cards that feature vivid, rich colours, cursive writing and floral patterns.

Don’t overdo it

Some of the worst wedding invitations are the ones that are cluttered with too much information. Pictures of the engaged couple and a nice little written anecdote can work well, however, you don’t want to tell your guest list your entire couple story. Keep the content simple and remember to include only the most important information. The date, the venue, catering needs, music and transport arrangements are some of the things you should be including.

Likewise, keep your content concise and straight to the point. Proof read and triple-check for any spelling or grammar mistakes. You could even get a close friend to quickly proof read the writing to double-check, since it can be hard to pick up on little things if you’ve read through the card so many times.

Children

Guests with young children may want to know if their children are invited. If you want your event to be adults only, ensure that you address your wedding invitations to the adults in the household only. On the other hand, if children are welcome, all you need to write is “and family” after the names of the adult invitees.

RSVP

Make sure you include an RSVP stamp with each of your wedding invitations. This makes it easier for your guests to respond and reduces the likelihood of them forgetting to respond entirely. A general rule of thumb is that the deadline for your RSVP date should be two to three weeks before the date. This gives you plenty of time to verify the numbers for the caterer, organize your table arrangements and finalize any other arrangements. This will save you a lot of stress in the lead up to the big day.

Dress code

You want to make sure that the dress code is included on your wedding invitations. Most cards will include it in the bottom right hand corner of the reception card. You don’t have to go into too much detail, unless you’re having a very specific theme with specific requirements. Generally, “black tie” or “cocktail attire” is sufficient information.