Your wedding invitation is the front line of your wedding day – it is the first contact you have with your invitees and your first impression of your wedding. This is the prime reason why you should select a wedding invitation that reflects you both as a couple, and reflects the theme, tone and style of your wedding. Often, the main question engaged couples ask is what to include in their wedding invitation packages. Generally speaking, you should send your wedding invitations six to eight weeks in advance of the wedding date.

As for what to include in your wedding invitation, let’s look at a detailed list and explanation of what you should include in an invitation package and some of the extras that you can choose to include as well.

The staples for a wedding invitation include:

The Invitation Card

The invitation itself is the explanation of who, what, when, where and why you are sending an invitation. It should contain all of the pertinent information so that the invitee knows the answers to all these questions.

• Who – You and your future spouse.

• What – . a wedding, reception, dance, dinner,etc.

• When – . the date of your wedding.

• Where –. the location where the wedding will take place. Also include where your reception will take place if it is at a different venue than your wedding.

• Why – .because you have hand selected them to share in your special day.

There are many different types of wedding invitation cards to send – folded, double sided, single sided, booklets and much more. You can select the invitation based on how much information you want to put on the card as well as the design you like the most. You can have them printed with calligraphy writing, embossment, engraving, thermography, letterpress color and more. Many times, the invitation card will be in its own envelope inside the mailing envelope.

The Invitation Envelope

The invitation’s envelope is a non-gummed envelope that contains the invitation itself. It often is chosen to match the invitation in color and style. Put the invitation card inside the invite envelope and place inside the wedding invitation package envelope that you will mail.

The Wedding Invitation Package Envelope

The wedding invite package envelope is a gummed and sealable envelope that you will use for mailing. On this, you will write the recipient’s mailing address to be delivered by postal mail. The mailing envelope can match the rest of your package in color and style, or can be a plainer envelope.

Response Card

The response card is a staple of wedding invitation packages. This ensures that the recipient will respond to you if they are planning to attend your wedding. You can use a variety of formats for your response card, but you should include a space for their name and number of guests attending. These responses are used to gather totals of attendees for your wedding which will help the caterer and planning of the wedding as a whole.

You should include a pre-addressed and pre-stamped envelope with the response card so that returning your invitation is easy for your invitee. You should request on the response card that they respond at least two weeks before the date of the wedding. This is to help you have enough time to finish the final planning stages of your wedding day.

Optional Pieces to Include in Your Wedding Invitation Package

There are an unlimited number of options to include in your wedding invitation package, but remember to keep it simple. Include the information that is helpful and the following pieces may be of interest to you to include, based on the location, style and place of your wedding.

Reception Card

A reception card lists the addresses and times of post-wedding events. A reception card is especially important to send if you are having your reception or other events at a different location from the wedding itself. Be sure to include this information and the addresses of the locations on the reception card.

Map and Direction Cards

If you are unsure of whether or not out of town guests will be able to find the locations of your wedding day events, be sure to include a card with a map and directions of how to find the locations of the events. Be sure to include each event’s directions and don’t assume that just because someone lives in the same city you do that they will know how to get to a specific place.

Accommodation Information

Accommodation information cards are a good idea if you’re hosting your wedding at a vacation destination or if you have many out of town guests. Be sure to include airfare, transportation and accommodation arrangements in the information for your prospective guests.