So here we go, this is your checklist for writing your Wedding Invites! They are the first real piece of your Wedding and your guests’ initial insight into the big day. This is your opportunity to tell your guests everything they need to know and in this instance more is always best!

DATE
Ok that’s pretty obvious!

WHERE
Detail the address as well as the venue’s name just to be sure that no one arrives at the wrong venue! You’ll need to do the same for your ceremony venue if it is different.

TIMINGS
Now most people are good at arriving on time for ceremonies but if you’re worried why not put an “Arrive by” time instead of the ceremony start time. Also don’t forget to include the “carriages at” time so people can pre-book taxis for the end of the night.

WHO’S INVITED
Be really clear about who’s invited i.e. partners, plus ones, children etc or if partners are only invited in the evening. If you are not inviting children or partners that’s completely your choice but it’s probably worth having the conversation with the guests that it will effect before the invites go out, not because you need to justify yourself but just so they don’t assume otherwise.

DIRECTIONS
Most people use their phones or sat navs to find where they need to go but I would still suggest you include a map / directions. I would write the directions in your own words with helpful tips like “after the Treehouse Pub turn left” because we all know devices can fail especially if your venue is in a poor signal zone. Also double check with your venue what postcode to use as some venues on large estates have a different postcode to use for sat navs than the one that comes up on a Google search. You’ll need to do this for both your ceremony and reception if they are at different locations.

WHERE TO STAY
Do a bit of research to find a few options for accommodation nearby. Suggest some options that appeal to a range of price ranges. It’s also worth seeing if you can get a special rate at a hotel. If you can get a reduced price, include on the invite the details your guests need to know i.e. the rate, if there is a certain person they need to speak to, when they need to book by to get the rate (although always state that it’s first come first served so to be quick) andwhat they need to quote to get the rate (this might be a code or your name but the hotel can advise you of this).

TAXI NUMBERS
Detail a few taxi firms and their contact numbers. Depending on the area if taxis are not easy to come by advise guests to pre-book before the big day so they don’t end up stranded.

RSVPs
The most important part of sending your invitations is getting your guests RSVPs. Include an RSVP card that guests can fill in and send back to you to let you know if they can make it or not. It’s also worth including a pre-addressed envelope for them to send it back in. Make sure you either pre-write their names on the RSVPs, number them or leave a space for them to fill their own name in because the last thing you want is loads of RSVPs and no idea who they came from.

DIETARIES
When your guests RSVP you’ll need them to tell you if they have any dietary requirements so you can pass this on to your caterers. Include on the RSVP card a place for them to write their dietary requirements. Be prepared…you might get some weird and wonderful replies from picky people as opposed to real dietary requirements. “Vegetarian who eats chicken”, “only eats cheese, chips and chocolate” are genuine dietary requirements I have received in the past!

SONG REQUEST
Why not ask your guests to include a song request on their RSVP. It will save you the task of creating a playlist for the evening and hopefully they’ll dance to at least one song even if it is their own pick. You might just have to vet the very eclectic choices.

RSVP DATE
You will need to check when your venue/caterers need final numbers and dietary requirements by and work back from there. Most will ask for them 2 weeks in advance but you want to be asking for your RSVPs long before this. People can be hopeless when it comes to RSVPing, we all know because we’ve all been guilty of it at least once. So allow yourself plenty of time to chase up the stragglers and get everything confirmed before the manic last few weeks commence.

THINGS TO NOTE
This could information like if the venue only allows biodegradable confetti (something worth checking beforehand), if girls should wear certain footwear or if there is a dress code. Anything you think is worth knowing detail it down.

GIFT LIST
Whether you’re having a gift list, a honeymoon fund or something else you’ll need to detail this in your invites. Give as much information as possible; link to the website, details to access your personal page/list etc.

WEDDING WEBSITE
If you have a wedding website you can detail the link to this on your invite but also be sure to include all of this information on the website.

Now despite all the hard work you put into your invites there will be some guests that won’t read them and will still ask you a million questions, all of which are detailed in the invite they DIDN’T READ, but just remember to breathe, count to 10 and politely tell them to READ THE BLOODY INVITE!! Ok, shouty capitals is probably not the way to go or it might get you a Bride/Groomzilla reputation although you would be completely justified and I’d back you up!

So now you’ll all set to get invite sending!

Happy Wedmin-ing!

Amy x