Event Planning

Some guests only attend your evening reception, while others attend your ceremony. So who should receive Save the Dates?

One of the queries we receive is how much time should you give guests to reply to a wedding invitation? We’ve created a blog to help you out!

We’re diving into common wedding invitation sizes and what goes into the decision making process.

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Save the date cards are a super useful way to announce your wedding date in style! Their purpose is to include key information about your wedding day that guests need to know months in advance. While it may be tempting to include all the little details on your cards, these are not necessary and should be saved for the wedding invites! Here are a few things to consider:

1) Names

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Don't forget to include your names! While this seems obvious, forgetting to include your names has happened before. We also recommend you include your last names if inviting people you're not that close with, just to avoid guests' potential confusion.

2) Date

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Sending guests your wedding date is the purpose of save the date cards, so make sure you include this! It is also important to consider when you are sending out your save the dates in relation to your wedding date. We recommend you send save the dates approximately 6-9 months before your big day, as this allows people to book time off work and plan other social events around this date. If you are marrying in a busy season or period, such as over Christmas, or marrying abroad, aim to send your save the dates up to 12 months in advance.

3) Etiquette

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While we are big fans of wedding etiquette here at Dotty about Paper, save the date cards have a less formal feel than the rest of your stationery. This gives you a great excuse for being a bit more creative with it! While save the dates are a great way to announce a theme, you could always pick a design that's a bit more outgoing than your chosen wedding theme.

4) Guest List

Make sure you are certain on who you want to invite to your wedding before you send out save the dates! Save the dates imply that you will invite the recipient to your big day, so they will expect an invite. It is also advisable not to send save the dates to guests you only want at your evening reception, unless you specify that this is an evening-only reception on your save the date cards.

Also consider that if you send a save the date to someone, they will probably assume their partner or family are also invited. You can clarify this through writing their names on the envelope. This will limit confusion. Here are some examples below:

Single Guest:

Miss Nicola Goddard

Sandward House,

47 Cartway,

Bridgnorth, WV16 4BG

Guest with a Plus One - Add 'and guest':

Miss Nicola Goddard and Guest

Sandward House,

47 Cartway,

Bridgnorth, WV16 4BG

Unmarried Couple - Use both first and last names as well as “Mr.” or “Ms.”:

Mr. James Owen and Ms. Nicola Goddard

Sandward House,

47 Cartway,

Bridgnorth, WV16 4BG

Married Couple - Use the husband's first and last name after 'Mr. and Mrs.':

Mr. and Mrs. James Owen

Sandward House,

47 Cartway,

Bridgnorth, WV16 4BG

Same-Sex Married Couple - Use both first names with joint surname at the end:

Mrs. Lucy and Mrs. Nicola Owen

Sandward House,

47 Cartway,

Bridgnorth, WV16 4BG

Married Couple with Kids - Use the plural form of the family name or:

The Owen Family

Sandward House,

47 Cartway,

Bridgnorth, WV16 4BG

5) Location

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Unless you are getting married abroad, it is not essential to include your wedding location. This makes a great surprise for your wedding invites instead! If you are marrying abroad, try and give an accurate location, as this will help guests book travel in advance. However, if you are not yet sure, just include the country and inform guests later on.

6) "Formal invitation to follow"

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At the bottom of your save the dates, you should inform guests that a formal invitation will follow in case they mistakenly think this is their invite.

7) Proof

Before ordering any stationery, make sure you check it in advance to allow for errors. We also recommend ordering stationery a few weeks in advance, too.

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When you're getting married, you may be unsure of who should receive a wedding invitation. Does every individual guest get one? Do couples and families share an invitation? We've written a quick guide to help you out:

Individuals

If you are inviting a friend to your wedding who is single, you will just need the one invitation for them. Featured Product: Botanical Heart - Wedding Invitations Make sure to mention if your friend is allowed to bring a plus one or not, or you might end up with surprise guests on the day!

Individuals with a plus one

If you have a larger budget, or are wanting a larger wedding, you may want to let your guests bring someone else to your wedding, too. Specify that they can bring a plus one by adding 'and guest' after their name, e.g. 'to Lucy and guest'. Featured Product: Ornate Heart - Tri Fold Wedding Invitation & RSVP If they have been seeing someone for a while, you may want to write both of their names on the invitation. It is only polite.

Couples

If you want to invite someone with a partner, it is common etiquette to invite their partner too, if they have been together for a while. For couples, you can share an invitation between the both of them, e.g. 'to Lucy and Liam'.

Couples with children

For couples with younger children, add their names onto the invitation, e.g. 'to Lucy, Liam, Harry, and Emily'. If their children are aged over 18, you may want to send them their own invitations, especially if they don't live with their parents. Featured Product: Rustic Mason Jar Flowers - Boutique Wedding Invitation & RSVP However, if you are on a strict budget, don't worry too much about sending everyone an individual invite. For child-free weddings, you will also want to specify this on your invitations or guest information cards. We hope you have found this blog useful! We have blogs for all of life's occasions - take a look.

Writing your wedding invitations can seem tricky, but it's actually quite easy! There are a set list of things that you can include. Here are some of the main things that you should include:

The Request Line

The top of the invitation should read your request for them to come to the wedding. Here are some examples: 'You are invited to celebrate the marriage of' 'Together with their parents, Nicola and James request the pleasure of your company at their wedding' 'Mr and Mrs Goddard request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Nicola Jane to James Brendan Owen' Featured Product: Boho Jewel Flowers - Boutique Wedding Invitations

Your Names

Don't forget your names! You may wish to write your names in full if you're having a formal wedding, e.g. Nicola and James if you normally go by Nicki and Jamie! If your wedding is a smaller, more casual event, then you may want to express your personality through your nicknames.

The Wedding Date

Again, you may want to express the date formally: Here are some different examples: 4th September 2021 Saturday 4th September 2021 Saturday the Fourth of September 2021 04.09.21 Featured Product: We Do - Wedding Invitations

Time

If your ceremony is starting at 2pm, then we recommend to put your time as half an hour beforehand. This gives everyone the chance to greet each other and settle down before the ceremony actually starts.

Location

Write the location of the wedding ceremony. You don't have to go into loads of detail, however if the location is tricky to find, you may want to include an additional 'Guest information' card.

Evening Location

Featured Product: Rustic Pastel Flowers - Boutique Wedding Invitation & RSVP Underneath, write where you are holding the evening reception, making it clear that this is for the evening reception only.

RSVP Details

Below, include RSVP details. Many people choose different types of RSVP responses. Either include a mobile number or an email address, or opt for physical RSVP cards and include your home address on your invitations.

Include Additional Details

You may also want to include details about: Attire Details about local hotels and taxi services Your wedding website Your wedding registry Whether or not children are invited Featured Product: Boho Chalkboard Flowers - Guest Information All of these details can also go onto guest information cards, if you don't want your invitations to become cluttered. We hope you have found this blog useful, and it will help write your dream invitations!

So, you've started your wedding guest list, but it's already getting out of hand! Who should you really invite to your wedding? Old friends? Work colleagues? Your cousin you only see once a year? We are here to help!

Family

Inviting family is normally where things get tricky! Who should you invite - and do you have to invite them? Featured Product: Rustic Mason Jar Flowers - Boutique Wedding Invitation & RSVP If you have a small family, then it should be easy enough, but with big families, things can get messy quickly. Many wedding experts would argue that if you invite one of your cousins, then all of your cousins should get an invite. With the same rule applying for aunties, uncles, and grandparents. If you feel uncomfortable with certain people attending your day, then you shouldn't invite them. It is your day after all, and you shouldn't feel obliged to extend your invitations to people you know you don't want to see on the day.

Friends

Friends is a bit easier! Of course you will be inviting all of the wedding party, which would generally include your closest friends. But this is also the part where many couples can argue about who is considered a friend! Featured Product: Ornate Heart - Tri Fold Wedding Invitation & RSVP Should you invite a friend you haven't seen in several years, your old pen pal, or your work colleagues? At the end of the day, this one is completely up to you and your partner. If you feel like they will positively contribute towards the big day, then you should definitely invite them. Make sure that both you and your partner have invited a somewhat equal amount of people to ensure that neither feel left out of the wedding planning.

Children

Before getting into the bulk of the planning, you should decide whether you want children to come to your wedding day or not. As much as you love your best friends child and want them at your wedding, other guests will be annoyed that some children were invited, and theirs weren't. So either opt for an all adult wedding or allow every guest to bring their children. Featured Product: Metallic Hearts - Foil Wedding Invitations Alternatively, tell guests on your invitations that only children from the wedding party are invited, and have the most important children in your life as bridesmaids, flower girls, page boys, or ring bearers.

Plus Ones

You definitely don't need to give every wedding guest a plus one, but if they have a long-term partner then it is seen by most as the right thing to do. Featured Product: Watercolour Roses - Boutique Wedding Invitation & RSVP If you are inviting someone who is engaged or married, you should definitely take their partner into consideration.

'They invited me to theirs!'

If someone invited you to their wedding (and you attended it), it is kind to return the favour and do the same. It is only polite after all! Featured Product: Eucalyptus - Ready to Write Wedding Invitations However, you should by no means feel obliged to do this. If their wedding was years ago, this rule is less strict, and if you simply don't like them, then you shouldn't invite them.

Evening Reception

You can get yourself out of a sticky situation by inviting everyone you originally turned down to an evening reception. This will help everyone feel included, whilst keeping the price down. Featured Product: Burgundy Peony Bouquet - Tri Fold Evening Invitation & RSVP If your evening reception is being held at a large venue, you should be able to fit everyone else in comfortably. We hope this blog has helped you narrow down your guest list! For more wedding inspiration, head over to our other blogs.