Advance Notice

Yesterday Anton and Kayla got an invitation to the wedding of a friend. What is interesting is the invitation is for a wedding taking place the day after Ayla and Rob's wedding. The reason we bring it up is because Ayla and Rob haven't ordered their invitations yet (although Ayla was talking about it last night). The invitations are already designed (I created one for Ayla based on what she and Rob had for their theme, colors and what they love, and after a bit of tweaking, got it to exactly what they wanted), so now it's just a matter of ordering them.

When do you send out invitations? How much time do you give guests to respond? Traditionally, invitations for weddings are sent out six to eight weeks prior, unless it's a destination wedding. If the wedding is out of town, guests are given typically three months advance notice so they can make travel arrangements (although Save the Date cards can oftentimes prepare guests for scheduling travel time for a wedding). For Tone's friend's Oct. 17 wedding, they are giving their guests more than four months notice. It is out of state, so that gives guests plenty of time to respond. When you order invites, know that it takes several weeks sometimes for them to get to your home. Then you have to address and stamp them, so allow time for that.

The other thing important to note is the couple is having folks RSVP (respond) on their website. We have talked about this on April 13 that this is becoming an increasing trend so that the couple does not have to purchase extra stationary and postage for response cards. However, couples can have response cards if they'd like. I read on one site where if you use response cards, assign each guest card a number, so that if the handwriting on a response card is difficult to read, you can just check your list to see who has responded. The number also helps you decipher how many cards are have not returned. If you don't want to have a number written on the card, you can use invisible ink to do this. For another wedding we've been invited to recently, there was no response card to fill out nor website to respond to. Apparently a response wasn't necessary. Do not assume an unreturned card or someone not responding to a website is a regret. Contact those individuals to be sure. Folks tend to forget to respond.

RSVP dates are usually two to three weeks prior to the wedding because reception halls and caterers need a count of who all will attend. It also helps the couple when they put together a seating arrangement. For Anton's friend's wedding, the RSVP date was a full month and a half prior to the wedding. Ayla and Rob's is a month ahead of the wedding. Sometimes earlier response dates are set so that regrets can be filled with additional guests to fill a reception hall to max capacity.

The truth is advance notice isn't a bad idea. It does help folks with their planning (travel, vacation time and shopping for gifts). So don't hesitate to send out early if you so desire. Less than 130 days for Rob and Ayla's wedding! Getting excited!

Discussion: Based on the date and location of your wedding, when do you plan on sending out your invitations? How do you intend for guests to respond? What is your plan for contacting those who do not respond/ What date do you want guests to respond by?

Prayer: Father God, as we approach the date of Rob and Ayla's wedding, we are getting excited about sending out invitations and seeing who all will be able to come. Lord, we thank you in advance for the souls willing to travel for both weddings. Let is be a joyful celebration, Father! In Jesus, Amen.