I am so excited to bring you this blog post! Whitney Poersch with Invitations by Whitney was so gracious to answer so many commonly asked wedding invitation questions. Whitney is a nationally recognized, Tennessee-based bespoke stationer. She even brought some invitations to show me, and you guys, her work is incredible!
Let’s first start out with the Wedding Invitation Timeline.
6-12 months prior to the wedding send out your Save the Dates. If you have traveling guests, try to get those Saves the Dates out a little sooner, 10-12 months before the wedding, for traveling guests to make travel accommodations.
Money-Saving Tip from Whitney: If your wedding is less than 3 months away, save your money and let the invitation be the first impression.
9-10 weeks prior to the wedding send out your Wedding Invitation. Before Covid-19, the industry standard time to send out wedding invitations was 6-8 weeks. The post office now asks that you send out important mail earlier than normal to make up for any delays. Check with your stationer for current mailing times.
4 weeks prior to the wedding request the RSVPs to be returned. That is unless your wedding planner, venue, caterer, florist, or rental company requests a headcount sooner than 4 weeks.
4 weeks prior to the wedding send out the Rehearsal Dinner Invitation. Whitney says to treat a rehearsal dinner like a party and request RSVPs 1-2 weeks in advance depending on your catering company or restaurant.
What do Wedding Invitations cost?
According to Whitney, the average costs of 100 wedding invitations range from $250-700 depending on your choices. Popular upgrades include:
Deckled Edge Paper, Handmade Paper, Euro Flap Envelopes, Envelope Liners, Wax Seals, and Belly Bands.
Can I put my wedding invitations in my mailbox?
You can, however, Whitney recommends handing your wedding stationery to a clerk at the post office. This ensures proper postage and whether or not the invitations need to be machine-canceled or can go through a standard mail machine.
From google: A machine postmark or machine cancellation is a postmark or cancellation on mail that is applied by a mechanical device rather than with the use of a handstamp. Nearly all machine-cancellation devices apply both postmark and cancellation simultaneously.
Can invitations have pictures on them?
Yes. Pictures on invitations are definitely trending in 2021, especially for micro-weddings. Whitney’s personal preference is to include a photo on the back of the invitation so that the quests’ first impression is the formal invitation.
How do wedding invitations go in the envelope?
Whitney’s recommendation: Stack the following: invitation, enclosure card/details card, lastly the RSVP card with envelope. Everything should be facing the right hand.
*According to Scientific America 70%-95% of people are right-handed.
Have more questions? Feel free to reach out to Whitney here.
A little more about Whitney:
What first began as a simple hobby, Invitations by Whitney quickly developed into a nationally recognized bespoke stationery business overnight. Whitney began promoting sample invitation designs in August 2013, and today her clientele spans across the United States, as well as Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, China, Japan, India, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, her work has been published by numerous online and printed publications, including JuneBug Weddings, Southern Bride Magazine, New Jersey Bride Magazine, Wisconsin Bride Magazine, and more. Whitney aspires to exceed every client’s expectations with beautiful, affordable, and custom designs for every occasion, and she is always honored to have the opportunity to create a custom design for the wedding of her client's dreams.