The single most important thing I’ve learned in event planning is that planning ahead is the first step to making your wedding experience stress free!

More often than not, wedding stationary is something that falls to the wayside in the grand scheme of planning and many brides to be do not realize how far in advance their custom invitations actually need to be mailed out.  Use the below guide to stay on track so that your planning process leaves for no sudden surprises!

10-12 months – Send out save the dates

Although save the dates traditionally were sent out for couples having destination weddings, they have become much more common and almost all of our brides and grooms to be send out some type of formal announcement.

6-8 Months – Place order for wedding invitations & begin your custom design

Depending on the complexity of your invitation suite, printing and assembly can take up to six months.

4-6 months – Finalize your guest list and mailing address list

This is the fun part….. Creating your “A” list, “B” list, and do we need a “C” list?? Sometimes figuring out exactly who to invite can open up an unsavory can of worms.  Leave yourself some extra time so you can review this list with family members and give yourself the opportunity to sleep on any guests you are hesitant about inviting.  Remember- an invitation can always be sent out later but you cannot take one back!

3-4 months – Mail out wedding invitations

YES, you read that correctly! We recommend sending invites out three months before your wedding. WHY? A month and a half for your guests to respond and a month and a half for you to follow up with all the people that didn’t respond.  (There will be quite a few!)

2-3  months – Order all your stationary “extras”

Ceremony programs, menus, table numbers, favors tags and signs.  At this time you will also want to give some thought to your guest seating. Either secure a reservation for a seating board or create your place card design.

1-2 months – Response card due date

We usually recommend choosing a date a month and a half before your wedding.  This allows you time to follow up with those who did not respond and to map out your seating arrangements.

1 month – Finalize guest seating

Choosing who sits with who and where is one of the most dreaded parts of planning!  Consult family for their opinions in placement.

 1 month after your wedding – Create and mail out thank you cards 

…and the rest is history!