Your wedding invitations are kind of a big deal, and they have two jobs to do: give your guests all the information they need about your celebrations, and come with a gorgeous design that shows your loved ones what the vibe is going to be. I’ve seen couples make these 13 wedding invitation mistakes, and compiled them here so you don’t have to.
Avoid making these 13 mistakes with your wedding invitations - from a designer who’s seen it all!
Not providing enough information
There are certain things your guests need to know before your wedding, and the best place to put the essential details is on your wedding invitations. You can either add detail to a single invitation card, often best double sided, or provide extra information cards in the same envelope, which can all be secured together with beautiful eyelets and ribbon or vellum wraps. The basic information you need to give your guests includes:
The date and year of your wedding
The location(s)
The time they’ll need to be there
Dress code, if specifying and/or different to what’s expected
How and when to RSVP
You can also go into details about recommended places to stay nearby, local taxi companies, your gift registry and lots of other things but, before you dive into adding all of this to your invitation, check points 2 &3!
Providing too much information!
When it comes to how much information to provide on your wedding invitations, there is such a thing as too much. Overcrowding your invitation card makes it look messy, hard to read, and detracts from the design, so it’s best to put the basics on there and then supplement with additional details cards. If you find you have a lot of additional details and it’s starting to look like you need a jiffy bag rather than an envelope, you may want to consider a wedding website - this provides an online home for all the information without bulking up your postage costs.
If you choose to do this, make sure you include information on your invitation about how to access your wedding website - including passwords where relevant.
Unclear RSVP instructions
Your guests have received their invitations, feasted their eyes on all the gorgeous little details we’ve added, and they’re feeling really excited about your wedding…only to realise they have no idea how to enthusiastically RSVP ‘yes’! It’s important to decide how you want your guests to respond to let you know if they’re coming or not - will this be via your online wedding website, or by sending a physical card back in the post, or something else? Be clear and concise about this, and give them a deadline - there’s nothing worse than chasing RSVPs at the last minute when you should be thinking about the finishing touches for your wedding day.
Using a voice or tone that’s not yours
If you look online at wedding invitation wording, you’ll find lots of examples - many of which will feel very formal and traditional, and some of which will feel completely the opposite. You really need to figure out what feels right for you and strike the right balance of tone and voice, otherwise your guests will feel as though they’re receiving an invitation from a different couple! If the classic format of ‘Parent 1 & Parent 2 cordially invite you to witness the marriage of their son/daughter to…’ doesn’t feel right for you, don’t do it.
Wedding invitations don’t have to be formal, they can be as fun, playful and modern as you like.
Ordering your wedding invitations too late
Ordering your wedding invitations on time is crucial to avoid last minute rushes or worries, and for custom designs I recommend placing your order 3-6 months before your wedding. Save the date cards can be sent up to a year before your wedding, but the invitation itself is fine to be a little closer. Remember that once we start working together, we need buffer time for fine tuning the design, printing and assembly, and then delivery to you with enough time for sending out and gathering RSVPs. As soon as you’ve decided you’d like to work together, I recommend getting in touch so we can book your slot.
This page helps you decide when to order your wedding stationery depending on the month you’re getting married.
Forgetting to order spares
I always recommend ordering a few extras of your wedding invitations, just in case you realise you forgot someone, a guest drops out and you’d like to invite someone else in their place, or an invitation accidentally gets a coffee stain or a bent corner. Having a few extras on hand gives you peace of mind in this respect.
Not considering the tactile experience
Wedding invitations are exciting to receive in the post, but it can really let down the experience if they are printed on thin paper or just generally feel low quality. All Scribed by Sophie stationery suites are made with premium cardstock that has weight to it and feels luxurious, and there are dozens of luxurious little finishes and extras we can add that elevate the tactile experience. Letterpress embossing, gold foiling, silk ribbons, metal eyelets, vellum overlays…I adore adding these sensory elements to your wedding stationery.
Skipping proofreading!
Your wedding stationery designer’s job is to create beautiful invitations and papergoods for your wedding, printed with text that you send and/or is created together and then approved. Typos and mistakes can happen, but ultimately the responsibility is yours to proofread carefully before signing off. Remember your stationer doesn’t know your guests, so if you’ve signed off on Sara in place of Sarah then we’ve no way of spotting the mistake. Any glaring errors will, of course, be checked with you before printing, but a good proofread or two and even a second pair of eyes is always a good idea.
Forgetting about envelope details
The envelope is the first impression, setting the scene and vibe for your wedding before your guests get to the luxurious goodness that is your invitation set inside. Skipping envelope details can deflate the experience of receiving such exciting post, so I recommend paying as much attention to the exterior as to what’s inside. I love creating beautiful envelopes for my couples, particularly with liners, hand calligraphy and themed stamps - take a look at The Envelope Edit for all my favourite ways to luxe up your papergoods.
Not ordering a keepsake set
Your wedding stationery is one of those things that gets really involved on your wedding day, so if you’re hoping to have a set as a keepsake you’ll need to order some specifically for that. Menus and table names can get wine stained and crumpled, people take their menu cards home or drop them on the floor, and once all the invitations are sent you’ll find yourselves wishing you were on your own guest list.
Luckily for you, when you work with me on your wedding stationery I already include this as my gift to you - keepsake items, lovingly packaged in a chic branded folio. It’s just one of the many little perks of a Scribed by Sophie stationery suite! Take a look at my ideas for what to do with your wedding stationery after the big day, for inspiration on using, storing or displaying those keepsakes.
Trying to DIY it
DIY wedding stationery often sounds and feels like a lovely idea, especially if you’re a creative person with a penchant for notebooks, nice letter writing sets and pretty pens. The problems people often run into when they try to do it themselves, however, include underestimating how long it will take, overcomplicating designs which leads to fatigue and inconsistencies, and low quality due to non-professional printing methods and finishes.
Let a professional take this job off your hands, knowing that you can still retain creative control if you have strong ideas or a big vision. The last thing you want is to be hand addressing envelopes in a panicked sweat a couple of months before your wedding, because you only just finished adding those beads that seemed like such a good idea at the time…
Not matching invitations and on-the-day stationery
Because invitations and on-the-day stationery feel like two separate items for your wedding, it’s easy to get caught up in designing them separately and the aesthetic evolving into something very different than how it started. Sending out a beautiful invitation and then coming up against stationery with a different look and feel at the wedding is jarring - working with one stationery designer from start to finish ensures cohesion, which goes a long way to making your guests feel comfortable and your wedding feel experiential and immersive.
Not fully trusting your wedding stationery designer
You absolutely must work with a stationery designer you like and trust, my wonderfuls. You should love the style of work they’re already showing on their website and socials, and feel that they’re a good fit. You’ll likely work closely with them on the design of your stationery, so make sure you enjoy chatting with them and believe you’re creatively aligned. That’s the key to beautiful stationery!
If you think we’d be a great fit, I’d love to hear from you. Scribed by Sophie specialises in modern vintage wedding stationery designs, loves a luxury finish such as an envelope liner or a silk ribbon, and can have a lot of fun with a theme - from literary inspired weddings to vintage gothic vampire glam.
