There are a million styles of the wedding invitation and the wording used on them, and they are all very unique and creative. But, there are some rules every couple should follow, because we tend to forget to include the basic information when we get too creative and carried away. To make sure that all of your guests attend your wedding, we have prepared a complete wedding invitation checklist for you.
Who?
You’ll want it to include your names, but you should never use your and your partner’s first names only. Even if the wedding is really casual, envelopes should include your full names.
Checklist:
- Couple’s full names
- Parents’ names (Optional)
- Stepparents’ names (Optional)
- Other hosts’ names (Optional)
Where?
Make sure your wedding invitation includes the location, so your guests show up. A lot of couples tend to assume that just giving the name of the hall or the church is good enough, but that is going to confuse the guests that are coming out-of-town. You should always include a street address of the hall or the church on the wedding invitation itself, rather than an insert.
Checklist:
- Ceremony venue name
- City and state
- Address of the ceremony venue
- If the reception location is separate, it should be written too
When?
You should always include the exact ceremony start time, write out the numbers. If you want to be extra formal, you can also indicate “in the morning”, “in the afternoon”, or “in the evening” to indicate when the ceremony is taking place.
Checklist:
- Ceremony start time
- Reception start time, if you feel that is necessary
RSVP Date
It would be nice if all guests would RSVP promptly, but unfortunately, that is the perfect scenario that never happens. That is why you need to make sure that you included a line such as, “Please respond by,” and then add a date you want to receive an RSVP by.