10 Common Wedding Invitation Mistakes & How To Avoid Them
Wedding invitation mistakes are an unnecessary added burden to your already stressful wedding planning. At Wild Moon I aim to take the anxiety away when it comes to all your wedding stationery by sharing all my knowledge and answering all your questions. Today I talk through the ten most common mistakes couples make when it comes to their wedding invitations so you can avoid them and make your wedding stationery experience as seamless and stress-free as possible!
1) Not checking spelling and grammar
Probably the biggest wedding invitation mistake is missing spelling and grammar errors. As your wedding stationer, I will spellcheck and check through the information you have provided for errors, but things such as timings and the spelling of names and venues is something I might not spot as they can vary so much. We are all human and remember it’s not the end of the world if something does get missed (you’re guests might not spot it anyway, and no doubt you’ll laugh about it later), but reprints if needed are expensive and not something you want to use your budget on, so it’s always best to get a fresh set of eyes to check over your invitations and wedding stationery before signing them off to be printed, so ask a relative or friend to give them a once over too.
2) Not ordering enough wedding invitations
One of the easiest wedding invitation mistakes to avoid, I always recommend to order 5-10 more wedding invitations than you think you need. Although it might cost you a little extra, it’s best to have a few extras incase you miscalculated how many you need, your guest list changes if someone you’ve originally invited can’t attend or one gets lost in the post. It’s also great to have some extras just as keepsakes for yourselves and your family and so your photographer can photograph them in your venue on your big day. If you realise you need more and don’t have them then you’ll have to buy the print minimum, which is usually more than you’ll need, along with being more expensive, so save yourself the stress and extra money by making sure you have ordered extras to begin with.
3) Not ordering a sample
Buying a wedding stationery sample is really important so you can get a feel for the quality of the card and print before ordering your own personalised invitations. Card stock and printing can vary and it’s best to see what your getting so you an make sure it’s right for you before ordering and then being disappointed when it’s not what you expected. It’s also a great way to see the design up close and personal!
Wedding Stationery Sample Packs are available for all my Collection Designs so you can see examples of my wedding invitations, menus, place cards and much more in person before placing an order. Plus if you choose to book me as your wedding stationer you get the price of your Sample Pack reimbursed on your invoice as a thank you, so it’s a win, win!
4) Not budgeting or factoring in extra costs
Planning your wedding budget isn’t easy and when it comes to your wedding stationery it’s important to work out your budget and what fits within that. Don’t fall in love with fancy foiling or the idea of a bespoke venue illustration if your budget can’t accommodate this. Make sure to budget not only your wedding invitations and RSVPs, but postage for them, along with any on the day stationery you might need such as orders of service, a seating plan, place name cards etc, along with thank you cards for after your wedding day too.
At Wild Moon I have a full Price List of all my stationery items so you an work out exactly how much everything will cost, and with everything priced individually, you can pick and choose exactly what you need depending on your needs and budget. I also have a Quote Form you can fill out so I can send you a personalised quote based on your needs and budget to help you out.
5) Not spending enough
Make sure you do hire a professional and not someone acting as one. Remember that you usually get what you pay for, so if the price is low there’s probably a reason, whether that’s poor quality materials or/and a lack of experience or expertise. I’ve had couples come to me saying they need invites creating asap as they hired someone they found on Facebook or Etsy who was super cheap but they either never received their invites or what they did receive was poor quality and they aren't happy to send them out to their guests. Not only is this stressful for you but you are more likely to end up spending more then you would have originally.
If you just head straight to a more reputable small business and pay that little more to start with, you can avoid these issues and enjoy a stress-free experience with a real professional while receiving the high quality wedding stationery you and your guest deserve!
6) Not picking a style
Your wedding stationery is the first glimpse your friends and family will get of your wedding day and its style and theme, it sets the whole tone for your big day so it’s important that choosing the design isn’t something you rush or think little of. By the time your save the dates go out you should have at least a broad idea of the kind of look you want to go for so you can co-ordinate the rest of your wedding stationery and other things such as flowers and bridesmaid dresses around your chosen theme and style.
With 16 Wedding Stationery Designs to choose from and customise the colours of, there’s a Wild Moon Collection to suite every wedding, whether you want colourful florals, classic foliage or something more minimalist.
7) Not leaving enough time
One of the biggest wedding invitation mistakes couples make all the time is leaving ordering their wedding invites until the last minute. Most wedding stationers usually book up well in advance (including me), especially at the busiest times of the year like summer and Christmas, so try to book your stationer as soon as you can. Also giving your guests enough notice to make plans, book time off work, find accommodation and making sure you give them enough time to RSVP is super important too.
Leaving things to the last minute is also risky then it comes to printing and postage. Sometimes printing errors happen and pieces need to be reprinted or the post can sometimes be a little slow or an unexpected event can occur which delays or even damages the items, all which need extra time to be resolved. So safe yourself (and me) the added stress of having to worry if things will be ready on time by making sure you sort everything out in plenty of time!
Another reason to time your invitations and on the day stationery well is to give yourself enough time for all of the back and forth on corrections and feedback you may have for your stationery designer. Tweaks to designs and amendments to copy can take time and the last thing you want to do when making changes is feel rushed doing so because you’re up against it time wise. It’s stressful for you and your wedding stationer, so make sure to book in or order your stationery as soon as you can.
I recommend booking save the dates as soon as your date and venue it booked or around 12 months before your wedding day, wedding invitations around 6 months before and on the day stationery 2 months before.
You can book into my diary in advance for a specific month with just a £50 deposit, which is deducted from your final balance invoice. I can only take on so many orders a month, whether they are save the date designs, wedding invites or on the day stationery pieces, so to avoid disappointment make sure you book places in my diary as soon as you an can.
8) Not providing enough details
One of the most common wedding invitation mistakes is not providing enough information on your wedding invitations. Wedding guests like to know exactly what to expect at a wedding and so providing them as much information as you can on your wedding invites is super important. The location, date, ceremony time, when to arrive, accommodation details, gifting and other aspects of your wedding day can all be noted on your wedding invitations. By giving people as much information as possible you’re also reducing the number of questions you will get from family and friends as they will already have all the information they need up front. I’ve written a Complete guide on Wedding Invitation Wording to help you decide what information to include on your own wedding invites.
9) Not being clear with your RSVPs
Don’t be afraid to be strict and clear with your RSVPs as guests like to know exactly what information they need to provide and by when. Be clear how you want your guests to RSVP, whether that’s by returning a card or postcard, sending a text or email or replying through your wedding website. Make sure to give them a deadline date, I usually recommend about 3 months before your wedding day so you have enough time to organise your on the day stationery once you have your RSVPs back. If you need to include a menu for your guests to choose from then this is the time to collect their choices, so remember to include this information on your invitations and RSVPs. It’s important to remember that no matter how clear and concise you are, there will always be those guests who RSVP late and need chasing, don’t worry, it happens to everyone, just make sure you leave yourself enough time for this too.
10) Not hiring a professional
You’ve seen it done on Pinterest, so how hard can making your own wedding stationery be, right? WRONG! Professional wedding stationers have years of practise, knowledge and usually a background education in design. We know about paper types, paper weights, have the correct design software and equipment and also have the time and knowledge on how to process everything for printing. When it comes to printing this can be a tricky business all on its own, it’s a science which requires the knowledge and software to process artwork correctly for professional printing, and without it you might not be able to get anything printed at all or it will result in poor quality prints. Making your own stationery might sound fun and a great way to save your budget, but with all that hard work and stress, along with purchasing all the correct materials and the fact you might end up having to resort to hiring a professional in the end anyway, I will always recommend heading straight to a professional wedding invitation designer like me (well of course I would say this, but its totally true! 😇).
I offer a range of different options from ready designed Wedding Stationery Collections to customise, along with a Bespoke Design Service, so you can choose something to suite your needs and your budget. So save yourself the time, the money and the stress by heading straight to a professional wedding stationery designer!
Now you can avoid the 10 biggest wedding invitation mistakes
Now you know the ten biggest mistakes couples make when it comes to their wedding invitations and stationery, you can avoid them! If you have any questions about anything covered in this blog post please don’t hesitate to Contact Me, I’m always happy to help!
If you’ve decided I’m the wedding stationer for you then why not check one more thing off your wedding to-do list and book your places in my diary today?
Emily x
