Q: How much time does it normally take for calligraphy on 200 invitation envelopes?

A: You should allow approximately four weeks for hand calligraphy. However, the time varies somewhat depending on the number of orders the calligrapher has when yours is received.

Most machine calligraphy can be completed in 7-10 business days.

Q. When should I send out my invitations?

A. Invitations should be mailed six to eight weeks prior to the wedding. Out of town invitations should be mailed eight weeks prior to the wedding so that more economical travel fares can be obtained.

After ten years of experience in the wedding industry, we have some great ideas and answers to share with those of you preparing for your wedding; experience and ideas we know will save you time, money, frustration, etc.

Starting with this post, we will be answering questions that we hope you will find beneficial. We will start with general questions that we think are important but if you have specific questions you would like answered let us know. I will attempt to answer at least one question per day.

Here’s the first question/answer:

Question: What invitation should I choose?

Answer: Since the invitation is the first indication of the kind of wedding you
will have and sets the tone for your wedding, it should reflect your
personality and taste. The invitation will indicate whether your
wedding is casual, semi-formal, formal, etc.

Invitations: At Home Cards

At home cards are generally small cards used to announce to friends and family the new address of newlyweds and when they will be available to receive guests at this address.

These cards can be sent with wedding announcements or as separate correspondence but usually within a week after the wedding has taken place. Depending on how you word your at home card, it can also let your friends and family know how the bridge/groom prefer to be addressed since marriage, i. e.,

Bride and groom
at home
after the twelfth of June
5005 Health Street
Dallas, Texas

Mrs. Jean Smith-Hanson
Mr. Michael Hanson
at home
after the twelfth of June
5005 Health Street
Dallas, Texas

Dr. Janet Peterson
Mr. James Jefferson
at home
after the twelfth of June
5005 Health Street
Dallas, Texas

In lieu of the at home cards, some couples choose to send their friends and family correspondence such as a thank you note that has their names printed the way they would like to be referred and which would also contain their new address.

Wedding announcements are used to inform your friends and family that you have gotten married. Many couples have small ceremonies and invite only immediate family and close friends. However, they have many extended family members, coworkers and friends they want to make aware of their marriage and the wedding announcement is commonly used for this purpose.

There are many ways to word your announcement. They are worded much like the wedding invitation and it is recommended that they be mailed the week of the wedding.

Here is an example of an announcement:

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Doe
have the pleasure of announcing
the marriage of their daughter
Sarah Jane
to
Mr. James Taylor
Saturday, January 15, 2009
Two thousand and eight
James Madison Baptist Church
Terrell, Texas

How to Order Wedding Invitations

There are so many choices for wedding invitations, but the process will take less time if you know what you want and you remain organized. Take into consideration the formality of the event, the number of guests you will have, your personal taste, whether there is some kind of theme, and if there are special colors that will be incorporated into your wedding day, if you want to use calligraphy for your envelopes, etc. Ecru or cream is the most often used wedding invitation color, but you may want to match your wedding invitation to your dress. If your event color is lavender, you can look for a wedding invitation with lavender accents, or you may use lavender ink and a matching envelope liner to incorporate your wedding day color.
Ordering your Wedding Invitations
Ordering invitations is a process. First, you must gather all of your information, and then you are ready to place your wedding invitation order. There are so many questions to answer before you can actually sit down and order your invitations. Here’s a checklist of what you will want to consider before beginning the order process. This list will alleviate frustration and will get you on the right path to ordering your wedding invitations quickly.

1. What wedding invitation are you going to order and who is going to issue it (parents of bride, bridge/groom, both sets of parents, etc.)?
2. Which enclosures do you need (response card, reception card, other)?
3. What typestyle/font do you like best?
4. What printing process are you going to use?
5. How many wedding invitations do you need?
6. Do you know all your wedding day information (location, time, address etc.)?
7. What wording will you use?
8. What is your budget?

All of these questions will be asked during the ordering process and need to be answered before the order is sent in. It is best to be prepared and allow yourself time in making these decisions. Consult with your fiancé and your families before making your final decision. Your Invitation Warehouse representative will provide as much information as possible to help you determine what is right for your wedding invitations, so please take advantage of their knowledge.

How Many Wedding Invitations to Order
If you are able to determine the exact number of wedding invitations you will need, it is always safe to order a few extras. Since wedding invitations are usually sold in quantities of 25, you should think about ordering 225 in cases where you needed 196 wedding invitations. If you ordered 200, 4 extra might not be enough of a cushion. If any wedding invitations are sent back to you with the wrong address, if you add someone to the list at the last minute, or if some people don’t receive anything and you need to resend them, you will be glad to have a few more on hand. It’s better to have too many wedding invitations than not enough.

It is also wise to order extra envelopes in case there are any mistakes made when printing or writing the names and addresses on the envelopes. If you need to order your wedding invitations before your guest list is finalized, you can estimate how many invitations to order by taking half of your total number of guests and adding 25. This will give you a ball-park number but, it is always a good idea to be more exact. Here are some guidelines: Married couples and families only need one wedding invitation. If there is a child over 18 living at home with their family, it is recommended to include their name on the outer envelope, or to send them their own wedding invitation. If you have several friends living in the same house together, it is customary to send each of them an invitation.
When and How to Order Your Wedding Invitations
The best thing you can do is to start browsing wedding invitations to get a feel for the styles that appeal to you. Once you have found some wedding invitations, start reviewing the prices to get an idea of what each wedding invitation and coordinating items cost per person. Then, multiply the cost per person number for each wedding invitation by the number of guests you will be inviting and that should give you a pretty close price range for what the total wedding invitation cost will be.

Wedding invitations should be ordered well in advance to when you want to mail them (customarily they should be mailed six weeks before the wedding). Order them with plenty of time for you to assemble and address them. Precious time can be saved if you get your mailing list in strict order. If you considering envelope calligraphy, allow an additional two weeks for machine calligraphy and four weeks for hand calligraphy.

Every bride has different priorities for their wedding. For some, the dress is the most important item while for others it may be the cake. So, when it comes to wedding invitations, planning your budget reflects its importance on your list. For the basics (wedding invitation with inner and outer envelopes, response card with envelope, and reception card), you can plan on spending anywhere between 2-5% of your total budget. But, if you believe as Invitation Warehouse, the wedding invitation sets the tone for your event, then you may want to up increase the budget for such an important item. Also, if you would like, maps, envelope lining, calligraphy for your envelopes etc. you will want to increase your budget. Many brides today are choosing to have their envelopes hand-addressed but there is a less expensive machine calligraphy alternative that is also very beautiful and offers the bride/groom many more choices for the style of print. When using calligraphy, many brides/grooms choose a style of print to match their invitation. There are other paper products to consider, such as thank you cards or informal cards, programs, place cards, etc.. But most of all make sure your wedding invitation reflects your style.