8 Super Common Invitation Mistakes You Do NOT Want to Make

It's easy to get caught up in hand calligraphy, two-ply letterpress, and printed envelope liners, but don't forget about all of the important details that need to be included in your wedding invitations... Here are eight super common wedding invitation mistakes you don't want to make:

You’d be surprised how many couples forget to put a due date on their RSVPs! Without a deadline, many of your invitees will put off sending you their responses, which means you’ll be frantically calling a long list of friends and family to find out if they’re coming. Just add a line that says something like “Kindly reply by Saturday, July 19.”

Yes, your guests are going to want to know where you’ve registered, but according to traditional wedding etiquette, the invitation is NOT the place to tell them! Remember gifts aren’t actually a requirement, so promoting your wish list might make you look kinda greedy. Just include your wedding website, which most guests will look to for registry details. Oh, and unfortunately, there’s no polite way to request cash only on your invites either!

Speaking of your wedding website… Nobody’s going to be able to find it if you don’t tell them it exists! Just add a short line about your website, like “Please visit our wedding website for more details: www.jackandjill.com.”

We know you want to save paper and money, but banking on guests visiting your wedding website is risky business. Make sure to include all events, along with location, date, and time on the invitation itself, as well as any important details regarding accommodations and directions. Save the website for less crucial things like fun photos, a list of local activities, and your registry.

Don’t even think about putting your invitations in the mail without taking a trip to the post office! Yes, the lines can be long, but what’s worse than all of your invites getting returned (or simply lost in the abyss…)? It’s important to have a complete invitation weighed and assessed to see if it requires any additional postage because of its shape or thickness so that you  know exactly what stamps you need.

Whether you’re going with a traditional card and envelope set or you’re opting for a reply postcard, make sure your RSVPs are pre-addressed and pre-stamped so that it’s super easy for guests to let you know if they’ll be able to attend. Use the address of whoever will be rounding-up replies and the appropriate amount of postage. You can leave postage off of the envelopes for international guests, since it’s so challenging to predict what it will cost.

Hand addressing wedding invitations ain’t easy… Even if you or your partner have incredibly neat handwriting, mistakes are inevitable (see #8) and the whole process can be pretty time consuming. Consider saving yourself the headache by having the addresses digitally printed or hiring a calligrapher or stationer to write them for you.

From wine spills while envelope-stuffing, to last minute guest list additions, to postal service snafus, there are a million and one reasons to have extra invitations on hand. Most stationers will recommend at least ten spares!