The wedding planning process needs an ultimate timeline of its own! Between cake tastings, dress fittings, and everything else on the never-ending to-do list that is planning a wedding, having a planning guide and timeline is seriously helpful! With wedding season about to kick off now is the perfect time to talk all things wedding plans, but rather than a full on wedding planning guide I am going to bring all of you something of a smaller scale!

I’ve recently been asked to team up with online stationery design company, Basic Invite, and as promised, I’m going to bring you a shorter, but no less important timeline… a timeline to wedding stationery! Elegant wedding invitations and stationery play a pretty large role throughout the entirety of the wedding planning process and because of the role they play, it’s important that you’re planning ahead, sticking to the schedule, and following up promptly and with proper etiquette. 

If you’re wedding is in the early summer – say late June or any of the remaining spring days you’re probably already be a pro when it comes to elegant wedding invitations since they’ve hopefully been sealed and sent by now. But for all you brides getting hitched later in the year or next year this is perfect timing… So, get comfy and get ready for some serious note taking!

Let’s start with the basics… what makes up a wedding invitation suite? Well, that depends. Each wedding is different and there are always going to be exceptions to the rule. Brides should keep in mind things like the number of guests, budget, and any other important factors that make their wedding different while making these choices and planning their special day. 

Traditionally, a wedding suite is made up of 6 pieces.

• A single wedding invitation, and five enclosure cards.
• Enclosure cards are; rsvp’s, registry, accommodations, directions, and reception cards

If you’re used to seeing box store wedding invitations you may only be familiar with seeing a save the date followed by a single wedding invitation that contains all the info a guest needs along with an rsvp card. But if you’ve ever received a wedding invitation in the mail that comes along with more than just an rsvp, those are your enclosure cards and it probably means that the couple hopped online to create a custom suite or paid the big bucks to have something custom made by a local boutique shop.

When it comes to how many enclosure cards you choose for your day, there is no right or wrong answer. Just be sure the info you send out is clear and correct so you’re guest’s have everything they need at their finger tips. The most important part is lining up the timing!

The pros over at Basic Invite suggest starting your wedding stationery journey 8+ months out. No matter how long you’ve been engaged or how short, having your color palette set and your style in mind going into the wedding invitation process – 8+ months will have you on the right track!

Next up, save the dates. Once you’ve decided on a style and colors it’s time to officially kick off your walk down the aisle with custom save the dates. 6+ months out be sure to order your save the dates so they are ready to be sent out a month prior to your wedding invitations. You will want to send out your save the dates about 4+ months before the wedding followed by your wedding invitations so be sure to order your wedding invites as soon as your save the dates are in the mail!

3+ months prior to your wedding is the best time to send out your wedding invitations. It gives guests plenty of time to plan ahead, mark their calendars, and rsvp’s with enough time to spare. Once your invites are all squared away remember to order any of your wedding day stationery like your menus, programs, and place cards.

• Pro Tip: If you’re having a destination wedding make sure guests are aware of that prior to sending invitations – so, be sure to make that detail apparent on your save the date cards. Sending out your invitations a couple of weeks early is one option or giving guests a bit longer to respond back is another alternative. Doing this can help give you the best turn out for your romantic weekend getaway or destination wedding! 

Once you break the timeline down it really isn’t that much to keep track of. At this point, you’re married and all you have to worry about after the honeymoon is sending out your announcements and thank you notes! And then it’s truly time to enjoy being newlyweds!

Don’t forget to order your wedding announcements and write and send out your thank you notes about 2 weeks after the wedding. The guests who couldn’t make it will want to feel like they we’re a part of your big day and receiving a photo-wedding announcement with the happy couple will be a great and unexpected surprise! When it comes to thank you notes, couples often times post-pone writing out their thank you notes because the honeymoon phase has taken over, but try taking your thank you notes with you for the plane ride to your honeymoon destination and get them sealed and sent ASAP! Its details like this that your guests will appreciate and remember for years to come.

Stationery Timeline Recap:

• 8+ months: pick your colors and order samples
• 6+ months: order your save the date cards
• 4+ months: send your save the dates and order your wedding invitations
• 3+ months: send out your wedding invitations and order your wedding day stationery & thank you notes
• 2 weeks post wedding: order wedding announcements and send your thank you notes! 

Now that you have a better ideas of what all goes into wedding stationery and the skills to stay organized and on top of things, head over to Basic Invite and use coupon code 15FF51 for 15% off everything site wide! Basic Invite makes it easy to shop online because of their endless customization options and 180 custom color choices. Just click on any design you like and scroll to see the matching suite. Play with customization options and colors until you’ve familiarized yourself with the website and have a solid idea of the style you’re going for. Then, get to customizing and check those mini-milestones off your list!

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