Congratulations — you're engaged! Now what?
Now that you’ve popped some bottles (yay) and set your date (yay), let’s dive into what comes next, before you’re ready to order your wedding invitation suite. First up is to set your “triangle.”
The "Triangle": the three things you'll need to know
This is a general tip for wedding planning, but it directly impacts your wedding invitation suite.
Estimate your overall guest count, budget, and vibe you want. These three aspects work in tandem with one another, and they create a give-and-take.
If you want to have an elegant, luxury guest experience as your vibe and a high guest count, plan on also having a high budget. However, if you don’t have a high budget, but you’re set on that luxe experience, the “side of the triangle” to adjust here is the guest count. You can provide an opulent experience for a small group to respect your overall budget. On the other hand, if you have your heart set on having a big group, but can’t afford to spend more, you’ll need to have things be less extravagant.
It doesn’t matter how you decide these elements work in your “triangle,” but have an idea of them ahead of time. This will inform your decisions for everything that’s headcount-related throughout the entire planning process.
Figure out the guest list!
The list can be a daunting task. I put together a free etiquette guide and spreadsheet to use as you start to gather people’s information. You’ll never have to panic-Google the proper etiquette again.
PS – don’t worry about the full wording just yet. A stationer will work with you to help craft that! I work with all my clients on a complete wording draft. But if you’re stressed about that, you can check out a deep dive on that here in the meantime.
Your wedding invitation suite cost will be based on quantity
So how does this triangle work when it comes to your wedding invitation suite? Well, you need to know the number of invitations and other pieces you’ll need, in order to get an accurate quote.
Once you’ve determined what that guest count is, and how much you’re looking to spend, you’re able to determine if your invitations will be simple and printed in a lower-cost format, or intricate and detailed, or somewhere in between.
⭐️ You need households — not heads — for the wedding invitation suite count
You need to count the number of lines on the spreadsheet — not the total number of guests invited — for your stationery counts! While some things are per guest (like the number of chairs or napkins), your stationery is based on the number of households who will receive a wedding invitation suite.
Print method and embellishments
Once you’ve set your guest list quantity and determined your desired price point, you’re ready to connect with a stationery designer.
Armed with this information, a vendor like me will be able to craft a proposal that suits your needs. She’ll be able to assess what print method(s) and extra bells and whistles make sense to respect your budget and create the experience you’re looking for.
So to recap... you'll need:
💕Quantity needed (as households, not per guest) – use my free spreadsheet to wrangle this!
💕Total budget you’d like to spend on your wedding invitation suite.
💕Vibe you’re going for!
Your stationer will do the rest.