When you are planning your wedding, chances are good that you already know there are many different things you have to think about when it comes to wedding etiquette. It is very important that you follow all of these etiquette rules when it comes to your wedding and this includes sending out your invitations. There are rules that govern the invitation: when to send it out, what should be included, and how the wording should be on the invite. You want to be sure that you follow proper etiquette when completing these important tasks.

The invitation should be sent out no later than 6 or 8 weeks before your wedding day. This is actually something that is always changing and fluctuating. Often, it is very important to tell people the date of your wedding far in advance, and sometimes people plan their weddings years in advance. Therefore, you have two choices. You can send your wedding invites early, or you can send out save the date cards. Save the date cards are usually small cards, even post cards, which have your names, the date of your wedding, and a statement that says that a formal invite is to follow.

Many people use these because it is just too difficult to plan a wedding early enough and they want to be sure that people can take off work, plan their vacations, or make plans early enough to be there. This is especially important if you are having a big wedding, or if you have people coming from far away. Whether or not you use Save the Date cards, you need to be sure that you are not sending your wedding invites out too late. It is going to be important to make sure that you provide enough time to RSVP for the wedding, and you are going to want to be sure that you have enough time to compile your guest list from the RSVPs. Therefore, do be certain that you are sending out the invitations soon enough.

Next, it is important to know that there are rules about what should be included in your wedding invite. The invitation is of course, the most important. It needs to have your names, the date of your wedding, and the location. It needs to specify where the wedding is, and the date and time of the ceremony. However, there is still more information that should be included.

The wedding invitation also needs to have a statement about the reception if you are having one. It should include the location, time, and how people can get from one to the other. Many people choose to include a small printed map so their guests can figure out how to get from the ceremony to the reception.

If there needs to be an RSVP, make sure you include the RSVP card with the invite, and make sure that it is stamped. It is in bad taste to ask someone to pay for the stamp that is being used to mail the RSVP back to you. Most people include this as a post card or a small envelope to send back to themselves. Lastly, your wedding invitation should give an idea about rooms that are available, meal choices, or anything else that is important to the people that are attending the wedding.

It is also important that you follow etiquette when writing the invitation. Your parents, especially if they have paid for the wedding, need to be included in the invitation. Traditionally, the bride's parents and the groom's parents are presented first, and the wording may then say something along the lines of inviting the guest to share in the union of their children. Then, your names are presented. Some people choose to have their names first, and then have "son of" or "daughter of" after their names.

When preparing your wedding invitations, the date and time of the celebration should be written out in words, not in numbers. You should spell out all abbreviations and keep the tone very formal and direct.

It is very important to follow proper etiquette because it shows others your personality. You may also be inviting family and friends that you have not had recent contact with and you do not want to make a negative impression on them. This could lead to these potential guests not attending your celebration. You want to remember to send your invitations out early enough that your guests have time to plan their schedules around that particular date. It is preferred to provide at least 6-8 for a traditional ceremony and more time for a destination wedding. It is also important to spell all words out including numbers and the date without using abbreviations. If you are following these regulations, you may find that you are following proper wedding invitation etiquette.

Jennifer Bailey is a freelance writer who writes about family and family events such as weddings, often focusing on one specific aspect of a wedding, such as wedding invitations.

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