5 Tips for Ordering Your Wedding Invitations

Many couples are opting to order their wedding invitations online these days. For one thing, it's typically a budget-friendly choice that results in a high-quality product. But most online distributors of wedding invites also give their customers ample opportunity to customize the stationery to fit their exact needs and style. And since all of those customizations will be sent over the Web, there's much less chance of miscommunication or mistakes than there is when purchasing invites over the phone. If you're planning on ordering your wedding invitations online, take a look at these five tips to ensure they're perfect:

1. Give Yourself Plenty of Time
Traditionally, wedding invites are sent six to eight weeks before the wedding ceremony. However, between making a final decision, going through the lengthy ordering process, and stuffing and addressing the invitations individually, it's necessary to start thinking about your wedding invites months in advance. Begin considering wedding invitation options at least six months before the big day, and place your order no later than four months before the ceremony.

2. Choose Your Perfect Style
Not sure what style you want for your invites? Remember that they should be representative of the type of wedding you're having. So, a casual wedding will call for more informal invitations while formal invitations should precede a black-tie ceremony. Along with deciding on the formality of the occasion, make sure you nail down your theme (i.e., rustic, country, classic, etc.) and your wedding colors before ordering invites. Then use those decisions to choose your perfect style of stationery.

3. Proofread … And Then Proofread Again
There's nothing worse than noticing an accidental typo in your wedding invitations midway through stuffing all 150 into their envelopes. Avoid that awful feeling by proofreading your invites before ordering samples, and then before placing your final order. A good rule of thumb: Have several sets of eyes look over the invites to make sure all spelling, grammar and information is correct. 

4. Order a Sample First
Speaking of samples, you should never purchase your whole order of invitations without first ordering a proof to be mailed to your home. Colors, paper quality and overall style can all look completely different in person than they do in online photos. So, invitations you absolutely love over the Internet may not be quite what you were expecting when you see them in real life. Take some time to choose two or three different options (we offer three free samples), customize the wording and information, then order samples so you can compare and contrast in person. 

5. Get the Right Amount
Remember that you don't need to send an invitation to every single guest – just to every household – so the number of invites you order shouldn't be the number of guests on your list. The Huffington Post suggests putting together a list of mailing addresses, counting those, then ordering that number plus 10 to 15 extra. You should always order a few more than you need in case of addressing mistakes or last-minute additions. That way, you can avoid placing an entirely new order.