5 Essential Pieces of Information to Include on Your Wedding Invites

You’ve set the date, booked the wedding venue and carefully curated your guest list. Now’s the time to focus on your wedding invitations! Whether you go for good old ink and paper or digital e-vites, so many options are available now for sending your wedding stationery to your loved ones. So much so that it can feel a little overwhelming at first, but what we do know is that a large percentage of couples still like to opt for traditional physical invites with handwritten guest names and a place to include an RSVP, which is often paired with a wedding RSVP website where you can host all of the really important information that might not fit within the invite itself. Wedding websites are an absolute must if you're hosting a destination wedding, as you can communicate with all guests at the click of a button, whether you're updating travel plans or accommodation options. We like to think of it as your central information hub while adding a personal touch to your special day.

However, let’s not forget there are also digital invitation options available too, where personalised e-invites can land directly in your guests’ inboxes, saving a considerable amount of paper and money! In fact, you can pretty much design and send out your whole wedding invitation suite online now, all using the same handpicked theme personalised with your wedding details.

Whatever your preference, the next step is to write the invitation content and figure out what exactly you need to include. This handy article, 5 Essential Pieces of Information to Include on Your Wedding Invitations, will make your job so much easier and hopefully avoid too many questions during the run-up to your special wedding day.

1. You’re invited!

Your opening headline will set the tone for the rest of the invite and possibly the rest of your correspondence with your guests. If you want to send formal invitations, you could go with the traditional, ‘Together with their families (name) and (name) request the pleasure of your company at their marriage’. Or maybe you’d prefer to lead with a less traditional, more lighthearted approach such as, ‘Welcome to the party of the century!’. This is a wonderful way to announce your upcoming wedding and excite your guests to receive your invite and, of course, for the impending celebrations.

2. The essential info for your invitations

Ok, we get it; these are just the basics, right? But whilst it may sound super simple, forgetting significant details such as the venue address and wedding date can (and does) happen! To ensure you’re not one of the careless ones, just make sure the key details are clear: whose wedding it is, where it will be held, and the wedding date (including the year). This will help your guests figure out if they can attend or not and be able to plan their trip in plenty of time. It is always wise to send your final draft to a family member or close friend (or both) to cross reference and to double-check that you've included all the critical information and that there are no pesky typos before you press that all-important 'send to all' or 'print' button!

3. RSVP and wedding website information

Including an RSVP is an integral part of the wedding invitation. Not only will guests have a limited amount of time to check their schedules and let you know the good or bad news, but imposing a time cut-off will also massively reduce your stress when planning the venue/catering details. Also, don’t forget to include clear RSVP instructions, whether directing them to your wedding website or a home address with a stamped addressed envelope. Do your guests (and yourself) a favour and make the RSVP process super easy!

Biased, we may be, but our digital RSVP tool is an absolute lifesaver for couples during wedding planning! Not only can you track responses coming in and send automatic chases to those late repliers, but you can also include plus-one information to save any awkward conversations down the line.

4. Wedding ceremony and reception venues

If the ceremony is taking place at a different location than the reception, make sure you include all the relevant information for both venues. If you’re inviting separate evening guests, you will likely need a different invitation with just the evening reception information, too. This will avoid any confusion and possible disappointment! Timings for each location are also an important feature to include and will help guests feel prepared for the big day ahead.

Include maps on your wedding website showing exactly where the ceremony and wedding reception are held; the more detail, the better— no one likes getting lost down winding country lanes! An FAQ page is also a really helpful page to include on your wedding website. That way, you can include details such as the dress code, ceremony, and reception parking information, whether you're arranging any transport for wedding guests or local taxi numbers for guests to take advantage of to get them back to their accommodation safely.

5. Gifting information

You might like to include some gifting information on your wedding invite to help mitigate an awkward conversation later down the line. There are various ways to approach this now: you could opt for a registry and/or wishing well and include information or a QR code to your chosen website within the invite. Maybe you’re happy for guests to simply gift whatever they please, or perhaps you would like to state that their company is all you need. Whatever you decide, making a little note of your preference on your invitation and wedding website is always a good idea. Not only will being transparent about gifting help guests feel more organised and comfortable about what to bring, but it could also save you a lot of time answering tedious questions about your favourite colours or if you need anything new for your house!

However you decide to send your wedding invitations, remember that all the decisions are yours; simply adding these little vital nuggets of information will help your plans go off without a hitch. Happy planning!