Congratulations! You’ve climbed and conquered the mountain known as wedding invitation wording. Your guests know who is engaged to be married (hopefully they knew this before!), the date, the time, and the location of the ceremony. Great job!
Now you only have a few more hills to sprint, and those hills include figuring out how to communicate all the other vital information your guests need to know regarding your big day.
This is one of of the most frequently asked questions Persnickety hears from our brides when they arrive in the studio, so we thought it might be helpful to review a few of the traditional and modern aspects of these confusing little enclosures.
So take some deep breaths, and stretch your legs. We’re in this together! Let’s start with the most popular question we receive.
What inserts do I need?
The Response Set
The response set is a staple of the wedding invitation and the only piece we feel is absolutely required. Unless you are having the most informal wedding possible, the response set is necessary to include in your invitation.
We also recommend you consider adding a line on your response card not only for guests to mark that they will be attending, but also for those to indicate that they are unable to attend. This will help you immensely in your wedding planning, and it is often the most forgotten line in the entire invitation set.
*A friendly reminder to double check
that you have put stamps on all your
response envelopes for your guests.
It is a major wedding faux-pas to not
provide postage for your guests!
Incorporating a pocket as part of your invitation keeps inserts neatly organized.
Reception Cards
Unlike the response set, the reception card is not always required to be part of your invitation set. Many couples opt to have their ceremony and reception in the same location, which eliminates the need for a separate reception card. Information regarding the reception can be carefully worded on the invitation itself (for example, “Reception immediately following”).
If you are having your reception at another location, though, you will definitely want to include this information on a separate card for your guests.
* Fun fact- response cards are
actually a new invention. Etiquette
once dictated that guests respond
to the wedding hosts via a handwritten
RSVP letter.
A custom illustration gives wedding day details.
Map Cards
Maps as an insert card can be tricky. We live in such a technological age that for many brides, it seems like a waste to include them.
Brides also run the risk of having really ineffective designs included on their map card, especially if the map is downloaded from the Internet. But there are plenty of ways to make your map elegant and refined or whimsical and fun.
The most important thing is to make sure it is geographically correct and well-designed, as well as something your guests will actually find helpful.
*Remember to TRIPLE check your directions before approving
the printing of your maps!
Accommodations Cards
Depending on the location of your ceremony, you might have a large number of guests traveling from out of town. These guests will need to make their reservations in advance, and an accommodations card is an excellent way to help them.
Invitation inserts stacked in a pocket are neatly organized
An accommodations card will provide your guests with the information of a few suggested hotels they could reserve rooms in, and it is also where you would want to list the reservation code or name your guests need to mention to the hotel staff in order to receive a special rate.
Consider doing your reception card in a different color to give it a little pizzazz
Guest Information Cards
The guest information card contains all the other information your guests need to know that does not fit anywhere else.
This could be anything from what your guests need to wear, transportation coordination, or inclement weather plans. Any information not traditionally placed on your invitation, response, or reception cards can be found here!
*Some brides like to combine their
accommodations information with
their guest information.
Lovely grey and blue custom invitation design with deckled edging and hand drawn map
Additional Events Cards
Whether your wedding is an entire weekend extravaganza or you are planning a quiet brunch the morning after the ceremony, including invitations for these individual events as an insert in your wedding invitation set.
This will cut down on your postage, and you can simply invite those guests who you really want to be there; not everyone needs one of these inserts!
Itinerary Cards
For those brides planning on a destination wedding or who are planning a wedding celebration that goes on for days, you might find an itinerary card helpful for your guests.
This lists all the events and any pertinent information in one convenient place, eliminating the need for multiple cards.
Using all script typestyles lends formality to any invitation suite.
Phew! We sprinted to the end, and you finally know everything necessary about invitation inserts.
They definitely can become confusing, especially determining which information belongs where.
But Persnickety is happy to walk you through the entire invitation process and help you narrow down which inserts you’ll need to make your wedding spectacular.
Schedule your appointment with an invitation specialist here!
