It may seem a simple thing to order invitations. Just make sure the information is correct and enter your credit card information! There are a lot of little things everyone should know before ordering wedding invitations that can make the process much easier and more enjoyable. Having information on a product can help anyone making a purchase of that product be more confident in their purchase and get the best product they can for the money they are spending.
Why is it that some invitations cost $15 per invitation and others are as low as $2 each? Is it just the company? Is the invitation really better? Well, invitation prices can vary wildly within one company. So it must have to do with the invitations right? Well yes!
Know the Terminology
There are different things that go into making different invitations. Different printing processes, quality of paper and methods can all contribute to the price of the wedding invitations. Knowing the terminology of the wedding invitation business can help you get the best invitation that has all the qualities you want it to have. Get familiar with printing terms such as thermography, embossing and weight.
Know the Company
To get a good idea of invitation quality, many companies will let you request free samples or samples at a reduced price. This also helps give a visual of what different terms and color names really mean. Someone who has never dealt with vellum may do better with a sample of an invitation containing a vellum layer in their hands before deciding if it is right for them. If the company won’t provide samples without an order, be suspicious. If the customer is paying for the sample and postage there is no reason not to provide samples and many companies absorb all or part of the cost in order to add to their customer base. Be wary of new companies. A company with an established reputation is more likely to do what it takes to keep their customers satisfied and maintain that reputation. Plus they have dealt with most of the issues that could possibly arise.
Take Advantage of Proofing Services
Many invitation companies have a customer service team. Here at The American Wedding, we examine every order to be sure punctuation is correct and the spelling of words in the invitation body is correct. Always examine the digital proof of your wedding invitations before ordering. Never hesitate to call customer service to ask for help on special situations and how invitations should be worded. The American Wedding has sample invitation wording available for many situations and guides to etiquette available and would be happy to answer any specific questions.
Allow Plenty of Time
Most websites can give you an estimate as to when you will get your invitations and it can be tempting to wait until just a couple weeks before they need to be mailed. Keep in mind mistakes can be made. Good invitation companies will work with the customer to fix mistakes, but time is needed to reprint and mail invitations. The invitations also need to be addressed. It is polite to mail invitations to be received by guests about 8 weeks before the wedding and up to 10 weeks if the wedding guests will be traveling more than an hour to get to the wedding location or if there are other special circumstances.
Combine Ordering
If save the dates, thank you cards and other stationery needs to be ordered, try to do all the ordering at once to save some shipping costs. Many websites offer free shipping codes on orders over certain amounts. Plus this allows any discounts that have been offered to be applied to more of what needs to be ordered. This also helps ensure all the wedding stationery matches and arrives on time. Things like save the dates, address labels, envelope seals and thank you cards can be added to the invitation order. Sometimes other personalized items are also available like champagne flutes and personalized favors, napkins and matchbooks. Ordering everything at once keeps things simple and saves shipping costs. It is also a green choice because each delivery takes a lot of gas to be shipped and delivered.
Sign Up for the Emails
Many websites give you the option to sign up for email offers and updates. It may seem like a hassle but companies spend a lot of money to generate those emails for a reason and they fill them with lots of good information and deals. Make an email address for all things wedding and sign up for all the email clubs from vendors. They often contain discount codes for orders and special deals and offers. Plus, a wedding isn’t the only occasion that someone will ever need invitations or personalized items from a stationery company so that email club may pay off again in the future for baby showers, personalized Christmas cards and other events.
Order Extra
Mistakes will be made addressing invitations and assembling them (if necessary). Having extra invitations and envelopes when they are needed most can be a great peace of mind. Also, last minute additions to the guest list do happen.
Wedding invitations may seem like a small purchase in the scheme of planning a wedding but they are an important purchase. A little knowledge can go a long way in making sure your guests get the best first impression of your wedding.
