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Common Wedding Invitation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

If you are like most brides we know, you’ve spent a lot of time, energy, and even money trying to ensure that your wedding invitations are absolutely perfect. Just like everything in life, though, you can only prepare for (and never predict) the unexpected, and the truth is that mistakes will happen. Here are some of the most common mistakes we’ve seen, as well as some advice on how to deal with invitation imperfections.

#1: I ran out of invitations or envelopes!
We advise brides to order at least 10 extra invitations when they place their wedding invitation order. Here’s why:
Whether you choose to address your invitations yourself, hire a calligrapher, or have your guests’ addresses printed directly on the envelopes, a slew of mistakes are likely to happen. Even if you take every precaution, some things will be out of your control. Friends and family may change addresses, a name may be spelled incorrectly, or something might get spilled on a stack of invitations. And, no matter how many times you go over (and over) your guest list, we guarantee there is someone you’ll decide to include later. While all these situations are setbacks, they are by no means disastrous, as long as you are adequately prepared.
If you ordered extra invitations and envelopes when you placed your initial wedding invitation order, you should be set. However, if you have no extras to spare, you’ll need to go back to your wedding invitation printer or paper supplier to place an additional order, which can be both costly and time consuming.
To calculate how many wedding invitations you’ll need, click here.

#2: I made a mistake on my wedding invitation wording!
Again, your best defense is to plan ahead and avoid any and all mistakes (AKA typos). Do not run the risk of receiving a stack of beautiful new invitations on which your future mother-in-law’s name is spelled incorrectly! Here are a few tips:
(1) Use a word processor to type out exactly what you want your invitations to say. Include every last detail from the name of the church or reception location to the times and directions you will be including in your invitations.
(2) Print this “draft” and share it with a variety of people. Ask family, friends, and even coworkers to look over the invitation wording and mark any mistakes or errors.
(3) Proof one more time! Take a look at these common invitation wording mistakes to double check your etiquette, formatting, and grammar.
These steps will ensure you are not sending any errors to the printer. Of course, you will also want to check the policy of your printer should any mistakes be made on their end. The American Wedding guarantee states that “should we make an error in your original copy, or written instructions, we will replace your stationery, or any other personalized item, free of charge, if notified within (30) days of receipt of your order.”
To see our guarantee, click here.

#3: I didn’t include enough postage on my invitations!
All too often, couples assume that their wedding invitations require standard postage and drop them in the mail…only to have their beautifully addressed invitations returned to them a few days later! Avoid this mistake by planning ahead and never underestimating the weight (or postage) of those lovely invitations!
Our advice is to compile one complete invitation (all enclosures included), and take the parcel down to the local post office to have it weighed before placing postage on all your invitations.
For more wedding invitation mailing advice, click here.

#4: I waited too long to order or send my invitations!
It’s very important that your guests have plenty of time to reply to your wedding invitations. If you wait to send them until right before the wedding, you’ll run the risk of not getting replies and not knowing your final headcount, which makes planning extremely difficult if not impossible. By sending your invitations at least six to eight weeks before your wedding date, and by including a pre-addressed reply card with postage, you’ll have the best chances of receiving the most replies in a timely manner.
To ensure your invitations arrive, get addressed, and get in the mail in time, we advise you to place your wedding invitation order six months before your wedding date.