Invitation Suites: Allllllll the Pieces & Parts
Once you start planning a wedding or event, you’re likely going to start seeing that little word “suite” attached to anything invitation-related. So what the heck are we talking about??
An invitation suite is the full, formal name for all the paper items that get sent along with your invitation. At a basic level, this probably includes the invitation, a details card, an RSVP card + envelope, and the outer envelope that’s addressed to each recipient. For the sake of this blog post, we’re just going to be referencing wedding suites— but really, any event can have a whole suite!
Let’s break that down some more and explain what each basic item’s purpose is.
Elements of an Invitation Suite
The invitation
Okay you probably know this one. The invitation is a written request inviting someone to your wedding. Things you need to know to create your invitation:
Couple’s names (can be full names including middle, just first names, or just first and last. It’s traditional to use middle names, but you can do whatever you want!)
Date, time, and location of your wedding ceremony and reception
Any specific wording you feel strongly about
If you’re working with a custom designer, you don’t need to have all (or any) specific wording worked out before you get started; this bullet point is simply there just in case you do have something in particular you know you want to use. For example: maybe you want to include parents’ names if they’re helping pay for the wedding, but that is usually all worked out during the design process itself.
details card
This is where you can add any additional wedding details, such as:
Welcome party, day-after brunch, or any other weekend events
Dress code
Your wedding website
Travel or accommodations information
A map of the area
rsvp card
There’s a couple of common options here:
Send an RSVP card + a pre-addressed and stamped envelope for folks to return their RSVP to you. This is traditionally how RSVPs are collected.
Send an RSVP card that has a QR code or the URL for your wedding website to collect RSVPs solely online.
A combo of the above: direct folks to your wedding website to RSVP, but also include send an RSVP card and envelope (pre-addressed, but not pre-stamped) for anyone who would prefer to RSVP through the mail.
No matter which option you go with, you’ll need to have an RSVP date in mind. This is typically 4 weeks out from your wedding so that you have time to build a seating chart. You may also want to check with your venue and catering team to see if there’s a final date that you have to have numbers to them by.
You may also need to consider if you need to collect meal choices (or song requests 😜) ahead of time through the RSVP process.
envelope
There’s a lot of hot debates about using colored vs. plain envelopes re: the United States Postal Service. Lol. Our recommendation is to use a lighter colored envelope + darker addressing for the best delivery results. If you’re dead set on using a black or dark colored envelope (one that requires white ink addressing), we would recommend using that as the ‘inner’ envelope, and having an additional outer envelope that’s a lighter color. Most folks throw away the main envelope that’s addressed and stamped (and often beaten up by the postal system), so this is still a great option!
We recommend gathering your addresses ahead of time (we give a spreadsheet to our clients to make it easy/low stress) so that when the time comes, we’re not delaying the invitation production schedule due to having to wait on addresses from folks. This website makes it easy for you to just shoot out a text and have people fill in their own info. Then you can download a spreadsheet later. *work smarter not harder*
extras
There are TONS of additional items that can make up all the pieces and parts of your suite — i.e. ways to personalize it to you and your event. Some of our favorites we’ve seen:
Die cuts (rounded edges! deckled edges! wavy! scalloped! arch!)
Custom shapes (your dog! your wedding venue! a cactus!)
Belly band (plain vellum! printed vellum! ribbon! string!)
Vellum overlay
Custom wax seal
Envelope liners
A fun paperclip to hold everything together
An extra piece with just your names
Sometimes people also include their rehearsal dinner, bridal brunch, or other event invitation in with the invitation suite for a fully cohesive look
Invitation Anatomies
If you’re interested in working 1:1 (actually…2:1) with designers to create something 100% custom to you, give us a shout — we’d love to get to know you!
