Wedding Invitations

60 second expert: Helen Doyle on choosing your wedding invitations

Wedding invitations play a vital role in the smooth organisation of your big day. But it’s not just a matter of sending out a card with the date on – there is so much more to a proper wedding invitation.

We’ve grabbed a quick five minutes with Helen Doyle of wedding invitation experts, Gibson Doyle, to give you the lowdown on how to have a perfect wedding invitation.

How much, on average should you spend on wedding invites?

If you assume people need one invite per couple or family and the average number of guests is around 80, so anything from £1.25 to £3.25 per head is about right, but it does depend on the type of wedding invitations.

How long does it normally take to make and deliver the invites to the customer?

We ask for a 28 days lead-time but have just started an express service where you can upgrade your lead-time in an emergency to 7 days. However, there is a 50% surcharge on this service.
My top tip is to allow about a month in between ordering and sending out to your guests.

How much notice should people give their guests before the wedding?
I recommend a minimum of six to eight weeks. But if you are having a summer wedding or getting married abroad then you have to take into account any holidays your guests will have to arrange around your chosen dates.

Have you ever had any unusual requests?

Not too many – I have been asked to design stationery for a naturist couple who were getting married in the nude. The brief was ‘very simplistic’! Hope they were getting married somewhere warm!

Do you have any advice for bride-to-be when they’re starting to look at wedding invitations?

Once you have set your date one of the first things you should turn your attention to is the selection of your wedding invitations. There’s such a wide variety of designs and styles it could take you a while to choose what you really like. Regardless of what design you choose, generally wedding invitations should include the invitation itself as well as a reply card. You’ll also need an evening invitation, a separate printed envelope for the reply card and also information on accommodation, driving directions and important telephone numbers. There are literally thousands of styles and designs of invitations available to choose from but there are only three basic types of wedding invitations: printed, hand-made and boxed-sets.

Tell us a bit more about these three types

Printed wedding invitations are really popular and are very cost efficient. The turn around time for printed invitations is usually better than hand made options but you should still plan on ordering your printed invitations at least 4-6 weeks in advance. You could also go for thermographed wedding invitations, which are an alternative to standard printed invitations. The end result is a very elegant look but thermographed invitations might not be appropriate for a very formal wedding, they would work well for a semi-formal wedding. Plan on ordering these invitations at least six weeks in advance.

Handmade invites seem to be popular what do you think?

Handmade wedding invitations are gaining in popularity, not only because they are reasonably priced but also because they add a nice personal touch to a very special occasion. But remember to plan on ordering additional wedding invitations in case of mistakes and allow plenty of time to post them out.

Are boxed sets of wedding invitations a good buy?

Box set invitations are available at most stationary retailers and are quick and easy. They are fairly cheap and this type of invitation can you can also add a personal touch if you have the time.

Your final tip?

Regardless of which type of wedding invitations you choose, be sure to allow plenty of time for printing and an at least an additional two weeks for posting. And remember they’re your wedding invitations – you should have them exactly how you want them to be!

To find out more about Gibson Doyle’s wedding invitations visit www.gibsondoyle.co.uk