YOU'RE getting married and you want your loved ones there to celebrate with you, so you're going to need to send out invites
Not sure where to start? Don't panic we've got the low down on where to buy the best wedding invitations, read on.
Wedding invitations let your friends and family know all the details about your upcoming nuptials, so they're an important part of the wedding planning to get right – and we're here to help.
Nowadays there are seemingly endless wedding invitations, from classic, simple designs to elaborate illustrated creations.
Some couples may even choose to make their wedding invites, and we've got details on how to do that below too.
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There's also the option of sending out simple 'save the date' notices first, with the full details posted nearer the date of the wedding.
To help you decide, we've rounded up the best places to find where to buy wedding invitations online, including retailers such as Papier, Not On The High Street and John Lewis.
Some come blank for you to hand-write the information on yourself, and some can be personalised and pre-printed to save you time (and armache!).
So without further ado, here's our list of where to buy wedding invitations...
Where to buy the best wedding invites
Papier
Papier is our go-to for personalised diaries, journals and planners, but did you know they have a beautiful selection of wedding invitations with hundreds of designs?
Alongside their designs, Papier also teams up with well-known designers such as Temperley London and Mother of Pearl to create stunning intricate illustrations.
The cards can be completely personalised on the front and back, and you can even add a couple's photo.
You can also buy the rest of your wedding stationery from Papier, from menus and table plans to thank-you cards and photo books.
- Cornflower Wedding Invitation, from £32 for 10 - buy here
- Let's Party Starry Navy Wedding Invitation, from £32 for 10 - buy here
- Script Monogram Wedding Invitation, from £32 for 10 - buy here
Not On The High Street
Not On The High Street is another great place for all things personalised, and if you're interested in buying from independent brands.
At the time of writing, there were over 950 different wedding invitation designs to browse on NOTHS, ranging from modern motifs to elaborate multi-card invites.
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Often, you will be able to buy a sample of the card (prices start from 50p), and if you're happy with it, you then communicate with the buyer about your final order.
- Feel Good Wedding Invitations Stacked Wedding Invitation, 99p each - buy here
- Confetti Designs Sweetheart Wedding Invitation, £2.80 each - buy here
- Sprinkle More Joy Save The Date Magnet Card, £2 each - buy here
Hobbycraft
Hobbycraft is the place to go for all your craft needs if you're hoping to make your wedding invites yourself, but it also sells a few ready-made designs too.
They're great value if you're on a budget too (and we all know that wedding costs add up) – this pack of 20 costs just £8.
While you're shopping, it's worth browsing Hobbycraft's entire wedding section for DIY must-haves to inspire your big day.
- Champagne Gold Wedding Invitations 20 Pack, £8 - buy here
- White Vellum Wedding Invitations 20 Pack, £8 - buy here
- White Vellum Evening Invitations 20 Pack, £8 - buy here
John Lewis
There's currently only one style of wedding invitations available on the John Lewis website – although you may find more choices in-store – but it's a pretty, elegant design that would perfectly suit a summer garden wedding – and good value too.
It comes with the invite, envelope, RSVP card, and string and tags to tie it all together.
- John Lewis Floral Wedding Invitations, Multi, Pack of 10, £10 buy here
Amazon
You can buy anything on Amazon, right? And that includes wedding invites.
We love that Amazon flags small businesses on the results page, enabling customers to support emerging or local artisans.
As you'd probably expect there are hundreds to choose from, so it's a good idea to filter your choice by price, brand or rating.
- 50 x Personalised Wedding Invitations/Invites, £23.99 - buy here
- Kirsten McMillan 25 White Wedding Invitations, £5.99 - buy here
- Dotty about Paper Premium Rustic Wedding Invitations Pack of 10, £5.99 - buy here
WHSmith
Aside from one pack of 'save the date' cards, the wedding invitations at WHSmith all come from one designer – Dotty About Paper – but there's a decent level of choice and a good price.
Like Hobbycraft, you can find art supplies like cards, paper and calligraphy sets at WHSmith too if you're considering making your invites.
- Neviti Floral Wedding Save the Date Pack of 10, £4.99 - buy here
- Dotty About Paper Blush Confetti Wedding Invites Pack of 10, £4.99 - buy here
- Dotty About Paper Mrs and Mrs Floral Chalkboard Evening Invites Pack of 10, £6.99 - buy here
Etsy
Like Not On The High Street, Etsy is the perfect place to source unique, handmade wedding invitations from independent sellers.
We found pretty much every style we could imagine when browsing, from simple templates that you edit, download and print off yourself to elaborate designs with multiple cards, strings and wax seals – and even digital invites.
Most sellers allow you to buy one as a sample first before you place your larger order.
- TwistStationery Simple Vellum Wedding Invitation Set, £1.99 each – buy here
- TheInviteShack Venue Sketch Wedding Invitations, £1.75 each - buy here
- FeelGoodInvites Navy and Gold Foiled Concertina Wedding Invitation, £1.49 each - buy here
Zazzle
Zazzle is good for brides and grooms on a budget as it sells a large range of designs starting from about £1 per invite.
Even better, there's currently a big sale on wedding invitations, with up to 50% off.
We love just how much you can personalise these designs, down to the colour scheme, type of card, size and even the shape of the invite.
- Peach Bloome Simple Moody Eucalyptus Greenery Wedding Invitation, £1.25 each (Was £2.50) - buy here
- Pretty Girl Designs Budget Eucalyptus Greenery Wedding Invitation, £0.98 each (Was £1.15) - buy here
- IYHTVDesigns Retro Seventies Wedding All In One Invitation, £1.85 each (Was £3.70) - buy here
VistaPrint
If you think VistaPrint is just for business cards, think again, as they do a lovely range of ready-made and personalisable invites, or if you're handy at graphic design, you can also upload your creation to be printed out.
They're all the same price too: usually £9.99 for 10 cards (with the price going up with extras such as rounded edges and foil text), but they're currently all on sale, reduced down to £6.99.
- Simple 'We do' design, from £6.99 for 10 (Was £9.99) - buy here
- Black floral design, from £6.99 for 10 (Was £9.99) - buy here
- Simple text design, from £6.99 for 10 (Was £9.99) - buy here
Cotton Bird
Ones for the stylish brides and grooms looking for something you won't find other couples sending out, we love all the designs at French stationery website Cotton Bird – think Papier vibes but more unique.
Cotton Bird wedding invitations range from simple but effective, with just names and a date on the front, to colourful illustrated designs, and shoppers can filter their search by invite styles including 'kraft', 'minimalist' and 'watercolour'.
- Giorgia Wedding invitation, £1.42 each - buy here
- Essential Wedding invitation, £1.99 each - buy here
- English Garden Wedding invitation, £1.99 each - buy here
When to send wedding invitations
Sending out your wedding invitations are the right time is important – too late and your invitees may already have plans, too early and they might forget about it.
General advice is that if you haven't sent out save the dates, wedding invitations should be sent out six to eight months before your wedding to give guests enough time to RSVP.
If you have sent out save the dates (which typically go out earlier, six to 12 months before the big day), you can post your full wedding invites a little later, around four to six months before the day.
The key is to give guests enough notice to respond and make plans if they're attending, while also giving you enough time to confirm final numbers.
What to write on a wedding invitation
A wedding invitation needs to include all the key information your guests need to attend your special day.
The most important things to include are who's getting married (obviously), when and where, and how to RSVP.
Some invites also include details such as dress code, food choices, a link to a gift list and details on how to get the the venue.
How you write your invitation will depend on your personality and the wedding's style.
Traditionally, the bride's parents would 'host' the wedding, and so the wording on the invite would read something like this: "Mr and Mrs John Smith request the pleasure of your company at the wedding of their daughter Jane Smith to Jack Jones".
However, nowadays couples often plan (and pay for) their weddings by themselves, and so instead you could simply write: "Jane and Jack invite you to celebrate" or "would love you to join them".
What to include in wedding invitations
Your wedding invitation needs to include all the key details about the day – date, time, location – as well as everything else your guests need to know about attending.
This could also include a menu for them to submit their food choices, details on transport and accommodation to the venue, a dress code if you're having one, and information about gift suggestions.
This can be all included on one card or written on several separate sheets, bundled together and put in the same envelope.
Alternatively, you can save on paper and upload all this information onto a wedding website such as Getting Married and just give your guests the URL.
What to put on wedding invitations
In addition to all the information listed above – names, date, time, location, menu selection, RSVP details, etc – you may wish to add some personal details to your wedding invitations.
This could include a photo, a personalised illustration or a short quote that means something to you.
The actual wording of the invitation will vary depending on how formal you want it to read.
Traditionally when writing the couple's names, in opposite-sex marriages the bride's name comes before the groom's, and the first name, surname and sometimes even middle names are given.
However, it's totally up to you how you write your wedding invites, as they must represent you as a couple.
How to make your wedding invitations and do it yourself wedding invitations
We've listed loads of great wedding invitations above that you can buy online but you can also make your invites.
This can be a good option if you're especially creative or if you want something unique – and it can be a good way to save money on them.
There are a few ways that you can do this. One is to download a template from sites like VistaPrint or Etsy, personalise it with your details and arrange to have it printed yourself.
You can then also add your crafty touches if you like, such as a personalised wax seal or perhaps a spring of dried flowers tied up with it (Hobbycraft is a great place to look for things like this).
Alternatively, if you're good at graphic design (or know someone who is), you can design your invite completely from scratch on a site such as Canva, and then have them printed out through a printer.
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