Pocket Wedding Invitations

Pocket Wedding Invitations

Pocket style wedding invitations are a very stylish and modern alternative to traditional invitations. Many printers now offer a wide range of pocket invitations, and they are also simple to make yourself if you are having home made stationery. You can either make them from scratch or use a kit. A pocket style invitation can be more decorative than a traditional card and there is the opportunity to introduce your wedding theme or colour scheme more thoroughly

What is a pocket invitation?

As the name suggests a pocket style wedding invitation is made in the shape of a pocket that various cards or parts of the invitation can be tucked into before it is put in an envelope. The idea of the pocket invitation is that it keeps all the pieces of the invitation such as the actual invite, the reply card, and the directions list together. Guests are less likely to loose directions if they are in a pocket with the invitation card. Pocket invites also avoid the gift list card being the first thing that falls out of the envelope when guests open it.

The increase in popularity of pocket style invitations can be attributed to the increase in out of town guests at weddings, as more couples live, work, or travel far from the towns where they grew up. These guests require additional information about accommodation and travel arrangements, which can easily be inserted into a pocket invitation.

There are three styles of pocket invitation:

Portable pocket wedding invitations

A portable pocket is a single card pocket that cannot be opened or unfolded. It is designed so that individual cards such as the invite card, reply card, gift list card, and directions card can be slid inside. The pockets themselves can be highly decorative, and can have ribbon, crystal or fabric embellishments. If you have a variety of colours in your wedding theme, try having each card in the pocket made from a different coloured card to match that theme.

Bi-fold pocket wedding invitations

A bi-fold pocket invitation has a single fold and can be unfolded to reveal two internal panels. One panel has the invitation text printed on it, and the other has a pocket attached to it where you can place your reply card and gift list card. The fold can be horizontal or vertical, depending on your preference. Bi-fold pockets usually work out less expensive than their tri-fold counterparts, but are not as simple to make as portable pockets.

Tri-fold pocket wedding invitations

A tri-fold pocket invitation has two folds and can be unfolded to reveal three internal panels. The central panel has the invitation text printed on it. The other two panels could each have a pocket attached if there are lots of inserts to go in with the invitation, or one can have a pocket attached for the reply and gift cards and the other can have printed directions. Tri-fold pockets are perfect for couples that need to include a lot of information with their invites, or who need additional printing space for a bilingual wedding invitation

RSVP cards

RSVP Cards - So nothing becomes mismanaged!

Including an RSVP card with your wedding invitation is entirely optional, 

and many couples choose not to as the invitations are expensive enough without the extra card. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions regarding RSVP cards:

Why should we send RSVP cards?

Including an RSVP card with your wedding invitation makes it simpler for your guests to reply; especially of you also include a pre-addressed envelope. Some guests may not realize that they should send a formal reply, and others may simply not get round to it. By including an RSVP card you are making it clear that a reply is expected, and a higher percentage of your guests will reply than if you don’t.

Should we include postage?

It is only polite to put a postage stamp on your reply envelope, and again this makes it easier for guests to reply and increases the likelihood that they will. Check carefully to make sure you are including the right postage, especially if you have out of town guests. For overseas guests it may not be possible to get the right stamps, unless you have a lot of guests from one particular country and you can ask someone there to buy the stamps for you.

What format should the card be?

An RSVP card can either be a small single card with a matching envelope, or a postcard with printing on one side and the address on the other. The first option is generally more formal, but both formats can be used for any wedding as long as the card complements the wedding invitation.

What information should be on the card?

The date and time of the wedding should be repeated on the RSVP cards, along with the names of the guests. You should provide your guests with a way of indicating whether they will attend or not and leave additional space in case they want to add a personal note.

How can we be clear that guests need to respond?

Unfortunately you will always get some guests that don’t reply. These invites will have to be followed up with a phone call in the weeks leading up to the wedding. Just including an RSVP card should be a big enough clue that a reply is expected. If you put ‘regrets’ as an option on the reply card, ticking that means the guest can’t attend. If you put ‘regrets only’ on the reply card that means that only guests who can’t attend need to reply; if there is no reply you will assume they are coming.

How do we stop guests adding additional names to the RSVP?

Even if you clearly address your invitation to individual guests, many will assume they can bring their children or a date, and will add these to the RSVP card. You can limit this by listing the names of the invited guests on the card and putting tick boxes for each one marked ‘attending’ and ‘not attending’. Unfortunately, however blatant you are, some guests will still add extra names to the cards.

When should the RSVP date be?

Most couples set the RSVP date three weeks before the wedding to allow time to finalise numbers with suppliers, create a seating plan, and chase up guests that haven’t responded.

Can we ask for e-mail RSVPs instead?

It is becoming more popular to set up a dedicated e-mail address for people to use to reply to your wedding invitation, and print this along with the RSVP date on the invite. This is a great idea because it is environmentally friendly; saving paper and printing, and it makes replying simple for the majority of people. Check out your guest list and decide whether people will embrace this technology, or whether there are some older guests that may prefer the formality of an RSVP card.

Save the date cards

A card that matters - Save The Date!

Save the Date cards are a great way to let friends and family know when and where your wedding will be long before they receive your formal invitation. The main goal of Save the Date cards is to make sure as many of your guests as possible make it to your wedding, by giving them plenty of notice to make travel arrangements, take time off work, or simply turn down other invitations for that day.

Reasons to send Save the Date cards
Whether or not you choose to send Save the Date cards depends on when you are getting married, the type of wedding you are having, and the location of your guests. Here are some common reasons for sending Save the Date cards in addition to formal invitations:

• You are having a destination wedding
• You have a lot of out of town guests
• You are getting married in peak wedding season
• You are getting married on a weekday
• Your wedding is on a significant day such as Valentines Day

What to include on your Save the Date card

Save the Date cards are usually sent out six to eight months before your wedding, but the sooner you send them the more effective they are, so some couples post them a year in advance. Don’t worry if you haven’t finally confirmed all your wedding arrangements when you send out your Save the Dates; the information on them should be kept simple and as long as you have your venue booked you can go ahead and send them out.

The only two pieces of information that you need to include on your Save the Date card are the date and general location of the wedding. You can reveal the name of the venue, or your can simply write a city name if you prefer. The only time you may want to include more information on your Save the Date cards is if you are having a destination wedding, and you want to give your guests details of flights and hotels.

The two things you definitely won’t want to include with your Save the Dates are an RSVP, and details of your gift registry. Most couples put something like ‘formal invitation to follow’ on their Save the Dates, otherwise guests may start calling them up asking for more information, thinking they already have their invitation.

What do Save the Date cards look like?

Despite their name, Save the Date cards don’t have to be actual cards and the most effective ones are usually more creative. A Save the Date can be less formal than a wedding invitation, so it’s a good chance to have some fun and send something your guests will really enjoy.

Many couples choose to send a happy photo of themselves, perhaps holding up a sign with the wedding date written on it. Others have colourful fridge magnets made, or print the wedding details on wrappers for cookies or chocolate bars.

If you haven’t finalised your wedding colour scheme or theme when you send your Save the Date cards, you don’t have to match them to your other stationery. 

However, if you already know what your wedding theme will be you can use your Save the Date as a taster of what the wedding will be like. If you are having a beach themed wedding, send postcards from the beach with your wedding date on, or have it printed on a mini surf board. If you are having a garden wedding, your wedding details could be printed on a packet of seeds.