Trying to calculate how many wedding invitations to order can feel like a total shot in the dark if you don’t know what you’re doing.

You might have a general idea based on how many guests you plan to invite, which is a great start! But, your total number of guests vs. the number of invitations you plan to mail are completely different quantities. Trust me, you definitely don’t want to order your invitations solely based on your guest count.

So, how do you calculate how many wedding invitations you should order? Let’s break it down, shall we?!

Start by making your guest list

The first step to calculating how many invitations to order is to make a list!

I’m probably the minority in this, but I love making lists for literally everything. It helps me gain clarity whether it’s a to-do list, a shopping list, or really any kind of list. Same is true for your wedding!

Making a list of all the guests you plan to invite to your wedding is a great place to start. This way, you can see right away if you’re forgetting anyone, if you’re inviting too many people, or maybe not enough.

This will quickly give you a good idea of what your guest count is.

Your guest count is exactly that—the number of guests you plan to invite to your wedding. You’ll use this quantity for a lot of different things throughout your wedding planning. Things such as: catering, cake order, venue size, day-of stationery items, bar menu, etc.

One thing you will not use this quantity for is your invitations. So, let’s keep going to figure out what that quantity is supposed to be.

Group your guest list by households

While you’re making your guest list, go ahead and include their addresses as well.

Once you’ve added their addresses to the list, begin grouping and organizing your list based on the address you listed for them.

This will help you see which guests all live at the same household.

Count how many households you have on the list

Now that you have everyone grouped according to their address count how many groups, or households, you have.

This will be the number of invitations you need to mail!

For example: Your two cousins might live with your aunt and uncle. So, they should be grouped together as one household, meaning they would receive one invitation for the four of them.
Guest count: 4  |  Households: 1

Don’t forget a few extras!

Before you order your invitations solely based on your total household quantity, be sure to add-on a few extra.

You’ll want these for several reasons, including:
– Any last minute invites
– If some of your invitations aren’t delivered to your guests (it happens sometimes!)
– For your photographer on the day-of your wedding
– And definitely as a keepsake to remember your special day

A good rule of thumb is to order about 10-15% extra invitations just to be safe.

That’s it! You’re ready to order your wedding invitations

Figuring out how many invitations you should order can be a bit daunting when you’re first getting started, but really it’s pretty simple. Getting started is the hardest part!

If you ever get stumped and need some help, lean on your wedding planner if you have one or your wedding stationer. They’re here to help you and want to do whatever they can to make your wedding planning experience a breeze.

Are you interested in hiring a wedding stationer for this exact reason, but not sure how? Here are three things you need to get started—then you’re golden!

Photography + Concept: Savanna Sturkie  |  @savannasturkie
Venue: Hotel Clermont  |  @hotelclermont
Accessories: Hushed Commotion  |   @hushedcommotion
Florals: Taran M. Florals  |  @taranmflorals
Stationery: East + West Designs  |  @eastandwestdesigns