What Pieces To Include In Your Wedding Invitations

Knowing what pieces to include in your wedding invitations can sometimes feel a bit confusing and overwhelming.

Did you know that there are several pieces in an invitation suite? Yeah, it was news to me, too, when I first started!

After being a stationer for several years now, I’ve learned that each and every piece in an invitation suite serves a purpose. They all contain important information about your wedding celebration and having it all on separate pieces is key to keeping it all organized for your guests.

But, what pieces do you absolutely need to include in your wedding invitations?

Together, let’s break down an invitation suite to better explain what each of the pieces are. Then, we can chat about exactly what details go on each piece and what purpose they each serve for your guests. Let’s also go over some creative solutions for unique celebrations incase you have something a little more non-traditional planned.

Flat lay view of a wedding invitation suite and all of its pieces on a table.

Pieces To Include In A Wedding Invitation
— AKA “The Base Invitation Suite”

Understanding what pieces to include in your “Base Invitation Suite” is a great place to start.

“The Base Invitation Suite” includes the following pieces:

Invitation Card
Details Card
RSVP Card + Envelope
Mailing Envelopes
Address Printing
Postage

If you choose to only include these six pieces in your invitations, you’ll be ✨golden✨!

These six stationery pieces that make up “The Base Invitation Suite” is where I start with all of my couples. From here, you can choose to remove anything you don’t need or even add some additional pieces if necessary. It all depends on what information you need to share with your guests for your wedding.

Details To Include On Each Piece of Your Wedding Invitations

To help you decide exactly which pieces to include in your “Base Invitation Suite”, let’s go over the details typically included on each one.

1. The Invitation Card

The invitation card is the star of the suite. This is the main piece of the invitation suite that will include the most important details of your day.

The key details to include on the Invitation Card are:

Your Names
Wedding Date
Time
Location
Dress Code (optional)

2. The Details Card

The details card is where all the extra information will go that wasn’t included on the invitation card.

Below is a list of information that is typically included on the Details Card:

Accommodations
Reception and Ceremony Details
Wedding Website
Registry
Adult only celebration message
Dress Code
RSVP Info (if not on a separate RSVP Card)

A Quick Note: If you’re planning any separate events for your wedding—like a rehearsal dinner, a brunch, or maybe a shower—these details are best to include on a separate card. It’s common that not all guests are invited to these separate events, so its best to have separate cards you can easily slip into your invitation suite.

3. The RSVP Card

The RSVP card is for your guests to respond to your invitation to let you know whether or not they plan on attending your wedding.

Some key items to include on your RSVP card are:

Response Due Date
Number of Seats Reserved
Space for Names
Reply Options (yes/no)
Meal Options
Dietary Concerns

4. The RSVP Envelope

The RSVP Envelope is how your guests send the RSVP card back to you.

It’s polite to include postage on the RSVP envelope so your guests don’t have to worry about tracking down a stamp. As a result, your guests will be more likely to mail the RSVP card back to you because there’s one less thing your guests have to worry about. The key is to make it was easy as possible for them to respond!

A Quick Note: If you’re looking to keep your stationery budget to a minimum, the RSVP Envelope can easily be removed. Instead, choose to do an RSVP Postcard instead. Or maybe opt to have your guests respond on your wedding website. Both are great options when keeping your budget top-of-mind!

5. The Mailing Envelope

The mailing envelope is exactly that—an envelope that your invitation will be mailed in.

The mailing envelope may seem kind of boring at first, but I challenge you to have fun with it! Choose a fun color, add an envelope liner (more on this later!) and print your addresses in a pretty color. Anything that will make your guests excited to open your invitations is a good idea.

A Quick Note: If you mail your invitations in a colored envelope, your guests are more likely to open them. If you simply mail your invitations in a normal, white or cream envelope, it’s more likely that it will get lost in the shuffle with your guest’s bills, ads and other miscellaneous mail.

6. Address Printing

There are usually three different places you will need to print addresses for your invitations

Guest Addresses
Return Address
RSVP Address

The guest address is the address that you would like the invitation to be delivered to by the post office. In preparing your guest addresses, make sure all of your guests addresses are current and up-to-date.

The return address is the address that you would like the invitation to be returned to in case its undeliverable by the post office. This would mean maybe the address was incorrect or there was an issue during mailing (damaged, lost in the mail, etc.). The return address is typically printed on the flap of the mailing envelope.

The RSVP address is where you would like all the response cards to be sent to. This could be your address, maybe your parents or even your wedding planner.

wedding invitation pieces displayed as a flat lay on a table.

Additional Pieces To Include In Your Wedding Invitations

Once you know which pieces to include in your “Base Invitation Suite”, you can always build from there!

There may be additional pieces you want or need depending on the events you have planned for your big day. A few popular pieces a lot of couples like to include with their wedding invitations include:

Rehearsal Dinner Invite
Family + Friends Brunch Card
Wedding Shower Invitation
Separate Ceremony Invitation (typically for intimate wedding ceremonies)

Any and all of these pieces can easily be included in your wedding invitations. Plus, it makes it so much easier for you to send one set of invitations to your guests and maximize on postage cost—it’s a win-win!

wedding invitation suite and all of its pieces displayed as a flat lay on a table.

Consider Hiring A Wedding Stationer To Help With Your Invitations

If organizing all of your wedding details into your invitation design sounds daunting or even a little overwhelming, consider hiring a wedding stationer to help you!

(🙋🏼‍♀️ I would love to work with you to create your dream wedding stationery!)

A professional stationery designer will walk you through step-by-step how to organize all of your wonderful details in your invitations and on top of that—they’ll make it beautiful.

After being a wedding stationer for several years, I’ve designed so many beautiful invitation suites that range from incredibly simple + traditional to full wedding weekend complexity. Each and every wedding celebration is special in their own unique way and the invitations should be a gorgeous reflection of that!

Whatever you do, please don’t stress over every little detail when creating your invitations. Reach out to a wedding stationer you trust and see how they can help!

NAVIGATE

What Pieces To Include In Your Wedding Invitations

Pieces To Include In A Wedding Invitation
— AKA “The Base Invitation Suite”