Find Out How Many Wedding Invitations to Order

Planning

Nov 5

How many wedding invitations do you really need? It may seem like an easy answer, but there are actually a few things you’ll want to consider when deciding how many invitations to order.

This is honestly such a common question for couples planning a wedding.

But I get it: You don’t want to end up with too many leftover invitations, but you also want to make sure you have enough with a handful to spare. And these extra suites will be useful if any invitations are returned to you by the post office, if you add additional wedding guests, or if some get lost in the mail.

Because–trust me–if you don’t have enough invitations, it can be really costly to re-order additional prints from your stationer at a later time.

So, whether you're early in the wedding planning process or one step away from hiring your stationer, today's post is perfect for you.

Between finding vendors, choosing your venue and decor, selecting your dress and flowers—not to mention planning your guest list, ahem!—you’re making a lot of decisions.

Let me take one thing off your plate, and make this part of the planning process a bit easier for you.

How many wedding invitations do you really need? Keep on reading!–I have a very simple formula below to help you determine how many wedding invitations to order.

Guest List Size: Count by Number of Households

The first step is to take your guest list size into consideration. Here are a few tips to help you along.

count by number of households

Count by the number of households–not by the number of guests.

This is a common mistake among couples, but don’t accidentally order one wedding invitation for every guest. Many brides (myself included!) order invitations based on head count and end up with way too many extra "keepsakes".

In a nutshell, if you invite a total of 200 guests to your wedding, you don’t actually need 200 invitations. You’ll may only need half of that.

guests 18+ receive their own invitation

Keep in mind that guests who are over the age of 18 receive their own invitation.

For example, a college student living at home with their parents will receive their own invitation. Another example might be an elderly grandparent living with their adult child. The grandparent would receive their own invitation, and the adult child together with their family will get an invitation.

This does not apply to unmarried couples living together. Couples will always receive an invitation together.

Order 10-20 Extra Invitations

Once you have the number of households counted, add at least 10 extras to your total. You may even want to add 20 extras–just in case.

While ordering the exact amount of wedding invitations might save you money, it is costly to order reprints at a later date.

It is more expensive (per piece) to print small quantities of stationery. Many stationers may have a minimum order quantity, too. While 10 extras may seem unnecessary, they come in handy for several reasons.

KEEP A FEW FOR KEEPSAKES

Wedding invitations are one of the few tangible keepsakes you can keep for many years to come, just like your wedding dress, your vows, your garter. They are a part of a love story that you will want to celebrate forever.

I recommend keeping at least 2-3 copies for yourself. Your mom might also want her own keepsake!

PASS ALONG 1-2 COPIES TO YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER

Give at least one invitation to your photographer to photograph at your wedding. This deserves a post all on its own, but your wedding invitations truly complete your love story so be sure to add it to your shot list.

Invitations are the first impression everyone will have on your big day, and it really makes your wedding official. It doesn’t matter if you only spent $10 on your invitations or $5K–it’s a celebration of where you are in life and part of what makes you both unique.

HAVE A FEW EXTRA COPIES FOR EMERGENCIES

Invitations may get lost in the mail. Your mom might add more people to the guest list. These are both common situations I’ve seen many times. You’ll thank yourself later if you come prepared for unexpected emergencies!

Order Extra Envelopes if…

If you are hiring a calligrapher to address your invitations or plan to DIY, order at least 20% extra envelopes in case of mess-ups. For example, if you are ordering 100 invitations and plan to have a calligrapher address your envelopes, order at least 20 extra envelopes.

If your stationer will be printing addresses on your envelopes or if you are using envelope labels, you may not need to order any extra envelopes.