Figuring Out Casual Wedding Invites

With wedding invites, couples often agonize over how they’ll say, “We’re getting married, want to come?” especially when the wedding is formal. But what if you’re hosting something a bit more casual? Are your invitation options at all expanded? Maybe even limited? If you’re hosting a backyard barbecue for fifty people, do you really need RSVP cards and inserts and that little piece of opaque tissue paper? Here are some ideas and a few bits of guidance…  

For RSVPs:
Even if you’re trimming down your bulky invite envelope, a casual wedding invitation should probably include an RSVP card. While this is a personal choice (and the money you would save on both printing and postage is alluring), getting rid of RSVP cards in favor of email or website RSVPing is an invitation for late (or totally absent) RSVPs from your nearest and dearest. Guests are used to filling out the little card and sending it back for wedding invites. It is much too easy to forget if the little reminder isn’t calling out to them from their refrigerator every morning.
Just this once, deal with the price of postage and enjoy the rewards of NOT calling your relatives a week before the wedding to see if they’re planning on showing up. It’s worth the saved labor even with the extra printing fees.

For wording:
The only info you MUST include on your invitation is where and when your guests should show up. Everything else (even the shape and dimensions of your invitation) are completely up to you. Well, full names are helpful too, even on save-the-dates. I’ve heard of families receiving super trimmed-down informal invites that featured only the first names of the happy couple – no date or return address. This is an especially helpful bit of info for your guests if you’re inviting family that hasn’t heard from (or of) you in a while. Even if you’re going informal, think of playing with the style instead of the number of words you’ve got on your inner envelope.  

For inserts:
While we’re all familiar with the extra-thick wedding invitation envelope in our mailbox, not all weddings are held to this creamy, caligraphied standard. If you’re hosting a casual wedding, your invites should reflect the tone of your event. There’s no need to go overboard. Even with the invention and proliferation of wedding websites and other access points for guests, your invitation is their first guess at what to expect at your nuptials. The numerous inserts and inexplicable sheet of tissue paper is a bundle that is typically reserved for big fancy weddings. If it isn’t your style, skip it. Forget the separate reception card and hotel information and the inner envelopes - you can fit everything your guests need on one postcard if you need to. Save the postage (but send an RSVP)!