Two questions come up again and again when couples start planning their stationery: when should the invitations go out, and how many should we order? Get both right and the rest of the process runs smoothly. Here's how to think about it. For timing, the general rule is to send your wedding invitations seven to eight weeks before the day. That gives guests enough notice to organise time off, arrange childcare and reply, without sending so early that the date slips to the back of their minds. If a large portion of your guests are travelling — interstate or overseas — or if you're marrying over a holiday period or long weekend, push that out to three months so people can book flights and accommodation. In most cases, a save the date sent six months to a year ahead does the heavy lifting, and the formal invitation follows later.

Set your RSVP date about four weeks before the wedding. This wall also be dependant on your venue. That leaves you a comfortable buffer to finalise catering numbers, seating and any printed items like place cards or menus, while still giving guests time to reply. Putting the RSVP date clearly on the invitation (and on the reply card or online RSVP) improves how quickly people respond. On quantities, the single most important thing to remember is that you order by household, not by head. One invitation goes to a couple, and one to a family — not one per person. Counting individual guests is the most common reason people over-order. Work from your guest list grouped into households, and that number is your starting point. From there, add a buffer of around ten percent. There are three reasons you'll want spares: last-minute additions you'd forgotten, replacements for any that get damaged or lost, and at least one or two keepsakes for yourselves and perhaps your parents. Ordering a few extra at the start is far cheaper and easier than placing a tiny second order later, which often costs more per piece and adds another print run. A quick worked example: if you have 120 guests, that might be roughly 75 households. Add ten percent and a couple of keepsakes, and you'd order around 85 invitations. Counting by head would have had you ordering 120 — a third more than you need. One last tip: order your save the dates, invitations and on-the-day stationery from the same place where you can. Matching designs across the suite look polished, and it's far simpler to manage. At Paper Divas, you can personalise your wedding invitations online in minutes, choose a matching RSVP and details card, and our designers check every order before it's printed — so what you see is what arrives.