5 Mistakes Couples Make on Their Wedding Stationery

Wedding invitations often feel like one of the fun parts of planning.  You get to look at beautiful paper, elegant type, and imagine a glimpse into what the day will feel like. But they’re also one of the most technical pieces of the wedding puzzle, and small missteps can create unnecessary stress, added costs, or confusion for guests.

As a wedding stationery designer, I’ve noticed a few common mistakes that come up again and again.  It’s not because couples are careless, but because no one has ever explained the rules in the first place.

The good news? Once you know what to watch out for, wedding stationery becomes much more enjoyable. Below are five of the most common wedding invitation mistakes couples make and how to avoid them. 

1. Starting Too Late

It’s easy to wait until the last minute to order your wedding invitations.  But, if you want invitations that are personalized to you in any way (think calligraphy, venue illustrations, monograms, etc) you’re going to want to work with a wedding stationer, and some book up very quickly.  

Different printing methods have different timelines so if you’re dreaming of that letterpress wedding invitation on beautiful, fluffy handmade paper, that’s going to take longer than a wedding invitation that is digitally printed with a printer.

Recommendation: Book a stationer for Save the Dates as soon as you know your wedding date (at least 12 months before the wedding) and for the wedding invitation suite book no later than 9 months before your wedding.  It never hurts to book as soon as you know you want to work with them.  And don’t forget- mailing dates are important!  

Bottom line: Start earlier than you think, especially if you want something custom.

2. Not Including Enough Postage

Wedding invitations often need more than just one stamp.  When calculating postage there are certain variables to consider- weight, square envelopes, wax seals, etc.  When working with a stationer, they will ensure your postage is correct for you, but if you’re mailing them yourself here’s some tips:

• Take an assembled wedding invitation to the post office and have them weigh it.  They’ll tell you exactly how much postage you’ll need.

• If you want to spend less on postage, avoid square invitations.  They cost more to mail.

• If you love wax seals you’ll need to have the post office hand cancel your wedding invitations (some post offices hate doing this and may give you a hard time, and some might charge you extra for this service) or consider an outer envelope to conceal the wax seal inside, making it go through the postage machines more smoothly.

• If your wedding suite has big or bulky embellishments, consider upgrading to a mailer to protect your wedding invitations.  You can even pay extra for tracking to ensure they get to their destination.

• Vintage stamps cost more but are always acceptable postage unless they’ve already been used.  If they seem like a deal, it’s too good to be true.

Bottom line- Always take your wedding invitations to the post office to be weighed before sending them in the mail.

3. Ordering the Wrong Quantity

It sounds like a simple task- order your wedding invitations.  But how many is enough and how many is too many?  You only need one invitation per household.  Proper etiquette dictates that each adult within a household gets their own invitation (Example- Mr. and Mrs. Smith get an invitation and their 18-year-old daughter Jane gets a separate invitation).  It’s helpful to order extras in case invitations are lost in the mail.  Unfortunately, it does happen.  You also might want to order extras to send to any last-minute guest additions. (Don’t do a B-list guest list.  If you want them there, just invite them).  And finally, you’ll want your own keepsake and invitation for photographer flatlays.  

Bottom Line: Order one invitation per household and definitely order extras (10-15% extra).  

4. Choosing a Style That Doesn’t Reflect Your Vibe

There’s nothing worse for a wedding guest than receiving a wedding invitation and being confused or have no idea what kind of wedding you’re having.  They want to know how to dress and what to expect.  No one wants to stand out for the wrong reasons at someone else’s wedding.  Remember, your wedding stationery is their first impression of your wedding.  Don’t send formal invitations if your wedding is a casual affair and vice versa.  Think about your venue, season, attire, and overall mood you want to create at your wedding.

Bottom Line- Your stationery should feel like a preview of the wedding day, not a separate aesthetic.

5. Forgetting to Proofread Everything

Avoid that sinking feeling in your gut when you unbox your wedding invitations fresh from the printer, only to realize you spelled your fiancé’s name wrong.  Or you wrote the wrong year.  Before you hit that approve button, double-check EVERYTHING.  Common mistakes are dates, times, venue names, spelling, and wedding websites.  If you can, ask two other people to look it over for you with fresh eyes.  They might catch something you missed.

If you find a mistake after it’s too late, don’t panic.  If you’ve spent all your money, you can simply write in the correct information.  The idea is to communicate all the pertinent information to your guests.  Otherwise, you’ll have to reprint, which can be a minor fee or not, depending on your printing method.

Bottom Line: Proofread, proofread, proofread.  Slow down, then proofread again.

Wedding stationery doesn’t need to be overwhelming, but it does benefit from a clear understanding of how all the pieces work together and knowledge of how your wedding day is going to unfold. Most invitation mistakes aren’t about taste or budget; they’re about not having the information early enough to make confident decisions.

No matter what type of wedding you're planning, your invitations set the tone long before guests arrive. When done well, they quietly communicate care, clarity, and hospitality,  the same qualities that make your wedding feel memorable.

If you’re unsure where to start or want guidance through the process, working with a stationer can take the guesswork off your plate and ensure every detail is considered. Sometimes, knowing the rules is exactly what allows you to break them beautifully.