How Many Wedding Invitations Do I Need?
Designing wedding stationery is an exciting journey that I love exploring with engaged couples. It’s fun to get creative, but there is a little number crunching that needs to happen near the start of the process. When planning your wedding stationery (and wedding budget), one of the key elements to consider is how many wedding invitations you need.
In a nutshell, most of your wedding invitations will be sent to families and couples, so remember that you need one invitation per household, not one per person. This usually equates to 60% - 70% of your total guest numbers. And then… I always recommend ordering 10% as spares - one for your keepsake box, one to give the photographer and some as spares in case your A list can’t attend, then you can invite other guests or in case any invitations get lost in the post.
First things first…
You need to make a guest list.
Sit down with your partner and make a comprehensive guest list for your wedding. Include family, friends, work colleagues and don’t forget any plus ones. Think about whether children and partners are invited, as this will affect your final guest numbers. It’s also helpful to split the list into day and evening guests, as you may have different invitations for the two parts of your wedding.
How Do You Calculate Wedding Invitations?
Remember that if you are having 100 guests, you do not need 100 invitations, you may only need 60…
- Married couples - 1 invitation
- Families - 1 invitation
- Single guests - 1 invitation
How Many Extra Wedding Invitations Should I Order?
I always recommend that people order an extra 10% as spares. This may seem unnecessary at the time, but if you are ordering a large quantity of wedding invitations, you will be benefiting from effectively buying in bulk, and ordering a handful at a later date will mean the cost per unit is significantly higher. 9 times out of 10, couples will need a few more invitations than they expected for several reasons - parents may add more guests to the guest list, you may have forgotten someone, you may make new friends that you then decide to invite to the wedding, some guests on your A list might decline, so then you’ll want to invite your B list, or an invitation could get lost in the post - it happens!
If you are handwriting the envelopes, it’s useful to order some spare envelopes in case of smudges or errors. If you are hiring a calligrapher to write the envelopes, they usually ask for 10% - 20% spare. If you are ordering printed envelopes from Splendid Swan, you may need a few blank envelopes for the spare invitations in addition.
What Percentage of Wedding Invites Accept the Invitation?
How many guests RSVP and accept your invitation will depend on your personal circumstances, but you can expect 10% - 20% of guests to decline. This can be influenced by how much notice you give, the location and date of your wedding.
Tip - Sending out ‘Save the Date’ cards 6-8 months before your wedding will give guests more time to prepare, book any holiday required from work and make financial arrangements - ultimately increasing the number of guests that accept.
How many friends do most people invite to their wedding?
The biggest deciding factor on how many guests you invite to your wedding is ultimately your wedding budget. Whether you are having a castle wedding, getting married in a local church or abroad, you’ll need to decide which family and friends are coming to the day and ‘evening do’ of your wedding. The main thing is to invite as many people as you can comfortably afford.
- Elopements - 3-5 guests
- Micro weddings - 10 - 30 guests
- UK weddings at indoor venues - 50 -100 guests
- Barn and outdoor weddings - 50 - 100 guests
- Destination weddings - anything goes, ranging from 20 to 100 guests
Please get in touch for my availability and to obtain a quote if you’re considering hiring Splendid Swan as your wedding stationery supplier.