The stationery schedule
Stationery is the last thing you can order and the first thing that blocks everything else, because the RSVP deadline printed on it has to be right.
| Item | Order by | Send | Depends on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Save the dates | 9 months | 8 months | The date and venue being confirmed |
| Invitations | 4–5 months | 3 months | The RSVP deadline, which depends on the caterer |
| RSVP cards | With invitations | With invitations | Whether you also offer an online reply |
| Details or information cards | With invitations | With invitations | Accommodation, travel, dress code, gift wording |
| Order of service | 6 weeks | Printed 2 weeks before | The final ceremony running order |
| Menus | 4 weeks | Printed 2 weeks before | The final menu |
| Place cards | 3 weeks | Written after seating | The seating plan, which needs the RSVP deadline to have passed |
| Table plan | 2–3 weeks | Printed 1 week before | Seating being final |
| Signage | 4 weeks | Whenever | Nothing — do it early |
| Thank you cards | Any time | Within 3 months after | Nothing, and ordering them with the invitations saves a setup charge |
Order in one batch
Print pricing is dominated by setup, not by quantity. Three separate orders of thirty items each cost far more than one order of ninety. Where the design allows, order invitations, details cards, menus, place cards, signage and thank you cards together, even though you will use them months apart.
This matters most at small weddings. At fifty guests you are below almost every print minimum, so the setup charge is a much larger share of what you pay.
Quantities
| Item | How many | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Invitations | One per household, plus 10% | Households, not guests — this is the most common over-order |
| RSVP cards | One per invitation | |
| Order of service | One per two guests, plus 10 | People share |
| Menus | One per two guests, or one per place setting if it is part of the table styling | |
| Place cards | One per seated guest, plus 10 | You will rewrite some |
| Envelopes | Invitations plus 20% | Handwriting errors are guaranteed |
One hundred guests is usually about 55 households, so 60 invitations covers it — not 100. That single correction saves more than most stationery negotiations.
Get the wording right before you order
Reprints are the expensive kind of mistake.
Common questions
When should you order wedding stationery?
Save the dates at nine months, invitations at four to five months, and order of service, menus and place cards from six weeks out. Invitations cannot be ordered until the RSVP deadline is fixed, which depends on the caterer.
How many wedding invitations do you need?
One per household plus about 10%, not one per guest. A hundred guests is usually about 55 households, so 60 invitations covers it.
Should you order all wedding stationery at once?
Where the design allows, yes. Print pricing is dominated by setup charges, so one order of ninety items costs far less than three orders of thirty. It matters most at small weddings, which fall below print minimums.
How many orders of service do you need?
About one per two guests plus ten spares, because people share. The same ratio works for menus unless they are part of each place setting.