Thursday, November 17, 2011

Twisted Limb Paperworks, creator of eco-friendly, custom artisan-crafted invitations for fourteen years has long been working with couples and families on planning their events. Their staff realizes that for many, the preparations for large events like weddings or b'nai mitzvah can seem a little daunting, including the sending of invitations. But it is the company's long held belief that preparations for the big day, including sending invitations, is part of the celebration and thus should be an enjoyable activity. Below, find the second in a two-part series of helpful invitation tips (selection & design/guest list, timing, and postage) that are good to keep in mind when sending wedding or special event invitations.



Timing

Send Save-the-Dates: 6-12 months in advance of your celebration date. Save-the-Date cards are sent at least 6-9 months before a wedding or bat/bar mitzvah to which most guests will travel and 9-12 months for destination weddings to tourist areas or for events close to the holidays or busy travel seasons.

Send Invitations for Weddings or B'nai Mitzvahs: 6-8 weeks in advance of your celebration date. Anything less, and it's starting to cut things close for both you and your guests' planning purposes. Eight weeks is best when most guests will be travelling from out of town. You may wish to send invitations a bit before the 8-week mark if you did not send Save-the-Dates, or if you need a particularly early reply-by date.

Send Invitations for Showers, Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Business Events: 4-6 weeks in advance of your party. People are busy, so if possible, err on giving people more, rather than less time.

Reply-By Date: Variable. Reply by dates are typically 3-4 weeks before a wedding or bar/bat mitzvah, but can be less than this for a shower or informal occasion. Make sure that your reply-by date allows time to give accurate head counts to your vendors, and builds in some cushion time for contacting invitees who have not responded.

When do I order? Please plan to give Twisted Limb at least three weeks to create your invitations. Feel free to inquire about to their current turnaround, which can vary depending upon the time of year. Also be sure to give yourself enough time to print and/or assemble invitations if you need to, as well as time to address and stuff envelopes.



Postage

Most Twisted Limb invitations require only one first-class (.44) stamp for mailing.

The following invitations require an additional .20. There are .64 stamps (wedding cake, butterfly) so that you only need to put one stamp on the envelope:

• Square invitations

• Invitations that weigh more than one ounce. All Twisted Limb invitations weigh less than one ounce. Even with a couple of inserts, weight is rarely a concern with the invitations. However, if you are adding inserts beyond the reply card, you will want to check just to be sure.

• Invitations where any part of the mailing exceeds 1/4 inch. This is the most likely to happen with the wrap invitation than any other style, but doesn't have to be the case. Large or dramatic bows with tall knots on any style will typically get too tall; keeping a small bow with a short profile will be fine.

• Invitations where you add a wax seal to the envelope flap.

Reply postcards require only a postcard stamp instead of the first-class stamp an envelope requires.