How Many Rivers To Cross

Hi Moments That Shine,

I’m getting married in 2010 and looking at doing my invitations soon. We’re budgeting right now but have a problem. We have no idea how many invitations we’re going to need! The first draft of our guest list is 150. What do you suggest?

Thanks,

Tina

Hi Tina,

Congratulations ☺ You sound like you’ve just started planning and I have to say … you’re on the right track! The first thing I want to know from my clients is if they’ve at least started talking about the amount of money they want to spend on the wedding. And invitations definitely set the tone for the day so you’ll want to get started on that as soon as you can.


If you don’t know how many people you’re going to end up inviting just yet, my rule of thumb is your estimated number divided by two and then add about five to ten percent. In other words, one per couple invited plus a bit of a cushion ... so about 80-90 for you. Of course this may go up or down depending on the number of single people and families but that’s a good starting point.

The reason you want that cushion is for a few reasons. First, you may end up inviting more people. You can usually order extra from your stationeer but they may cost a premium for a low run … ordering additional invites at the onset will help alleviate that cost.

Another reason for ordering more is human error. You just might make a mistake in addressing envelopes … the horror! Don’t worry. It happens to the best of us.
And of course, you’re going to have a keepsake. Make sure you order enough so that you have one for yourself!


Have fun in the next stage … designing ;)

Cheers,

Susan