We suggest that you mail your wedding invitations six to eight weeks before the wedding. It provides your guests ample time to send back their responses before your reply due date. For those guests who did not respond, you have some built in time to contact them. After contacting these guests and learning of their plans, you will have a more accurate count of the people attending your wedding.

Armed with this information, you will be able to provide your caterer, your reception facility and any other service providers with the exact number of people attending. You can now finalize such things as the size and number of tables, table top accessories, the seating chart and create place cards for your guests.

Whether to mail your invitations six or eight weeks before the wedding is a personal choice often determined by a number of situations. Usually you would opt for the longer period if you did not send a save –the –date card. Also, if your wedding is on a holiday week-end, during a busy month of events (e.g., May, June and December), or a destination wedding, you will want to give your guests additional time to plan. We sometimes forget that people like to visit the Chicago-land area and might want to spend some additional time here. During the holiday season from November through December, you may want to add another week for mailing due to the increased volume of mail.

The postage for your invitation is determined by size, weight or any exceptions that require special processing. These exceptions include situations where the envelope is not flat such as adding a wax seal. Most wedding invitations usually require additional postage. When you purchase your stamps, it is important to check with your post office and have them weigh your invitation ensemble to determine correct postage. Also, remember to check for the appropriate stamps for overseas guest invitations and response cards.