Congratulations, you’re engaged! You likely have a thousand things on your mind {the distraction of your sparkly new friend isn’t helping you stay focused} we thought that we’d help a sister out and clear up one aspect of the planning process: the timing of wedding correspondence. Ah yes, we at Paper Moss delight in this aspect, and we want to make it as fun for you {the bride, mother of the bride, friend of the bride, whomever you are} as possible. If you decide to go with CUSTOM INVITES, leave as much time for the design process as possible. Each project takes at least 2 months and while it’s important to not stress out your designer, it’s crucial for you to feel 100% satisfied with the final product. After all, the invites set the stage for the event.

SAVE THE DATES should be sent out 4-6 months in advance. Be creative, set the tone for the whats to come.

INVITATIONS should be sent out around 2 months in advance. Etiquette guru, Emily Post might say otherwise {that's more time in advance than needed} but we beg to differ. We will agree however, that there is such thing as too much lead time. Crazy Aunt Pamela might get it and set aside because it's so far in advance, and forget about it. If you're on the mark to send something out around the holidays, it's best to send it after holiday mail so that your invite doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

A few other things to consider:

When you're ready to send out your stationery, please take to the post office and drop off by hand. We do not suggest dropping them off in the blue postal bins, in fact, we discourage it
Plan a night with your bridesmaids (they are meant to be put to work, right?) to help with assembly, stamping, etc. Pop a bottle of champagne and make a girls night out of it!
Book your calligrapher as early as possible and keep that guest address list organized and updated - you will use it again in the future for thank you cards, holiday cards, and (yep, we said it) BABY ANNOUNCEMENTS!

Keep in mind that receiving the majority of RSVP's 1 month prior to the wedding can help to keep the weeks leading up to the big day as smooth as possible. Non-RSVPers are inevitable. We get irritated just thinking about it, but sometimes, those we love the most, just fall into that category. Consider this your warning; don’t take offense, but perhaps sick someone on them {your most boisterous bridesmaid?} for a little follow up phone call?

ALSO, be sure to schedule menu tastings and appointments with officiants earlier than later so you aren't scrambling for the last minute wedding accessory items.

Happy planning!