As Soon as You are Engaged:

* Share your happy news with close family and friends.
Be prepared. They will probably want to hear the whole story and want to learn about your future plans.

* Comprise a fairly solid guest list for your big day.

* Choose your wedding attendants.
You'll want to be sure they will be at your side on your wedding day. You may want to give them a personalized card or gift to make their unveiling especially memorable! The Papery of Greenwich has a variety of personalized gift catalogs for your review including sterling silver engravable items as well as affordable personalized stationery.

9-12 Months Ahead:

* Plan an engagement party or send engagement announcements.

* Choose the location(s) for your wedding ceremony and reception.

* Revise your wedding guest list. Start verifying addresses of the guests you may not have had recent contact with.

* Order personalized stationery for the bride and groom-to-be. The bride should have her own stationery for shower gifts. The bride and groom should write joint thank you notes for engagement or couple's shower gifts.

* Gather information for a "Save the Date" card!
Visit The Papery of Greenwich and look at our samples.
If your wedding location is a destination for most guests, a Save the Date is very helpful! Fill your Save the Date with useful information: hotel and travel information, event itinerary, local sightseeing and places of interest, etc. Now may be the time to develop a theme for your wedding day that is evident in this initial mailing.
o To prepare, you might want to set aside blocks of rooms for your guests as well as research airfare and transportation information.

6-12 Months Ahead:

* Order your "Save the Date" cards.
Bring the information you've gathered into The Papery of Greenwich.. We're happy to help you assemble your wording and create a unique first impression of your wedding day!
o If most of your guests will be traveling, it is helpful to send out information as soon as possible (we recommend 6-8 months ahead) for planning purposes. The same applies for holiday weekends that are very popular. For more intimate or local weddings, Save the Dates might not be necessary, but are still convenient for your guests' planning.

6-8 Months Ahead:

* Start searching for the right invitation with an emphasis on wording and design.
The Papery of Greenwich's associates are here to learn about your invitation tastes and help create something perfect for you! We have thousands of samples and plenty of ideas to make your invitation unique.

* If interested in calligraphy or hiring a designer, reserve these services as soon as possible. Calligraphers are especially busy during wedding season.
Ask about the The Papery of Greenwich's in-house calligrapher and design department. Our calligrapher or design associates can lend an extra personal touch to your invitation suite.
o When reserving a calligrapher for your invitations and envelopes, you may want to consider booking them for your placecards, favor tags, menus, thank you notes, etc.

* Finalize the wording and order your invitations!
Just let a The Papery of Greenwich associate know you're ready to order!
Invitations should be mailed 6-8 weeks prior to the wedding date. Allow yourself plenty of time to order, review proofs and have the company print and ship the invitations. Most companies deliver the finished product within 4-6 weeks.
o The basic invitation suite is comprised of the invitation, reception card and reply set. You may also want to include a map or directions card, which may require some additional preparation. Matching thank you notes or announcements might also be ordered at this time.
(Reply dates should generally be 3-4 weeks prior to the wedding date, but no more than half-way from initial mailing. If you need a little extra time, be respectful that invitations are mailed earlier.

3-6 Months Ahead:

* Decide on your reception favors and order them!
The Papery of Greenwich has tons of options for favors as well as unique packaging solutions.

* Start working on your ceremony programs and reception menus.
o These take a lot of consideration, food and wine tastings, and music and reading selections.

* If you are throwing a shower for the bride or the couple, The Papery of Greenwich has an amazing selection of invitations to set the mood for the event: from the Bridal Tea to Bachelorette Bash!
Allow a few weeks if you are ordering from a custom company. If ordering imprintables in-house, allow 1 week for printing.
o Print personalized napkins and favors!

* For the bride, don't forget to thank the hostesses of your showers and Bachelorette Party with a thoughtful gift! The Papery of Greenwich has a great selection of personalized stationery and lovely silver items that might be the perfect way to say thank you.

* Order your Rehearsal Dinner and Day-After Brunch invitations
If your wedding allows for these additional events, The Papery of Greenwich has an abundance of samples and wording for your review!
o These invitations may tie in with your wedding invitation suite, but are generally less formal. If you are having more than one additional event, they can be combined in mailing as long as they coordinate. Rehearsal or brunch invitations usually are mailed 1-2 weeks after the wedding invitations as the lists can be considerably smaller, but do plan ahead for guests who will need to arrange for extra travel time.

2-4 Months Ahead:

* Pick up your invitations and prepare them to send out. Be sure to give your calligrapher your envelopes and finalized address list. Calligraphers typically need 7-10 days to complete your order.

* Think about gifts for your attendants.
The Papery of Greenwich has many options for customized gifts: engraved glassware, jewelry, barware, etc.
o Allow 3-4 weeks for personalized gift delivery.

* If you are hosting a Bachelor or Bachelorette Party, select your invitations.
o Be sure to send these out with enough advance notice for those who need to travel.

2 Months Ahead:

* Send out your invitations! They should be mailed no later than 6 weeks ahead. 8 weeks is comfortable and if you didn't use a "Save the Date", you may want to send them out a bit sooner.
o Remember to weigh an assembled invitation at the post office to assess mailing costs. Most wedding sets will exceed the regular letter postage, and squares automatically qualify for increased postage, regardless of weight. Don't forget to stamp your reply envelopes.
o It is also a good idea to number your reply cards by a master list, just in case a guest forgets to fill in his or her name. Mystery solved!

* For the bride, if you are hosting an event to honor your bridesmaids, choose your invitations.

* Try to finalize the information for your menus and ceremony programs. Ask to look at samples at The Papery of Greenwich! This is a great place for the bride and groom to thank their guests or honor those who cannot attend.
o Order them 4-6 weeks prior to your wedding date, so that necessary time is allowed for changes and revisions. You may also want to order matching escort or place cards at this time.

1-2 Months Ahead:

* Finalize remaining details for the wedding day. Don't forget a guest book and a nice pen. Select and order your favors and packaging.

4-5 Weeks Ahead:

* Send out your Rehearsal Dinner and Brunch invitations.

2-4 Weeks Ahead:

* Responses for the wedding should be arriving now. Be sure to call guests who have not replied.

* Give your calligrapher a list of names for your escort or place cards. Try to provide as complete a list as possible. Calligraphers will understand if you have a few last-minute changes.

* Plan ahead and wrap your attendant gifts and prepare nice notes or tags for the packages.

* Think about personalizing a nice gift for your fiancé(e) to be given to them on the wedding day. Order it at this time.

* Don't forget about gifts for both sets of parents to thank them for all they've done.

2-3 Weeks Ahead:

* Put together welcome letters and/or gift baskets for guests arriving from out of town. This makes for a wonderful initial impression of the wedding weekend. They should be delivered to their accommodations a few days before the wedding.
o Allow a little extra time for printing welcome letters.

1 Week Ahead:

* If you are sending announcements, address them and give them to the designated attendant in charge of mailing them. Announcements can be postmarked as early as the day after the wedding.

The Big Day! Enjoy!

After the Wedding:

* If you didn't order thank you notes prior to the wedding, order them as soon as possible. Notes should be written up until 2 months after the wedding date, or if your guests are delayed in sending your gift, upon receipt.

Wedding Invitation Etiquette

Wedding Invitation Wording

Wedding Invitation Timetable

Wedding Invitation Addressing

Wedding Invitation Assembling

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