Seven Wedding Invitation mistakes most couples make

Invitations by Diksha Mehta

While we all want our wedding invitations to be fun and something that our guests remember for a very long time, they can also be a source of trouble when it comes to the wedding budget. These are some really common and small mistakes that we overlook which can totally blow up the wedding budget.

• Not printing extra invites in the first lot

Here is the deal- if you order extra invites in the first go, you don't have to pay so much for them. However if you  have distributed all your invites and after a month you realise you need to now get 20 more invites printed- THAT will cost you heavily as the printer will charge you an exorbitant per card rate, vs getting those 20 in the first lot itself. The cost can be 4 times the regular cost.

• Not paying enough attention to the time mentioned  

This is India- if you put your sangeet timing as 9 pm, people are going to end up at 10-10.30 . Which means, that if you had an entire show and rituals planned then that is going to go completely hay wire. You wont be able to start performances before 10.30 and then everything runs late. ALWAYS give a time at least an hour before you want your guests to arrive.

• Getting heavy invitation boxes made when a lot of your guest list is out of town

While the super pretty invitation boxes look so regal and are a statement these days, the postal charges for sending them across can get you down from  your dream lehenga to a compromise one. Large boxes means more you have to fill them with goodies and hence, more the weight, more the courier charges

• Proof Reading in a rush

A small spelling mistake can totally ruin the entire invitation lot so proof-reading is a must before final printing

• Giving favors without considering the weather

Sure, you love chocolates but in the middle of June you may not want to give hand-rolled chocolates which can melt inside your box and cause an icky, (although yummy) mess. Think of these as summer wedding favors.

• Printing invites with only two months to go

Ideally, give your invitation designer at least 5 weeks to design and print your invitations. Expecting them to finish it in anything less than that is mostly going to backfire. Now work backwards- 5 weeks to print, 4 weeks to distribute, and the last card should be sent out atleast 5 weeks before the wedding , So order invitations early- around 3 months before is a good time.

• Forgetting to order Address tags

In the middle of all the gorgeous invitations with lace, metal and laser cut you may forget one important detail. If you  don't order address tags from the printer , chances are you will be stuck trying to figure out how to even put the names and addresses of people on the invitation. Quick tip: If you forgot about address tags (since you didnt read WMG religiously then :p) go to your stationer and ask for plain white address stickers. They are basic white rectangular stickers that can be put on the cellophane in which your card goes.