How many invitations should I be ordering?
On the one hand, you want to be sure that you have sufficient wedding invitations for all your guests, and on the other, you do not want wastage by printing much more than what is actually needed. So how should you go about deciding the quantity you will actually need to be produced?
First, decide ceremonies you will be having. Will you be having only a wedding dinner / luncheon? Or will you be having a dinner / luncheon plus a church ceremony? Will you be having your wedding only in Singapore or are you also having a ceremony overseas?
After you have worked out the ceremonies you will be having, decide if you will be inviting everyone to all the ceremonies, or some to the dinner but not the church celebration etc. With this information, you can then also decide if you require just one set of invitations or separate invitations for your events.
There are various ways to decide on the number of wedding invitations you would require:
Estimating the total number of guests
This is the most common method hotels and banquet venues decide on how many wedding invitations are required. As a guide, it is recommended to order between 70%-90% of the number of guests.
To best manage this, count the number of guests you will be having. You would also need to estimate if the guests invited are mainly a family, couples or singles. If there are more families or couples, consider ordering 70% – 80% of the total number of guests. And if there are more singles, consider ordering 80%-90% of the total number of guests. So if you estimate that there will be 300 guests at your wedding, consider ordering between 210 – 270 invitations.
Estimate the number of invitations
Order 10% – 20% more of the number of invitations you think you would require
Count the number of invitations that you require, and order 10% – 20% above that requirement. So if you estimate that you will be inviting 300 guests and all are couples, you will require 150 invitations. Therefore, consider ordering 165 – 180 invitations.
Reorders
Do remember that re-ordering in small quantities is very costly, and having leftovers is always better than running out. There will inevitably a few mistakes when you address the invitations / envelopes and you will want to ensure that you have a few extras on hand. Having these extra invitations will also allow for inevitable “afterthought” guests.
