The wedding invite details card has become a popular addition to wedding invitations. Of course, the invitations themselves will contain all the essential information about who is getting married, and when and where the ceremony and reception will be held. The details card should include all the extra details that will help your guests plan and prepare for your big day. But what do you need to include and which bits can be left out? Here’s my checklist to make sure you’ve considered everything.
1. Where EXACTLY are your wedding ceremony and reception being held?
Your main wedding invite will mention where you are getting married and the location for the reception that follows. Your details card should include the full address and postcode (for Sat Nav) for each of the venues. You can also note down the websites of the venues if they have useful details like maps and directions on them.
2. Is there parking at the venue?
It can be really helpful for your guests to include information about parking. For example, if your church is in the centre of town and parking is tricky, mention this in your wedding invite details card. It will help your guests plan and ensure they leave enough time to park safely. Also check if your venue allows overnight parking for guests who might have one too many and want to grab a taxi home instead of driving!
3. Are you laying on any transport for your guests?
If you plan to lay on any transport for your guests e.g. from the ceremony to reception, pop those details in too. Brief details are enough i.e. where and when the pick ups are and what time the return will be. If you want an idea of numbers for any transport, you could add a tick box to your reply cards.
4. You can put accommodation options on your wedding invite details card
If there is accommodation available for guests at your venue then them know. Give them the details of any special rates available, as well as instructions on how to book and the appropriate contact details. You can also suggest some nearby alternatives, remembering to consider all price points.
5. What payment methods does your venue accept?
Many venues have now gone ‘cashless’. If yours has, then it’s helpful to let guests know that card payments only will be accepted at the bar.
6. What time do you want your guests to arrive?
Your main invitation should always state the ceremony time, but it’s likely you will need your guests to arrive and be seated a little before this. You might have arranged for arrival drinks before the ceremony, in which case let your guests know. Use a line something like this:
‘Please arrive from 12.30pm to be seated for the ceremony to begin at 1.00pm prompt.’
7. And what time should they go home?
“Carriages at midnight” Sounds fancy doesn’t it? Actually, it’s just a traditional way of letting your guests know what time the celebrations will end. It’s helpful if they need to pre-book taxis or arrange transport home after the reception. You can include this on both your main wedding day invitations and your evening ones.
What does carriages at midnight mean, and other weird wedding invite lingo
8. Should you put the menu on your wedding invite details card?
If you are giving your guests the opportunity to pre-order from several menu options then you will need to include this too. If you have the space it’s a nice idea to include the full menu on the information card and then tick boxes on the reply card for guests to show their choices. As a side note to this – remember to always ask for dietary requirements when your guests reply, either via an RSVP card, website, phone or email.
How to include menu choices in your invitations
9. What do you want them to wear?
We’d like to think that your friends and family would choose appropriate attire for your big day. You only really need to mention a dress code on your wedding information card if it’s something specific like black tie.
10. Do you have a gift list or wish poem?
If you choose to include details of your wedding gift list (or an alternative poem requesting money or vouchers) then the wedding information card is the place to put it. You may want to have a separate card dedicated to just this information, especially if you have chosen a longer poem. Wondering if it’s OK to ask for money instead of gifts – have a read of my blog.
Asking for money instead of gifts in your wedding invitations
11. Can they bring the children?
If you are choosing not to have children (or only certain close family) at your wedding then you can make this clear on your wedding information card. Don’t feel bad about it, it’s your day. Believe me, many parents will welcome the opportunity to have a day off!!
A quick summary of what to include on your wedding invite details card:
- Full venue details including post codes for sat nav, and links to website with maps or directions
- Parking arrangements
- Transport details
- Accommodation either at the venue or nearby
- Is your venue cashless?
- Guest arrival time
- And time to go home
- Menu choices if this is applicable
- Dress code
- Gift wish
- Adult only occasion?
Finally: don’t overdo the info on your wedding invite details card
I’ve suggested a lot of information here to include with your wedding invitations. BE SELECTIVE, if something in this list isn’t relevant to your wedding, leave it out. Your wedding invite details card should only include things that your guests need to know about before the big day. Give them enough detail to plan and prepare but don’t overload them with pages and pages of instructions and minutia.
When you work with me to create your eco friendly wedding invitation, I will talk you through all of this and help you to decide what you need to include and what you don’t, according on your specific circ*mstances.
I can also advise you on which type of invitation will be best for you, depending on just how much extra detail you need to include. A pocketfold or concertina style of invitation is often the best choice.
Of course, you may decide to put all of this info on a wedding website, and just include a link to that on your invitations. If you do, I can create a discreet QR code to print on your invites for your guests to scan and go straight to it.
I hope you’ve found this blog useful, and that it will help you to decide what information you need to include on your wedding invite details card. You might also find these articles useful too:
12 things you didn’t know about wedding RSVP cards
Wedding invitation wording ideas
If you’ve enjoyed reading my tips, please do come over to Instagram and give me a follow. I post loads of advice and inspiration to help you with planning your wedding invitations and stationery. I’m also on Pinterest, so why not come and find me there? Save the image below to your wedding planning boards so you can find this article later too!
