When you hear "wedding invitation," you most likely think of a pretty card with a floral design and elegant calligraphy inviting your guests to your big day. However, that stunning invitation is just the start of a wedding invitation suite. A full suite contains several wedding invitation components that work together to ensure your guests are informed and ready to celebrate your big day with you.

We'll walk you through the most essential wedding invitation suite components to help you know what pieces to pick and send to your guests, plus how to put them together.

Key Takeaways:

• Wedding invitation suites include separate inserts for each information piece outside the main event details.
• Embellish your suite with wrappers, envelope liners and stunning card designs.
• Organize your inserts by size and use an outer and inner envelope to elegantly present the components to guests.

6 Wedding Invitation Suite Components

There are six parts to a traditional, elegant wedding invitation suite:

1. Wedding Invitations

The wedding invitation is the heart of the suite. This card announces who's getting married along with the primary details of the event, like the date, time, and place.

Since you'll have several parts of a wedding invitation, you don't have to worry about fitting all the wedding details on the invite. Instead, you can keep it simple and focus on your wedding announcement and key information. You'll also have plenty of room to style the invitation with sweeping fonts and large letterpress text.

Wedding invitations typically come in 5x7" sizes, so it’s large enough to fit all the necessary information while neatly fitting into an A7 envelope.

Tip: Keep all your information on the front of the invitation. If you print essential details on the back, there's a chance your guests won't see it, or it will be hidden when they hang it on their fridge.

2. Response Cards

The response cards are how guests will tell you whether they're attending. Getting a headcount is vital for catering and creating the seating arrangement.

On your response card, provide a place for guests to list who's coming, whether they're bringing a plus one, and any special dietary restrictions. If you're serving plated meals, you can offer multiple-choice options for guests to choose which entree they want, whether it’s the delicious chicken or savory fish.

Along with the card, provide a pre-addressed and stamped envelope to make responding convenient. If RSVPs are convenient, there's also a greater chance that your guests will reply. A typical response card is 4.75x3.5" and comes with an A1 envelope.

Tip: Place numbers on your RSVP cards that correspond to numbers on your guest list. That way, if you can't read the handwriting on the card, you still know whose RSVP it is.

3. Small Enclosures

Small enclosures allow you to add a few details to your wedding invitation that would have cluttered the main invite but are still important for guests to know. The small enclosure measures 3.5x4".

Here are some examples of what you might put on small wedding invitation inserts:

• Reception time and location (if it's different from the ceremony)
• Future address (for all those fun wedding gifts)
• Wedding website information
• Details for wedding activities, like wedding brunches

Each item goes on its own enclosure. Having a wedding website allows you to add more details than what would fit on enclosures, like your wedding registry.

4. Large Enclosures

Sometimes a small enclosure doesn't have enough room, especially if you have a destination wedding or several out-of-town guests. That's when you use a large enclosure. Here are some applications of large enclosures:

• Activities for weekend weddings
• Accommodation information for out-of-town guests or destination weddings
• Transportation details
• Directions and parking information

5. Invitation Wrappers

Just like a bow on a gift, invitation wrappers tie the elements of an invitation together for an elegant presentation. Belly bands are more traditional wrappers that hold all the enclosures in place. Shine Wedding Invitations allows you to customize the belly bands to match the entire suite's design. You can also add a seal to the wrap.

Meanwhile, silk ribbons add a luxurious touch to formal events. Select a color of ribbon that coordinates with your overall invitation design.

6. Inner and Outer Envelopes

Yes, the envelope is part of the invitation suite, too! The envelope deserves mention because it serves a purpose beyond holding all the invitation components together.

You'll want to choose a sturdy envelope that protects the important information inside and reduces any creases or bends along the way. In addition, you can choose an envelope as elegant as the invitation inside. The envelope invites guests to view the invitation and should be as alluring and elegant as your event.

The front of the envelope will have your guests' names and addresses. The back of the envelope has your address. A typical wedding envelope is an A7.5 size so that it can fit in all the pieces of your suite, including a smaller envelope for responses.

You can add an extra layer of elegance by using an envelope liner. Envelope liners help protect your invitation suite and add a pop of color and design when recipients open the invitation.

You'll use double envelopes if you're opting for a traditional approach. With double envelopes, you'll put your invitation suite inside the inner envelope to protect the suite and keep it pristine. The inner envelope with the invitation suite inside, will then be placed into the outer envelope.While the outer envelope lists the recipient's address and the return address, the inner envelope lists the guests' full names. An inner envelope helps let your guests know exactly who you invited (and prevents unexpected plus ones from showing up).

Tip: Use the inner envelope to politely let families know when you have an adult-only wedding by listing the parents' names and strategically leaving out the children's names.

How to Assemble the Wedding Invitation Suite

Once you have all the components, organize them by size. The primary invitation goes at the bottom of the stack, with each insert lying delicately on top in this order:

• Large inserts
• Response card in front of the stamped and labeled envelope
• Small inserts

Then, place the components inside the wrapper and put the entire suite inside an inner envelope. To finish the suite, insert the inner envelope inside the large envelope. Before adding stamps, weigh the whole suite to ensure you get the correct postage.

Find Your Perfect Wedding Invitation Components

Shine Wedding Invitations has all the pieces you need to create a complete wedding invitation suite with timeless designs perfect for traditional weddings.

Order free samples to view a selection of our best wedding suite components.