Once your wedding invitations arrive, it's time to assemble them beautifully for your guests. While this may seem like a simple task, there is an art to properly stacking and stuffing your wedding invitation suite. In this guide, we'll walk you through how to assemble your invitations step by step to ensure a polished and elegant presentation.

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

Before you begin, make sure you have all the necessary components of your wedding invitation suite, including:

• Invitation cards
• RSVP cards and envelopes
• Detail or enclosure cards
• Belly bands, vellum jackets, or ribbons (if included in your design)
• Envelope liners (if purchased separately)
• Outer envelopes and inner envelopes (if applicable)
• Any adhesives you'll need for embellishments

If your envelopes are blank, make sure you address them before assembling your suites. Response envelopes should be addressed to you (or whoever is collecting your RSVPs!), and invitation envelopes will be addressed to your guests, with your return address on the rear flap.

Step 2: Start with the Invitation

The invitation card is the star of the suite. Place it face up as the base of your stack.

Step 3: Layer the Insert Cards

Stack your insert cards on top of the invitation. We recommend stacking them in size order, with the smallest enclosure on the top, but you can also stack them in order of importance.

The standard order from top to bottom is:

• Small Enclosure Card
• RSVP Card (If guests are mailing these back, you'll want to place the card on top of its envelope, with the flap tucked inside. Make sure the envelope is stamped, but not sealed!)
• Large Enclosure Card
• Invitation

Step 4: Secure with a Belly Band, Ribbon, or Vellum Jacket

If your suite includes a belly band, vellum jacket and wax seal, or silk ribbon, now is the time to secure your stacked invitations. Wrap the embellishment around the suite and affix it according to the instructions provided with your order.

Step 5: Address Your Envelopes

If you opted for our envelope addressing service, your envelopes will already be printed with your guests' names and addresses, and you can skip ahead to Step 6! If not, use a fine-tip pen or calligraphy to hand-address them.

Step 6: Stuff the Envelope

Once your suite is assembled, and all envelopes are addressed, place everything inside the outer envelope. If you have inner and outer envelopes, the inner envelope should contain the invitation suite without being sealed and then be placed inside the outer envelope.

Step 7: Seal the Envelopes and Apply Postage

Now you're ready to seal the envelopes! We recommend taking an assembled suite to the post office for official mailing before buying and applying postage. If you're using ribbon, seals, or other items that result in a thicker envelope, additional postage will be required.

A Bit About Mailing

Your invitations will go through a variety of sorting machines as they make their way to your guests. To cut down on the number of machines, and ensure your invites arrive in the best condition possible, we recommend requesting hand cancelling when you're at the post office. This is a free service, however it does need to be requested in person, and it available at the discretion of the postal workers. If they don't have the capacity to hand cancel, go back another day, or try a different post office!

Save Time with Our Assembly Services

We understand that assembling wedding invitations takes time, which is why we offer assembly services for qualifying orders. We can assemble your entire suite for you, so when they arrive, all you need to do is apply postage and send them out! Alternatively, if you'd like to handle most of the assembly yourself, but want to cut down on time, we can pre-assemble your envelope liners for you.

What You Need to Know About Our Assembly Services:

• Adds 3-5 business days to your order processing time
• Ensures a flawless, stress-free assembly process
• Helps save valuable time in your wedding planning journey
• Available for full suite assembly or just envelope liner installation
• Availability is dependent on staffing capacity

For more details or to request assembly services, contact us at hello@shineweddinginvitations.com.

Your wedding invitations set the tone for your big day, and proper assembly ensures they arrive beautifully in the hands of your guests. Whether you assemble them yourself or take advantage of our time-saving assembly services, we’re here to help make the process seamless and stress-free!

Happy mailing!