There’s no doubt about it, without asking people to come to your epic soiree it’s going to be a pretty quiet one. But what is the ideal wedding invitation size? How do you decide? And how does it affect your budget?
Well, in this article we’re going to answer those questions and more. We’ll talk about everything from the shape of your invite to all the information you need to include. All of these factors will play a role in you deciding the size to achieve wedding invite perfection.
Wedding Invitation Size Guide – Photo by David Lindsley Photography
We’ve received our fair share of invites over our 15 years of working in the industry. It’s always a lovely touch when we check the mailbox and see the effort a couple has gone into making us feel part of their special day.
Of course, we’re showing up anyway to photograph their wedding but it’s still appreciated. We like to think we’ve seen every type of invite going so are well-placed to offer our advice.
So, if you want to find the perfect wedding invite size, keep reading!
What are wedding invitations?
Simply put, if you want guests at your wedding you’ve got to invite them to begin with.
Sounds obvious, doesn’t it?
Of course, at this point, you will have probably already sent your save the dates. They’re just another part of your wedding stationery checklist that needs ticking off.
Much in the same way that wedding signs give your guests instructions on the day the invite does that beforehand. It informs your guest of the wedding date, where it is, what time, and other useful information we’ll talk about in more depth later.
At the same time, wedding invitations are the perfect way to set the tone for your big day.
Having an elegant ballroom wedding? Well, this could be reflected in your invite with a monochrome theme with gold accents. Having an outdoor DIY-style wedding? You could opt for a more rustic handwritten style of an invite.
There are so many options when it comes to deciding on the perfect invite. However, one thing they all share in common is that you’ll need to decide how big or small they are.
When the time comes to either design your own invite or hire a professional you’ll find that there are many limitations. Lots of these can be solved by choosing the correct size.
Let’s take a look at some of the common decisions you’ll have to make and how they impact the size of your invitations.
How does Invitation shape affect size?
One of the first and major considerations that will impact wedding invitation size is the shape.
You’ll have to decide for yourselves which shape best suits your wedding and personality. There are of course pros and cons to each that will affect things like cost, shipping, and the invitee’s experience.
Here are some of the popular options on offer.
The standard size for a wedding invitation:
If you’ve been invited to weddings you’re probably familiar with this shape of invite. Typically coming in at around 5”x7” they’re a relatively small rectangle.
In our opinion, this is the safest size to go for. It’s super versatile and we can’t think of any wedding they’d be inappropriate for.
You can print your text vertically or horizontally.
Additionally, it’s a readily available shape if you’re designing it yourself and at the same time, a professional could easily get these printed for you.
Is it a bit safe though? A bit boring? Well, only you can decide that. It will ultimately come down to your personal preference.
Height matters
If you want to add a little more verve to the style of your wedding invitation you could choose a tall one. Something like 4-¼” x 9.5” works well in our opinion.
There is the risk that your invite could resemble a wine menu but we think it’s all in the design of your text and imagery.
A tall invite gives you a little more space to play with so you can stack more words. This may allow you to provide your invitees with more details about your big day.
This shape of invite gives off an air of sophistication suited perfectly for those elegant and classy white weddings.
Oversized invitations
Want to make a big impression on your guests? Maybe a large invite is the way to go. Don’t go too big that it won’t fit in the mailbox but just enough so it stands out from their other post.
We think something like 7” x 9” does just the trick. You’re likely to pay more for a large invite but at the same time can add more information. Where you might need 3 pieces of card for your wedding suite you might be able to narrow this down to just one.
Square invitations
Another popular option is the square invite. This should do the job of standing out in your invitee’s post building excitement for what’s inside.
You can usually order these in large sizes such as 5” x 5” or opt for something a little large like 7” x 7”.
If you’re a stickler for symmetry like us a square can be perfect for getting everything nicely lined up. This is a more contemporary route to go down so if you want to stand out from the crowd choose a square invite.
Uniquely shaped wedding invitations:
Now, if you really want to break the mold you could opt for a bespoke shape. Maybe it’s a cutout of a photo from your pre-wedding shoot. Or perhaps in the shape of a wedding ring or love heart. It’s up to you and your tastes.
If you choose this option you can of course choose any size you want. As with anything bespoke you should bear in mind that going this way will likely send your costs soaring.
Booklet invitations
If you need to get a lot of information out to your guests then a booklet style could be the way to go. Perhaps you’re having a destination wedding and also need to inform guests about accommodation recommendations. Or maybe you’re having a no-kids wedding and want to explain your decision in a little more detail.
Whatever your reason, the booklet design gives you that freedom. Of course, this is likely to incur more costs than a simple 5” x 7” but they can look super stylish as well as being very practical.
Pocket invitations
No, we’re not talking about invitations you can fit in your pocket. Although they would be super cute! We’re talking about invites with pockets. This is probably the most elaborate invite on our list and as such will likely cost the most.
However, when your invitees open them up they’ll be blown away by the levels of sophistication. In a similar way to the booklet invites they allow you to easily inform your guests of additional details. At the same time, the pockets of the invite allow guests to easily store this information so that nothing gets lost.
You could keep these to the same dimensions as a standard invitation at 5” x 7”. You could then have smaller pieces of cards within the pockets displaying the information of your choosing.
Consider your budget for invitations
As with most things involved with a wedding your budget will play a major role. Unfortunately, the bigger your invite the more you’re likely to pay.
At the same time how many people you invite to your wedding may also determine your final decision.
For example, if you’re inviting 150 guests and each invite costs $5 to make and send out to guests that’s $750. Let’s say for argument’s sake that that is for 150 5” x 7” invites.
Well, if you’re having a much smaller wedding of say 75 guests. You could spend the exact same amount in total but have more freedom on the size you choose.
You could choose larger invites or ones with a bespoke shape and size. These might cost you $10 per invite but are much more unique and exactly what you want.
Pick your size based on the vibe of your day
As we’ve already touched on, the style of your wedding will probably have a big impact on how your invites look. This in turn will influence the size of your wedding invitations.
For example, if you’re having a funky laid back wedding a large circular invite might be just the ticket. Having a more formal event? Then a tall invite might suit the theme more.
Don’t put too much pressure on this decision though. After all, you’re likely to be sending your invites out 1-2 years before the big day. A lot can change in that time.
Instead, look to choose a size and style that fits in with your personality. You’re likely to know what you do and don’t like. This is probably the main reason that the 5” x 7” invite is such a popular choice.
It’s a safe choice but also offers lots of freedom with the way in which it can be designed.
Information to include on an invitation
There can be a lot of information to include in a wedding invitation. You want to make things as easy as possible for your invited guests so there is no confusion.
It goes without saying the more information you include the larger your invitation needs to be. This may be in the size of the card used or the number of pieces of card included in your wedding suite.
In our opinion, it’s best to design your layout with lots of space. This allows your design to breathe making it easy for the information to be digested by your guests. Don’t just cram 200 words onto a 5”x7” invite it will look awful.
From our experience (like we say we’ve received hundreds of invites over the years) the following information is essential.
- Name of the couple getting married
- Date of wedding
- Time of Ceremony
- Location of Ceremony and Reception
- RSVP
What else do you need in your invitation suite?
In addition to the above, some couples choose to provide more details to their guests. These may be on one piece of card or spread across multiple pieces within the suite. Remember that the larger your wedding suite is, the more it will cost.
Some designers may even charge more for including more text. However, if you feel the information is essential then of course you need to think about including it. Just know that it could impact the size of your wedding invitation which could amp up the fees.
Here are some ideas for further information to include.
- Dress code
- Hand drawn directions to the venue
- Links to your wedding website
- Information about your wedding registry [8]
- Running order for the day
- Self addressed and stamped envelope
- Whether you’re having a kid free wedding
- List of local accommodations so people can stay over
How the size of your invitation impacts their price
The Knots Real Wedding Study showed that the average cost of wedding invites was $510 in 2022 [1].
Now, we think you should take that with a pinch of salt because how many guests you invite will also play a major role in the overall price. We also don’t know the exact specifications of the invites used to get to that figure.
However, The Knot also found that the average guest count for U.S. weddings is 105. $510 divided by 105 guests puts the average price per invite at $4.85.
In our experience of printing things in the past, the figure is likely to increase the larger you go. However, that doesn’t mean big prints = big prices and small prints = small prices.
Quite the opposite could be true. You could opt for a small invite with an intricate shape and have it cost a fortune. All the factors we’ve discussed in this post will impact how much you end up paying. It doesn’t just come down to something as simple as size.
Does invite size affect postage costs?
In a word. Yes. The larger you go the more it will cost to post your wedding invitations.
You should also consider the thickness size as well as the dimensions. Your thickness size can in some cases dictate whether your invite is sent as a postcard, a letter, or a large envelope.
For example, the postcard size on the United States Postal Service website [2] is between 3-½”x5” – 4-¼”x6” with a thickness of 0.016”
Letters are classed as between 3-½”x5” – 6-⅛”x11-½” with a thickness of ¼”. The difference in price can be roughly 40¢. This can soon add up adding a further $42 to your costs if you were to have an average guest count of 105. That being said most couples invite more than the number of attendees so the figure could be even higher.
Obviously, if you’re also sending your invites to overseas relatives or friends the costs may be much higher the bigger you go with your invite.
Conclusion
Well? What size wedding invitation are you going to order?
Hopefully, our article goes some way to helping you decide. Realistically, the main things to consider are the look and vibe you want to set with your invite. How the shape impacts your choice of size and how the size you choose affects its costs.
If your budget is limitless or your parents are paying for the whole wedding [9] maybe you just go wild. Throw caution to the wind and get whatever size invite you want. However, if you’re on a budget perhaps you’re a little more cautious and go for a standard sized invite.
Whatever you choose as long as you include all the necessary information all your guests will show up. You’ll have a wonderful wedding and wonder what all the fuss was about deciding on your invite sizes.
We know right at this moment it feels like a big decision but it’s one that shouldn’t cause you too much stress.
As we’ve said, it’s so far out from your wedding. Not to mention we’ve seen some cracking looking small invites as well as large ones. We’ve also seen some pretty awfully designed big invites and terrible small ones.
Everyone’s tastes are different so just try to do something that you love and you can’t go wrong.
