How can I decide how many wedding invitations I need to purchase?
When deciding how many invitations you need, you cannot simply go by the number of guests. For example, several of your guests may live at one address. In this case, you only need one invitation for all of them. At the same time, you might need separate invitations for several people living at the same address. In general, children under 18 years of age and spouses are included on the same invitation. Children over 18 whom still live with their parents should receive their own invitations. In addition, elderly parents living with their children should receive their own invitation. Single guests will receive their own invitations and the officiant and his or her spouse should receive an invitation.
After getting a count of the number of invitations you think you will need, it is a good idea to order an extra 25 or 30 invitations. This way, you have back ups in case you make a mistake writing addresses on the envelopes. In addition, these invitations can be used for last minute invitations you might send if you have extra space at your wedding.
Most of the time, the number of invitations needed is about half the number of guests invited. This is not, however, always the case. Remember, it is always better to order more cards than you will need than less. It is less costly to purchase more cards up front than it is to order more cards later.