How Many Invitations Should You Really Order?
When planning a wedding, baby shower, birthday party, or any special event, ordering invitations is one of the most exciting milestones. You’ve picked the design, the colours, and maybe even added some gold foil but now comes questions that stumps many hosts:
“How many invitations should I order?”
It seems like a simple numbers games, right? Count your guest list and place your order. But there’s a bit more strategy involved to make sure you’re covered without over-ordering. Let’s break it down.
1.Count Households, Not Individuals
First things first: You don’t need one invitation per person just one per household or couple. For example
A family of four living together = 1 invitation
A couple sharing a home = 1 invitation
Two friends living separately = 2 invitation
Go through your guest list and make a not of how many mailing addresses you’ll actually be sending invitations to. That’s your base number.
2. Add Extras for Mistakes
Even in the digital age, things can go wrong:
Typos on envelopes
Last minute address changes
Misplaced or damaged invites
A few that get lost in the mail
We always recommend ordering at least 10-15 extra invitations to cover the unexpected.
The buffer gives you peace of mind and avoids the high cost and delay of reordering small quantites later.
3. Keep Some for Keepsakes
Trust us when the event is over, you’ll want a few pristine copies of your invitations for:
A wedding album or scrapbook
A photo flat lay
A framed memento
Parents and grandparents who love sentimental treasures
We suggest keeping 3 to 5 extra for personal use
4. Think About Hand Delivery vs Mailing
If you’re planning to hand deliver some invitations, you might not need envelopes for all of them or you may want to order different kinds of envelopes (i.e inner and outer). Make sure to factor in how you’ll be distributing each invite when placing your order.
5. Round up, Not Down
Printing companies often offer tiered pricing, so ordering 125 invitations may only be slightly more expensive than 100 better to round up than run short especially since reprints tend to be more expensive per unit and take extra time.
Quick Formula:
Here’s a quick formula to guide you:
(# of households/addresses) + (10-15 spares) + (3-5 keepsakes) = Total Invitations
Example:
You’re inviting 150 people, and they live across 90 households:
90 + 15 (spares) + 5 (keepsakes) = 110 invitations
Final Thoughts
Ordering invitations should be one of the more enjoyable task on your planning checklist. With a bit of thoughtful math and a cushion for the unexpected, you can make sure your invites arrive on time, stress-free, and beautifully intact.
When in doubt, talk to your stationer they’ve seen it all and can help you fine tune the right quantity for your needs.
