Are you wondering how much you will spend on wedding invitations? It’s important to budget accordingly, so reading this article on how much for wedding invites is a great place to start.
For 2024, we’ve done all the math to show you how much you need to budget for the cost of wedding invites. In this article, we’ll also show you the exact cost per invitation based on your guest list size. And remember, here’s how many wedding invitations you need to order (spoiler: it’s less than you may think!)
Let’s get started!
How Much for Wedding Invites in 2024
The actual cost of your wedding invites will depend on the following:
• quantity
• the type of paper you choose
• printing style, like letterpress or standard ink
• envelopes
• shipping costs
• postage
• additional accessories, like vellum jackets and wax seals
And don’t let those items overwhelm you. It’s entirely possible to get affordable wedding invitations that cut costs and look terrific.
Here are the average costs of invitations to help you budget properly.
On average, the cost of wedding invitations in 2024 is approximately $700 to $1200 for 100 classic wedding invitations. This includes a typical suite with envelopes, RSVP cards, reception cards, and direction cards (with pricing based on digital printing). If you utilize digital wedding RSVPs with a QR code, you can totally eliminate some of these costs (awesome).
What Makes the Biggest Impact on Price?
You may be wondering what really affects the price of invitations; generally, the type of printing you select is the largest factor in the cost. A regular classic card with digital printing will cost less than letterpress, which is a more hands-on method that costs significantly more per invitation.
To spend less, choose digital printing. If you want luxury invitations, I recommend engraved or letterpress invitations.
The price of invitations increases when you add extras: foil, edging, silhouette cuts, wax seals, or extra enclosure cards will dramatically increase the bottom line.
Here is an example of gold foil so you can see the extra touch it adds — and why it costs more.
How Many Invitations You Need
As a rule of thumb, you need approximately 120 invitations for 200 guests.
You can generally estimate 60% of your guest list will require an invitation, as you’re sending one to each household or couple, NOT each guest directly.
You’ll need approximately this number of invitations based on the number of guests below:
| Number of Guests | How Many Invitations to Order (Estimated) |
| 50 Guests | 30 Invitations |
| 100 Guests | 60 Invitations |
| 150 Guests | 90 Invitations |
| 200 Guests | 120 Invitations |
When to Order Invitations
Since you need to send out wedding invitations six to eight months before the wedding, you’ll actually order them much earlier. This is because you need time to edit, print, ship, assemble, and mail them out.
• Order Invites: 4-5 Months Before the Wedding
• Send Invites: 6-8 Months Before the Wedding
• Destination Wedding: For a destination wedding, guests require extra time to make plans. Order invitations for a destination wedding 6 months before the wedding; mail them out 3 months before the wedding.
Here’s a calculator for you to determine exactly when to order wedding invitations.
| Wedding Date | When to Order Wedding Invitations |
| January | August to September |
| February | September to October |
| March | October to November |
| April | November to December |
| March | December to January |
| April | January to February |
| May | February to March |
| June | March to April |
| July | April to May |
| August | May to June |
| September | June to July |
| October | July to August |
| November | June to July |
| December | July to August |
Average Invitation Cost for Wedding
Wedding invitations typically account for 2% – 4% of your wedding budget. Here are some example budgets and how much wedding invitations cost based on national averages. Add additional costs to your budget if you plan to add extras: foil, letterpress, vellum, etc. add to your overall costs.
| Wedding Budget | How Much to Budget for Invites |
| $5,000 | $100 to $200 |
| $10,000 | $200 to $400 |
| $20,000 | $400 to $800 |
| $30,000 | $600 to $1200 |
For some couples, it’s easier to see the budget per person. Remember: you do not send an invitation to each guest, but rather each household or couple.
| Amount of Invitations | Average Invitation Cost for Wedding* |
| 50 | $2 to $3 per invitation |
| 100 | $3 to $4 per invitation |
| 150 | $5 to $6 per invitation |
| 200 | $6 to $7 per invitation |
*Pricing is estimated based on standard printing and includes the invitation card, envelope, RSVP card, and response envelope ONLY. Add more for the direction card, reception card, etc. if needed.
Pricing Per Invitation
How much you spend on invitations will also correlate to where you shop. The quality of invitations varies from store to store and also depends on the style of invitation you purchase. (Read: 9 Best Places to Buy Cheap Wedding Invitations here for additional options.)
The most common invitation is a classic 5″x7″ card, as you’ll see in this example via Minted.
For this particular style, here is the estimated pricing as a guide. This is a standard invitation with digital printing.
50 guests: It costs $286 for 50 cards, envelopes, RSVP cards, and response envelopes.
100 guests: For the invitation card, envelope, RSVP card, and response envelope it costs $448 for 100 invitations. That equates to $4.48 per invitation (or per household/couple).
200 guests: You can expect to pay $826 for 200 invitations (card, envelope, RSVP card, response envelope).
These are just rough approximate costs, based on Minted wedding invitation pricing.
Postage Cost for Wedding Invitations
When you factor in your wedding invitation budget, don’t forget how much postage for wedding invitations cost.
The updated postage rates for 2024 is $0.66 for a First-Class stamp. This is what you will use on most standard wedding invitations up to 1 oz. Each additional ounce is $0.24.
For invitations, you’ll need to budget $0.66 per invite plus $0.66 for each RSVP envelope stamp (it is proper etiquette to include a stamp on the return RSVP envelope as a convenience for guests). Here’s a guide for how much to budget per invitation on postage. We are factoring in a stamp for the outer envelope PLUS the RSVP envelope for budgeting purposes.
| Invitation Count | Cost of Postage |
| 50 | $66 in postage |
| 100 | $132 in postage |
| 150 | $198 in postage |
| 200 | $264 in postage |
If you want to trim the costs of your wedding invitation budget, keep reading.
Cut Costs of Wedding Invitation Postage
You can cut the cost of wedding invitation postage in half by offering online RSVP instead of a traditional card and envelope. Here’s an easy guide to creating a QR code for your invitations and having guests send in their responses digitally. It will cut your stamp cost in half, requiring only $0.60 for the outer envelope of each invitation.
Not tech-savvy? Instead, order online RSVP cards which require no envelope and postage stamp. Simply include your (free) wedding website address for online RSVPs.
Save Money on Invitations with a Petite Card
The size of the card is another way to alter the costs of invitations a bit. If you opt for a petite card — 4.25″ x 6″ — you will spend less simply because of less surface area to print.
This is just one example of a digital printing card: 100 invitations with the card, envelope, RSVP card, and response envelope costs $399 for 100 invites or $3.99 per guest versus standard 5″x7″ sizing which is $431 for 100 invites or $4.31 per person. It isn’t much of savings, but it can add up once you get into the 200-invitation range.
Spend Less with All-In-One Invites
Another way to cut costs on wedding invitations is with a wedding invitation that includes everything. There is no need for an outer envelope, as the invite wraps itself and looks like this when closed:
Inside, you’ll notice it opens like this and features an RSVP postcard attached to the bottom with perforation. This also eliminates an RSVP envelope, as it is sent as a postcard (and postage costs less!) This is one great example of how to spend less on wedding invitations and eliminate unnecessary paper. NOTE: The cost of a postcard stamp is $0.51 for 2024.
The cost for these is a HUGE saving vs. regular classic cards:
| All In One Invites | Cost |
| 50 | $118 or $2.36 each |
| 100 | $172 or $1.72 each |
| 200 | $322 or $1.61 each |
Do you see the difference? That is one huge way to save money on wedding invitation costs! For 100 invitations, that’s a savings of $172 vs. $300 for classic invitations. Plus, you’re eliminating extra paper (no standard RSVP card or rsvp envelope) and you get to use postcard postage for the return RSVP. Brilliant!
What Does a Wedding Invitation Include?
When you’re budgeting for wedding invites, you may need more or less than the typical couple.
Most couples need to budget for the following in an invitation suite: an invitation card, envelope, RSVP card, and a smaller envelope for the response card. Others need direction cards, a card with the dress code, an accommodations card, and reception cards; you may wish to order thank you cards at the same time (to save on shipping costs).
However, the cost of wedding invitations can be decreased significantly by using a wedding website. A wedding website is available here for free and you can use it to include “extras” you would need to put on separate enclosure cards, which adds to the overall cost of wedding invitations significantly.
For instance, use it to include your dress code, accommodations, RSVP for your wedding and multiple events, and directions. Imagine all the savings!
You can even include online RSVPs, reducing costs greatly.
I hope this helps you figure out how to best spend your wedding invitation budget. The pricing for 2024 isn’t too different from 2023, so hopefully this gives you some planning ahead of your wedding.
If you’re ready to browse some examples, check out the invitation collections at:
• Minted
• Zazzle
• Etsy
They are all terrific places to compare styles and get the best price for wedding invitations.
Happy Planning!
xo
Emma
