In the sweet aftermath of the wedding proposal, you will need to start the harder task of defining key aspects of your wedding, primarily: when and where will it take place? How much can you spend and who is invited? Often, who is invited will depend on you wedding budget, so before inviting everyone you see, try and come to some census about how much you can spend and who you can invite.
Wedding Guest List
You should write a preliminary guest list as soon as possible so that you can start preparing your guests for your future wedding. This is particularly important if you are choosing a destination wedding. As soon as you have an idea of a date and in which city the wedding will take place, it is a good idea to send out “Save the Date” notices. You can never give people too much notice for your wedding. Usually, 6 months is a good amount of time, although the sooner the better will help your planning. During this period, it is a good idea to launch a wedding website or Facebook page to make things easier and create a sense of expectation and excitement around your big day.
Official Wedding Invitations 
Official wedding invitations are usually sent around 2 months in advance with an RSVP deadline of around two or three weeks before your wedding. Having a website or Facebook page can help keep track of who has replied, but make sure you keep a separate spreadsheet where you note all affirmative replies. It is advisable to invite friends and family from your reserve list as soon as you know someone cannot make it, to give those guests time to plan and confirm their attendance at your wedding.
Etiquette of Wedding Stationery
If you are a stickler for tradition, you should consult a wedding etiquette advisor or wedding stationer to guide you in the specific wording for your invitations as there are some key things to remember when crafting wedding invites, such as writing the invitation as though the bride and groom’s parents were hosting the wedding etc. However, not all couples wish to maintain these traditions, although you should make sure that all essential information is included in the invite such as date, time, dress code, RSVP address and deadline, gift registry, maps, hotel information and so forth.
