Wording Your Wedding Detail Card: A Guide

Wedding detail cards are an important part of wedding planning, providing guests with essential information about the big day. These cards, also known as enclosure or insert cards, offer a concise overview of the wedding specifics, including accommodation, transportation, dress code, and reception details. They are usually included in the wedding invitation suite, matching the style and aesthetic of the couple's chosen design. This guide will cover everything you need to know about wedding detail cards, from the information to include to etiquette and wording suggestions.

Reception details

If your wedding reception is at a different venue from your ceremony, it is customary to include a separate reception card. This card should include a request line, the time of the reception, and the venue name with the city and state.

For example:

> Please join us for dinner and dancing immediately following the ceremony at Lowndes Grove, Charleston, South Carolina.

If there is a break between the ceremony and reception, write out the time in word form. If there is no break, you can use "immediately following the ceremony" or "to follow".

If your reception is at the same venue as the ceremony, you can simply say, "Reception to follow" or "Dinner and dancing to follow". If you're not serving a full meal, you might say, "Join us after the ceremony for cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and dancing".

If your reception is at a different location, you can list the venue on the following line or on a separate insert card, called a reception card.

> The celebration continues!

>

> Please join us for drinks, dinner and dancing at half-past seven in the evening at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel, 1401 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, New Jersey.

If your reception has a dress code, this is the place to mention it. For example, "Black tie", "formal attire", "cocktail attire", or "beach casual".

If your reception has specific parking or entrance instructions, include these on the reception card.

If your wedding has multiple events, you might want to include a separate weekend events card or itinerary card.

Accommodations

If you have a lot of guests travelling from out of town, it is helpful to include accommodation details on a separate insert card. This is especially important if you have reserved a block of hotel rooms, as guests will need to know the deadline for reserving a room.

• Name of the hotel(s)
• Street address
• Name or group code of the room block
• Reservation deadline
• Hotel phone number
• Information on any shuttle service provided
• Your wedding website URL

"For your convenience, rooms have been reserved at the following hotels. Please book by [date] to receive the special rate.

[Name of Hotel]

[Hotel website]

Group code: [group code]

[Name of Hotel 2]

[Hotel website]

Please mention the [surname]/[surname] wedding when booking."

If you have a large number of guests, it may be a good idea to include multiple hotel options. You could also recommend local B&Bs or suggest Airbnb and VRBO as alternatives.

If you are hosting a destination wedding, it is a good idea to include accommodation details on your save-the-date cards, as well as providing this information again closer to the wedding date.

Transportation

If you are providing transportation for your guests, it's a good idea to include this information on your accommodation card or reception card.

> Shuttle service will be provided from the ceremony to the reception. Shuttles will depart at 3:30 pm immediately following the wedding ceremony.

> Shuttles will depart from the Rose Garden Hotel at 2:00 pm to the Wedding Ceremony at The Brookstone. Following the reception, shuttles will return to the hotel at 9:00 pm.

If your wedding venue is difficult to find or doesn't show up properly on GPS, you may want to include a map insert or directions card. You can include both a map and written directions to your venue. If you have multiple events at different locations, a map that highlights each event location can be helpful for guests.

If you are providing any other type of transportation for your guests, such as a party bus, be sure to include this information on your details card as well.

It is important to keep the wording on your details card brief and concise. You don't want to overwhelm your guests with too much information.

Dress code

We're going for a [formal/black-tie/cocktail/smart-casual/beach-casual] look for our wedding, so please dress accordingly.

Ladies, this means [floor-length gowns/knee-length cocktail dresses/pantsuits/dressy separates] and gentlemen, we're talking [tuxedos/dark suits/jackets and ties/sports jackets/smart blazers and chinos].

If you have any questions about the dress code, please don't hesitate to reach out. We want everyone to feel comfortable and have a wonderful time celebrating with us!

More Details

For more information about what to wear and other important details, please visit our wedding website: [website URL].

There, you'll find additional information about the dress code, as well as [accommodation options, travel tips, and a full schedule of events for the weekend].

We can't wait to celebrate with you!

Itinerary

If you have multiple events that require more details than a simple date, time, and location, you might want to include an itinerary details card. This is especially useful for destination weddings or multi-day affairs. Here's how to word your itinerary details card:

What to Include

• List all the events in chronological order, including dates, times, and locations.
• Include any relevant details such as transportation or dress code for each event.
• If there are multiple events with different dress codes, you can include this information on the itinerary card or create a separate attire card.
• If there is a break between events, write out the time in word form. If there is no break, you can use "immediately following".

What Not to Include

• Avoid including too many events on one card, as it may become confusing for guests.
• Do not include events that only certain guests are invited to, such as the wedding rehearsal. Provide separate inserts for exclusive events.

Ways to Save

• If all guests are invited to the events, you can list the details on your wedding website instead of including a separate card.
• You can also include a small website card with your wedding website URL and direct guests there for more information.

Frequently asked questions