All elements of your wedding planning are important and critical, especially choosing and creating the right wedding invitations. Invitations not only reflect the couple's personal style but also inform your guests of the upcoming event setting the tone and theme of your wedding. For example, if your destination wedding is on a beautiful tropical island you want to set your sights on a beach theme invitation. Your wedding invitations, save the date cards and thank you notes can be as elaborate as you want to the most simple of invitations.

Your invitation specialist can help you decide on the right invitation, keeping with your style and theme, as well as what wording on your invitations is appropriate and looks the best. The invitations should contain the basics such as who is hosting the wedding, date, time, place and the names of the bride and groom.

Begin your quest for the right invitation as soon as you secure a wedding site. Invitations take up to three months to design and print so give yourself six months to order them. You want your invitations as soon as possible so that you can send them out ten to twelve weeks prior to the wedding instead of the usual six to eight weeks, giving your guest enough time to make plans. Ask for RSVP's no later than six weeks before the wedding date. Based on the save the date cards you should have a good idea how many people will be attending. The save the date cards can go out as soon as you decide on a date and destination. These cards are exactly what they say they are, cards to simply give your must be there guest, family and close friends, time to work on making arrangements. Save the date cards should go out about eight months prior, if not sooner, to the date. Do not send cards out any time before a year. You want to include the date and place as well as hotel and flight information, specific information about the destination such as weather, currency used, etc. and dress code.

A lot have couples have opted for emailing save the date announcements. The advantage to this is that it can save you time and money while putting a new and different twist on your announcements. However this form of communication also has its disadvantages. You will have to take into consideration that there are those guest who do not have computers, are elderly or not computer savvy. Therefore a limited number of cards may need to be sent to these individuals. Make sure you look of over your list and assess whether or not emailing your announcements would work for you.

An invitation can be as simple or as elaborate as you would like them to be. Talk with your wedding invitation specialist and let them know the theme of your wedding and let them help you find the perfect announcement.