• Finalise your guest list: Do this before ordering the invitations. (Don't make the mistake of ordering 150 invites because there's 150 people on the list - some may be couples or families that live at the same address).

• Play it safe with the timing: Order your stationery at least three months in advance and send the invitations out no later than six to eight weeks before the wedding. (As a rule, guests coming from abroad should be sent invitations at least 10 to 12 weeks in advance.)

• Order more envelopes than invitations: Just in case you make mistakes with some of the addresses.

• The date on the response cards: This should be at least three weeks before your actual wedding date so you can finalise catering and seating arrangements.

• Request a proof of the text when ordering: This is to check spelling and wording.

• Order all your stationery at the same time: Think from invitations and response cards to place cards, thank-you notes and pew leaflets. This will save time, money and keep a consistency in terms of colour, paper and style.

• Assess the approximate postage cost per invite: Once you have a sample of your invitation with all its inserts, such as response cards and maps, take it to the post office to be weighed.

Posting pointers

• Putting stamps on response envelopes can encourage your 'lazier' guest to RSVP sooner, rather than later.

• Don't forget to send invitations to your parents and siblings. They are usually so closely involved in the planning that they get overlooked. It may seem unnecessary, but they also deserve a formal invitation from you - if anything, as a keepsake.

• Send an invitation to yourself when you post the others. That way, you can track how long it takes to arrive and also what condition it arrives in.