Remember that if you are having different guests to your evening reception that you will need to send out two different invitations to avoid any confusion, but both invitations need the following details:

IS IT ESSENTIAL? No.

Historically, the host's name would be written at the top of the invitation, and this was traditionally the Bride's parents as they would be the ones paying for the wedding. Today, many families share the cost, and choose to emit this detail.

IS IT ESSENTIAL? No, but it's nice.

Start your Invitation with a warm sentence that says something like You are Invited to the Wedding of or We're Getting Married and we'd love you to join us.

IS IT ESSENTIAL? Yes!

Your names should be the main focus of the wedding invitation. But who you put first and if you include your full names or just your first name, is entirely up to you... and your stationery designer, because it needs to look great!

There is no rule. Traditionally it would always be the bride first, but we've moved past that in today's society. Decide as a couple who you want to go first, or do it alphabetically, whatever you choose. But include your designer, especially if you want to include your surnames as this can greatly affect the layout of your design.

IS IT ESSENTIAL? Yes!

It is essential that you are clear who is invited to your wedding day. Are you inviting plus ones? Are children welcome? (Take a look at my post Wedding Invitation Tips - 4. Guests for help if you're struggling with your guest list).

Leave a space on your invitation to manually write your guests names in - be mindful of the colour of your invitations and the card stock you use if you decide to do this.

Print names directly on to the invitation - note though that this will cost significantly more as each invitation will be personalised.

Add the names to the envelope - A lot of couples choose to add their guests names to the envelope and leave the invitation as it is. This also saves on time as you don't need to write names out twice.

Being specific with who is invited on your invitations will save you from any confusion or extra contact from guests asking questions, but do be aware that you will ALWAYS have someone contact you to ask if they can bring a plus one or can you make an exception for their child? Be prepared for this.

IS IT ESSENTIAL?: Yes.

Time: Include the time that the wedding starts. Usually guests will arrive in advance of this time, but if you're worried about people arriving late, you can add the words The Ceremony will begin at... or Please arrive from...

Date: I always recommend including the year of the marriage. If your wedding is a weekday, maybe try to include this too, guests usually expect a wedding to be a Saturday so make sure they know if it isn't.

IS IT ESSENTIAL?: Yes

Add the Venue name and the address if possible. If there isn't space on your invitation for the full address just add the postcode. If your reception is at an alternate location then you need to include the words Reception to follow at (and include the venue name and postcode). If your Wedding reception is at the same venue then you can just add the words Reception to Follow, or something similar.

IS IT ESSENTIAL?: Yes

You need to know numbers of who will and who won't be able to attend. Take a look at my post Wedding Invitation Tips: Elements to see how you can add RSVP details.

You can add additional details to your wedding invitations, this will stop guests contacting you for more details, which can sometimes get overwhelming and make your wedding planning that little bit harder. What and how you choose to let your guests now these details is entirely up to you. You can add additional lines to your wedding invitation, or maybe add an additional information card, or two, or even get yourself a wedding website and include a link on your invite.

How much you include depends on the style of invitation you have chosen and of course, as always, your budget!

A lot of guests will be travelling to your wedding and require somewhere to stay. If you have a Wedding Venue booked that includes rooms and offers a discount for guests, you can include these details with your invitations. Or include a list of local hotels or B&B's that they could use. Be mindful of people's budget, and include accommodation of different price brackets.

Are you supplying any transportation to and from your wedding? Add this to your invitations. Or include a list of local taxi numbers so that your guests can arrange their own.

Some venues offer restrictive parking, or maybe your venue doesn't have any parking. Let your guests know of the best places to leave their car.

Remove the awkwardness of guests asking you if you have a gift list or someone turning up with something that is not your taste at all. Include details of your gift registry, or where they can donate some money towards your honeymoon, or simply say that you don't require a gift at all.

If you choose to let your guests know that you don't require gifts, still make sure that you have a space at your wedding venue for gift storage, because there will be bottles of bubbly galore!

Carriages at midnight... we've all seen it on wedding invitations. Your guests need to book transport, add a little note to let them know what time you'll be wrapping up the party.

If you are having a sit down Wedding Breakfast where you need to know meal choices, then include this on your RSVP reply (see my post Wedding Invitation Tips: 1 Elements to see how to send out an RSVP). If you are having a buffet or a BBQ then you might still want to let your guests know what they can look forward to. Guests like to know that they are being fed! Also consider adding a line that says please let us know if you have any food allergies.

Not everyone has a dress code for your wedding, but if you do and you want everyone in a certain colour, then let them know when you send your invitations out.

If you have a wedding that is taking place in a large venue and occupying different areas, then it might be a good idea to include a map showing what is happening and where. Alternatively add a few lines of text to explain.

Is your wedding a full day event, or even spanning over a few days? If so, consider including an itinerary to save on any additional questions. Some couples choose to include this with their invitations, but beware that guests may lose this before the big day. Consider maybe instead, producing an order of service/itinerary that is handed out as your guests arrive.

Some venues only accept cash and some venues are cashless. Make sure to let your guests know if this is the case so that they can be prepared before hand. Also, if you are having a free bar (amazing!) then make sure to let them know this too as it can take the pressure off of having to find additional funds.