modern calligraphy style wedding invitation with rose gold foil

Will I get wedding invitation proofs before you print them?

When you order wedding invitations, one of the questions you’re bound to have is “Will I get to see proofs before you print and make them?”. And, if you order from me, the answer is always a resounding yes. In this blog, I’ll outline exactly what wedding invitations proofs are, the info I need to put together your proofs, how you can send me those details, what format your proofs will come in, what happens if you need to make amendments, and how you go about approving them. It’s important to remember that wedding invitation proofs are not the same as wedding invitation samples. I’ll be writing a separate blog about those shortly and I’ll pop a link to that here when I do.

A modern wedding invitation suite. White card printed with a graphic eucalyptus leaf print, all the cards are tied together with juste twine
A bespoke stacked invitation based on my Eucalyptus design

1. What are wedding invitation proofs and why are they important?

Wedding invitation proofs are a copy of everything that will be printed in your invites. They can be either printed or digital and are a way for you to check through all the text and print elements for any errors before the full batch is printed. It’s super important that you check your proofs very carefully. Once you have approved them, and your invitations are printed, any errors will require a reprint and involve extra costs. This is why it’s so important to make sure you see (and check carefully) proofs for your wedding invitations and stationery before printing.

2. What details do I need to put together your proofs?

I will need to know all printed details for whichever part of your stationery I am making. Whether that’s save the date cards, wedding and evening invitations, order of service, menus, table plan or any other part of your stationery suite. My clients are all sent a link to a private page on my website that has loads of information and guides on how to word all parts of your stationery and what details you need to include. Of course, if you have your own versions of wording that you’d like me to use that’s fine too!

Modern printed wedding invitation black text on white card with rose gold foil accents
Bespoke modern printed wedding invitation with rose gold foil accent text

3. How do you get me the info to make your proofs?

Please send me all your printing details by email, that way it’s less likely to go astray. You can either type straight into an email or attach word or spreadsheet documents. It does need to be editable text though please, not pdfs, pictures or pdfs. If you have ideas about the sort of font you’d like me to use you’re very welcome to send pictures or screenshots of those. Remember that private client’s area of my website I mentioned earlier? There are some really useful templates on there that you can download and fill in to send to me if you’d like me to print your guest names and addresses.

4. How will you receive your wedding invitation proofs?

I prefer to supply proofs by email wherever possible. I will lay out all the text and printed elements for your stationery or invitations and send you a pdf copy. If you haven’t seen the design made up (either as a sample or at my studio), I may sometimes print and make a mock up for you. You’ll still have your pdf proof to check all the text, but you may get some photographs too of the mock up so you can see how it all goes together.

A concertina style wedding invitation made from recycled brown kraft card, featuring a printed stag antler design
Recycled kraft concertina wedding invitation from my Stag Antlers collection

5. Can you make amendments to your proofs after you receive them?

Yes of course, that’s the whole point! I would much rather spend time making amendments before I print your invitations or stationery than have you realise something isn’t quite right after they have all been made. If you need to make changes, email me back with what those are and I will send amended files until you are 100% happy with everything.

6. How do you approve your wedding invitation proofs?

Before I print anything for you I will need a message from you (email is best) to say that you have read and checked all the details and that you are happy for me to go to print. Any changes made after you have given this approval may result in additional costs if reprinting is needed. Please, please check everything carefully, check and check again before you give me the approval to print your wedding invitations or stationery. While I will always proofread before sending them to you, final approval is down to you.

Wedding save the date cards with yellow flower and a navy blue border
Bespoke wedding save the date cards with yellow floral design


PRO TIP
Ask someone who isn’t involved with the wedding planning to give your proofs a once over.

Because you are intimately familiar with all the details it’s easy to miss mistakes in dates or times. Someone with ‘fresh eyes’ might spot something that you don’t.

So now you know all about wedding invitation proofs, why they are important, how you approve them and more. The main point to remember is – wedding invitation proofs are important because they give you the opportunity to check for any errors before the whole batch is printed. Make sure that whoever you choose to print and make your stationery for you will supply proofs for checking. Spotting errors after your invitations can involve costly reprints and careful checking of proofs beforehand can help you avoid that.

If you’d like to read more about how you order wedding invites or stationery from me, head over to my ordering page. You can see how proofing fits into the whole process here, as well as what happens before and after that.

Read more about what details you need to include in your wedding invitations here

If you’re ready to get the ball rolling on your wedding invites and stationery, you can book a call, schedule a studio appointment or ask me a question HERE. Or if you just want to hang out on Instagram with me for a while, get to know me a bit better first – come and say Hi HERE