What to Do About a Typo On Your Wedding Invitations

If you’re reading this, chances are a typo made its way onto your wedding invitations. Perhaps you were overwhelmed with planning, or you were so taken with the design that you didn’t proofread. Mistakes happen—even the obvious ones. While it sucks (you’ve been awaiting the boxes since you clicked order, after all), you may not be entirely out of luck. From easy fixes to other options, here’s what you should—and shouldn’t—do about a typo on your wedding invites.

How To Avoid Typos On Your Wedding Invitations

Of course, it’s ideal to prevent typos from happening in the first place. Hindsight is 20-20, but if you’ve yet to order your invitations, read closely. As overwhelming as wedding planning may be, you need to take your time when it comes to your paper suite. Ensure zero mess-ups by doing the following:

• Have 2+ people proofread. Asking more than one person to proofread might seem excessive, but some misspellings are so small that they go undetected. Before ordering, show your invitation to a couple of trusted confidants. Ideally, one is grammar-savvy or has editing experience. One (or two) extra set of eyes means it’s less likely that a typo will go unseen.
• Read your contract. Most stationary designers and printers include a clause in their contract that states they aren’t liable for reprints if a mistake is made (even if it was theirs). Carefully read through your entire contract before signing on the dotted line. This allows you to create a solid backup plan in case of a mistake.
• Triple-check critical information. It isn’t a huge deal if their is misspelled thier. Names, dates, addresses, phone numbers, and URLs? Well, that’s a different story. Before approving a proof or mock-up, be absolutely sure that all the important information is spelled correctly. A small misspelling is likely inconsequential, but a mistake in the venue name or wedding date can be a problem.

Photo Credit // Zola

How To Fix A Typo On Your Wedding Invitation

That being said, if you’ve already ordered or received mistyped invites, you have options.

Order a proof.

Proofs are a crucial part of the invitation process. This is a physical or digital copy of what your invitation will look like once printed. Ordering one—or getting a mock-up, if your retailer only sends digitals—is highly recommended. You can still edit at that point. Sometimes it takes holding your invitation in your hands to notice something’s off. Better to have a typo on your proof than every invitation. Pro tip: Read the invitation out loud from right to left. Reading left to right, you may gloss over some mistakes. Doing the opposite has you focus on each individual word.

Zola makes ordering proofs simple. When you’re finished designing, just go to the review page and click “Order A Proof.” Here’s a screenshot.

Request a fix from your retailer.

As mentioned, most retailers state in their contract that they’re not liable for mistakes. Even so, errors are worth bringing up to your stationer. Some may be willing to offer you a discount on the second round of prints. Ask for a quote on reprints—and keep in mind that you may only need one piece of your paper suite redone. Review your contract (that you read thoroughly beforehand, of course) and talk to your vendor about your options.

Have a backup plan.

As with most things wedding, it’s good to have a backup plan. If your invitations show up with a typo and your retailer won’t budge, a plan B can save you time, stress, and money. Online retailers are ideal here thanks to affordable cost and quick turnaround times. Zola invitations are a great digital option to keep in your back pocket (or bookmarks). We can get new invitations to you without delaying your wedding timeline too much.

Mistakes happen, though, so you can also cancel your Zola order up to two hours after purchase. That way, if you excitedly rushed to the finish without proofreading, you can go back and prevent any permanent mistakes. Just remember that this is a temporary safety net. You should always check your text at least once—and order a proof first, just in case.

Photo Credit // Zola

Send them out as is.

If there are no other options, you can always mail your wedding invitations out as is. Yes, with the typo. As mentioned, small typos such as thier and Sepetember aren’t a big deal if you’re in a time crunch. It’s not ideal, but it’s passable so long as the important information is correct. Send out your invites as planned—you’ll probably be shocked at how few people even notice the mishap. And those that do will understand.

Avoid self-correcting.

You may feel inclined to correct the invitations yourself. We recommend avoiding that. Doing so—by writing over it, for example—will only draw more attention to the typo. It may be tempting to try and cover it up or explain yourself but it isn’t worth it. Especially when you might be the only one who notices. At most, make a joke about it at your reception and move on. No wedding is 100% flawless, but if you can move past the little things it can still be perfect for you.

The main point is: Don't panic. It happens and it can potentially be fixed. Don't let a literal blip stress you out more as you plan your wedding. Plus, you can always correct any information on your wedding website.