Details Cards: When You Need Them (And How to Use Them Wisely)
- Jan 28
- 5 min read
Details cards are one of the most misunderstood pieces of wedding stationery. The wedding industry treats them as essential, but the truth is more nuanced: sometimes they're genuinely useful, and sometimes they're just adding paper and cost to your suite without actually helping your guests.
Let me help you figure out when you need a details card and what should go on it.
What Is a Details Card?
A details card (sometimes called an information card) is an additional card included with your invitation that provides extra information that doesn't fit on the main invitation or would clutter it if included.
It's typically smaller than your invitation (often A6 when your invitation is A5) and includes supplementary details your guests need to know.
When Details Cards Are Genuinely Useful
You have multiple events. If your wedding weekend includes a welcome drinks reception, ceremony, wedding breakfast, and next-day brunch across different venues or times, a details card lets you lay out the full schedule clearly without overwhelming your main invitation.
Your venue requires specific information. Some venues have parking instructions, access codes, or arrival procedures that guests need to know. If this information is more than a sentence or two, a details card makes sense.
You're providing transport. If you've arranged coaches or shuttles between venues or from accommodation, the schedule and pickup points belong on a details card rather than cluttering your invitation.
Accommodation is complex. If you've arranged room blocks at multiple hotels or have specific accommodation information guests need, a details card gives you space to explain this clearly.
Your wedding has unusual logistics. Outdoor ceremonies with weather contingency plans, tipi weddings requiring specific footwear, venues with limited facilities, basically anything that needs explanation beyond the basics benefits from a details card.
What Can Go on a Details Card
Appropriate information for details cards includes:
Full venue addresses and postcodes
Parking information
Public transport details
Accommodation recommendations and room block information
Dress code clarification (especially if it needs explanation)
Transport arrangements between venues
Timeline of events
Gift list information (though this is still widely debated)
Wedding website URL
Dietary requirements reminder
Evening guest arrival time (if different from day guests)
Carriages time (when guests leave by at the end of the night)
What Doesn't Belong on Details Cards
Your registry wish list. If you're mentioning gift preferences, keep it brief. "Your presence is present enough, but if you'd like to contribute to our honeymoon fund, details are on our website" is the maximum detail appropriate.
Rules and restrictions. Telling guests they can't take photos during the ceremony, must dress in certain colours, or can't bring children is better handled through your website or personal communication. Details cards should inform, not dictate.
Overly controlling instructions. Your guests are adults. They don't need detailed instructions on what time to arrive, where to sit, or how to behave. Trust them.
The Alternative: Use Your Invitation's Back
Here's a secret: you can print on the back of your invitation.
If you have a moderate amount of additional information (e.g. venue address, accommodation notes, website URL) consider using the back of your main invitation card instead of adding a separate details card.
This keeps your suite simpler, more sustainable, and more cost-effective. It's also harder for guests to lose information when it's all on one card.
Many couples automatically assume they need separate cards for everything, but printing double-sided invitations is a perfectly acceptable (and increasingly common) alternative.
When to Skip Details Cards Entirely
You probably don't need a details card if:
You have a wedding website. If all your additional information is clearly laid out on a website, you can simply include your URL on your invitation. Modern guests are comfortable finding information online, and websites let you keep details updated right up to your wedding day.
Your wedding is straightforward. Single venue, ceremony followed by reception in the same place, easy to find with parking on-site? Your invitation includes everything guests need. Additional cards would be redundant.
You're budget-conscious. Details cards add cost with the extra design, printing, and postage. If money is tight, use your invitation backing or direct guests to a website instead.
You prefer minimalism. Some couples simply prefer cleaner, simpler invitation suites. That's a valid aesthetic choice, not a compromise.
Design Considerations
If you do need a details card, it should coordinate with your invitation design but doesn't need to be identical. It's a functional piece of stationery, so we always prioritise clarity over decoration.
The most important things are:
Readable typography. We'll never sacrifice legibility for aesthetics. Your guests, particularly older relatives, need to be able to read the information easily.
Logical organisation. We group related information together under clear headings, especially as a wall of text is overwhelming and likely won't get read.
Appropriate amount of information. We encourage you to include what's genuinely useful, not every possible detail you can think of - more information isn't always better.
White space. We won't ever cram too much onto the card. If we can't fit everything comfortably, that's a sign we might need you to move some information to your website.
The Gift List Question
Should you mention gift preferences on details cards? This is genuinely contentious.
Traditional etiquette says no, gift information doesn't belong on any wedding stationery. Modern practice often includes a discrete mention.
My take: if you choose to mention gifts, keep it brief and gracious. "We're fortunate to have everything we need for our home. If you'd like to give a gift, contributions to our honeymoon would be appreciated. Details on our website." That's the maximum appropriate.
We suggest you never include specific gift list URLs or account details, and never phrase it as an expectation.
Better yet, rely on your website for detailed gift information and don't mention it on your stationery at all. People who want to give gifts will find the information.
The Sustainability Angle
Every additional card in your suite is more paper, more printing, more waste, and I say this as someone who sells wedding stationery.
Before automatically requesting a details card, ask yourself: is this information essential enough to justify another printed piece, or could I handle it differently?
Sometimes the answer is yes, the information genuinely helps guests and belongs in writing. Sometimes the answer is no, and you're adding cards because the wedding industry tells you that's what you should do.
At Thoughtfully Wild, I work with couples to figure out what they actually need, not what tradition dictates. Sometimes that means creating beautiful details cards, sometimes it means printing on invitation backs or building a comprehensive website instead.
The Bottom Line
Details cards serve a purpose when you have genuinely complex information that guests need in printed form. They're not mandatory, and they're not a sign of a more "proper" wedding.
Think about what your guests actually need to know to attend your celebration comfortably and joyfully. If you can communicate that on your invitation or website, do that. If a details card genuinely makes things clearer, include one.
The goal is informed, comfortable guests, not checking boxes on a wedding stationery list.
Need help figuring out what your invitation suite actually needs? I can help you create stationery that's clear, sustainable, and perfect for your celebration. Get in touch at info@thoughtfullywild.com.
