In wedding invitations, the names of the hosts or persons paying for the wedding are usually placed above anyone else. If the couple is paying for their wedding, their names appear above others but traditionally, it is the parents of the bride that pays for the wedding so their names are placed before those of the groom’s parents’ names in the wedding invitations.

Before the names of the couple are written, the request to attend is placed after the names of the hosts. Examples of these are…request the honor of your presence or request the pleasure of your company or invite you to join us in celebrating our marriage. After the formal request, the name of the bride is usually placed before that of the groom or above it in wedding invitations.

After the names of the bride and groom are written, the date and time comes next. Usually the date and the time are spelt out like Saturday, tenth of May, two thousand and seven at four o’ clock in the afternoon. Some wedding invitations may also have the dates written in number as with the date like Saturday, May 10, 2007 at 4:00 in the afternoon. More and more couples also opt to state the

Writing down the address of the place of worship where you will have your wedding ceremony and that of the reception need not be written in detail if the place is well known. You may write down the complete address in the wedding invitations if the area is difficult to find. You can also include a phone number for the RSVP or for any inquiries. Some wedding invitations include a separate RSVP card for mailing which include the blanks for filling up regarding the number of people who will attend.

Some wedding invitations are less formal and more fun to look at. The wedding invitations can actually reflect the personalities of both the bride and groom or the motif of the wedding.

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However, if you want to avoid family problems for years after the wedding then keep the whole family in mind when planning it.  This goes for the wedding invitation wording as well.  Let me tell you a quick story that outlines the importance wedding invitation wording to the future happiness of your family.

I had a very close friend who got married many years ago and his parents had been divorced since he was around 8.  He tried to stay in touch with his father but eventually his father disappeared from his life but he was able to stay in touch with his father’s side of the family which included grandparents, aunts, and uncles.  He thought all was well.  When he was planning his wedding with his bride they decided that since the groom was raised completely by his mother with no help from his father who disappeared that the wedding invitation wording would include both of her parents but only his mother and not his father.

He never thought that wedding invitation wording would be a problem.  A week later they get the response from his aunt, his father’s sister, who informed the groom that since the wedding invitation wording did not include  a mention of the groom’s father then the entire father’s side of the family would not be attending.  The groom and his father’s side of the family have not spoken since.

The Moral of the Story

There are many essential elements of wedding invitation wording that probably should be included in an invitation and what you think is not important may wind up being very important to other people.  In the given example should the groom’s father have been included?

Probably not since the father was not a part of the groom’s life but the story goes to show the power of wedding invitation wording and making sure it is done correctly.  There are other stories of wedding invitation wording that neglected to give complete directions to the wedding reception and caused some people to be two hours late because they got lost.

Make sure your wedding invitation wording is as complete and inclusive as possible and if you are purposely neglecting someone, or something, then be prepared to suffer the consequences.

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With today’s computer technology, it is possible to create many types of documents, greeting cards and other printer materials. Instead of having to use the words and terms often available with professional materials, a do it yourself wedding invitation can be worded in any manner the couple chooses. Printers and software drivers also allow for the use of multiple sizes of paper to be used, from the typical sizes of wedding invitations to the RSVP cards included in the invitation mailed to guests.

Although it can be time consuming to compose and format the do it yourself wedding invitation, it can offer a cost savings and for couples on a budget, it can help keep them under the spending limit. Many companies recognize the option and sell blank cards, envelopes and include the usually tissue paper fillers commonly found in professional cards as well.

Check Copy Twice And Print It Once

Once the card has been designed and the couple is happy with how it appears, they should double and even triple check the wording, spelling and most importantly the dates and times on the invitation. While buying blank materials for a do it yourself wedding invitation is cheaper than having them printed professionally, if there is a mistake that slips through the printer, the couple will have to buy more new blank cards to reprint the do it yourself wedding invitation.

Before feeding the cards into the printer, trim some regular, read that cheaper plan printer paper, to the size of the card and make sure the printed invitation aligns properly on the paper. You may also have to use the printers paper option and change it to the specification of the type of paper being used on a do it yourself wedding invitation.

The thickness as well as size can be changed to make the invitation look as good as possible. Paper being used in a do it yourself wedding invitation may also have a lot of loose fiber that will clog up the printer ports so once the invitations have been printed, make sure the inkjets are cleaned and ready for normal use.

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While many of the ‘rules’ dictating a wedding are often broken by today’s couples-to-be, don’t even consider going against generally-accepted etiquette when sending your wedding invitations. In addition to providing the details and setting the tone, a wedding invitation should also convey what is and is not allowed. And as tempting as it may be to put your guest’s names and addresses into a database, select a script font and print out a sheet of stick-on labels, don’t do it! If you’re having a casual affair, it may be okay, but anything else requires handwriting. If your handwriting is not up to par, hire someone for this task. Many couples hire calligraphers, which is a great option if your budget allows.

It’s important to include a response card and a stamped, pre-addressed return envelope in with the wedding invitation to make replying an easy task. As for addressing, here are a few of the etiquette rules. If you’re allowing the invitee to bring a guest, or if children are not invited, you need to specify this. Customarily this is handled by the way the inner envelope is addressed.

Adding ‘and guest’ after the invited guest’s name conveys the message that the guest is allowed to bring a guest. Adding the names of the guest’s children, in order from oldest to youngest, indicates that their children are welcome to attend. There are other rules for addressing the envelopes of professionals, couples that live together but are not married, women who use their maiden name and others so be sure you follow them.

It’s customary to mail wedding invitations at least six weeks prior to the wedding date to allow guests adequate time to respond. Guests arriving from out of state or even out of the country will appreciate the extra time to coordinate their travel so as a courtesy, it’s a good idea to mail their invitations 8 – 10 weeks before the wedding.

And while you’re busy selecting your wedding invitations, you’ll find matching wedding stationary available for purchase. For that special day, you can order coordinating beverage napkins, match books, place cards, wedding cake box, and even a special wedding album. You can have the menu printed up and a wedding ceremony program that can be handed out to guests. You’ll also need to thank your guests for attending and for their generous wedding gifts so it’s a good idea to order thank-you cards and envelopes when you’re ordering wedding invitations.

You and your partner should plan to shop for wedding invitations and wedding stationery when you aren’t feeling rushed, and do keep that budget in mind!

 

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Since the most important purpose of a wedding invitation is to let guests know the particular details of the wedding it is important to ensure that these details are accurate.  You will want to hold off on ordering your invitations until you have finalized all of the details to ensure that your invitations are printed with accurate information.  In order to avoid confusion that results from misinformation on you your invitations, it is critical that you proofread your invitations several times to ensure that all of the information in correct.  Once you have proofread the invitation a few times, you might consider having someone else proofread it as well.  This is sometimes necessary because it is easy to overlook a mistake on your invitation when you know what the invitation should say.  Sometimes your mind will subconsciously fix the error making it appear as though everything is correct when it is really not.  It is imperative that you ensure that the details of your wedding invitation are accurate but it is also very important to proofread the entire invitation to make sure that there are no other errors.  Check your names and your parent’s names, if they appear on the invitation, carefully to ensure that they are spelled correctly and also check the spelling and punctuation of the rest of the text.  Wedding information that is accurate and contains no errors is sure to make a wonderful impression on your guests and can help to avoid guests from missing parts of the wedding because they were misinformed by inaccurate information on the invitation.

The look of your wedding invitation can say a lot about your taste and your expectations for your wedding.  If you are planning to have a particular theme for your wedding, you might want to incorporate your theme in your wedding invitation to give your guests a hint at what they can expect at your wedding.  If you are planning to incorporate a theme of old fashioned movie romances you might want to invest in invitations that depict a scene or make a reference to an old fashioned romantic movie such as Casablanca.  Or if you plan to have a wedding with a Hawaiian or beach theme you might choose invitation that conveys this sentiment with a background picture of a beach or a whimsical border with a Hawaiian pattern.  While not all weddings have a particular theme, if you are planning on having a theme, it’s a fun idea to purchase invitations that express this theme to your guests.

The wording that you use on your wedding invitations can also make an impression on your guests.  You will want to ensure that the text of the invitation matches with the formality of the wedding.  If you plan to have a wedding with a relaxed atmosphere you can afford to be creative and original in your wording but if your wedding will be more conservative you will want to use language that will convey this sentiment.  While slang and vulgarity are never appropriate verbiage on a wedding invitation it is acceptable to use more relaxed speech if the wedding is expected to be casual.

Many guests form their first impressions of a wedding based on the invitations.  Since this is true, it is important to exercise caution and ensure that your wedding invitations will convey the message that you wish them to express.  If you want to maintain a degree of formality in your wedding, then your invitations should also be very formal.  Conversely, if you expect your wedding to be casual with a relaxed atmosphere, it is acceptable to send out invitations that are informal. 

 

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