Wedding

A wedding invitation is not merely a way to “make it official” for the rest of the world, it also conveys your respect to the addressee. By stating your desire to see that person on your most special day, you are presenting them with a unique gift of your trust and affection. This is why writing a wedding invitation is an important step in planning your wedding ceremony.

You have a number of options depending on how creative you want to get and how much time/money can afford to spend. Some people think there is nothing more precious than a personal touch, writing invitations manually and signing them personally, while others trust the printing shops to make customized invitations that you just need to put into an envelope. Here are some nice ideas for you to consider when designing your invitations or having them designed for you.

Personal touch never hurts
Many companies offer customized wedding invitations with a wide variety of fonts to choose from. It’s best to choose a font that resembles handwriting, as it’s most appropriate for a wedding invitation. If you are still into the whole do-it-yourself deal, there are websites selling paper and special accessories you can use to create your invitation. Ordering those materials from them ensures high quality of your invitation, while it is also as unique as it can get. Their easy-to-use invitation kits and instructions will make the process easy, fast and quite enjoyable. There are also such fancier options as hiring a calligrapher or using raised lettering on the envelopes.

Addressing your guests
No matter who the addressee is, wedding invitations tend to be quite formal. Although phrases like “request the honor of your presence” still describe the most popular style used these days for wedding invitations, there is a clear trend of making them more casual with phrases like “please join us on this special occasion” and so on. You still need to use Mr./Mrs./Ms depending on the person’s age and marital status. It’s a good idea to give your unmarried guests an option of bringing someone along by adding “and Guest” after their last name.

Contents of the invitation
Generic invitations, just like generic phrases on a birthday card, are possible but lack that personal touch you are trying to achieve. A perfect wedding invitation causes a smile on the face of the person to whom it was addressed, so keep that in mind. The invitation should speak in the voice of both the bride and the groom, conveying the joy and happiness that will accompany the ceremony.
Make sure you also indicate the location of the ceremony, its date and time when it starts, for the guests to make it on time and avoid “if-anyone-has-any-objections-to-this-please-state-them now” situations. You may consider enclosing a reply card to make it easy and convenient for your invited guest to inform you of their decision. Reply cards allow planning the wedding better and being absolutely sure all the guests are seated according to plan.

When to send the invitation
Make sure you send your wedding invitations at least 6 weeks before the ceremony, to give your guests, especially those residing in another country, a chance to make all the necessary arrangements and choose a suitable present. It’s also important to take care of this in advance because of postal delivery periods that may exceed a week or even two in some cases.

Get help vs do it your way
There are plenty of do-it-yourself resources on the Internet that will guide you through the process of writing any kind of invitation, either casual or formal. Everything depends on how zealous you are about following all the traditional rituals and etiquette. In the end, you always do the way you want it, as sending invitations, just like any other part of preparation for the wedding, is supposed to be fun.