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Wedding invitations do much more than tell who, what, where and
when. The invitation sets the overall tone of the event. From the
way the invitation is addressed to the font used for the text, an
invitation says whether the event is formal, casual, grand,
intimate, themed, traditional, or something entirely different. It
is hard to imagine a simple invitation saying so much.
Many rules
dictating a wedding are often broken today. Even today, going against
generally accepted invitation etiquette is not acceptable. A wedding
invitation should convey what is or is not allowed along with giving
all the details of the event. As tempting as it is to put the
guest's names into an address book or database, select a script
font and print out a sheet of labels, don't do it. While this is
perfectly acceptable for a casual affair, handwriting should be used
for more formal events. A professional calligrapher can easily
address the envelopes if your
wedding planning budget allows.
An RSVP card along with a stamped pre-addressed return envelope
should also be included in the invitation. Etiquette rules for
addressing include: specifying whether guests or children are
allowed. This is generally handled by the way the inner envelope is
addressed.
Adding "and guest" after the guest's name or the name of the
children will convey this message well. There are further rules for
addressing envelopes of professionals, couples that live together
but aren't married, and women who use their maiden name so be sure
to research these.
Wedding invitations should be mailed six weeks prior to the wedding
date to allow guest time to respond. Guests traveling from out of
state or country will appreciate the extra time to coordinate their
travel so it is customary to mail their invitations 8 to 10 weeks
prior to the date (wedding
planning timeline).
Matching stationary is usually available for purchase along with
wedding invitations. Also things such as beverage napkins, match
books, place cards, the cake box, and wedding albums can be
purchased too coordinate also. The menu and ceremony program can
also be coordinated to the invitations and handed out to guests.
Thank You cards can also be ordered to match the invitations to
thank the guests for their gifts after the wedding.
Wedding invitations and stationary should be planned when the couple
is not rushed and remember to keep the budget in mind.
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