Wedding Invitations: Proper Invitation Etiquette
Posted by Nick Niesen on October 27th, 2010
With all the expenses typically associated with preparing for a wedding, there is the temptation to put less emphasis on certain aspects of the ceremony. Stationary often falls into this category. Invitations, thank you and note cards, and orders of service are examples of stationary that people choose to use for their ceremony. Of these, you don't want to diminish the quality of wedding invitation that you use. Your wedding invitation is what people see first regarding your wedding. It sets the tone of what your guests can expect when they attend the wedding ceremony. A wedding invitation generally includes key features and there are some considerations to help you with your choice of wedding invitation style. You don't have to spend a significant amount of money on a particular wedding invitation style, but there are some guidelines you can follow to make them a success.
Word Choice
What you say and how you say it is an important part of a wedding invitation. At the very least you want to include information that will inform you guests of the what, where, why, and when of the ceremony. The obvious information that should be included in a wedding invitation is the names of the bride and groom, as well as the date, time, and venue of the ceremony. The names of the individuals who are hosting the wedding ceremony (paying for it) should appear on the wedding invitation. There really isn't one standard for how this information should appear on the wedding invitation, so you can use your best judgment or seek advice from a printer.
Getting Down to the Particulars
Numbers are important when preparing a wedding invitation. Knowing how many invitations to mail and when to mail them are important numbers for your wedding invitation. The general guidelines for sending out invitations to your wedding is six weeks to 12 months before the ceremony. If you are inviting guests from out-of-town you should allow an extended amount of time for the individual to receive the wedding invitation and to make arrangements to attend. Unless everyone who receives a wedding invitation will be invited to the reception, it is standard practice to include a separate card announcing the particulars of the reception with the wedding invitation of those you intend to invite to the reception. No matter how you plan, you will always need an extra wedding invitation. As a rule, it is a good idea to order at least 25 extra invitations.
Considering Style
When your guests receive their wedding invitation, they should receive more than a simple card with information on it. Add as much creative flair to your wedding invitation that you possibly can. Ideas for making a wedding invitation unique include adding color, accessories, and aromas. You can experiment with each of these elements when deciding on the style of wedding invitation to use or view samples from a printer, online catalog, or those within a stationary shop.
