Wedding invitations are obviously an important part of any wedding for two reasons. First, they get people to your special day. Second, they set the mood for your entire wedding. Whether you are having a formal, semi-formal or casual wedding should be reflected in your invitation.
In the past, the most popular places to purchase wedding invitations are card stores, department stores and specialty paper shops. Now, brides and grooms have more places than they can shake a stick at! The internet is filled with great sites that sell invitations. Most bridal magazines have advertisement pages that display popular invitations. In addition, if your name is on certain mailing lists, one can expect to receive catalogs filled with beautiful invitations.
I think it is always a good idea to start at one of the traditional options listed above. I found when searching for my invitations, I really liked to see the actual paper the invitation would be on. I liked to feel the thickness and touch the lettering. This way, I know exactly what I would be getting. Remember, just because you looked at an invitation at a stationer, doesn't mean you can take notes and order it over the internet for a lessor price.
The cost of your invitation will be determined by a few different things. First, there are three basic options for printing. Engraved invitations are very elegant, but they are very costly. Think of engraved invitations as the first class of wedding invitations. A second option is called thermography. This is a less costly style that still appears formal. The type is raised slightly above the paper and the prices are very reasonable. The last option is to print invitations out yourself. Office stores and paper stores sell great paper and software to create wedding invitations at home. This is the least expensive way, but if not done properly can be very risky.
If you are ordering your invitations, they can take between one and four weeks to arrive at your door.
It is very important to order extra invitations and envelopes. When addressing 100 envelopes, there are bound to be a few mistakes. Also, last minute additions to the guest list are almost unavoidable.
The items that are often included inside of the invitation are the response card, a self-addressed stamped envelope, maps and directions, hotel information, wedding breakfast information and possibly a pew card.
If you don't want children at your reception, make sure you put Adult Reception on your invitations. Most people don't find this to be rude since receptions are average $75 per person.
Wording the wedding invitation is often an art. The basic rule is everything, except titles, are spelled out (yes, this means all numbers). The other strange thing is that many people still write "honour" and "favour" with Anglicized spelling.
There are currently more scenarios than the ones listed below, but here are the most popular. For even more obscure circumstances, there are many wedding guides and websites that deal with this topic.
If the bride's parents are hosting:
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Smith
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Samantha Smith
to
Mr. Joseph Alexander Jones
on Saturday, the seventh of June
Two thousand and two
at six o'clock in the evening
St. Anthony's Church
Normalsville, North Carolina
Reception and dinner immediately following
at The White Carriage Inn
When the bride's parents are hosting, but want to mention the groom's parents:
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Smith
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Samantha Smith
to
Mr. Joseph Alexander Jones
son of
Mr. and Mrs. Jeremy Scott
on Saturday, the seventh of June
Two thousand and two
at six o'clock in the evening
St. Anthony's Church
Politeville, North Carolina
Reception and dinner immediately following
at The White Carriage Inn
When divorced parents cohost:
Mrs. Diana Smith
and
Mrs. Christopher Smith
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Samantha Smith
to
Mr. Joseph Alexander Jones
on Saturday, the seventh of June
Two thousand and two
at six o'clock in the evening
St. Anthony's Church
Soundslikefunsville, North Carolina
Reception and dinner immediately following
at The White Carriage Inn
When the divorced and remarried parents are cohosting:
Mr. and Mrs. Jonas Brown
and
Mr. Christopher Smith
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Samantha Smith
to
Mr. Joseph Alexander Jones
on Saturday, the seventh of June
Two thousand and two
at six o'clock in the evening
St. Anthony's Church
Ihopethelawyerispresentsville, North Carolina
Reception and dinner immediately following
at The White Carriage Inn
When the groom's parents are hosting the wedding:
Mr. and Mrs. Fernando Jones
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of
Miss Samantha LeeAnn Smith
to their son
Joseph Alexander Jones
on Saturday, the seventh of June
Two thousand and two
at six o'clock in the evening
St. Anthony's Church
Specialsville, North Carolina
Reception and dinner immediately following
at The White Carriage Inn
When both families' parents cohost:
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Smith
and
Mr. and Mrs. Fernando Jones
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of
Samantha LeeAnn Smith
and
Joseph Alexander Jones
on Saturday, the seventh of June
Two thousand and two
at six o'clock in the evening
St. Anthony's Church
Modernville, North Carolina
Reception and dinner immediately following
at The White Carriage Inn
When the bride and groom are hosting:
The honour of your presence is requested
at the marriage of
Samantha LeeAnn Smith
and
Joseph Alexander Jones
on Saturday, the seventh of June
Two thousand and two
at six o'clock in the evening
St. Anthony's Church
Actualville, North Carolina
Reception and dinner immediately following
at The White Carriage Inn
You need to have these invitations out at lease one month ahead of time. I honestly would recommend having them in the mail two to three months ahead of time. This is a very special day! The more time people have to plan for it, the better!
Most importantly, breathe and remember, you have just completed a huge step in this process. Feel good about yourself!
Information was found from theknot.com, hudsonvalleyweddings.com, The Wedding Workbook: Ideas, Checklists, Budgets and Worksheets by Bette Matthews and my own experience planning our wedding.