After you've decided who you want to invite, you should decide how you are going to invite them. Your invitations should be consistent with the overall theme and formality of your wedding. These little notes are your guests' first impression of your wedding. Invitations can be pricey, but you don't have to spend a lot of money to create the theme and tone of your special day.
There are thousands of invitations available in stationary stores, on-line and from catalogs. You could also choose to design your own � a rising trend for today's wedding couples. Research all these options and use the one that best accommodates your theme and budget. If you can, use the same kind of stationary for everything in your wedding. Order all your supplies at one time and order more than you think you need. Invitations are typically purchased in increments of twenty-five or fifty. If you're creating your own invitations, order extra paper, velum, envelopes and anything else you would like to create them. It's less expensive to order extra the first time than to have to make a small reorder because you ran out.
There are some issues you should think about when selecting your invitations or browsing around to make your own invitations. Evaluate the weight of the paper, the color tint, font and size of wording, size of invitation and envelopes, general look and postage restrictions and costs.
Think about buying your invitations over the internet. You can often find the same invitations on-line for a fraction of the price you'll pay at your local stationary stores. Whether or not you plan on buying your invitations over the internet, look at websites for ideas and price points. It's a convenient place to research ideas from home.
Determine exactly what you will be ordering and including with your invitation. There is no wrong way, but typically most brides order invitations, inner and outer envelopes, a reception card, response cards and response card envelopes. Other options include: pew cards, place cards, and map information cards � even bridal registry cards.
Invitations need to be mailed six to eight weeks prior to the wedding. It's customary to all invitations by hand. If your handwriting is bad, recruit some family members or friends with nice penmanship to help you out. You could also choose to have your invitations addressed by a calligrapher.
Your invitations will need to include everything your guests should have to get to your ceremony and reception: date, time, address, name of site and reception along with directions.
Times have changed as far as whose names should be mentioned on the invitation. It once was appropriate that invitations were given in the name of the bride's parents, even if she lived away from home or had been married before. If the bride's parents were divorced, the name of just one parent appeared on the invitation. If the parent remarried, the step-parent's name was placed on the first line followed by the daughter's to show relationship. These are still good guidelines to follow but they are surely no longer taken as the only way to word your invitations.
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