Choosing Your Wedding Invitations

Wedding invitations provide guests with their first impression of the tone of the wedding, as well as providing important details such as the date, time, and location. Choosing the style and wording of the invitations can take a little time, but is easier to manage with a few key decisions.

Style:

Wedding invites come in hundreds of different varieties, from fancy trifolds to sleek single sheets. Look for invitations that help convey the style of the wedding. For instance, consider using handmade paper invites for a casual garden wedding, or a single sheet invite on smooth ivory paper for a sophisticated, modern event.

Wording:

Generally, if the parents of either person are helping to pay for the wedding, their names should be included. Otherwise, couples can omit the traditional line about the parents, such as “the parents of Joe and Linda would like to invite you,” and simply state “You are invited to the wedding of Joe and Linda.”

Font:

The font used on the invitation should be relatively easy to read, and not in a color that blends in with the paper. Many invitation companies provide hundreds of different fonts to choose from, including calligraphy, whimsical, and modern fonts. This provides the perfect opportunity to personalize the event, and clue guests in to the tone of the wedding.

When to send:

Traditionally, invitations are sent no more than eight weeks before the wedding. Couples may also choose to send out a save-the-date card three to four months in advance, so that guests can start planning early. Save-the-date cards are generally the most useful when the wedding will require guests to travel or book hotels.

Saving Money:

With easy access to excellent printers and paper stock, there is no shame in saving a bundle by making homemade wedding invitations. While these may take a little time, they can be fun for the crafty couple, and add to real savings in the budget. Purchase good, thick paper and envelopes from an art store, paper store, or online, then create the text using a basic word processing program. If using a folded card, consider adding images to the front using image software such as Adobe Photoshop. Another excellent way to add a simple image is to find a stamp with a pretty image, such as a flower, heart, or swans, and hand-stamp the invites.

If you plan to have your invitations addressed by a professional calligrapher, don’t be afraid to shop for one online. Calligraphers in large metro areas (New York, Los Angeles) tend to charge higher prices than those in less populous areas. Consider looking at Calligrapher’s websites in smaller towns and ask them if you can ship your invites for addressing. This can end up saving you big money- hundreds of dollars in some cases!