8. Invitations

Since the wedding invitations will be the first impression guests have, they need to be special. The invitations should be a reflection of many things including the style, theme or season of the wedding, as well as your personality and lifestyle. A perfect example would be if you had decided to have a Victorian style wedding. In this situation, choosing a soft ivory coloured invitation embellished with lace would be ideal. However, if you prefer a modern wedding, then you could go with bold colours and fonts that are more sophisticated.

8.1 Budget

Every aspect of a wedding will need to be based on the budget, including the invitations. Some types of invitations are high priced while others are very affordable. Knowing the options is an excellent way to get the best invitations for your money. Typically, you should plan spending from 2% to 5% of the total wedding budget on the invitations. While you could go above or below this average, this is a good guideline to get started.

This budget will cover the actual invitation including both inner and outer envelopes, response cards, tissue for the inside and reception cards. If you want to embellish the invitations or the envelopes with ribbon, lace, faux gems, seals and so on, then you would expect to pay more. In most cases, this can be done for an additional 1% to 1.5% increase in budget.

The greater portion of the invitation budget will go toward the type of paper, design and printing choices. To lower the cost, several things can be done.  First, you should always ask the vendor about the prior seasons and overstock options. Many times, wonderful choices are available on items other people did not buy. That does not mean anything is wrong with them just that they did not suit the needs of another couple.

Therefore, you have the potential of saving money by asking. After all, a simple inquiry could be the magic key to saving you hundreds of dollars.  Additionally, you will need to keep your eyes open for bargains on the internet. The web is loaded with discount companies offering huge reductions.

8.2 Design

Since you will find hundreds of beautiful designs, feeling a bit overwhelmed in making a decision is common. Therefore, by putting aside enough time, you can look around at all your options without feeling stressed and pressured to make a quick decision on one particular design.

8.2.1 Colour

As mentioned earlier, white or off-white invitations are by far the most popular colour choices. However, if your wedding is informal or outdoors, then pastel colours are also good choices and in themed weddings, bold colours would be acceptable.

8.2.2 Paper

It used to be that couples only had a few choices when it came to paper but today, there are many different options. For a traditional and elegant wedding, parchment or pearlised paper would be the perfect choice.

8.2.3 Fold

The way in which invitations are folded is another decision that needs to be made by you. Two options that look wonderful and are very popular is the bi-fold or tri-fold.

8.2.4 Ink

For ink, most couples stick with the standard black but if you want something a little different, you might consider blue, gold and even silver ink, again depending on the level of formality.

8.2.5 Ordering

Wedding invitations can be purchased at most stationary or bridal shops but many times, these will be the higher priced options. To find gorgeous invitations while not spending a fortune, the internet might be considered.

When ordering online, high overhead costs are being bypassed. This means the savings can be passed down to you to spend on something else. All you need to do is visit Google.com or some other search engine and in the address field, type in “wedding invitations”.  In return, you will receive hundreds of viable options.

8.2.6 Printing

Rather than think you have one, maybe two types of printing from which to choose, in truth, you have a number of excellent options, as seen below:

8.2.6.1 Custom Imprints

Although more of a design than printing, with this option, a designer would create the complete invitation for you, which includes all aspects. The final invitation is called a “custom imprint.”

8.2.6.2 Engraving

A magnificent choice for elaborate weddings is to have the invitations engraved. While they are beautiful, you will pay a premium price.

8.2.6.3 Thermography

In addition to engraving, there is a new process known as thermography in which the invitations are engraved but in this case, metal plates are not used. The result is about the same but the price is lower.

8.2.6.4 Calligraphy

Another fabulous choice to consider is calligraphy. This style of print is actually taken from the Greek language and has a strong history dating back to ancient China. The fluidity is both beautiful and very romantic.

Calligraphy definitely adds sophisticated flair but can take a little extra time so if using this type of print for wedding invitations, good planning is essential.

8.2.6.5 Offset Printing

Finally, there is offset printing. This particular style of printing actually lays flat on the paper and of all the options it is the least expensive but still a wonderful choice.

8.2.6.6 Foil Imprint

This type of process is used for the underside of the envelope, also called “foil blocking”. With this option, you will have a choice of colours to include silver and gold. Additionally, you can choose from several wonderful effects.

8.3 Proofing

When planning for a wedding, juggling multiple tasks is part of the experience. Unfortunately, this can sometimes lead to being in a huge hurry and things being overlooked. To avoid costly mistakes on the wedding invitations, make sure you always triple check everything.

This means reviewing the spelling of each word, the content, grammar and punctuation. If there is anything found, no matter how small, it should be brought to the vendor’s attention. After all, you are paying good money for the invitations and since this day is the most important of your life, you should require perfection.

8.4 Wording

The one thing that you should agree on regardless of the type of wedding is that you want everything to be “right”. This begins at the start of the planning and does not end until the very last plan is made. For invitations, the wording is important, again in that it makes the first impression.

For starters, understanding all the aspects of the wording will help you choose a design that works best for your specific situation. For instance, as you begin the search for invitations, you will see wording that follows the traditional path very closely. This would be in relation to the bride’s parents paying for the wedding but keep in mind that in today’s world, there are fewer and fewer sets of parents that are still together, meaning that wording can become somewhat sensitive.

If there are divorced parents, then the wording will need to be in such a way so that no one is embarrassed or made to feel uncomfortable. Simple adjustments can be done, changing words such as, “the bride’s mother and father” to “the bride’s parents”, without providing specific names. This is a cleaver way to avoid a sticky situation.

If the situation is unique in that there are strained relationships involved, then wording such as, “the bride and groom wish to invite you to join them as they exchange wedding vows on this most important day of their life” could be used. For traditional weddings, using words such as, “life’s journey”, “new beginning” and “our life” are always solid choices.

8.5 Directions

If the wedding is in a part of town that most of the family or friends would not be familiar with, in another city altogether or if the reception is in a different location than the ceremony, you should include a map along with written directions and a phone number that can be called should someone get lost trying to find their way.

Amazingly, many people do not show up at weddings or receptions simply because they started out and then could not find how to get there. It happens all of the time but by taking one simple step, this can be avoided.

For the phone, someone can always be designated, preferably someone with a cell phone who can provide a service of fielding calls. This very beneficial step will save the guests frustration, making the entire event more enjoyable and organised for everyone.

While it does take time to choose and purchase wedding invitations, you want to choose something special to you. The same would be true for Bible verses, poems or quotes. Wording can be chosen that has been written from a template that allows you to add customised information or written by you.

8.6 Guarantee

One of the most important things when ordering invitations is to make sure they come with a guarantee. This will ensure the correct invitations are ordered, the quantity is correct, all the print, colour, paper type, fold, everything is exactly as ordered. Additionally, you want to ensure the timeframe for shipping is right on target.

The one thing that you need to remember is that when it comes to invitations and other things ordered for the wedding, ultimately, it is your responsibility to keep track of orders. That means once the order has been placed, even if you are told that the vendor will follow up on things, you have the bottom-line role of making sure everything is on schedule.

While not required, these special touches are the little extras that make the wedding invitation ensemble much more helpful, more thoughtful and more delightful to the guests.

8.7 Timeline

• Six to eight months prior to the wedding:
  • Start looking at options to get ideas.
  • Complete the guest list.
  • If ordering “save-the-date cards”, place the order.
• Six months prior to the wedding:
  • Schedule time with different stationers to choose the invitations.
  • Choose wording style, type of enclosures, weight of the paper and colour, etc.
  • Mail the “save-the-date” cards.
• Four months prior to the wedding:
  • Order the invitations.
  • If using calligraphy, the calligrapher will need to be booked.
• Three months prior to the wedding:
  • Address and assemble all the invitations.
  • Have invitations weighed and purchase the right amount of stamps for mailing.
• Six to ten weeks prior to the wedding:
  • Hand stamp all of the invitations.
  • Put the invitations in the mail.

The wedding invitations should be considered about seven months from the set wedding date although they will not need to be ordered until about six months away. The key to choosing the right invitations is considering all the options.

You have a multitude of options, which include visiting a stationary or bridal shop or creating your own. Additionally, prices vary dramatically when it comes to invitations. For this reason, all of the options for paper type, ink colour, print style, graphics, photos, size and the amount of wording should be carefully compared.

All of these factors will make an impression on price. As an example, the weight of the paper can change the price dramatically. Additionally, the style of envelope can make a big difference. If you want to include a foil flap in gold or silver or have an embossed seal, then you will pay more.