wedding invitations

The mention of a wedding invites shrieks of joy from the bride and her girlfriends followed by thumps on the back of the groom. Although this tradition has been ongoing since the beginning of time, it never grows stale despite numerous attempts by modernity to reduce it to a piece of paper.

As time progresses, invitations to celebrate the union of two individual lives are made known by various means. Up to the middle ages, news and announcements were heralded by the town crier. As an employee of the court, he was clad in bright attire to signify his officious position. Ringing a bell in his hand, he walked through the streets and shouted out the latest announcements in, both good and bad news. Perhaps that was when the infamous Hear Ye Hear Ye was coined to draw the people’s attention. As wedding invites were announced, all within hearing distance of the crier were invited.

Later on, hand-crafted wedding notices were produced with affluent families hiring skilled hands in the art of calligraphy. Automation soon came into the picture as these notices required too much time and resources. Although the invention of the printing press probably caused the town crier his job, it was a significant improvement in the dissemination of information. The practice of sending printed wedding invitations became the rage of the upper classes as they were supposedly the only group with literacy skills. These invitations could also be directed towards specific families and individuals as opposed to earlier practices of mass invitations. Depending on the nobility of families to be brought together by the marriage, the cards included their respective Coat of Arms. Even today, some elaborately decorated invitations sport personal crests as symbols of elitism.

Newer printing techniques opened up a whole new world in the production of printed wedding invitations. It no longer remained within the domain of the privileged few as costs were reduced by the introduction of cheaper materials and bulk production. A simple arrangement of standard templates allowed invitations to be quickly churned out. Simulating the tradition of hand-crafted wedding notices or engraving with raised lettering gives the impression of class with affordability.

Technology enables most to do their own printing at home. Copious amounts of designs can be sourced from the internet, with advice and tips on how to create a wedding invitation which best personifies the couple.

wedding invitations

Tags: wedding invites history

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