Depending on each one’s customs and traditions, colors and designs may play significant roles when designing their unique wedding invitations. Although conventional cards are normally printed on white and off-white cards, some opt for pastel or even brighter shades. Red and gold are must-haves for traditional Oriental weddings, symbolizing luck and prosperity. Some cards even carry a faint whiff of fragrance to stand out from other pieces of mail. In preserving the card’s appearance as well as adhering to postal policies, invitations are sent out in double envelopes. Although most invitations only have wordings, some include a picture of the bridal couple to impart a more personal touch. Multi-lingual invitations are generally recommended for marriages between two races who don’t share a common language.

Some regional postal offices offer stamps with wedding themes for the envelopes. They are justifiably a little more expensive as wedding mail tends to be heavier than regular mail due to paper quality and contents. Other than printer’s paper, wedding invites can be printed on fabric, recycled materials and whatever draws the fancy of the couple. It’s all the more reason for the recipients to hold onto the exclusive invitations as mementos.

To encourage punctuality to the occasion, some invitations resort to lucky dips for early bird guests. Although it may seem out of place in western weddings, arriving before or on time for Asian weddings is often not a norm.

wedding invitations

The first line of the wedding invitations wording normally sets the tone. This usually signifies the host of the wedding invitation who, more often than not, is the paymaster. Sometimes it may be either or both parents of the couple. Other times, it may be the bridal couple. Some occasions may require separate sets of cards to different recipients due to varying circumstances. Whichever the case, it’s imperative for names of all concerned, date, time, venue and other bits of important wedding details to be clearly printed on the card. It’s also recommended to include driving instructions or map for out-of-town relatives and friends. Sometimes, dietary preferences are requested for catering purposes.

Some wording classics include a poem or verse from a favorite song or book. Whether the ceremony is to be held at a religious venue or by the beach, wording for custom wedding invitations sets the mood. At times, the bridal couple may include a preference of wedding gifts. Some bridal couples set up a wedding gift register to avoid the dilemma of multiple gifts of the same kind, or more commonly known as the ten toasters and blenders syndrome. Other times, they may prefer cash to gifts, thus need to gracefully indicate their preference.

Since weddings are family functions, it’s therefore appropriate to invite the whole family. As a good wedding tip, draw up an invitation list between the bridal couple. This helps in confirming spelling of names and assessing number of invitations required, without missing out a favorite aunt or former school mates. This list is also vital in ascertaining venue size, catering, parking and a whole host of other wedding tasks. In other words, it’s a basis for budget planning without skipping any wedding details.

wedding invitations

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