Wedding Invitations
Couples that plan to wed take just as much time to choose their wedding invitations as they do to select the wedding attire, the cake, and to make the guest list. Why? Wedding invitations are that all important announcement letting the world know about the big day!
Soon after setting the date for the big day, it comes time to create a guest list for the wedding. Creating a detailed guest list will help you in deciding how many invitations or other party invitation accessories you are going to require. The sooner you create your guest list, the better off you will be: if you have a lot of wedding invitations to order or create you will be able to take time to come up with the funds for the project.
To make the task of creating a guest list it is a good idea to take a look at some of the fantastic online offers available. Some wedding sites allow you to create your entire wedding list online and there are software applications that make the entire process a simple task. Once you have chosen your method for creating your guest list, it is time to get down to business!
Don’t feel that you are required to invite every single individual that ever had a kind word to say to you! If you do that you will find that your guest list grows out of control quickly. Instead, keep your list to close friends, family and perhaps some distant family. You will be surprised how many guests you wind up with. Once you have made your list you can then know how many wedding invitations you will require. To keep costs to a minimum, you may want to group families together and send and entire family one invitation instead of an individual invitation to each family member.
With so many wedding invitations to choose from, the bride and groom may feel overwhelmed by the selection offered. How can a couple find the best wedding invitation that expresses the personality of the couple and the joy that they share together? Well, when it comes to choosing the design of your party invitation, you may want to already have the color scheme and the theme of your wedding determined. For instance, if you have chosen a color scheme of red and black and you prefer swans, you can then order party invitations that have swans with red and black décor. Thus, the invitation is themed to match the theme of your wedding.
You may also want to consider the day you have chosen to get married when selecting your wedding invitations, particularly if the day falls on a holiday. If you are having a Christmas wedding for example, you may want your invitations to reflect that by having a wintry scene printed on the front of them. Meanwhile, if you are getting married on Valentine’s Day you may want to get invitations that have hearts on them. Also, if you have decided to wed right around Easter time, you may want to choose pastel colors and lilies to match the upcoming holidays and spring season. There are so many ways you can ensure that you have selected the perfect wedding invitation to announce your big day!
Wedding invitations come in an array of styles. There are different types of paper for couples to choose from. Knowing the terminology associated with the different brands of paper will help you to know what kind of paper you are ordering.
Glassine paper has a waxy appearance and a super shiny surface: while there may be some invitations made with this paper, many couples prefer to have their envelopes made of Glassine. Since Glassine is so shiny it is attractive and eye catching, drawing attention to the party invitation when it arrives in the mailbox.
Jacquard paper has a layered effect. Designs can be printed on Jacquard paper that make the paper appear delicate and beautiful, but the paper itself is sturdy. This is a fine paper for invitations that hold lacey designs and intricate images, one that is lasting and enduring.
Many couples prefer invitations with a Matte finish. A matte finish ensures that the invitation will be easy to read and equally easy on the eyes because it is a shine free paper product. The light will not reflect off the paper and create an uncomfortable glare while the invitation is being read.
Some couples prefer a foil look on their invitations: this is created with the use of Mylar paper. The paper has a metallic finish and can be used for envelopes and party invitations alike. In contrast, some couples like to take the old fashioned route and they choose to use Parchment on their invitations.
Many wedding invitations have beautiful fonts that are raised or skillfully printed. The different print styles available for invitations make it easy for the couple to personalize their wedding invitations down to the very last detail. There are so many different styles available that couples will have little difficulty finding a style that suits their taste.
Letters can be embossed, written in calligraphy, engraved or plainly printed. The style of the invitation paper will need to be considered in conjunction with the design of the invitation. The style of the lettering should be themed to match the design and paper style. This will give the invitation a unified appearance.
Embossed and blind embossed lettering give all letters a beautiful raised appearance. This is a popular choice among couples ordering party invitations or wedding invitations. The letters are raised a little bit higher than the rest of the paper, drawing attention to the text and font.
Another popular style chosen by couples is the calligraphy style print. Calligraphy can give invitations an old world or old fashion appearance. Calligraphy goes well with a choice of parchment paper.
Engraving is yet another style commonly found in wedding invitations. Engraving actually etches the words into the paper and the words appear indented and/or raised. Some engraving can appear reflective if the couple desires.
Deciding what words to put on an invitation can be daunting. How can you tell everyone about your big day in a beautiful and memorable way? What words can you use to express your happiness? Are there particular formats to follow when it comes to wording on wedding invitations? Yes, there are formats that can be heeded but they are not necessarily written in stone. If a couple wants to use poetry to convey their announcement, then so be it. If a couple wants to simple state the date and other information, it is their prerogative to do so. There are no laws governing how invitations are to be written and most invitations can be ordered with customized wording.
At minimum, the wording on wedding invitations should include the name of the bride, the name of the groom, the date of the wedding, where the wedding will be held and at what time the event is planned for. Couples can also use the Internet to take a look at other invitation formats to see how the wording is formed. They may find wording that appeals to them. After that, it is simply a matter of inserting the appropriate information for all guests to read.
There are a number of ways to get wedding invitations catalogs to view. Brides can often find wedding invitation catalog mailing cards in bridal magazines. They can also get online and look at online catalogs. After the guest list has been determined and the invitation count figured out, the bride and groom can order their wedding invitations online via Internet shopping.
When shopping via the Internet, couples will have an opportunity to view invitations with different writing styles, different designs, different envelopes and the like. They may even find that they can mix and match designs to their liking. Catalogues will often include other wedding accessories, thereby making the wedding shopping experience a whole lot easier on the couple.
If you plan on ordering your invitations from a professional printer, make sure you do so in ample time to get them and send them out. You will want to send out invitations at least a month or two in advance so ordering your invitations three to four months before the wedding is advisable. It could take up to 6 weeks to receive some shipments depending upon where they are ordered from and you will want to have enough time to repair errors if they should occur.
Some couples prefer to make their own wedding invitations so that they can save money on ordering invitations. If you own a personal computer, you can purchase stationary and print your invitations. You can also get matching envelopes at a store that sells stationary sets. If you use a computer, you can put photographs on your invitations, or interesting and beautiful artwork on them. With a whole puncher, ribbons can be slipped through the invitations and tied into a bow.
Using a computer, you will want to make sure that you are using quality ink cartridges to print the invitations. If using an ink jet printer, you will want to set the printer quality to fine print so that you get a good picture to print. Laser printers often provide a better image so if you have one, you’re in luck.
Some people, that have an incredible amount of free time, like to make their invitations by hand. That being the case, they may use a variety of materials to create them. Whether making them by hand or by computer, you have many options available to you in terms of design. You can add frames, borders, graphics, clip art, images from the web and you can choose the wording you want. Be sure to proofread wording carefully before printing your party invitations.
Along with wedding invitations you may also want to consider purchasing various accessories that make the invitations complete. There are seal and send envelopes and post card responses that make it super easy for your guests to respond to your invitation. Also, you may want to purchase separate announcement cards for the guests that are not invited to the wedding.
You can also order reception cards that match the wedding invitations you select. Reception cards provide all of the information pertaining to the wedding reception including the date, the time, and the location. You may also include a separate map so guests can easily find the reception if they choose to accept your invitation.
If you are making your invitations, you may want to also make reception cards and reply cards. While printing out your invitations it should be little trouble to print out similar looking material for response cards and reception cards. You may also want to design a map to the reception location for guests. Finally, if you have decided to manufacture your own party invitations, don’t forget to get enough envelopes: you are going to need to include envelopes for the guests to respond if you don’t use respond post cards.
Instead of printing off a map for guests, you may want to order special map cards. Map cards are professionally printed maps offering directions for your guests. Ensure that guests can get to the reception without any problems with clear and easy to understand directions. Map cards can also include directions to the wedding site as well.
Since you will be sending many invitations, you may want to get yourself a return address ink stamp. Alternatively, you can also purchase return address labels in your choice of design. Short of that, you can use a computer to print off envelopes, but this can be considerably more time consuming.
Looking for a way to dress up a plain envelope? You can use a wax kit to seal each individual envelope or you can get stickers to seal the envelope closed. A stamp kit also proves as a fast way to dress up a plain envelope.
Last but not least, don’t forget those thank you cards. You will want to thanks guests for attending and for any gifts you may receive. Make a list of what you received and from whom and send out those thank you notes!