INVITATIONS & STATIONERY
The look and feel of your invitations and stationery should reflect your wedding style. Generally there are three types of wedding invitations: formal, contemporary and informal. Your choice should correlate to the type of wedding you’re planning.
A very formal wedding, for instance, may call for a formal invitation, with a response and reception card included. Both are usually white and black ink, or another dark color. Invitations for contemporary or informal weddings can be more reflective of your personal preferences, perhaps incorporating color or even graphics.
Your wedding invitation is the first impression your guest will receive, and you want it to be a good one. It sets the tone for the event, as well as relaying important information. Begin the process of selecting invitations, wording and design six to eight months prior to your wedding date. If you choose to hire a calligrapher, do so four to five months prior. If you’re addressing the invitations yourself, begin the process in plenty of time to avoid a last minute panic, as your invitations should be mailed two months prior to the wedding.
OPTIONS FOR PRINTING
There are several printing methods available for your wedding stationery. They include Engraving, Letterpress, Offset, Digital and Embossing. Each offers benefits and drawbacks. That’s why it’s important to choose a good printing partner when selecting your wedding stationery package.
Engraved printing is typically used for elegant invitations and tends to be quite costly. It also requires more time to print than other options. Offset printing, on the other hand, is one of the most popular types of wedding printing. It produces quality imaging that can be applied to a large variety of papers. Letterpress, the name implies, is text pressed into paper creating a textured feel. Many years ago, letterpress offered fewer type styles because each machine came standard with letter stamps, however, with the invention of modern polymer plates, couples now have a wider variety of design and type styles to select. Digital printing is the least expensive options and could be a good fit for lower quantity, lower complexity jobs. Embossing is the rarity in wedding printing and is sometimes used to imprint a monogram on your invitations.
Many couples choose a combination of letterpress and offset printing.
Ask your printer to show you samples of invitations with each of these methods so you can get an idea. Most printers have portfolios or sample books of invitations. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and have the printer explain the various printing processes.
A very formal wedding, for instance, may call for a formal invitation, with a response and reception card included. Both are usually white and black ink, or another dark color. Invitations for contemporary or informal weddings can be more reflective of your personal preferences, perhaps incorporating color or even graphics.
Your wedding invitation is the first impression your guest will receive, and you want it to be a good one. It sets the tone for the event, as well as relaying important information. Begin the process of selecting invitations, wording and design six to eight months prior to your wedding date. If you choose to hire a calligrapher, do so four to five months prior. If you’re addressing the invitations yourself, begin the process in plenty of time to avoid a last minute panic, as your invitations should be mailed two months prior to the wedding.
OPTIONS FOR PRINTING
There are several printing methods available for your wedding stationery. They include Engraving, Letterpress, Offset, Digital and Embossing. Each offers benefits and drawbacks. That’s why it’s important to choose a good printing partner when selecting your wedding stationery package.
Engraved printing is typically used for elegant invitations and tends to be quite costly. It also requires more time to print than other options. Offset printing, on the other hand, is one of the most popular types of wedding printing. It produces quality imaging that can be applied to a large variety of papers. Letterpress, the name implies, is text pressed into paper creating a textured feel. Many years ago, letterpress offered fewer type styles because each machine came standard with letter stamps, however, with the invention of modern polymer plates, couples now have a wider variety of design and type styles to select. Digital printing is the least expensive options and could be a good fit for lower quantity, lower complexity jobs. Embossing is the rarity in wedding printing and is sometimes used to imprint a monogram on your invitations.
Many couples choose a combination of letterpress and offset printing.
Ask your printer to show you samples of invitations with each of these methods so you can get an idea. Most printers have portfolios or sample books of invitations. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and have the printer explain the various printing processes.
CALLIGRAPHY
If you decide you want your invitations or other stationery items to include calligraphy, which is the art of handwriting in a manner that appears decorative and somewhat formal, locate a professional calligrapher well in advance. Unless you’ve been trained in calligraphy, it is not wise to attempt this yourself.
You can also opt for computer-generated calligraphy. Ask your printer to see some samples.
ADDITIONAL STATIONERY ITEMS
While you’re ordering wedding invitations, you’ll also want to think about ancillary stationery items. The invitation itself can contain several pieces, including a response card, reception card, ceremony card, pew card, rain card and map or directions to the ceremony and / or reception. Not every invitation contains all of these pieces; again, it depends on the formality of the event and your personal preferences. You will, of course, need to include a response card on which guests can write whether or not they’re able to attend the wedding, and an addressed, stamped envelope in which guests can return the response card. Ask your printer to show you examples of these pieces and decide what you want or need.
Aside from the invitation and additional pieces that are mailed with it, you may want to consider the following stationery options.
Choosing the wording for your invitations is not as straightforward as it once was, as family structures can be somewhat complicated and a wider variety of wording is considered acceptable. For a list of suggestions for wording invitations for a variety of family circumstances and wedding styles, visit any number of online resources. For tips on compiling and mailing wedding invitations, see www.emilypost.com/weddings/weddings-and-anouncements/339-addressing-sending-wedding-invitations.
If you decide you want your invitations or other stationery items to include calligraphy, which is the art of handwriting in a manner that appears decorative and somewhat formal, locate a professional calligrapher well in advance. Unless you’ve been trained in calligraphy, it is not wise to attempt this yourself.
You can also opt for computer-generated calligraphy. Ask your printer to see some samples.
ADDITIONAL STATIONERY ITEMS
While you’re ordering wedding invitations, you’ll also want to think about ancillary stationery items. The invitation itself can contain several pieces, including a response card, reception card, ceremony card, pew card, rain card and map or directions to the ceremony and / or reception. Not every invitation contains all of these pieces; again, it depends on the formality of the event and your personal preferences. You will, of course, need to include a response card on which guests can write whether or not they’re able to attend the wedding, and an addressed, stamped envelope in which guests can return the response card. Ask your printer to show you examples of these pieces and decide what you want or need.
Aside from the invitation and additional pieces that are mailed with it, you may want to consider the following stationery options.
- Ceremony Program… Lists the different parts of your ceremony, including musical selections, the name of your officiant and procession
- Seating / Place Card… Tells guests where they’ll be seated during the reception
- Announcement… Sent shortly after the wedding to inform select people the wedding has taken place. Typically, these are sent to friends who could not be included because of a limited guest list, or to acquaintances who would wish to be informed, but you do not wish to obligate with gift giving.
- Thank You Card… Every guest should receive a written thank you for gifts received
- Napkins / Matchbooks… Optional items that usually can be ordered from your printer or stationer.
Choosing the wording for your invitations is not as straightforward as it once was, as family structures can be somewhat complicated and a wider variety of wording is considered acceptable. For a list of suggestions for wording invitations for a variety of family circumstances and wedding styles, visit any number of online resources. For tips on compiling and mailing wedding invitations, see www.emilypost.com/weddings/weddings-and-anouncements/339-addressing-sending-wedding-invitations.
THE GUEST LIST
Unless your wedding is very small and you and your fiancé are making the guest list yourselves, you’ll need to work with both sets of parents to determine who will be invited. After you’ve decided on a maximum number of guests, to be determined by your budget and personal preferences, ask each set of parents to give you a list of who they want to invite, as you and your fiancé make your own list. Some wedding parties divide the number of guests evenly between the two families, while others allow more for the family bearing more of the wedding costs. Keep the following tips in mind when working to compile a guest list.
Unless your wedding is very small and you and your fiancé are making the guest list yourselves, you’ll need to work with both sets of parents to determine who will be invited. After you’ve decided on a maximum number of guests, to be determined by your budget and personal preferences, ask each set of parents to give you a list of who they want to invite, as you and your fiancé make your own list. Some wedding parties divide the number of guests evenly between the two families, while others allow more for the family bearing more of the wedding costs. Keep the following tips in mind when working to compile a guest list.
- Identify Categories… Divide potential guests into categories of immediate family, other family, couple’s close friends, parent’s close friends, neighbors and co-workers. This makes it easier to identify and narrow down invitees.
- Personal Connections… If you need to trim the lists, start by eliminating people who might be friends of parents, but who you and your fiancé do not know personally. If you haven’t see your second cousin for 10 years, you don’t need to feel obligated to invite him / her to the wedding. You may, however, want to send an announcement shortly afterward
- The Second Wave… If necessary, consider, compiling two lists and initially mailing out invitations only to those on the first list. As you receive regrets, you can mail invitations to those on the second list. Just be sure to mail the first round of invitations early.
- Record Keeping… When compiling your guest list, set up a file for each guest, including name, full address, phone number and email. Include a space for the reception table number and for gifts received. This allows you to record when an invitation was sent and when you mailed thank you notes for gifts.