Creating the perfect wedding invitation involves a blend of tradition, personal style, and attention to detail. Here are some key guidelines to consider when designing your wedding invitations, drawn from several expert sources:
- Reflect Your Personal Style: Choose a design that mirrors your personality and the theme of your wedding. Whether you opt for a traditional or a modern design, ensure it resonates with who you are as a couple. Websites like PrintCards offer customizable templates, allowing you to incorporate your own designs, colors, and text to make your invitations truly unique.
- Wording Your Invitations: The way you word your invitations can set the tone for your wedding. For formal invitations, traditional etiquette prescribes the use of full names, formal titles (avoiding abbreviations), and the proper spelling of words like “honour” in British English for ceremonies held in places of worship. Informal invitations allow more flexibility, but the basic information—host names, event details, and RSVP instructions—remains essential.
- Clarity and Simplicity: Regardless of your invitation’s design and wording, ensure the message is clear and straightforward. Creative wording is welcome, but it should not compromise the invitation’s readability or clarity, especially regarding event details like the date, time, and venue.
- Addressing Your Invitations: Address envelopes formally, using guests’ titles and full names. This detail adds a personal touch and shows respect for your guests. It’s also crucial to double-check the spelling of names and addresses to avoid any errors.
- Plus-One Protocol: Decide early on your policy for plus-ones and make it clear on the invitation or RSVP card. Typically, spouses or long-term partners are automatically included, but extending plus-ones beyond these relationships is at your discretion. Be straightforward and polite if you need to decline a request for an additional guest.
- Ordering and Timing: Plan to order your invitations well in advance of your wedding date. Count back from your wedding date to determine when invitations should be mailed to guests (typically 6-8 weeks before the wedding day), and allow extra time for design, printing, and addressing.
By following these guidelines, you can create wedding invitations that not only announce your special day but also convey the tone and style of your upcoming wedding. Remember, the invitation is the first glimpse your guests will have of your wedding, so make it count!
