One of the biggest wedding decisions you will have to make is what kind of invitations to buy. Your
wedding invitations will set the mood for your wedding ceremony and reception. Ideally, you should begin shopping for your invitations as soon as you know the date, time and location of your wedding. Dont forget to integrate your wedding colors into your invitations. By selecting a colored ink or an invitation that contains accents in your wedding colors, your guests will know your colors and be able to dress appropriately. Be sure to request samples of both paper quality and any applicable colors before placing your order. You want to make sure the invitations and accessories are a good quality and will compliment your wedding colors.
Next, you should prepare your guest list so that you will know how many invitations to order. You will need one invitation per couple and one invitation per single guest. Remember, children ages sixteen and over should be sent a separate invitation. You may want to order at least 25 extra invitations, envelopes and accessory cards in case of last-minute guest additions, mistakes and keepsakes.
There are two major types of printing processes used in creating invitations, engraving and thermography . Engraved invitations are used for traditional and formal weddings, and are the most expensive. This process involves raising the letters above the paper by pressing the paper into a metal plate. Thermography is the process of fusing ink and powder on paper to create raised letters. It produces the similar look of engraving, but at a much lower price. This process also allows you to choose from a larger variety of ink colors and typestyles.
Now it is time to decide
how to word your wedding invitation. You should be sure to include who is hosting the wedding, the date, time and location. If you are ordering reception and respond cards, make sure you have the details for these as well. Consider ordering your
thank you notes at the same time, as you will begin receiving gifts shortly after sending out your wedding invitations. Once you have confirmed all of this information, it is time to place your order.
Be sure to proofread your wedding invitations once they arrive. If you are hiring a calligrapher to address your envelopes, make sure they get all the envelopes (including the extras) in plenty of time to do the job. After you have received your envelopes back from the calligrapher, gather your bridesmaids together and have a stuffing party to assemble the invitations and accessory cards into the envelopes. If you are including respond cards, dont forget to put a stamp on the respond envelope! Be sure to weigh a few assembled invitations. One normal stamp may be not enough to cover the postage and you dont want your guests to pay. Once the postage has been determined, put the stamps on and mail. Now you can scratch this major wedding task off your wedding to-do list.
