There are several factors that set letterpress wedding invitations apart from other styles, all originating with the process of how they are made.

This age-old printing process starts with the creation of a special metal die that is used to make letterpress imprints when the die strikes the paper with enough force to create a depression on the paper instead of raised printing which is created by thermography.

You will also notice that the pricing of letterpress wedding invitations tends to be higher because of the specially created die and the fact they are hand fed through the printer instead of automatically fed into the machine.  Also to be noted is that a thicker paper has to be used to handle the letterpress method.

As your wedding invitations will be the first piece of correspondence your guests receive regarding your wedding, your invitations will set the tone for the style of your wedding. If your wedding will be held in a church with a traditional wedding reception to follow, a classy card will showcase that style. In the alternative, if you are having a fun and casual beach wedding, your wedding invitations will feature a laid back, breezy style. Along with the crucial importance of your invites comes a list of do’s and dont’s of wedding invites which you may not even realize! The last thing you would want to do when sending out your invites is to make some sort of mistake which may offend your guests – or even worse – cause some of them not to come.

Ready to find out some of the best do’s and dont’s when it comes to your wedding invites? Read on!

When sending your wedding invitations, some of the following pointers to keep in mind should be:

• ALWAYS spell check your invitations. Even if all the wording looks correct on the invite, it is always a great idea to have another set of eyes read over the invite. Your eyes may be so trained to see the information and may miss the tiniest of misspellings or grammatical mistakes. You will want to make sure all the information contained inside your invitations is completely correct.
• You will want to make sure all the pieces of the invitation are assembled correctly prior to sealing the envelopes. We have heard many stories of frantic brides calling the post office after all their wedding invitation accessories were dropped off for mailing, once they realized they had forgotten the return envelopes inside. Always take the time to ensure each and every piece is accounted for when assembling, saving you any tears at the post office once you realize you have made a mistake.
• On the topic of response cards, always remember to include return postage. The response card is the tiny card which your guests send back to you, either confirming or declining your invite. It is much easier for your guests to simply check off ‘yes’ or ‘no’, seal it back in the envelope, and drop it back off in the mailbox already with the stamp on it. You will be more likely to get the responses back faster when the guests do not have to hunt down a stamp of their own.

Now that we know what you should do, how about the things you should NOT do on your invites.

• NEVER email your wedding invitation to your family and guests. Yes, this is the age of technology, but just emailing your invitation, or sending your wedding details in an email is a definite no-no. Your guests will appreciate the time you took in sending out formal invitations.
• Where it was once standard to send your wedding gift registry information inside of the wedding invitations, it is now considered tacky. It is almost like you are sending the message, “Hey – buy me a present!”. Should the guests want to know where you are registered, it is easy enough for them to pick up the phone and call the engaged couple to find out where they are registered, or to ask the parents of the bride or groom.
• Always take the time to hand write your envelopes, rather than stick pre-printed labels addressed to your guests. This will also show you took the time to hand-write your invitations and will show your pride in the finished product. Also, another point to remember when writing your envelopes is to write them out before they are sealed. Once you write on the envelope with the invitation already inside, you run the risk of making unsightly indentations on the actual invitations.

Obviously, there are a lot of factors which go into the wedding invitation, some you may not have even thought about before. Always remember that spell checking your invitations, proofreading to ensure absolute correctness, and taking the time to hand write your invitations will go a long way in the overall presentation of your invite.

Bird wedding invitations, especially featuring love birds, can set the perfect romantic theme for your wedding.  Love birds, afterall, are known for pairing up and mating for life.  Pictured here is just one of several designs available showing the companionship between love birds.  There are even varying designs depending on the time of year in which you are getting married.

Another popular design of bird wedding invitations involves song birds.  How sweetly they sing their happy tunes.  You can’t help but be uplifted when you hear their beautiful songs.  When part of your invitation design, it’s like they are singing the great news of your upcoming wedding to your guests.  Shown here is the popular pocket design with a song bird theme.

Then there’s also the traditional white doves to symbolize peace and love.  They have been known to be released following a wedding ceremony.  Whether this is part of your planning or not, featuring doves is another choice when it comes to themed bird wedding invitations.

Planning a wedding is a lot of work and there are many important details that though very little, make the wedding just perfect. Choosing the wording on your wedding invitations is something that should be thoroughly thought through to make sure that all parties who need mentioning are included. It can be hard to word an invitation if you have a tricky family situation but with a little time and research you will no doubt come up with something perfect.

You have lots of things to take into consideration when choosing the correct wording for you invitations. Follow this simple check list before you order wedding invitations to narrow down the best possible wording for you situation!

Bride and Groom Hosting the Wedding

If the bride and groom are hosting and paying for the wedding their names will appear in full but the parents’ names may not be. It is still polite to mention the parents so many times the invitation will appear as:

Together with their Parents
Patricia Belle Marrow
&
Matthew Hank Simmons
Invite you to share in
Their special and sacred day
As they vow their love to each other…

Notice, as a rule of thumb the girls name always appears first.

Parents Hosting

Most of the time it will be the bride’s parents who are hosting the wedding. Even if this is the case, it is still polite to mention the grooms’ parents as well. The wording could look something like this:

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Marrow
Request the honor of your presence
At the marriage of their daughter
Patricia Belle Marrow
To
Matthew Hank Simmons
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Brendan Simmons

If both sets of parents are hosting, you can include the grooms parents’ names directly under the brides parents’ names.

Split Parents Hosting

There are many different cases and one wording will not work for all. You will need to get creative and pick something that will include everyone without offending anyone. One option that is very general but includes everyone without getting into names is:

The families of
Patricia Belle Marrow
&
Matthew Hank Simmons
Invite you….

If you are going to include names be sure to mention who is doing the inviting and whose child the bride or groom actually is. If only one set of parents is divorced and they are hosting the wedding, simply state their names separately:

Mr. Frank Simmons and Mrs. Cindy Keys
Request the honor of your presence
At the marriage of their daughter….

Once you decide on which wording you are going to use for including names, you will need to make sure a few other important details are included:

Date:

Make sure you include the date of the wedding including the year, all written out as words. Also include the day of the week as people usually get married on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Stating the day of the week will help as some people may just remember the weekend you are getting married and just assume it is on a Saturday.

Time:

Decide on what time the wedding will take place and include it on your invitation, again all written out in words instead of numerically.

Address:

It’s also important to list the name and complete address of the location so guests know exactly where your wedding will take place.

RSVP

If you will be hosting a cake or cookie reception for everyone who comes to the wedding, an RSVP is very important. You will need to know ahead of time how many people are coming. Make sure the RSVP date is set enough in advance so you have time to prepare.

Reception Invite

If you are having a private dinner reception that does not include all of the guests at the wedding, be sure to include a separate invitation for those who will be invited. Important details can include if it is an adult only reception or casual attire.

It may seem early to be thinking about items for your reception when ordering your wedding invitations but doing so could save you time later.  One of those reception accessories are place cards for a wedding.

Place cards are used to help guests find their seats at your reception.  Their name will be written on the card and, if you choose, a specific table number.  Usually your first names and your wedding date will be pre-printed on the cards so it just makes sense for you to order them right along with your invitations.

You can choose a simple white card or, many times, there will be cards that perfectly match your invitation design.  No matter the design you choose, these cards are folded in half to become smaller tent cards for standing on their own at each place setting.

Place cards for a wedding are just one reception accessory you can conveniently purchase when ordering your wedding invitations.

Eco wedding invitations can be just the beginning for couples who want to be more environmentally conscious when it comes to their wedding.  You’ll find that some invitations are Green Seal Certified which can range from the paper containing 30% post consumer recycled materials to paper made of 100% post consumer fibers and created without the use of chlorine compounds.  Some paper manufacturers use a significant amount of renewable energy resources and responsible forest management practices.  These notations, if applicable, should be listed within the product details.

Another eco-friendly option may be to select a simple wedding invitation design such as a seal and send.  The mailing envelope and response card envelope are eliminated therefore saving on the amount of paper being used.

As shown here, you certainly aren’t sacrificing quality or beauty when choosing from the many eco wedding invitations available.

Navy blue is traditionally known as a classic color so why not choose blue wedding invitations if they fit the theme of your wedding.

There are many ways to incorporate blue within your invitation design…

You could have a white invitation card enclosed in a dark blue pocket wrap as pictured below.  Blue happens to additionally be part of the printed card design.

Also shown below is a white card adhered to a navy blue backer card with the some of the wording being printed as well in blue ink to be highlighted.

The last photo below features a deep blue ribbon embellishment that really makes that color pop against the white background.

If you love to keep things neat and orderly, you’ll love wedding pocket invitations. They have become quite popular, especially the style shown here.

Besides looking impressive, this particular style is set up to keep your invitation card and all your ensemble pieces neatly organized for guests.  The key to its design is the wrap that actually contains the pocket for all the enclosure cards which vary in height so the headings will always be visible and you will know in what order to insert them.  Once the invitation card is fastened inside and all the other pieces are in place, the wrap folds up to enclose everything inside.  The flap of the wrap can then be decoratively fastened with a personalized name tab seal that matches the invitation design.

This pocket wedding invitation is very elegantly designed to partially encase the invitation card and is beautifully embellished with a white ribbon.

Chances are you may see other wedding pocket invitations as you are shopping since there are many more unique styles available.

When planning a wedding it is easy to get lost in the many tasks that you need to mind and get done before the big day. An easy solution to keep from getting buried is to take it one step at a time and know exactly what each task encompasses. This way you will be able to mark each to-do off your list knowing it is 100% complete.

One of the biggest headaches for a bride is getting invitations made and sent out on time. The following is a list of the most important tips for having wedding invites made and mailed out in a timely manner while keeping your sanity intact!

Ordering:

• Create a list of all persons that you plan to invite before you actually order your invitations.
• Be sure to order about 25 additional invitations on top of the number you need to for your guests. This will save you time and money if you happen to make mistakes with addressing, send last minute invites, or you need to resend an invitation.

Addressing:

• To avoid mistakes while addressing, type or print the list of names with the appropriate titles. For example: Mr., Mrs., Ms., or Dr.
• If you are inviting a widow, address her as Mrs. Vincent Smith. If your guest is divorced you will address the invitation as Mrs. Emily Smith.
• When mailing invitations to children over the age of 18 and who still living at home, they should receive their own invitation or they are listed separately on their parent’s invite. An example:

Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Smith
Ms. Emma Smith

• When you are inviting children under the age of 18, you should list their individual names below their parent’s names or you may also use “and Family.”

Mr. and Mrs. Jones and Family

-Or-

Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Emma, Dean and Gabriel

• If you happen to be inviting two people who are unmarried, but living together or are married with different last names, be sure to use both of their full names.

Dr. Vincent Smith
Ms. Danielle Smith

• For single guests that are allowed to bring their own guest you will add “Mr. Vincent Smith and Guest” on the inside envelope.

Mailing:

• Before you go ahead and purchase postage for your invitations you should take a full envelope to the post office. Your envelopes should include the invitation, inner envelope, response card and envelope, reception card and any additional items you choose to send. The correct postage will then be determined by weight and size. If you are sending unique wedding invitations to many different people, then you should take an example of each one so that you will get a correct estimate and avoid any postage mistakes.

Sending wedding invitations doesn’t have to be a hassle, as long as you know what you need and how the process works. Keep these simple tips in mind and it will be smooth sailing until that special day!

For those planning outdoor garden weddings, there are many choices available when it comes to a design for your invitations.  As an example, this pocket styles features a sweet song bird design, perfect for garden wedding invitations.  Some designs, like this one, may also be available in different color combinations so you can choose one to fit your wedding.

Of course when you think of a garden you think of flowers so you may choose to feature your favorite flower on your invitations like this hydrangea, especially if this flower will be featured in your floral bouquets both during the ceremony and reception.  

Designs featuring butterflies and gazebos are other perfect ways you can celebrate your garden wedding theme on your invitations.