Wedding Invitations-How to Select, Create and Assemble

The Inside Story on Selecting, Creating and Putting Together Your Wedding Announcements or Invitations

When it comes to planning the content of your wedding invitations, make sure to choose a vendor who provides a wide range of ink colors, type styles, and an assortment of ideas for wording to help you to say precisely what you'd like to. By at least reading over their ideas, you'll be certain that you haven't omitted any pertinent information.

What is really great about buying your invitations and announcements over the internet is that some sites have the ability to see a virtual proof. This will give you the opportunity for you to see your announcement in real time and you can also view what your announcements will look like in print. If you decide to change your mind, you'll be able to make alterations with the type styles and ink colors to get the exact look you want. You may also check out the spacing of everything on the announcement so that you can find out whether or not you pickedthe best design and/or size for the content.

There are many things to consider when you're deciding on your wedding announcements. First, what style of wedding ceremony are you and your sweetheart planning? Is it semi-formal, formal, or perhaps casual? The wedding ceremony style you are planning should be reflected at least somewhat in the type of unique wedding announcement youselect. Realize that the first impression your wedding guests will get on your coming wedding is your announcement, and you'll want it to leave a good impression.

While you might not want to send elegant or fancy wedding announcements because you want your wedding ceremony to be more casual, it will be important to select from high quality stationery. There are a number of styles of wedding invitations to select from. You will find contemporary, traditional, religious, nautical, and many more. There are some created on European papers and some on 100 percent cotton. There are additionally many far less extravagant invitations that still are truly beautiful.

Getting your unique wedding invitations put together will not be as tough or as complex as it may seem when you are getting the pieces prepared to mail. The best thing to do initially is to count exactly what you have got and make equal stacks. At the very bottom of the stack should be the announcement, next is the tissue paper, next is the reception card (if you have one), finally is the response card on top of the response envelope with the flap coming over the top.

All pieces should be facing up. Slip them facing up into the inner envelope (this one is probably lined). The envelope's back needs to be facing you. When you are finished, if you've got all empty piles, you didn't have any pieces stick together or miss any while compiling them. Address these to the wedding guests (just the names, i.e.: Mr. And Mrs. Howard Christopher). Address your outside envelope (the one with adhesive on the flap) and put in the inner envelope. The recipient's names should be facing you when pulled from the outer envelope that has got its back facing up.

About the author:

D. Sibert is an expert wedding consultant who's been helping brides with different wedding planning matters and concerns for more than a decade.She specializes in helping brides with wedding announcements. For a Free Brides Planning Manual stop by: BeautifulWeddingInvitations.com
About the Article Author
D. Sibert is a practiced wedding consultant who has been assisting brides with many wedding planning issues for more than a decade. She specializes in assisting brides to be with wedding announcements and invitations.

APP Manager

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How to Design Your Own Engagement Ring

You have found the woman (or man) of your dreams and are ready for the next step. You even know exactly what the engagement ring will look like. The problem is, you can't find exactly what you have in mind. It may be time to design your own engagement ring.

Designing a custom ring is not as difficult as you may think. Start by picturing the two parts of an engagement ring -- the stones and setting -- and begin sketching or writing down specifics. Decide the materials you want in your ring and you are well on your way to the ring you envisioned.

The Stones

A first step is deciding what types of stones will be in the ring, how many there will be, and their relative sizes. Diamonds are most common, but your engagement ring can have other gemstones as well. Rubies, pearls, emeralds, and sapphires can all add special meaning.

Some questions to consider when choosing stones: Do you want a large, single solitaire or a center stone surrounded by smaller stones? If cost is an issue, which matters more: how large the stones are or their quality? Do you want diamonds only, a combination of diamonds and other gems, or no diamonds at all? How will they be arranged? Plan the appearance by sketching how the stones will be configured and labeling them by type.

The Setting

You can choose from several types of metal and quality. Each has unique features and appearance. White or yellow gold (14 or 18 carat) are common choices, as is platinum. Titanium is also a viable choice. If you are not already familiar with the differences in appearance and quality, take a trip to the mall or nearest jewelry store. Notice the finish of each and how it catches the light.

Other features to consider are the size and shape of the setting. It should reflect the bride's personal style. Also consider hand size and balance. A large ring can overwhelm a small hand. Conversely, a large hand may diminish a small ring.

Assuring Quality

It pays to know something about quality before ordering a custom ring (or any piece of fine jewelry, for that matter). Become familiar with the 4 C's of diamond quality: carat, color, clarity, and cut. Price should depend on the quality of each attribute. Unless you know the jeweler, do not take his word on these. Independent laboratories, such as the Gemological Institute of America (GIA, gia.edu), grade individual diamonds. Yours should be certified in writing and come with a certificate detailing it's unique features and quality ratings. Most online retailers that provide custom service list diamond inventory online along with scanned copies of the certificates, so you know exactly what you will be getting.

Where to Shop

Now that you know exactly what you want, where do you shop? Chances are a local jeweler can make the custom ring. But, local is not your only choice. Several online jewelry stores offer custom rings and ship them worldwide. Some simply assemble and ship the ring from a variety of inventoried settings and stones. Others take a more personalized approach by making a sketch or mold based on pictures or a detailed description of what you have in mind. They then create the ring based on the approved design. Search "custom engagement rings" or "design your own engagement ring" to find online vendors.

There you have it. How to design the engagement ring of your dreams!

About the Article Author
More Wedding Help Bobette Kyle-Wagner is publisher at http://www.myonlineweddinghelp.com/ -- a Website helping engaged couples get the most use from Internet wedding resources. The site includes online wedding tips, original articles, and tutorials. Read more about bridal and engagement rings at: www.myonlineweddinghelp.com/rings

Bobette Kyle-Wagner

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Cheap Wedding Invitations-Don't Sacrifice Quality

Wedding invitations are very expensive. If you're trying to cut costs for a wedding and stick with a budget, cheap wedding invitations are the way to go.

It is important to try to save money, but not sacrifice quality.

There are many options for cheap wedding invitations that will give you the most for your money.

Print it yourself:

This is a great way to save a lot of money. Most people already have a printer. If not, it is usually easy to find a family member or friend who has a printer available. There are many designs and themes to choose from. Whether the wedding is formal or casual, spring, fall, or winter, it is easy to find cheap wedding invitations for any style wedding.
Once a perfect set of printable cheap wedding invitations is selected, it is important to have some computer knowledge so the invitations print properly. If the bride, or whoever is in charge of printing invitations, needs some computer help, have someone who knows computers assist in the creating and printing process. There are typically many settings that affect the final appearance of the invitations. Someone with little or no computer knowledge may not be able to get the look they want as easily as someone with more computer know-how.

Assemble it yourself.

If you're looking for something a little more, but don't want to spend the money, find an invitation that let's you put it together yourself to save on costs. With cheap assemble it yourself invitations, a bride can choose the most elegant of invitations. Typical do-it-yourself invitations are one single sheet, but assemble-it-yourself invitations can come complete with ribbon, tissue lining, and specialty paper, to name a few things. It really is a wonderful way to enhance the look of wedding invitations without dropping big bucks. Again with assemble-it-yourself invitations, it is important to have computer knowledge to obtain the best look. It is also important to have knowledge of paper craft making so the invitations are assembled properly.

Doing-it-yourself cheap wedding invitations may be a little more time consuming than traditional invitations, but it will save money and help stick with a budget. There are so many options you are sure to find the perfect invitation for your wedding day. And with cheap wedding invitations, you will have more money to spend on things like the honeymoon.

Dawn Rowlett

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Secrets to Saving on Wedding Invitations

You're looking forward to having a fabulous wedding reception.

You don't want to skimp on the food, decorations, or drinks, but you are looking for ways to reduce costs.

How can you save money and still have the wedding of your dreams?

A simple solution is to choose inexpensive, high-quality wedding invitations. Today, you can use modern technology to find incredible invitations online or design and print them yourself. There are so many choices for wedding invitations online. You'll find high-quality, low-cost custom invitations, and many suppliers will offer you great design flexibility.

Many online suppliers will help you understand the etiquette rules of wedding invitations and work with you to select the right the wording for your invitations. A good supplier will also respond promptly by phone or email to your inquiries and requests.

You can compare online suppliers by looking up "wedding invitations" in your preferred search engine.

Another great way to go is to buy precut invitations that include a design template. All you have to do is fill in the template on your computer and print out the invitations on your home printer. You'll be amazed at how sophisticated and beautiful these invitations are nowadays. Your main decision will be to determine what type of invitation you'd like.

If you're planning traditional wedding, you'll want a formal invitation. These invitations are typically printed on a folded white or cream card stock with silver and black text engraved on the right side.

If you're planning a modern wedding, you can choose from a variety of colors and graphics.

If you're having a theme wedding, you should choose a wedding invitation that is appropriate for your chosen theme. For example, a 16th- century scrolled parchment wedding invitation would work well with a Tudor-themed wedding.

No matter which solution you choose, you'll find that you can save a lot of money on your wedding invitations -- money that you can put to better use at your wonderful wedding reception!

Joan Yankowitz

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WOW Them With Your Wedding Invitations

Your wedding invitations are meant to provide a fresh perspective of your new life as man and wife. These simple invitations tell family and friends that you want them to join you at the most significant time of your life.

If you have a boring invitation, your guests are going to assume that the wedding will be boring. Don't be afraid to spunk it up! You want to convey excitement.

What will you do to make your invitations appear unique and special?

Some invitations feature an icon, monogram, or the couple's initials intertwined with one another. Dare to be different, set your wedding invitation apart from those of others.

Your personal touch will not go unnoticed. If you really want to 'wow' family and friends, send them wedding invitations that they might wish to save as a keepsake.

A personalized logo with an artists rendition of you and your fiance would be over the top! Your family will talk about it for months with their friends and neighbors. It's such a unique idea that really shows how much thought you put into the preparations of getting married.

Try thinking on an abstract level. Think of your wedding invitations, as say, a tattoo. If someone notices your tattoo, they may never forget that minor detail. Well, if someone receives an artfully prepared wedding invitation, they'll always remember who it came from.

If you want your invitation to be remembered and treasured, it should capture something symbolic. Perhaps you and your fiance met in Hawaii. If so, incorporate a palm tree emblem with a sunset as the backdrop. Not everyone will get it-but those who know truly know you, will understand what it is you're trying to convey.

Undoubtedly, a custom created invitation carries a lot of freedom. You can create, design, and convey everything you want in a neat little package - from you, to others - with love.

After all, that's the intention, isn't it? Nevertheless, it really doesn't matter how elaborate your invitations are you fail to display wedding etiquette.

Don't forget to send self-explanatory directions that include a map with your invitations. You should also include an RSVP card in an inner-envelope.

Make sure that the envelope is pre-postage paid and that everyone's address is confirmed prior to sending. Ideally, invitations should be sent 6-8 weeks prior to the wedding date.

This should give everyone plenty of time to organize their schedules around your special day.

Jen Carter

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Do-It-Yourself Wedding Invitation Guide

Think creatively and add a personal touch to your special event with do-it-yourself wedding invitations. When your friends inquire about the invitation designer, you can proudly say you did them yourself, just don’t tell them it was easy.

With the availability of home computers and the ease of downloading templates, fonts, and special wedding clipart, the budgeting couple has everything needed to complete the do-it-yourself wedding invitations project. What’s not accessible online is easily found in stationery and art supply stores.

Selecting the decorative paper to make your own wedding invitations is the first step. This sounds simple, but there are a lot of options from classic ivory and white to floral or tropical, depending on whether the wedding is formal or casual.

Once the paper is chosen you can really get creative with fonts, clip art, borders, photos and even your own artistic hand-painted touches, but invitation designers recommend you keep focused on a tasteful basic as you ponder the possibilities of what to incorporate.

Either do-it-yourself or find a friend who’s comfortable using a small paint brush and a glue gun and the options are endless. To create a striking border on your wedding invitations you can use watercolor paints around the edge even blending two colors together.

A simple ribbon, dried flower, or small shell glued on the invitation will give it the feel of being lovingly handmade and using a photograph makes it a memorable keepsake. Too much, however, is not complimentary to the beauty of wedding invitations.

When in doubt or in need of advice on everything from the right RGB (red/green/blue) combination to print silver or gold lettering to using wax seals, consult wedding Message Boards on the internet. Although a few vendors are logging on to encourage you to use their service, there is an abundance of information and answers from those with first-hand experience.

Remember, do-it-yourself wedding invitations can be a lovely addition to your wedding plans, as well as fun and easy on your budget.

Wedding Invitations Info provides information on cheap, unique, and do-it-yourself wedding invitations, plus wedding shower invitations, and advice on wedding invitation wording. Wedding Invitations Info is the sister site of Wedding Favors Web.

Kevin Stith

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Unique Wedding Invitations

Today’s tech savvy couples are plugging in and creating unique wedding invitations on CD/DVD. These customized invitations use music and images, photo montage and video, to tell the couple’s story and provide a personal invite to their wedding. Each CD/DVD comes complete with artwork, case and mailer and provides everything found in the standard invitation such as RSVP and map/directions.

Tech-challenged older family members have been known to get frustrated with this unique wedding invitation so think about delivering a basic printed version along with the CD/DVD.

A favorite 5x7 digital photo of the couple framed in a festive border with the event details and your own wording printed inside creates a unique wedding invitation for the budget minded. For a special touch you can glue a ribbon or dried flower along the border that frames the photo.

Photographs also deliver a treasured memory keepsake when creatively designed with rich paper and accents. Wedding guests often frame these unique wedding invitations.

A portrait of the couple, recreated from a photograph, brings even more elegance to the wedding invitation. A professional artist creates an original artwork to be cherished by the bride and groom for a lifetime.

Extraordinary wedding invitations using handmade paper, pressed flowers, and handmade silk ornaments are boxed with rose petals and confetti to present the mood of a wedding destined to delight the senses. Wedding invitations uniquely scrolled with cinnamon sticks attached to both ends and tied with a silk ribbon are delivered in a paper wrapped tube for the curious to discover the wedding information inside.

Unique wedding invitations have the potential of being as unique as the couple designing the concept and invitation.

Wedding Invitations Info provides information on cheap, unique, and do-it-yourself wedding invitations, plus wedding shower invitations, and advice on wedding invitation wording. Wedding Invitations Info is the sister site of Wedding Favors Web.

Kevin Stith

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Tips in Selecting Discount Wedding Invitations

Choosing a wedding invitation is very important because it will give your guests a first impression or glimpse of what your actual wedding will be like. A wedding invitation must, first and foremost, reflect your wedding theme and motif. Wedding invitations also often serves the purpose of being delightful keepsakes. However, the right wedding invitation need not cost an arm and a leg. It is not wise to spend a fortune that can be used somewhere else. The range of kinds and styles of discount wedding invitation is vast. Choosing a particular one can be very confusing.

There are discount wedding invitations and if you follow the guidelines below you will definitely never go wrong in choosing one. The key is to be prudent and not letting yourself gets carried away. You can even save more money if you follow these guidelines.

Choose wedding invitation style well. As mentioned earlier, your primary consideration in choosing a wedding invitation style is the theme and motif of your wedding.

Is your wedding grad or simple?

Will your wedding be light or formal?

Other than that, it all depends on personal taste and budget. But whatever your taste or budget range is, you will definitely be able to find a good wedding invitation.

If you want, you can even buy some cards and design your own invitation by buying a printing kit which is offered by some wedding service providers. Determine the kind of wedding you'll have. Your type of wedding invitation will largely depend on whether you will have a traditional or modern wedding. Traditional weddings would require a more formal invitation.

On the other hand, a modern wedding will call for a more modern kind of wedding invitation.

Traditional wedding invitations would only contain texts. It wouldn't contain any graphics. Traditional wedding invitations are usually upright and folded with the words engraved on the right side. Cards used in traditional wedding invitations are usually white or cream and the letterings are in silver and black. If you are having a themes wedding then choose a wedding invitation that is appropriate for your chosen theme. For example, you can have a sixteenth century scrolled parchment wedding invitation if the theme of your wedding is Tudor.

Choosing a supplier.

Wedding invitations can be obtained by mail order, printer, stationers and stationery designers or you can buy online. Choose a supplier hat provides value added services and features so you will get real value for your money. Some suppliers will help you right the wording in your wedding invitation. Some will even help you with wedding etiquette rules and would help you if you are confused about all the etiquette rules involved in sending out wedding invitations. It would also be nice if the supplier has trained and experienced wedding etiquette and social correctness experts. Choose a supplier that offers personalized service so you can be sure that you are not getting run of the mill wedding invitation. A good discount wedding invitation supplier will also respond to your inquiries and requests promptly either through email or by phone. But your privacy must always be requested so make sure that any personal information you provide to them is used for the sole purpose of processing your order.

Your order must be transmitted across a secure server, so your billing information is kept private.

Jos Putzeys

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Your Personal Wedding Invitations

When planning your wedding, leave sufficient time to consider the invitations. The look of them, the wording of them, the intent behind their presentation--all send a message to the recipients and set the tone for the wedding itself.

Traditional wording for your wedding invitations would be something like this:
Mr. & Mrs. John White
Request the honor of your presence
to witness the bonding together of their daughter
Evelyn Linda White
and
Mr. Michael Warren Jessop
Son of Mr. And Mrs. Winston Jessop

this would, of course, be followed by the particulars.
A less formal approach might read something like this:
Evelyn Linda White
and
Michael Warren Jessop
invite you to witness their vows of love on their wedding day.
(And so on...)

There is nothing inherently right or wrong about a formal versus a casual approach to your wedding invitations. That decision simply depends on the scale of the event. There are situations when it would be appropriate to include the invitation to the wedding reception with the wedding invitation. At other times, it would be more prudent to create a separate invitation for both events.

A separate invitation to the reception only might look like this:
Evelyn Linda White
And
Mr. Michael Warren Jessop
Request the pleasure of your company
At their wedding reception,
Sunday, the tenth of June 3:00 P.M.
St. Andrew's Church 3268 Sixth Avenue
Black tie requested RSVP 888 376-9882

Note: E-mail RSVPs are still not acceptable unless the event is informal. Also, there is rarely, if ever, a time when it would be appropriate to invite a guest to your wedding but not to your reception.

A fairly new accessory to the wedding and reception invitations is the "reply card." This is simply a separate card included inside the invitation, with lines to be filled out. Etiquette requires you to provide a stamp on the reply card's envelope. The rules are not as important, however, as your intention.

If you put a little conscious energy into every phase of your wedding, including your invitations, you will manifest a clear and ringing expression of your love and commitment, and a beautiful memory for a lifetime.

Stephen Kreutzer

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Hand-Crafted, Artistic Wedding Invitations Ensure Unforgettable Wedding Memories

A wedding is a thrilling event. It makes everyone feel elated, enchanted, and young at heart and the first item to symbolize this blissful spirit is the wedding invitation.

After so many years of marriage and so many memories, most of them blurred by time and an aging brain, my wedding day still shines as one prominent remembrance with most of its details intact.

It was a happy day; a Friday I'll never forgot. I still keep the white stiletto shoes I wore, although they are now curved in an infantile position on top of an off-the-way closet shelf with some of the other memorabilia, like one little box of sugared almonds that was given to each guest as a wedding favor.

In those days being the practical me, I had refused to have a wedding. Eloping would be so romantic, I had thought. How wrong I was! Luckily, my mother put her foot down and made me agree to a halfway decent wedding.

Looking through my memorabilia, I see that our wedding invitation is the only one that stands below par; however, in those olden days that was probably the best that could be done. A printer printed the words on heavy sand-colored paper in raised block letters with matching envelopes.

Today's sophisticated varieties and personalized choices were non-existent then. Such a pity it was, because after the marriage license, the invitations are the most important historical documents to recapture a couple's special day. Besides being an announcement of their future, the invitation enlightens and informs, stating who's who in the wedding party, when and where the wedding will take place and the dress code required.

Thanks to more aesthetic expectations of today, if you want to spend the money, and believe me you should, you can send out spectacular invitations highlighting your wedding theme. They are definitely the most indispensable element of your wedding.

Wedding invitations glimmer like colorful dreams to divine the way to what is to come, and after the bouquet is thrown and the last dance is danced, these distinguished items will be the ones chosen to be preserved. Beyond any doubt, you should indulge yourself where your wedding invitations are concerned, so when you look back, say in fifteen or twenty years, you will not regret having skimped, even if it meant you ate less or rented a smaller apartment for your first few years of marriage.

If I were to do it all over again, I would insist on artistic, spectacular invitations. I would choose handcrafted and custom-designed aesthetic creations that would echo my vision of the specific, poignant theme for my wedding. For a formal or even an informal wedding, a very talented artist I know, Sarah Prye from http://www.prye.com/ customizes and handcrafts colors, themes, and contents to fit any couple's needs. She also designs, if asked, monograms for couples based on their first and last names, and the keepsake boxes. This makes any wedding elegant, exclusive, tasteful, and so unforgettable.

If you are a bride to be, can you dare think how fortunate it would be if the same unique and memorable design on the invitations could greet your guests with table numbers, reception menus, wedding favors, escort cards, and place cards with matching thank-you notes to be sent later? Designed by a true artist, your wedding invitation is unquestionably the forerunning ambassador of your special day.

After its message is received, your wedding invitation will be framed for you as a keepsake to represent your happiness, and your family and friends, too, will cherish it inside their albums forever.

Joy Cagil

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Wedding Invitations’ Today’s Etiquette and Wording

The look of the wedding invitations you send will not only says a lot about you and your husband-to-be they will also convey a fair amount of information about your upcoming ceremony. So it is important to plan the type of wedding you will have before you make any decisions about your invitations.
Based upon the quality of the paper stock, lettering, color and design you select, recipients are likely to make a determination about the formality or informality of the event, thus how they should dress. The color of your invitations may suggest the color scheme of your wedding. The quality of the paper may indicate how elaborate or simple you wedding will be.

Choosing Invitations

Stationery Stores’
Most brides still go to a stationery store to select invitations. Once there, you can look at brochures and browse through manufacturers’ catalogs. The catalogs include samples invitations so that you can feel the paper stock, see the true color of the paper, and compare different print options. Knowledgeable clerks will be on hand to help you pick out the desired color and weight of the paper as well as the ink, style of script, and wording for your invitations. The only thing remaining for you to do will be to provide the particulars.
There are only a few large manufacturers and they dominate the wedding invitation industry. As a result, whichever stationery house you go to you are likely to see the exact same catalogs. Unlike private print shops, because these companies mass-produce their products they are able to offer you greater variety at a lower price.

Online Shopping’
There is virtually nothing you can’t buy on the Internet, including your gown (although I would not recommend an online purchase for your wedding dress, which must be properly sized and fitted).
The Internet offers a huge number of sites selling both traditional and unique invitations. If you are bargain shopping for invitations, the Internet is definitely the place to go.
Keep in mind that you are always taking a chance when you choose this method. There is nothing like being able to feel the quality of the paper or the raised lettering to ensure that you will get exactly what you want. However, knowing how different weights of papers feel and about the different methods of printing can help.

Private Printers’
Because of the availability of mass producers and the tendency of many people to shop for bargains on the Internet, private shops are now hard to find. If you have your heart set on truly personalized invitations, look around. You are almost sure to find one somewhere.

Different Printing Methods

There are essentially four common methods of invitation printing, each with its own benefits.

Handwritten’
If you are planning a small wedding (meaning 50 people or fewer), it is perfectly acceptable to hand write your invitations. Of course, this will be hard work, but you will save a lot of money.

Engraved’
This is the ultimate in invitation printing. With engraving, the printer stamps the back of the paper using metal plates. This raises the print up off of the paper so that you can actually feel the lettering. For most brides, engraved invitations are much too costly.

Thermography’
This is the most common form of invitation printing. With this method, the ink is heated to create a raised-letter effect that is nearly indistinguishable from engraving.

Calligraphy’
We all recognize this as another name for fancy formal script. This method is becoming more popular every year. Many of the printing houses are now able to offer this print option as well, but it is not done by hand.

Saying It with Words

Today, there are so many different kinds of families’ traditional, blended, divorced, etc. That it’s no wonder brides are often concerned about how to word their invitations without breaching any rules of etiquette. The stationer you will likely be visiting soon will have more samples of wording than you will want to see. For now though, I’ll let you glance at a few of the more commonly used forms. These all fall under the category "traditional."

(Bride’s parents are hosting)
Mr. and Mrs. David Hennesse
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Miss Ellen Marie Hennesse
to
Mr. Mark Peter Bruster
on Saturday, the ninth of June Two thousand and five
at three o’clock in the afternoon
St. Mary’s Church Duluth, Minnesota

(Both bride’s and groom’s parents are hosting)
Mr. And Mrs. David Hennesse
and
Mr. And Mrs. Clark Bruster
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their children
Ellen Marie Hennesse
and
Mark Peter Bruster
on Saturday, the ninth of June Two thousand and five
at three o’clock in the afternoon
St. Mary’s Church Duluth, Minnesota

(When the bride and groom host the wedding)
Miss Ellen Marie Hennesse
and
Mr. Mark Peter Bruster
request the honor of your presence
at their marriage
on Saturday, the ninth of June Two thousand and five
at three o’clock in the afternoon
St. Mary’s Church Duluth, Minnesota

The old rule was that the word "honor" should always be spelled "honour." This rule is no longer firmly held. However, you should always spell everything out’ names, the date, the time and the location.

There are definite rules regarding the use of initials. "Doctor" (medical only, otherwise the professional title is not used) is written in full, unless the name to follow is long. "Mr." is never written "Mister," but "Jr." may also be written as "junior," although the first is preferred.

It is acceptable to use numbers when writing the address of the church or synagogue, but avoid doing so. Generally, the address (including the street name) of the location where the wedding will be held is omitted. You may want to include it if not doing so would be likely to cause your guest frustration’ when, for example, you are getting married in a large city and guests would have to guess which of the several churches with the same name you mean.

If you do include the address and you are using a formal style of wording, spell out numbers under 100. Never abbreviate words such as "Street," "Avenue," and "Road," and do not include the zip code.

Saving Time and Money

If you are pressed for time, ask the stationer if you can have the envelopes early. This way, while you are waiting for your invitations to be printed you can address the envelopes.

When it comes to deciding how many invitations to order, you should definitely order slightly more than you think you will need. Chances are you are going to need more than you thought. It’s a lot more expensive to place a second order than it is to order extras.

About the Author
Jean Bachcroft is a former public relations director, founder of Bachcroft and Aloha Labels, and the publisher and editor-in-chief of Town and Country Shopping Bargains Magazine. For designer wedding, holiday, and year-round mailing and return address labels, visit Bachcroft Mailing and Return Address Labels and Aloha Return Address Labels.
For bargains and bargain shopping articles, visit Town and Country Shopping Bargains.

Jean Bachcroft

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