The Handbook of Wedding Invitation Etiquette
By Deborah Portelli, Social Notes www.socialnotes.ca
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our wedding invitations will be the first indication to your guests of the style and tone of your wedding and as such, care must be taken to match the two together. The invitation will also become a treasured keepsake for you, your family and guests alike.
The first thing to consider is the style of your invitations. This should mirror the intended style of your wedding. Invitations may be printed on paper or cardstock which will match with the colour scheme of your wedding, they may also have a graphic design in the background or a decorative border. Additionally, satin or grosgrain ribbon or small crystal jewels may be added for further embellishment. If your wedding has a theme, you can start out by applying the theme to your invitations. Typeface is also an indicator of style and formality. Formal scripts, engraved scripts and antique roman fonts are used most often for formal invitations. For more casual affairs simple, clean scripts or typefaces are recommended. The wording of your invitation will also reflect the style of your wedding. For formal weddings or for the bride and groom who wish to follow long-standing traditions, conventional wording and spelling will govern their choices. An example of traditional wording: Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Coleman request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Lisa Clare to Mr. David James Elliott on Saturday, November fourth, Two thousand and seven at four o’ clock in the afternoon Church of the Good Shepherd 2230 Argon Avenue, Burlington, Ontario
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For less formal weddings the wording may be printed in just as formal a font as traditional invitations, however the wording is somewhat different. Sharon and Douglas Coleman and Hilary and Edward Elliott would be honoured to have you share in the joy of the marriage of their children Lisa Clare Coleman and David James Elliott on Saturday, November the fourth Two thousand and seven at four o’clock in the afternoon Church of the Good Shepherd 2230 Argon Avenue Burlington, Ontario
Alternatively, the bride and groom may extend the invitation themselves: Lisa Clare Coleman and David James Elliott request the honour of your presence at their marriage on Saturday, November the fourth Two thousand and seven at four o’clock in the afternoon Church of the Good Shepherd 2230 Argon Avenue Burlington, Ontario
When ordering your invitations order extras. Remember that mistakes can and will happen. At Social Notes, we recommend that you order at least twelve extra sets of invitations and envelopes. Additionally, the extra sets may be kept as a keepsake for yourself, as well as family and in laws and your wedding attendants. Reply or Response Cards may take the form of a small printed card enclosed with a printed, stamped envelope. Alternatively they can often take the form of a postcard, with the response on one side and the return address on the other. Make sure to place a stamp on your reply/response cards whatever form
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they take. These enclosures are always included with every invitation so that each guest may respond to your invitation. Reception Cards are used when the guest list for the ceremony is larger than that for the reception. Here, the reception cards would be enclosed only with the wedding invitations for those guests being invited to both the wedding and the reception. Wedding Announcements Very small weddings and elopements are the most common events for which printed wedding announcements are sent. These should be mailed as close to the actual wedding day as possible. Traditionally, the bride’s parents announce the event, however, both parents or the couple may wish to make the announcement. The wording is quite straightforward: Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Coleman and Mr. and Mrs. Edward Elliott have the honour of announcing the marriage of their children Lisa Clare Coleman and David James Elliott on Saturday, November the fourth, 2007
Save the Date Cards give advance notice of an upcoming wedding, and are helpful to guests who must make travel plans to attend or when the wedding will be held at a time when there may be conflicts with other activities, such as on a major holiday weekend. They are also especially helpful for alerting guests about a destination wedding. These generally can be mailed three to six months prior to the wedding date, but may be sent earlier for destination weddings where reservations must be made during a particularly popular vacation period. These cards should also match your intended colour palette and wedding style. Ceremony Order of Service Programs can be smart additions to your ceremony and are especially helpful to guests of other religions who may not be familiar with your service. This is particularly true when the wedding is a mix of religions and cultures and not all guests are familiar with the liturgy or rituals. The programs may be embellished with ribbons, poetry and religious verses and may also contain the names of the wedding party, a personal message from the bride and groom and your address if you will be moving into a new residence. Ushers can hand programs to each guest as they are seated, or children can hand them out as guests arrive for the ceremony. Alternatively, programs may be placed in pews, on chairs, or in baskets by the door where your guests may help themselves. Thank You Cards can also be custom made to match your invitations. They may be ordered with your married names or they may also have only your first names, a monogram or, even more simply, just the first initial of your last name. Make arrangements to have these made along with your invitations to keep costs down. Do not underestimate your time. Count on the printing of your invitations and enclosures to take six to eight weeks. Also keep in mind that invitations should be mailed six to eight weeks in advance of your wedding date. Remember to also allow several weeks to address, assemble and mail your
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invitations. Do not underestimate the time this takes. Allow several weeks to prepare your invitations for mailing. Generally, you should begin making arrangements for your wedding stationary, at least five months prior to your wedding date. Price Ranges At Social Notes prices range from $5.00 to $15.00 per set. A set includes invitation (and holder if any) a response card and applicable envelopes. There are many variations in each invitation, from paper quality, number of pieces enclosed, embellishments and complexity of design. Social Notes offers a complimentary design session to discuss your specific ideas and needs, after which a more accurate idea of pricing can be provided. Once this is done and you wish to move forward, the next step is to provide you with a sample. There is a design fee of $50.00 to make up a sample for you which is charged to cover the cost of time and materials. If you decide to move forward from this point, the fee will be deducted from your total costs. Please call 905 639 7393 to make an appointment and you may view our gallery of samples on our website at: www.socialnotes.ca.
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