Saturday, July 21, 2007

Wedding invitations and etiquette

The usual and most efficient manner of bringing to your guests’ knowledge the general approach you are envisaging for your wedding is an apparently insignificant sheet of paper – if we are to consider its size. This small item is going to inform them about the special event you are preparing, as well as about the date and place you have established for the beautiful wedding procedures. Obviously, the direct reference is to the wedding invitation. Many future brides and grooms worry about the degree of appropriateness in terms of wedding etiquette when it comes to selecting types of wedding invites, wording, as well as when it comes to delivering them to those whom they wish to have as guests to this special occasion.

Many find it problematic to address wedding invitations. Others discover that they simply cannot understand the use of an outer envelope and of an inner envelope. Moreover, many do not know what wedding etiquette says about sending wedding announcements and thank you notes. In what follows, we will look together at several such aspects, mainly related to the proper way of complying with etiquette when the time comes to deal with wedding invitations. The number one aspect to consider when dealing with them is that they are the “instruments” that will be the first ones to talk to your guests about the official arrangements you have made for your wedding. Therefore, when you send these paper emissaries to invite, in a polite manner, dear relatives and friends to your wedding, you have to prepare them as agreeably as possible in order to create a favorable first impression about the future event you are organizing.

First, keep in mind that the design, color, overall presentation and wording of your wedding invites will set the underlying tone of your wedding. In addition, they can even signal to your guests a preference for a certain type of attire they should consider if they accept your kind invitation. Moreover, remember to plan in due time the distribution of your wedding invitations. You should order your invitations in a time interval situated somewhere between three to six months prior to the event. Then you have to make sure that they reach your guests at least six weeks before the wedding, so that they have time to consider the event and to answer you. You certainly do not want to surprise your guests with wedding invites sent to them one week prior to the event. They will most likely feel unprepared to share with you your special day on such short notice.

Let us look now at several details that are more “technical”. For instance, what kind of paper should you choose on which you could print your wedding invites? Keep in mind that this should be primarily a matter of personal preference. However, there are certain paper textures that look better and will most likely create a better impression about the manner in which you a planning your wedding. For example, if you want engraved printing on your invitation, the favorite type of material includes natural fibers. Most frequently, these are cotton fibers and people prefer them instead of regular paper because they provide the overall aspect of the wedding invitations with a deep, rich pattern to suggest refinement and a selection of classic lines in the organization of the event. On the other hand, many prefer parchment paper with an ornamental deckle edge. However, because paper thickness and quality differ from one provider to another, it is best if you ask for samples.

Now that you know you have to see and feel the paper on which you will print your wedding invitations, what happens after you finally receive them and need to start distributing them? First, what does wedding etiquette say about addressing the invites? To the concern of this aspect, it is very important that you address the invitations to both parts of a couple you wish to invite, whether they are married or not. Make sure you include no abbreviation in the first, middle (if the case requires it), or last name of your guests. When a couple you invite is not married, yet they live together, place their names in the invitation on separate lines, and make sure you have specified the customary Ms. and Mr. in front of the corresponding names.

When you use an inner envelope and an outer envelope, put the invitation and any other addition (RSVP cards, for instance) in the inner envelope. They have to face the back of the envelope. Then you put the unsealed inner envelope in the outer envelope. The flap must face away the one who places in the inner envelope. When you consider insertions, put them ahead of the invitation facing the flap. Make sure that insertions fit within the fold, if you choose folded invitations. Finally, you need to post the wedding invites, but prior to that make sure you have weighed them adequately. Correct postage will prevent any potential return caused by the fact you did not weighed them in a meticulous manner. Even if it takes longer, remember that we are talking about a wedding event and you should not neglect any detail.

Everyone known that there is etiquette to go by when you deal with wedding invites. No matter the style, appearance, material you choose for the design of your wedding invitations, keep in mind that they are the first official messengers carrying the news of your wedding.
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Source: http://www.a1articles.com/article_159360_41.html

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