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If you have ever been involved in a wedding, chances are you’ve probably had a hand in the decorating, organizing, or any of the million little things it takes to make a wedding go off perfectly.

One of the things you may have helped with is the wedding invitations. Although generally these are left for the prospective bride and groom to take care of, anyone can be in on the planning and mailing of the wedding invitations. This is especially true if the prospective bride and groom are busy fighting with caterers and wrestling with wedding photographers.

If you’ve ever wondered why these little decorative cards are such a big part of the wedding, then you’ve come to the right place. This article will explain exactly how wedding invitations work and the reason we make them such a big part of the wedding.

The Importance of the Wedding Invitation

Weddings are one of man’s oldest living traditions. In fact, some of the earliest artefacts ever found by anthropologists have been decorative beads and other ceremonial items commemorating the joining of a man and a woman.

Through the ages weddings have gradually evolved into grand ceremonies that people spend months planning in advance. Let’s face it; some people begin planning their dream wedding as soon as they realize that they could be getting married one day.

Wedding invitations bring your loved ones together for the happy occasion. They also are the first chance you may have to introduce the theme or flavour of your wedding.

The Most Important Invitation of Your Life

Your wedding day is going to be one of the most important days in your life. It is a natural progression for many people to find a mate, fall in love, get married, and raise children.

This is the way things have been for people for many thousands of years. Although today’s society may have changed the institution of marriage, the act of marriage itself has remained a corner stone in most people’s lives.

Your wedding invitation is a way for you to ask your loved ones to come and be a witness to the vows you are taking. Marriage is an institution you go into hoping it will be forever, even if it doesn’t end up that way. It’s important that you intend for your marriage to last all your days.

What Your Invitation Will Say

Your wedding invitation should contain all the information needed for your friends and loved ones to join you in your happy event. This means names, dates, and times all need to be correct. You don’t want your guests to show up at the wrong time or place!

It is important that you use full names and full addresses and that you keep away from abbreviating anything or using shorthand. You can’t leave any room for confusion or misinterpretation. Consider your wedding invitation to be a formal document. Dot all your “I’s”, cross all your “T’s”, and you can avoid embarrassing mistakes that could mislead your guests.

You should also be sure to mention or give thanks to the church or people hosting the wedding, if any. Remember that without a lot of help from your loved ones your wedding could go from a dream to a nightmare in a few seconds. If your parents are hosting the wedding, take a moment to thank them for their generosity. It’s the least you can do.

As mentioned above, your wedding invitation is also a great way to introduce your guests to the theme or flavour of the wedding. It is also a perfect chance for you to flex your creative muscles and come up with a wedding invitation your guests will be talking about for years to come.

The Wedding Tradition

Weddings are all about tradition. Weddings have a long and coloured history that spans back to the dim memories of our first civilizations, so it’s no wonder that some wedding traditions have stuck around. Wedding invitations are no exception.

Things like Calligraphy and paper choice have long traditions that stem back to the days when wedding invitations were made by monks for the super-wealthy. In those days, wedding invitations were pure works of art with embossed Calligraphy and illuminated pictures.

Calligraphy choice is just as important today, and paper choice can go a long way toward showing your guests the kind of wedding you are planning.

The act of inserting a single sheet of tissue paper into the wedding invitations is a throw back to those old days. During the high period of Europe it became fashionable for those who could afford machine pressed wedding invitations to hold huge weddings with hundreds of guests.

The ink on these mass produced invitations had a tendency to soak through and bleed into other parts of the invites, and a sheet of tissue paper was added to soak up the excess ink.

The tradition has continued to this day, even though the ink process is much more efficient in the world of laser printers and photo printers.

Double envelopes are another common tradition that goes back to the days before automated mail sorters. Wedding invitations would be written up and then hand delivered by couriers on horseback.

It was often a rough ride as the wedding invitation was subjected to the rigors of horse-travel as well as exposure to the elements. The outer envelope was meant to protect both the invitation and the original envelope from these dangers.

Once the wedding invitation reached its destination, the outer envelope was discarded and the pristine invitation was delivered to the intended wedding guest.

Today you often still see double envelopes accompanying wedding invitations even though the postal service has greatly improved from the days of the horse-bound courier.

Some Pointers for Making Your Wedding Invitation a Success

One of the most important things you can do for your wedding invitation (and your guests!) is to make sure that all of your information is completely correct. Triple check everything if you have to.

Another thing you may want to do is make sure every wedding invitation has a convenient RSVP card that can be returned to you. This way you can keep track of your guests and your guests can start planning what they need to do for the upcoming event.

These days, many people opt for a handy e-mail address or telephone number that can be used in place of an RSVP card. It’s a simple matter to add that to the bottom of the back of your wedding invitation if that’s what you would prefer.

You should make sure that you have added any pertinent information regarding your wedding on your wedding invitations. For example, if your wedding is a strictly adult affair or you are holding your reception somewhere other than where your wedding is, you may want to add those bits of information to your wedding invite.

You want to give your guests the proper information and amount of time to prepare with, so if they need a babysitter for the wedding they can start looking right away. If you deliver the wedding invitations with lots of time to prepare, say three months or so, then your guests will have all the time they need to get ready for your wedding.

As you can see, your wedding invitation is an important first link for you to connect with your friends and loved ones on your wedding day. Understanding the reasons why wedding invitations are so important can make them a treasured addition to your wedding planning, something you can look back on with satisfaction and that your guests will see as something to cherish for the rest of their lives.

About The Author

Bill Schnarr is a successful freelance writer providing tips and advice for consumers purchasing wedding invitations, wedding dresses & gowns and engagement rings & gifts. His numerous articles offer moneysaving tips and valuable insight on typically confusing topics.

This article on "How Wedding Invitations Work" reprinted with permission.

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