Setting the Tone:
An In-Depth Look at Wedding Invitations
Joyce Scardina Becker
First impressions are important, and most people form their first impressions about a wedding when they receive an invitation. There is no better way for you to prepare your guests to enjoy a fabulous and fun wedding celebration than to send them an invitation that’s truly captivating. Your invitation should make your guests feel welcomed and create anticipation for all the festivities.
Styling with Style
The most important point to remember is that the style of your invitation should reflect your personal tastes, your wedding vision and the theme and colors of your wedding. Think about the colors, textures, and words that reflect your personality, and look for invitation designs that match this style.
This leads us to the vital etiquette question: What styles of invitations are politically correct these days?
For centuries, there was only “one” choice – formal. Little has changed in the composition of formal invitations, which is why they often referred to as “traditional” invitations. The basic elements of a formal invitation are a heavyweight, high cotton fiber card, white or ecru in color, with engraved printing in black ink and a delicate script type. Traditional formal invitations make a clear statement of impeccable elegance, backed by centuries of use by royalty, presidents and other dignitaries.
However, during the past few years, a new class of stylized invitations is growing in popularity. These contemporary styles are generally appealing to couples who want to create an invitation that reflects their personal tastes.
Paper principles
Feel the papers. Paper creates a mood and helps communicate the right message. One hundred percent rag, made of cotton or linen has a superb affinity for ink. Another category is specialty papers: handmade, marbled, vellum, recycled, mylar, holographic. Papers also come in virtually every color including lavender, apricot, fuchsia and celadon and lemon-yellow. A relatively heavy paper should be chosen for durability. The higher quality wedding papers usually have a weight of at least 40 pounds. The weight of a paper is determined by the weight in pounds of a ream (500 sheets) of that paper cut to standard size.
Printing primer
It is important to understand your options when it comes to printing, because this is usually where money and turn-around time become significant issues. Here is a brief review of the different methods of printing used for wedding invitations, with a discussion of the pros and cons of each.
There are four major commercial methods used in printing wedding invitations. Engraving is the most traditional printing method. It was introduced in the 1600s in monastic schools. The printing process involves etching the lettering into a metal die, inking the etched depressions and pressing the paper against the die. The result is that the letters are raised on the printed side of the paper and indented on the opposite side. Engraving is used primarily on formal invitations. It provides razor-sharp, intricate lettering that has a three-dimensional quality. But engraving is a costly process and it requires a long turn-around time – sometimes up to two months.
Another classic printing method called letterpress has been revived recently by popular demand. Letterpress can be considered to be the opposite of engraving, in that the lettering on the printing plate is raised, which creates indentations in the paper during the printing process. According to Julie Holcomb of Julie Holcomb Printers, “well-printed lines sink into soft paper, giving a feeling of warmth, and an impression made in hard, smooth paper will be shallower and seem almost carved.”
Thermographic printing is one of the most popular techniques for wedding invitations. Thermography is similar to engraving in that it produces raised lettering on the printed side of the paper. To create this, the paper is first printed with standard ink then the paper is dusted with a resinous powder and passed through a heating unit. The heat causes the powder to bond to the ink. The thermographic lettering is not as fine as engraving, but it is popular because the raised lettering gives the invitation an elegant look – at a substantially lower cost than engraving or letterpress. One caution though, with bold-faced type the raised ink can develop a “pebbly” feel that can detract from the loveliness of the invitation.
Lithography, or offset printing, is a possible option for couples on a limited budget or tight time frame. It is less expensive than thermography and faster to print. Lithography is basically a photographic printing method, where negatives are transferred to a thin metal plate that is wrapped around the cylinder of a sheet-fed press. A virtually unlimited variety of typefaces and colors from metallic to fluorescent can be selected.
With special software and font packages for personal computers, as well as economically priced color printers, couples can create their own wedding invitations and even print matching addresses on the envelopes. It is most practical to consider computer-generated invitations when the number of invited guests is small. With larger weddings, offset printing will probably be more economical, more versatile and higher in overall quality.
Types of type
There are literally hundreds of different lettering styles or fonts. Select a type that fits the formality and motif of your wedding. On most commercially printed invitations, lettering is available in specific sizes, usually ranging 6 to 72 point (a printer's unit of measure for type size). However, keep in mind that text smaller that 8 point can be difficult to read, especially if you’re using a traditional “scripty” font.
A word on wording
A properly worded invitation must answer the questions who, want, where and when. The invitation should indicate who is inviting you to what kind of function (i.e. ceremony and/or reception), what kind of food service and entertainment (cocktails, champagne, buffet, meal, dancing) and the date, time and place of the wedding.
Formal and traditional wedding invitations are usually phrased in the third person. Proper names should be written out in full, including the middle name. The words “Black tie” should not appear on the invitation itself; they should only appear in the lower right-hand corner of the reception card, since it is the reception that is formal. Replies to invitations are requested by placing the “RSVP” information in the lower left-hand corner of the reception card. Replies are sent to the person or persons whose name appears first on the invitation. Reply cards and envelopes should be enclosed with the formal invitation.
The English spelling of “honour” and “favour” is often used in formal invitations. The phrase “the honour of your presence” is used when the wedding ceremony is being held in a church, synagogue, or other house of worship. The proper wording for a wedding ceremony held at a place other than a house of worship (such as a home, club, garden, or hotel) is to request “the pleasure of your company.”
Further guidelines on wording for formal invitations can be obtained from wedding etiquette books and bridal magazines. Needless to say, depending on one’s comfort level, the old ironclad rules do not need to be strictly followed. Anything goes as long as it’s tasteful and answers the who, what, where and when questions.
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