ANATOMY OF AN INVITATION

The invitation to your wedding is so much more than just a letter you send in the mail. It conveys the tone of your big day, and is often reflective of the couple. There are so many great ideas out there for how to make your invitation pop (can you say Pinterest!)… but let’s stick to the basics! This is what you really need to know about what to include on the wedding invitation.

On the invitation:

Hosts
Traditionally, the parents of the bride, are the hosts and should be included but there are many variations. If both the bride and grooms parents are hosting, then both should be listed.

Names of the Bride and Groom
Usually, these are full names, including middle names. The Bride’s name is listed first followed by the Groom.

Date and Time
Everything on the invitation should be spelled out and complete. The date should reflect both the day of the week and the year: Monday, the twelfth of May two thousand and fourteen. The time could be listed a number of ways, but should be specific to the time of day: at four o’clock in the evening.

Location
Give both the name of the venue and the city in which it is located. If it is not a well-known locale or if you have family traveling from afar, you can include a map of the area with your invitation, but the address doesn’t necessarily need to appear on your invitation.

Attire
If you’re going to have specific attire, it can be listed at the bottom of your invitation. It can be something as simple as “Black-tie” or “cocktail attire.” This is often unnecessary, the design of your invitation will be a tip to your guests as to the nature of your wedding.

In the envelope:

Response Card
The response card tells you whether or not your guests will be attending, if they’re bringing a guest, and what their meal choice will be. If your guests have dietary concerns, the response card can give them a chance to inform you. Don’t forget to include the response date, which should be about three weeks before your wedding! Some couples will number their response cards to correspond with the guest receiving it. This can be very helpful if the guests writing is hard to read or they have forgotten to include their name on the response (you would be surprised how often this happens!) You can hide the number in a lower corner in fine print.

Reception Card
It is fairly common to have the reception in a location different from the ceremony site. A reception card details everything about when and where the reception will be held. These can also be used if the ceremony is limited to only close family but the couple wants a larger reception.

Map
Some of your guests may be from out of town, so it’s important to give detailed directions to your venue. Be sure to include any pertinent information concerning parking and double check the facts before printing them.

Accommodation Cards
If you are having a destination wedding (or out-of-town guests), be sure to give your guests the details about lodging, car rentals, nearby hotels, and area attractions.

Return Envelope
Include an envelope for your guests to send any RSVP information back to you. Have it pre-addressed with whomever you’ve designated to receive your response cards (typically the person hosting the wedding) and have it prepared with a postage stamp.

Addressing the Envelope
When sending your invitations, address them to exactly who you want to attend the wedding, Mr. and Mrs. Insert-Name-Here. Address single women as Ms. Or Miss if they are younger than 21 years old. Make it clear whether they are free to bring a plus one. Spell out the address completely, similar to the date and time of the invitation: Street or Post Office Box.

Postage
Once you have your entire invitation suite ready, get it weighed at your local post office. Since there are so many different aspects to the invitation, and they are often printed on more heavily weighted paper, your regular stamp may not cut it. Remember you can also get your own custom stamps printed with a special design or photo!

We hope these tips will help you make your big day an outstanding success. The invitation is the first real impression of your wedding, so don’t be afraid to have fun with it and show your personality as a couple!

Photo Credits:Acqua Photo, APictureLife Photography, Braedon Photography, BrittRene Photo, Candice Benjamin Photography

xoxo,

The Ladies of Intertwined Events

P: 949.748.8786 E: info@interwinedevents.com

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We are proud to announce that Intertwined has won “The Knot Best of Weddings” and Wedding Wire’s “Bride’s Choice Award” for 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014!