The Wedding Invitations Guide is Here to Help!A Wedding Invitations Guide is essential to getting you through the anxiety you are probably facing right now. If you have found this page, it is because you are at the "wedding invitations" stage of planning your wedding. Well, have no fear, we'll take this one step at a time through this wedding invitations guide.
Guest ListsLet's start with your actual guest list. Up until now, your planning has probably been with an arbitrary number of guests in mind for general planning purposes. However, now you need to begin compiling names and firm up your numbers to be more precise. If you find that you need help with this, click here to go from the Wedding Invitations Guide to the Wedding Guest List page. Not that long ago, ordering invitations was a simple matter of selecting from a few sample verses and choosing between white and ecru card stock. So Many ChoicesToday, however, wedding invitations come in all shapes, sizes, shades and the choices for format, embellishments, fonts and wordings are near limitless. You will be at a distinct advantage if you have already decided how your invitation might set the tone for the event it will announce. For example, if you are having a beach wedding, perhaps an invitation featuring seashells, a lighthouse or sand dollar images would be appropriate. Your invitation will be your primary vehicle to enticing guests, revealing your plans, and setting a tone for the celebration. Whether your invitation is classic, cute, bold, sophisticated, or a one-of-a kind work of art created as a keepsake, this wedding invitations guide advises that it is also a functional document that must adhere to the basic rules of invitation etiquette. Etiquette and WordingIf you find that you need help or more information in the etiquette department (and I know a lot of you have questions out there, c'mon don't be shy), click here to go to from the wedding invitations guide to the Wedding Invitation Etiquette page. If you are having questions with how to word your invitations, please go to the Wedding Invitation Wording page. Now, because there are so many choices when it comes to choosing from the options, please go to the Wedding Invitation Style page to learn more about the options available to you. How Many to Order?When you do finally decide on the wedding invitation you will be sending out, this wedding invitations guide will advise you to order enough invitations for your entire guest list (including the wedding party), plus at least twenty-five extra for inevitable boo-boos and last minute changes such as replacement guests for non acceptances. It is also a nice touch to order enough so that you can keep some as souvenirs for yourselves and your parents. When you order your envelopes (both inner and outer), this wedding invitation guide advises that you make sure that you order fifty to one hundred more than the number of people on your guest list. Since wedding invitation envelopes must be handwritten, it could mean mistakes (and whiteout on wedding invitations is just a no no according to this wedding invitations guide!). You have a few different choices when it comes to finding a stationer: A Large Stationery Store:This is usually the most popular option. There are lots of catalogs for you to browse through and pick out the style you like best with the wording you want, and wait anywhere from a few days to a couple of months depending on the complexity of the wedding invitation you choose. Most large stationery stores deal with huge printers and lots of customers which likely will price your order lower than smaller printers. The problems with dealing with these kinds of stores is that you are confined to the catalogs they carry. Special orders will lose any of the cost-efficiency mentioned above. An Independent Printer/Stationer:In this day and age, it might be hard to find the smaller independent printers, but it will certainly offer you the one on one interaction of designing your own wedding invitation with the owner or salesperson. This way will give you more stylistic leeway, multicolored invitations, creativity, etc. However, this wedding invitations guide must also remind you know that customized work is always more expensive. Also, it usually takes smaller operations a longer amount of time to fill your order, so if you are pressed for time, this might not be a viable option for you. The Internet:Many stationers have websites and can save you hours of running around and flipping through books and catalogs. You simply go online and order right over the internet. Most companies will send you paper and color samples so you can touch what you see on the screen, however, you might miss the human interaction of someone to hold your hand through the choosing and ordering process. The advantages of ordering over the internet is time savings for sure. You will be able to see what the invitation will look like almost instantly as opposed to waiting a few weeks. Check out the following online sites specializing in wedding invitations:
A Department Store:Many larger department stores now offer wedding stationery services to augment their wedding gift registry programs. You will still be choosing from ready made designs in catalogs with little creativity or selection but because you are registering in the store (and giving them business) you can usually get a good deal. Mail-Order Catalogs:Get a catalog directly from the printing company and you can browse from the comfort of your own home (or office) with tons of styles to choose from. Mail-order catalogs will offer unbeatable prices, convenience and very quick turnover which is great if you are under time constraints, along with more creative and quirky designs. There are, however, very good chances for mistakes when dealing with a printer/order taker over the phone. Be sure to do a lot of browsing and checking of samples with design and paper quality. A Graphic Designer:A graphic designer can design a one of a kind invitation for you and can probably point you in the right direction for a dependable print shop. You will certainly have an artistic flair to you wedding invitations, however, it will cost you twice; once to the graphic designer and once to the print shop. This process can also take a while, so you might have to get started earlier. Doing It Yourself:If you have good desktop publishing software and are creative, you could design your own invitations, notes, cards and even stationery. Once you have finished creating, get the actual printing done on a laser printer with high quality paper. You can also find kits from stationery stores and print your own if you lack the creative streak. By doing it yourself, you can actually save money and you will have total creative freedom. The problem is you will probably find it the most time consuming. Please note that no matter whomever you choose to handle the printing of your invitations, ask for references and to see samples of their work. It's also a good idea to shop around to get a good handle on available styles and price ranges. Always make sure that you:
I hope this wedding invitations guide has helped you get a better idea of what it takes to create your perfect wedding invitations. There are also other wedding stationery that can be ordered. These consist of: Make sure that you stay on top of all things good in the World of Weddings by subscribing to my FREE Newsletter! Just fill in the form here... Top of Wedding Invitations Guide Back To Wedding Reception Invitations page Return from the Wedding Invitations Guide back to My Wedding Reception Planning Home Page
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