Wedding Invitations? Make Them Mistake-Proof! What the Bride-To-Be Needs To Know!

You can invite guests to your wedding by phone, E-mail, handwritten note or by printed invitation. Printed, “thermographed” (an ink heating process that produces raised lettering that looks like engraving), and engraved invitations are reserved for formal and semi-formal weddings, while wedding invitations extended by phone or E-mail would invite guests to less formal (informal) affairs. Here's the basics:

* Order invitations that reflect the formality of your wedding so that your guests know what to expect, whether your wedding is formal, semi-formal, or informal.

* Invitations should not necessarily match “wedding colors”. Be tasteful.

*Invitations made from cotton fiber do not decompose over time. Invitations made from wood pulp will. (Most invitations are made from wood pulp.)

* Order invitations after you have reserved your ceremony and reception sites, when all details are finalized. Order wedding invitations when your stress levels are low!

* Order 25 additional invitations. If you make mistakes addressing them, you’ll have extras to fall back on, the same for that extra guest you forgot to invite. (If you don’t have enough wedding invitations and need to order more, it will cost you almost as much for 25 as it would for 100.) Be smart! Order 25 additional with your original order.

* Send wedding invitations to out-of-town guests, 10-14 weeks ahead of the wedding date and to local guests, six-eight weeks ahead of the wedding date. NOTE: Don't send them earlier, or you risk the chance that guests will lose them or forget about the wedding all together.

Always get a “proof”! A proof is a copy of your wedding invitation sent by the manufacturer to the retailer where you purchased your invitations. Check the proof for spelling mistakes, mistakes in addresses, names, wedding times, etc. Also make sure the font (print) is readable and large enough and the spacing is to your liking.

NOTE: You will pay an additional fee for a proof but it’s well worth it. Never order wedding invitations without ordering a proof!