Wedding Invitations

No one except for the wedding specialist and the production companies actually realize how important and difficult to make are the wedding invitations until they decide to get married and face this problem. There are so many things to consider after saying “I do” and all the details must be flawless.

Although this is one of the reasons why wedding specialists exist and manage to make a living out of this, their job is only to present you the variety of offers and sometimes also giving you a professional advice and maybe a friendly tip. However, the decision remains on the bridal couple’s shoulders and even if they could get help from the maids of honour for example or from the parents most of they choose not to.

The wedding invitations are considered a private matter and for that no other persons except for the bride and groom is more appropriate to choose the right wedding invitation. Things can get a little less complicated if you decide for a themed wedding as far as the invitations are concerned but even so, you will have plenty of choices and the decision will be a tough one.

A wedding invitation is so much more than a regular piece of paper. It is your way of letting everyone know about the happy event that is going on in your life. You must announce your wedding to your family, friends, relatives, colleagues and even more official people like your bosses and other important figures in your life.

This is the main reason why a wedding invitation is so complex; you have to be careful with the format and the text so that it won’t seem to familiar to the officials invited but also it should not seem to impersonal to the family and friends.

Since the wedding invitations are the same for all the wedding guests you need to make sure that it will be on everyone’s tastes and even more important that it also represents you as a couple, because this is mainly what wedding invitations are all about.

In order to simplify things we decided to present some of the main criteria you need to take into consideration when choosing the perfect wedding invitation. First thing you need to consider is the type of wedding you are going to have and the reason you decided over that type of wedding.

If your wedding is a small one with limited budget you can write your own invitations by hand. This is a more personal approach but it works perfectly for smaller wedding since all the guests are closed to the bridal couple and it is also the cheapest one of all.

The only thing you need to buy is some quality paper and the right ink pen. Still you will have plenty of choices with the papers so you will have some decisions to make.

In case you are not worried about the budget than even if the wedding is smaller you can create a big impression on the guests with some fancy and classy invitations. It will make them realize that you chose them to be there in your big day because you care more about quality and that few ones that are invited deserve only the best.

Another cheap method for your wedding invitations is using your own personal computer. This is appropriate even for big weddings as long as you have enough paper and ink.

You can either design yourself the wedding invitation (if you are talented this is by far the cheapest way) or you can pay someone for the design only and you just write the text and print it at your house; this is also a cheap variant as you only pay it once and you get to print it for as many times as you need, and you don’t risk to ruin everything by testing your talents directly at your own wedding. 

Another considerable option would be laser printing your wedding invitation’s pattern. Although the quality is not the best, you can hide that with the appropriate type of paper and it will still be accessible to any budget limits. The ink will be flat printed on the paper and there will not be any special effects but the process is very fast no matter how many invitations you may need.

Engraving your wedding invitations is probably the best procedure as it is formal, classy and it looks beautiful; unfortunately it is also expensive and it does not match any budget. The engraving process is based on cutting the text into a copper surface and then filling that metal surface with ink. Afterwards the paper is pressed with the metal pattern and the effect is that of raised letters. This is a complicated process and although it is the most official one that can be used, it is also the most expensive of all. Do not let yourself impressed so easily by the looks of the wedding invitations and try to think rationally if you can really afford it.

A similar look like the engraving can be obtained by using the thermograph procedure. It is less expensive and the results are almost the same. The only difference is that compared to the engraving you will not be able to feel the letters from behind of the invitation. In order to have the thermograph effect they mix wet ink with resin powder and the effect consists in raising shiny letters. This is probably the best option for a wedding invitation from all points of view.

The last option we are going to present is the embossing of text or art borders or any other designs you desire. This is not a budget friendly option either as it is also based on a press but in case you are convinced this is what you are looking for you can save some money by choosing only one simple design. The results are spectacular.

Now that we have settled the ground rules as far as printing the wedding invitations you need to make sure you found the right invitations provider. The wedding invitations must be ready if possible three months before the wedding. This will give you plenty of time to verify them all, check the name spelling and see if you have everybody included. In case you have forgotten someone, this amount of time will allow you to order extra wedding invitations and deliver them all so that the wedding guests receive them in time (six weeks at least before the wedding).

The first question you need to ask your wedding invitations provider is regarding the price and whether you get any discounts in case of a larger order. It is also advisable to do a field research on the market before choosing the provider and make sure you get the best offer possible. Do not forget to ask them about the price in case your order is smaller if this is the case otherwise you risk having unpleasant surprises at the end. Some companies charge bigger prices when it comes to smaller amounts of wedding invitation and they don’t always mention it in their offer.

 Another thing you need to take into consideration when choosing your wedding invitation provider is the time they take to send you the products. This is also a proof of their commitment to their clients. In case you did not ask for a special wedding invitation that takes more time to be prepared, the regular amount of time should be around three or four working days; however it should not exceed ten working days.

Ask your providers about their special offers. Most of these companies also take care of other wedding arrangements not just wedding invitations and you might receive a package offer if you also decide for other of their products. Some of the providers have a 24-7 client service program that is there for you at any time to answer your questions and guide you through the entire process.

As far as the patterns are concerned your options are infinite. Depending on your wedding style or wedding theme you can choose between modern and futuristic wedding invitations, traditional wedding invitation, destination wedding invitations designed with special locations, floral wedding invitations or even more spectacular ones with real or fake pearls or Swarovski crystals wedding invitations. The appropriate colour is again up to you and your wedding theme, the most frequent colours are light blue, pink, beige, ivory and white.

If you are having a themed wedding, the wedding invitations should be completely adjusted to that theme and are also meant to let your wedding guests know about it and be prepared. If we are talking about a medieval theme or a historical theme than the wedding guest should be informed about the outfits and other practices. If you are having a flower theme wedding, the wedding invitation is going to have the flower/s you chose on the background or maybe even a natural flower attached to the invitation or in the envelope.

A summer theme or a tropical theme can come with a spectacular exotic landscape pattern of the wedding invitations or even a picture of the place the ceremony is going to take part at. The winter wedding themes go well with fabulous winter landscapes wedding invitations. The wedding invitations for a theme wedding must keep the dominant colours of the theme and must say everything about the wedding in a simple picture or image.

As you can see there is nothing common or easy about the wedding invitations, they take a lot of time, and some important decisions to be made. The options are endless from the most classical patterns and up to the most modern and inventive ones. Take a deep breath and start thinking considering your options.