Unique Ideas For Memorable Wedding Invitations

The custom options available for wedding invitations are unlimited. For the couple who want a truly unique look for their wedding, the invitations are a wonderful place to start. There are many ways to create unique and lasting invitations of your special day. Choosing an invitation for your wedding is important, because it will be one of the most lasting mementos of that day. Take the time to select an invitation that reflects the true spirit that you share as a couple, and do not worry about whether it presents a traditional look. Some ideas to consider:

Photo invitation - Invitations with the engaged couple's photograph are a touching way to invite others to your wedding. There are a variety of ways that photographs can be incorporated into the wedding invitations. Some invitations include a full color photograph of the bride and groom. Others use a black and white, low contrast (or "watermarked") photograph. With the full color photographs, you will have to put the invitation's wording on a separate panel so that it will be clearly visible. If you choose the low contrast photography, the writing can appear either on a separate panel or over top of the photograph.

Invitations with drawings - Subtle, black and white line drawings are a romantic touch to wedding invitations, and a wonderful way to make your invitations unique. A simple drawing of a church, wedding bells or a depiction of the couple as children all add an interesting touch to wedding invitations. There are many invitations available that have drawings already, or, you can work with the printer to customize your invitations.

Adding some fun - One way to add a unique twist to your wedding invitations is by adding something fun to the invitation envelope. You may choose confetti, stickers or a funny photo of the bride and groom. If you are hosting a destination wedding, include a brochure about the area where you are getting married. Another popular trend is embellishing traditional paper invitations with large or colorful bows in satin, organza and lace.

Go nontraditional - Some couples balk at the idea of following the strict format of wedding tradition. If you and your future spouse would like to try something different, there is no reason to stick with traditional invitations at all. Print your wedding details on small cards, and enclose them in a small box of chocolates for each guest. Write a love story about you and your fiancé, which culminates in a wedding invitation, and have it printed in booklet form, and mail to your guests. The options are endless, and limited only by your imagination.

Keep in mind that invitations do have an important job. No matter how carefree or nontraditional you and your fiancé are, the invitation should include the date, time and location of the wedding and the reception. If you expect a response from your guests, it is also important to include a self addressed envelope with postage included. As long as these important pieces of wedding etiquette are adhered to, you can be as unique and nonconforming as you like with the rest of the invitation.

Is it acceptable to have a unique wedding invitation even if you are planning a traditional wedding? Absolutely. While some people like to coordinate their invitations with the style of their wedding, it is not strictly necessary. If you have a fun or different idea for your wedding invitations, then, by all means, choose the invitation that you want. If you plan on celebrating with a formal ceremony, make sure to mention that on the invitation, such as "black tie requested". On the other hand, if the wedding invitation is off-beat people may assume that your wedding will be a more casual affair unless you specifically state otherwise. Putting the information on the wedding invitation prevents any confusion.

Unique wedding invitations are a fun way to express your personality. Most importantly, they do not have to cost a fortune. There are a variety of personalized options available online and in stores. Do-it-yourself invitations are usually the least expensive option until you consider the time it will take you to print and assemble them all. Online invitation vendors can save you time as well as providing a higher quality invitation than what you would buy at the local office supply or discount retail store. But to use a famous advertising phrase, "some assembly may be required", particularly if you have chosen a style with multiple layers or bows.

Do not hesitate to add your own flair to personalize your chosen invitations and make them your own. If you still have doubts, consult with the sales professional at your wedding store for ideas on standard invitations, adding custom touches to personalized invitations, or creating your own invitations with a do-it-yourself kit.

Choosing a Wedding Invitation For Your Unique Destination Theme

A popular wedding trend is to hold a destination event where all of the event's guests travel to a fabulous destination to celebrate together for the couple's happy day. Destination weddings often take more planning and coordination than traditional weddings, simply because many people will have to coordinate their schedules in order to travel to the ceremony. This can make choosing the appropriate wedding invitations more difficult as well. By planning early, you can find the perfect wedding invitations to use for your big event that perfectly match your theme.

The first thing to consider when choosing a wedding invitation for a destination wedding is how you plan to incorporate the theme into the invitation design. Some couples look at the destination where their wedding will be held and choose invitations that use images associated with that area. For instance, if your destination is a tropical location, you may choose to use summery or beach-style images and colors on your wedding invitations.

If your wedding is at a resort that is well known for being in a certain area or having a certain focus, it can also be very appropriate to use images associated with that area to make your wedding invitations perfect. Consider the time of year that you wedding is taking place as well because this can help to influence the design decisions that you make when choosing your wedding invitations.

A second consideration when choosing wedding invitations for destination weddings is the necessary information that should be provided within your invitation. Traditional wedding invitations actually contain very little information. The most important information on a traditional invitation is the date, time and location. Although this information is also important for a destination wedding, more should be included.

The information that needs to be included on a destination wedding invitation includes; travel transportation suggestions, information for accommodations at the location, and suggested dates of travel in order to coordinate the dates and times when guests arrive at the destination. If discounts are being given by the destination, you should inform your guests about that. Your wedding invitation should inform your guests about every logistical detail of the event that could affect their travel and attendance.

One way to incorporate all of this information on a simple invitation may be to choose a double-sided design. A double-sided design allows you can to include the basic information on the front of the card, and then the travel details on the back of the card. Be sure to proofread your invitations because it is important to include all necessary information and this gives you enough time to make corrections if they are needed.

An important third consideration when choosing wedding invitations for a destination wedding is to include extra stationery if you are planning a secondary reception in your hometown after returning from your wedding. Many couples who have destination weddings choose to have a separate reception when they get home so that they can spend time and celebrate with the loved ones who were unable to attend the actual ceremony. You should include an extra invitation if you have planned such an event so that all of your guests are informed about an alternative or additional event that they can attend.

Finally, you need to remember that with a destination wedding, you should send out your wedding invitations considerably earlier than if all of your guests were located near the big event. Generally, you should allow three to four months for your guests to be able to plan their travel to attend your destination wedding. They may need to secure that time off from their jobs, plan their air travel, save money for the cost of staying at the wedding destination and prepare any other plans necessary for the trip. The more time you can provide for your guests, the more likely they can attend your ceremony.

Wedding invitations for destination weddings can be more complicated than traditional wedding events. With careful consideration and thought, you can find the perfect invitations to use and put them together to include all of the information you need to share with your guests. With your forethought and planning, you can be well prepared to celebrate your wedding day with your friends and family. A destination wedding is in excellent choice because it is beneficial to everybody attending. Your guests are able to enjoy the experience while having a vacation at a new location. A destination wedding may take much longer to plan and your guests should be given ample time to work the date into their schedules. When planning your invitations, it is a great idea to incorporate images of the location as this allows your guests to get a sense of what to expect upon arrival at the location.

How to Find the Right Color For Your Wedding Invitations

A wedding is an incredibly special day. The amount of planning and preparation that goes into a wedding pays off in memories that last a lifetime. Of the many decisions that have to be made when planning a wedding, choosing what color to design a theme around is high on the list. In many instances, the color theme chosen is also represented in the wedding invitations.

There are of course many colors to choose from. While the number of color choices may make it easier to personalize the particulars of your wedding, it can also seem overwhelming when you are sorting out all of the details in the initial planning stage. Finding the right color for your wedding invitations should be something that you enjoy. Still the question remains, how can this task become a smoother process?

Choose a color theme for the wedding

Before you choose a color or colors for your invitations, choose the overall color theme for the wedding. There is no rule that states that you must use your wedding colors on your invitations, but if you do decide to, you will already know what color to use.

There are many different ways to settle on a color theme for your wedding. Some brides have known since they were little girls what colors they wanted to use in their wedding. Some grooms have a strong opinion about one color or another. Still, other couples choose seasonal color and some choose colors which will coordinate with their wedding flowers. There is no rule for how to choose a color theme, or how many colors to choose.

Extend the color theme to your invitations

Some people want every part of their wedding to be color coordinated. Others are less sure. For some people, the traditional ivory paper is what they always imagined as part of their wedding day, while others want their invitations to be as unique as their relationship with their future spouse.

For many people who are planning a contemporary wedding, implementing the wedding colors into the invitations is more straightforward. A popular invitation style for contemporary weddings is with a solid, vibrant color for the invitation, with the ink in a lighter color. Pink, green and yellow cards come in a variety of shades, and make gorgeous contemporary invitations.

If you are planning a casual wedding, you can still add color to your invitations. Pastel paper, accent ribbons and colored ink are all popular ways to add color to wedding invitations. If you stray far from the traditional ivories and whites, you may want to use the colors from your wedding, to maintain a coordinated look.

Other color choices

If you do not want to use your wedding colors on your invitation, you will probably want to stick with the more traditional ivory or white paper, with black or, for a more formal wedding, metallic ink. You can use these colors on your invitation and be perfectly proper, whether your wedding colors are bold or pastel, traditional or contemporary.

If you want the look of a traditional wedding invitation, but would like to implement your wedding colors, consider using one of your colors as the lining color for the envelopes. This is a subtle and attractive way to customize the appearance of your invitations. Other places to add accent colors are on envelope seals, monograms and motifs. Careful use of color can add drama or whimsy to your invitations without adding much to the price.

Combining ideas

Some couples choose a neutral color for the invitation itself, and compliment it with ink in one of their wedding colors. You can also add a bow to many invitations. If your invitations have a bow, you can choose a color that coordinates with your ink color or matches it. No couple is beholden to extending their wedding color theme into their invitations, many do, but there are many other alternatives.

Making the right choice

There is also no "right" choice when designing your wedding invitation. There is no one color that will look acceptable. Many people choose colors from their wedding theme to help coordinate the look of their wedding, but that is not necessary. It is more important that you choose a look that you love. The wedding invitation is a lifelong keepsake of your special day.

If you choose to use colors other than those which are your wedding colors in your invitations, consider how you will choose reception place cards. These are often chosen to coordinate with your invitation. If the reception hall will be decorated in different colors than the invitation, consider how the place cards will look on the tables before committing to a particular color. Paying attention to these small details can help ensure that your wedding and reception commences without any missteps.

The Wedding Invitation - Steps For Stress-Free Selection of the Perfect Invitation

The day has finally come...the proposal was made, the date is set, the place is chosen and now it is time to choose the invitation to spread the joy to all of your loved ones that you are getting married. With so many details to plan and so many choices of styles, colours, themes, etc with which to choose from, the process and ultimately, the final choice can be so overwhelming for some. The truth is, like the decision to unite your life with the one person you have decided to do so with, this too should be an easy decision. As with love, you cannot chose who you love, as your heart will decide that for you... the same applies to selecting an invitation, you will know it when you see it.

The following information will provide you with a step by step guide in choosing the best invitation that will not only say it best and share your joyous news, but it will also reflect your style, theme and overall ambiance of your wedding, not to mention your budget. Most information available discusses invitation etiquette alone, while this article is meant for a different purpose. Most couples have an image of what every detail will be like for their wedding day, but can't quite put it all together to achieve exactly what it is they want. I have created a step by step guide to organize your thoughts, prepare you for invitation selection, inform you of potential options, all while respecting your budget. So get ready to learn and enjoy the process of choosing a pivotal element of your wedding day...your wedding invitation.

First, you need to in vision the type of mood you would like your wedding to encapsulate. Are you fun-loving and comical? Are you whimsical and want to be swept away into a fairytale? Are you modern and "seriously" in love? Are you captivated by moonlight on a wave stricken beach? Are you quiet and elegantly simple? Once you have established the mood of your wedding, you can easily establish the style of invitation that reflects that mood. Elements that reflect mood include the card stock, for example, vellum; a soft somewhat clear paper suggests bliss, romance and has softness in its tone that reflects elegance. A card stock that is thick and bold with sharp lines exemplifies a modern flair with class. A card embossed with characters or images may very well bring a comedic or humorous edge to your invitation. These are of course, just a few examples of card stock styles that are available to choose from. Fortunately, now that you have a starting point to mentally in vision the emotional setting, if you will, of your wedding day, the style of card stock or paper used will become very easy to choose once you begin viewing the many invitations available for purchase. The mood or genre of the invitation you view will leap off the card now that you know what to keep in mind. Remember, whatever the mood that best represents you as a couple, should definitely be brought forth through the visual and written expression of your wedding invitation.

Next, the colour scheme chosen for the special day is crucial to know when selecting a wedding invitation. Most often you have many choices in terms of which colour you want to use within your invitation, as well as elements within which to choose from to highlight your colour scheme. Usually, the colour chosen for the bridesmaids dresses, tuxedo vests, flowers, tablecloths and any other accent feature of the wedding, all coordinate together along with the invitation to unify the day and create a visual balance with what not only you, but also what your guests will be experiencing throughout your entire wedding day. As such, the special colour woven into the fabric of all of your wedding decor can easily be incorporated with your invitations through the design that exists right on the invitation card stock itself, the ink colour that will inform your guests of all of the very important details of the day, as well as a lined envelope with the colour of the day that can be used as an inner envelope (not the envelope you address) that adds a wealth of elegance and class to the overall appearance of your invitation package. The colour chosen also contributes and enhances the mood or tone of your wedding, which also supports what was previously discussed above.

Let's imagine that you have completed the first two steps. If you have not already realized, you have now chosen the invitation itself, the colour within the invitation that will bring it to life and since you already know all of the details of the day including your ceremony site, your reception site, the date and time of one of the grandest events of your life, you are now ready to "write" the text of your invitation... which means you are half way to completing the process of selecting your perfect wedding invitation. The text or written element is by far the most important part of your wedding invitation. Here you will highlight all of the pertinent information your guests will need to know in order to be part of your special day. Therefore, it is crucial to confirm that the date, time and place are firmly booked and have no possible chance of changing before ever writing and/or ordering invitations.

The other important decision to make is to decide who is hosting your special day? Are parents involved? Are parents deceased, divorced, want to be mentioned, want to be excluded? Do you already have children that you would like to mention? There may also be so many other factors that need to be thought about, so think carefully about who is important to you and who deserves mentioning on your very special wedding invitation. Since the wording of your invitation is crucial, be sure to give it careful thought.

The other part of the text is your font or lettering style. The style you choose is but another key element in the overall mood of your wedding day. A very scriptive or cursive font exudes romance and softness, while a block style lettering often suggests a more serious, modern flair. Remember, the lettering itself will probably be the biggest element on the page, therefore, it will also be the biggest and first thing your guests will see once unveiling your invitation from its envelope, so think about the "statement" you want make with the lettering style to choose.

Now you have all of the pieces of the puzzle; your invitation, the colour and the wording, thus, the invitation ensemble has been completed. However, if it has already entered your mind about how your guests will let you know if they can join you on the wedding day, then think no more. It is almost certain that most invitations you choose have an accompanying or accenting response card and envelope, which then provides a means for your guests to inform you of their ability to attend the wedding. Therefore, you are finished choosing your invitations, your guests will now be able to communicate to you whether or not they can attend; the only other question is, how many invitations do you need to order? Usually, one invitation is given per married couple and one invitation per single adult. Overall, I recommend that you also consider your own family traditions with the way in which an invitation to such an event would be customarily issued.

The final step includes the ever-famous budget. Realistically speaking, every couple needs to establish a budget when planning a venture as grand as a wedding. Big or small, finance needs to be part of the equation. In saying that, most of what I have touched on above, does include the involvement of a vendor who can link your requests to a printer who will make all of your thoughts a reality which may or may not meet your budget. Fortunately, I have many solutions for you. For those who can afford the card stock with professional printing but wish to have all of the extras that the budget won't allow; do-it-yourself bows or other adhesives can easily be purchased and applied by you at a fraction of the cost. Add your own personal touch without comprising all of it. Another alternative is purchasing invitation kits that include a professional card stock where you would apply the text and printing aspect. In this case, you would gain an overall professional style invitation, but again at a fraction of the cost. Finally, for those that are fortunate enough to possess an endless budget or close to it, my ultimate advice would be to go for the gold; make all of your dreams come true and relish in the beauty of not only finding your perfect soul mate, but also enjoy the luxury of the elite invitations professionally printed and elaborate adornments affixed by professionals that can do it all for you. Whatever the situation, rest assured that by following these steps I am certain that you will happily complete the process of selecting the perfect wedding invitations.

In closing, I will leave you with one final thought about your wedding invitations. Be sure to think carefully through the many choices you have, enjoy the planning experience and remember, the keepsake factor of your written wedding invitation is enormous, as your invitation will be a tangible remembrance treasured forevermore by all who receive one.

Wedding Invitation Wording Impressions Last

While the main purpose of a wedding invitation may be to inform the guests of the date, time, and location of the ceremony and reception, this is not the only purpose of a wedding invitation. A wedding invitation is your first chance to make and impression on your guest and to give them a hint about what to expect at your wedding. The invitation can hint to the theme of your wedding or simply give the guests a glimpse into how formal your wedding will be. The appearance, wording and formality of your wedding invitation all contribute to the impressions that your guests form about your wedding before the even decide whether or not they will attend.

Since the most important purpose of a wedding invitation is to let guests know the particular details of the wedding it is important to ensure that these details are accurate. You will want to hold off on ordering your invitations until you have finalized all of the details to ensure that your invitations are printed with accurate information. In order to avoid confusion that results from misinformation on you your invitations, it is critical that you proofread your invitations several times to ensure that all of the information in correct. Once you have proofread the invitation a few times, you might consider having someone else proofread it as well. This is sometimes necessary because it is easy to overlook a mistake on your invitation when you know what the invitation should say.

Sometimes your mind will subconsciously fix the error making it appear as though everything is correct when it is really not. It is imperative that you ensure that the details of your wedding invitation are accurate but it is also very important to proofread the entire invitation to make sure that there are no other errors. Check your names and your parent's names, if they appear on the invitation, carefully to ensure that they are spelled correctly and also check the spelling and punctuation of the rest of the text. Wedding information that is accurate and contains no errors is sure to make a wonderful impression on your guests and can help to avoid guests from missing parts of the wedding because they were misinformed by inaccurate information on the invitation.

The look of your wedding invitation can say a lot about your taste and your expectations for your wedding. If you are planning to have a particular theme for your wedding, you might want to incorporate your theme in your wedding invitation to give your guests a hint at what they can expect at your wedding. If you are planning to incorporate a theme of old fashioned movie romances you might want to invest in invitations that depict a scene or make a reference to an old fashioned romantic movie such as Casablanca. Or if you plan to have a wedding with a Hawaiian or beach theme you might choose invitation that conveys this sentiment with a background picture of a beach or a whimsical border with a Hawaiian pattern. While not all weddings have a particular theme, if you are planning on having a theme, it's a fun idea to purchase invitations that express this theme to your guests.

The wording that you use on your wedding invitations can also make an impression on your guests. You will want to ensure that the text of the invitation matches with the formality of the wedding. If you plan to have a wedding with a relaxed atmosphere you can afford to be creative and original in your wording but if your wedding will be more conservative you will want to use language that will convey this sentiment. While slang and vulgarity are never appropriate verbiage on a wedding invitation it is acceptable to use more relaxed speech if the wedding is expected to be casual.

Many guests form their first impressions of a wedding based on the invitations. Since this is true, it is important to exercise caution and ensure that your wedding invitations will convey the message that you wish them to express. If you want to maintain a degree of formality in your wedding, then your invitations should also be very formal. Conversely, if you expect your wedding to be casual with a relaxed atmosphere, it is acceptable to send out invitations that are informal.