Wedding invitations are extremely important. These will tell guests that they are welcome to attend and that you want them to share your day with you. They also inform people of where the wedding will be held and the time. It is important to get the wording just right so your guests know everything but it also needs to match the style of invitation and you!
1. Formal vs. Informal Wording
While the majority of wedding invitations follow a formal pattern, it does not mean that this is something that you need to do. Some of the most personal wedding invites have wording that the couple will use every day. This means that guests feel like the couple are talking to them. However, this also depends on the type of invitation that you are sending.
When sending a formal style invitation, or one that is from the bride’s parents, formal wording is usually preferred. However, a photo invite or story board invitation will benefit from informal wording since the style is more personalized. There is no right or wrong answer and it is best to go with something that you want.
Something fun to do for the wording is to have pictures that tell the story or have puzzles for people to figure out; just make sure the answers are on the back! This will offer something unique and you will not need to worry about how formal your wording sounds.
2. Include the Important Facts
Whatever type of wording you choose, you need to make sure you include the important information on the invitations. Let people know where the venue is and date and time. If you are holding the wedding on a more unusual day – such as a Friday or Sunday – make sure your guests can clearly see that. There is nothing worse than guests thinking that you put the wrong date down and turning up the day before or after.
State the time and address clearly. If you are worried about people not finding somewhere, have a map for them or give the full address with postcode so they can search for it. This cuts down the risk of guests missing out on your big day for something that you have some control over.
3. Informing People the Parts They Are Invited To…
If you have guests who are invited to only certain parts of the wedding, you may be worried about how to inform them of this. If you have a sit down meal with the bridal party between the service and the evening meal, how do you inform others that they are not invited to that? There are a number of options available.
You can set a timetable of the events and make it clear on the invitation that only some people are invited to the wedding breakfast. Another option is to set out two different invites with the different timings. For example:
[quote]“You are invited to the service at 11am and then the reception to follow”[/quote] for those invited to everything
[quote]“You are invited to the service at 11am and then the reception from 6pm”[/quote] for those invited to select events.
Inviting people to your wedding does not have to be difficult. As long as people understand the wording and know when they need to be somewhere and where they are going, they will be happy to receive your invitation. The benefit of wedding invites is that they are personal to you so you have complete creative freedom.
