Posted by Michele Puopolo on Thu, Oct 08, 2009
By Rebecca Omansky
Your invitation is more important that you think. The style you choose will set the tone for the entire wedding. Four layers of champagne and ivory with an embossed monogram let your guests know to expect an elegant black-tie dinner whereas a deckled edge and a palm tree motif say "no shirt, no shoes, no problem!" Your wedding is going to reflect who you are as a couple and your invitation should too.
Tips from our invitation experts:
- On-line invitations make us NERVOUS!!!! The invitation process is a long and detailed one with a lot of room for error. Make sure that you order through a dealer who is very familiar with the process to ensure that every ‘i' is dotted and ‘t' is crossed.
- Order from a brand that welcomes custom orders. In love with a certain shape and size but want it in tangerine orange rather than the ivory shown? This is no problem for many invitation brands. The first few pages of the book should contain paper and ink options applicable to any of its designs. If you don't see paper options, you may be restricted to ordering "as shown" only.
- Let the experts help pinpoint your wording. Invitation books showcase not only designs, but wording as well. Etiquette dictates only a handful of ways to arrange your wording correctly and a good invitation company will give examples of each one in its various samples.
Posted by Michele Puopolo on Wed, Oct 07, 2009
Save-the-date cards are a great way to introduce your wedding style and theme to your guests. Here some helpful tips when planning your save-the-dates:
WHEN SHOULD I SEND OUT MY SAVE-THE-DATE CARDS? Typically, save-the-dates are sent out 6 months before the wedding day. Some couples choose to send them out a full year before the wedding. You should give more time if your wedding requires a good number of guests to travel, if your wedding is planned for a holiday weekend, and most importantly if you are planning a destination wedding.
You should ideally send out your save-the-date card no later than 4 months prior to your wedding.
WHO SHOULD GET MY SAVE-THE-DATE? You can send save-the-date cards to all of your guests on your "definite" list (remember - if they get a save-the-date, they HAVE to get an invitation!) or to anyone you know will need advance notice.
WHAT SHOULD IT LOOK LIKE? Since save-the-date cards are the first piece of your wedding that your guests will receive (unless you are sending out an engagement notice) most brides assume they need a color palette or theme already chosen. If you are sending them out a year in advance, it is very possible that such invitation choices have not been made. Save-the-dates do not have to match your invitations! Be creative and imaginative and perhaps you will plan your invitations off of your save-the-dates!
If you do you have a color scheme or motif chosen, consider taking a small piece and put it on the save-the-date. They do not have to perfectly match!
WHAT SHOULD MY SAVE-THE-DATE SAY? Save-the-dates are a fairly new trend, therefore there are no real etiquette rules. Once again, be creative and use fun wording. At the very least you should include: Bride and groom's name, wedding date, wedding city/state.
GREAT save-the-date ideas from an invitation blog:
http://blog.weddingpaperdivas.com
Posted by Michele Puopolo on Thu, Oct 01, 2009
Welcome to the SP Events Weddings multi-part series on Wedding Invitations!
Please check back often as we will be covering topics such as:
- The different invitation styles
- Invitation trends
- Budget/Do It Yourself (DIY)
- FAQ's on etiquette
- Theme invitations/color schemes
- Thank you cards
**First topic: Save-the-dates - Introducing your wedding to your guests**