Sarrah Beaumont asked:


You have probably heard of the latest craze in wedding invitations. Gone are the days when each and every bride in the country rushes to have her invitation printed with a laser-printer ink etched on glossy paper. We now welcome the era of handwritten wedding invitations.

There are actually two options up for brides and grooms-to-be. One, if you believe that your handwriting is passably artistic, you can always write the wedding invitations yourself. This exceptionally personalized means is definitely more affective if you wish to invoke a more intimate, cozy feel for your special day.

Moreover, writing your own wedding invitations slashes down a fraction of your expenses. Just buy your own scented stationery, a box of lovely, well-designed envelopes and voila, a lovely invitation without the hefty price. You can even add in a few embellishments and ornate designs here and there to complete the personalized feel to a tee.

This savings could really work well for you. You can then splurge on the wedding dress or your dreams, or on the bridesmaids dresses.

If you still wish to evoke that same intimate atmosphere, yet your handwriting is needs to be deciphered by a specialist, we suggest that you go get yourself a professional calligrapher.

The art of calligraphy’s roots could be traced back to cave paintings. Over the years, it grew to become a famous, treasured art despite the advance of other printing materials such as typewriters, and of course, computers. Despite the myriad of font styles, colour and sizes that a computer can produce, calligraphy is still sought-after. As long as there is a human being who keeps it alive, calligraphy will continue to be an art.

This art is brought to a whole new light when used in wedding invitations. Calligraphy set in glossy, embossed or silky paper gives the guests an impression of comfort and intimacy. Nothing says “you are special” quite like handwritten invitations. It basically shows that much thought and effort was put into each and every line.

A wedding invitation, much like a wedding dress, is the finest representation of the bride’s personality. A gracious invitation reflects a gracious host.

To avoid humdrum handwritten wedding invitations, you can always opt to indulge and experiment in the following areas:

1. Shape. You can always create unique shapes for your wedding invitations. You can either have it shaped like your wedding dress, your wedding cake or have it shaped like a bell. You can always play around with shapes, it is probably the safest element to experiment with.

2. Size. If you really want to make an impression, lay it on the invitation size. The bigger, the crazier. However, your guests would probably be eternally grateful if you will not send them a billboard-size invitation.

3. Design. Make sure that your wedding invitation design matches your theme. Do not depict a beach theme on your wedding invitation when you are actually going to have a church wedding.

4. Colour. Since it is a wedding, go for neutral colors, earth tones or pastels. Avoid black at all cost.



Francis

Robert Paulson asked:


Planning a wedding is not easy and aside from the location, that stunning dress you need to track down and your guest list, perhaps the biggest challenge is your wedding stationery. Your wedding stationery is not only your chance to make a first impression on your guests, it is also the item that is most often saved by guests to remember your special occasion. Below are some tips to help you when creating your wedding stationery set.

Wedding Stationery Must Have’s

• Wedding Announcements/Save the Date Cards – Sending out a wedding announcement letting your guests know of your wedding date and location is the first step in getting an idea of how many guests will be attending (Be sure to include an RSVP card with return envelope and postage). Though you want your wedding stationery to be consistent, it is sometimes a good idea to avoid excessive decoration on these initial mailings. Things like envelope liners and seals can usually be reserved for your wedding invitations. This is a good way to save a bit on your wedding stationery overall.

• Your Wedding Invitations – Being the centerpiece of your wedding stationery, your invitations is where you will likely want to spend the bulk of your wedding stationery budget and pay close attention to detail. Wedding invitations are your chance to let your guests know how formal (or informal) your event will be and are an important element in setting the overall tone for your entire wedding. As mentioned above this is also the item of wedding stationery most guests will save in order to remember your big event so take time to make sure you’re making the impression that you want. Envelope liners, envelope seals, ribbon, floral accents and multi-layered designs are a few things to consider.

• Reception Cards/Directions – These wedding stationery items should be included with your wedding invitations and though you want them to be consistent with the style of your wedding stationery, single sheet cards with little to no adornments. It is important that your directions to the wedding/reception are printed clearly. Poor printing quality to lead to maps that are hard to read and you don’t want your guests getting lost.

• Menus and Table Cards – These reception and dinner items should also match the overall feel of your wedding stationery. Table cards can usually be made with a single folded card and nothing too fancy in the way of design. Something to consider with menus is a two layer design that matches your invitations. This is an easy way to add consistency with your wedding stationery since most guests will not bring their invitations with them.

Wedding Stationery – Important Details

There are many details that you can include that can make sure your wedding stationery is as perfect as your event. Paying attention to the following suggestions can go a long way in adding additional quality and a lasting impression.

• Return Postage – Make sure you include return envelopes and postage. Making your guests pay for a stamp is poor wedding stationery etiquette and should be avoided at all costs.

• Use Calligraphy Fonts – When printing the text for your wedding stationery a calligraphy (cursive) font style is highly recommended to add elegance.

• Your Requests – If you prefer to not have children at your ceremony, make sure to let your guests know. Be as clear as you can here to avoid any confusion.

• Double Envelopes – When delivering your wedding invitations, place them, envelope and all, into a cheaper outer envelope to ensure that they are not smudged during postal delivery.

• Envelope Seals – Adding these to the envelopes of your wedding stationery add a high degree of quality for minimal extra cost. Wax seals and paper seals work equally as well here.

These are just a few things that go into the making of a quality wedding stationery set. Like most bride’s to be, I’m sure that your wedding stationery is something that is not only important to you, but something you want to make sure you get right. Keeping in mind the things above can hopefully help you to achieve this.



Bryan

anonymous asked:


Planning a wedding is a great deal of fun, but it also requires a significant amount of planning. Once you have set your date, one of the first wedding details you should turn your attention toward is the selection of your wedding invitations. While at one time traditional wedding invitations appeared only as white or ivory with engraved black in, today there are numerous options available for the modern bride. Due to the wide variety of designs and styles in wedding invitations available, you’ll want to get started early in choosing the perfect wedding invitation.

There are numerous factors that will affect your choice of wedding invitation. The first question you should ask yourself is whether you are planning to have a formal, semi-formal or casual wedding ceremony because the type of ceremony you plan will impact your choice of invitations.

Regardless of whether you choose formal, semi-formal or casual invitation, generally, wedding invitations include the invitation itself as well as a reception card, response card, separate envelope for the response card, detailed information on accommodations for guests and riving directions and important telephone numbers.

Be aware that while there are literally thousands of styles and designs of invitations available for the choosing, there are only six basic types of invitations. These include:

Engraved Thermo graphed Printed Calligraphy Handed colored Box set

Engraved invitations are the most classic and traditional choice of invitations available. They are also the most expensive type of invitations on the market; however, if you are planning a very formal wedding, engraved invitations are an absolute must. Keep in mind that you should order your engraved invitations no less than 8 weeks from the date of your wedding, preferably farther in advance.

Thermo graphed invitations provide an affordable alternative to engraved invitations. The end result is a very elegant look and while thermo graphed invitations might not be appropriate for a very formal wedding, they would work well for a semi-formal wedding. Plan on ordering these invitations at least six weeks in advance.

Printed invitations are one of the most popular choices on the market and are very cost efficient. You can find a wide variety of printed invitations available through most stationary and printer vendors as well as on-line wedding invitations vendors. While the turn around time for printed invitations is typically better than engraved or thermographed options, you should still plan on ordering your printed invitations at least 4-6 weeks in advance. Printed invitations are appropriate for semi-formal and casual weddings.

One option in printed invitations that is definitely gaining favor is the alternative of purchasing ‘blank’ invitations from printed stationary retailers and then printing your own information. This gives you the option of choosing the design you want and saving a few dollars by handling the printing on your own.

Calligraphed invitations are very elegant and work well for weddings with an old fashioned theme. They can be very expensive; however, due to the amount of time and effort involved in producing them. When deciding on whether to choose calligraphy invitations remember that you need to allow extra time for preparation, plan on additional cost and keep in mind that this type of invitation may smudge if it comes in contact with even a slight amount of moisture. Calligraphy invitations are appropriate for all types of weddings except very formal events.

Hand made invitations are gaining in popularity not only because they are cost efficient but because they add a nice personal touch to a very special occasion. There are numerous options for creating hand made invitations and basically the sky is the limit with choices. Just remember to plan on making additional invitations in case of mistakes and allow plenty of time, especially during this hectic time of your life. Handmade invitations are appropriate for most weddings except very formal events. Handmade invitations can also be easily generated with desktop publishing programs and attractive stationary.

Box set invitations are available at most stationary retailers and can provide an quick and easy alternative to other types of invitations. This type of invitation can also be easily dressed up for a unique and personal touch.

Regardless of which type of invitation you ultimately choose, do be sure to allow plenty of time for printing and an additional two weeks for mailing. Also, consider interesting and unique ways you add a personal touch to your wedding invitations, such as unique wording and verses



Gloria

Sarrah Beaumont asked:


Did you know that in ancient times, the task of informing guests regarding the details of an upcoming wedding is not done through wedding invitations? Yes, back when paper and stationery sets are not yet invented, spreading the word about tying-of-the-knot events were done using different means.

The Town Crier

When the printing press was not yet in existence, weddings are announced using a Town Crier. Typically, he is a gentleman with a loud voice and who roams around town to inform everyone about an upcoming wedding. Basically, everyone who has heard about such an announcement is invited to the wedding. In other words, one’s sense of hearing is a guest’s wedding invitation.

Calligraphy

Then during the medieval era, illiteracy was rampant. Because most people cannot read and write, the use of wedding invitations was only limited to the members of the nobility and to the affluent. Wedding invitations are done by using the services of monks and other people who are skilled in the art of calligraphy.

Because only the rich and affluent could afford the services of these skilled professionals, those in the lower and middle class had to make do of the town criers still.

Engraving

When engraving was invented in 1642, quality wedding invitations became accessible to the middle class. Engraving here means handwriting the text in reverse to any metallic object with the use of a carving tool. This engraved metal is then used to mass-print the wedding invitations.

Perhaps, this became the roots of mass wedding invitations that you see today.

“Double Envelopes”

When wedding invitations were to be hand delivered by a “horseman,” the possibility of damage is high. This gave rise to the idea of putting wedding invitations in two envelopes in order to protect these precious papers. Today, you can still see invitations placed in double envelopes because these are still to be sent to other parts of the world using a courier service provider. Of course, if you are the bride, you don’t want your guests receiving dilapidated and crumpled bits of paper.

The Modern Means

After the World War II, the use of “fine wedding stationery” came about. This then led to how you see wedding invitations today. This was also coupled with a number of different printing techniques including thermography, letterpress printing and laser printing. The third is promoted by many wedding experts because it is said to be the least expensive printing method.

You see, as with the other aspects in a wedding ceremony preparation, wedding invitations have also evolved. It has travelled from being a lowly auditory function to an elaborate written material that features different font types, styles, colors, sizes, and even scents.

You can see that even before, when the world still lacked a touch of modernity, the task of spreading the word about weddings was still carried out. You can see that people have used their creativity and ingenuity in making special announcements.

Today, however, you can still make use of that creativity – but not anymore in how the prehistoric people handled it. Creativity can be poured in your unique design of wedding invitations.

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Kathleen

TM Lung asked:


Nowadays, most people will hire a printer to print the wedding invitation cards. In fact, this is not the only option. There are a lot of different options. You can consider printing the cards at home. To this end you will be creating a DIY wedding invitations. You may also go for the option of handmade wedding cards. This will certainly add extra human touch to the cards. Yet one of the option which will usually be forgotten will be calligraphy wedding invitation.

As a matter of fact, it may probably be the most traditional style for wedding cards. It is a tradition in the past that monks will write the contents of the cards for couples. Of course you may not ask a monk to help you to write the contents. You may try to hire a calligrapher to help you to write the contents. This will certainly make your card an extremely unique one.

You may wonder what the advantages and disadvantages associated with such wedding invitations. In this article, we will try to discuss all these advantages and disadvantages. I hope that this article can give you more background information so that you can make your final decision a lot easier.

If you would like to to make wedding invitation a really unique one, you should consider the idea of calligraphy. If the cards are written one by one, it can be sure that each card is a unique invitation. This is because human beings are not offset printers. There will be some difference when the calligrapher is writing each card.

On the other hand, you can also go for the option of hiring a calligrapher to write the first card for you. Then you will scan the writings and have it printed in bulk. The advantage of doing so is that you can save some money. It will be a lot more expensive if you need the calligrapher to write 300 cards for you. Of course the disadvantage is that all the cards will be the same when you do this.

When you are planning to create a calligraphy wedding invitation, you will need to prepare to pay. As a matter of fact, the cost of a card can be quite high if you would like to make all your cards hand-written. This is probably one of the disadvantages of such a wedding card.

Considering the material of the card, you will probably have less choice. This is because not all material can be used with pens. And as a result you have to make sure that you can write on the cards with a pen. There are some materials which are designed for printer inks only.

In fact, there is still an option here. And it will be also be a cheaper option. You can consider writing the cards yourself. As mentioned, you will need to spend less money if you go for this option. On the other hand, it will certainly be more meaningful since all the cards are written by you!



Christine