Jeff Fain asked:


It goes without saying that if you are having a wedding, you need to purchase and send out wedding invitations.  But there’s an incredible amount of formality behind invitations that many of us don’t even realize.  It had to come from somewhere, though, so what’s the history of wedding invitations and how did it all begin?

It wasn’t until 1447, with the invention of the printing press, that wedding invitations even came to be.  Before this time, weddings were announced by someone known as a town crier.  This gentleman would walk through the streets announcing the news of the day.  Even after the printing press came to be, though, there was still a huge amount of illiteracy among the people of the Middle Ages.  Thus, wedding invitations became reserved for those of nobility.  Noble families would hire monks who were incredibly skilled in the art of calligraphy to write their notices.  When these were done, they would be sealed with wax and a coat of arms of the family.  Some people still will seal their notices with wax or put their family crest on their envelopes today as a mark of higher class.

As time went on, the printing press was still considered too poor quality to be tasked with something as noble and honorable as wedding invitations.  The tradition of announcing weddings in the newspaper did pick up from here, though.  But it wasn’t until 1642 when metal plate engraving was invented, that invitations could now be printed acceptably by a press.  This process required that an artisan write out the appropriate text backwards on a metal plate using engraving tools.  This created a stamp that could be dipped in ink and pressed onto the actual invitation.  Once complete, the press mark was then protected from smudging by being covered with a piece of tissue paper, another tradition that still rings true in our time.  Another interesting note is that invitations from this time were much more elaborate.  Often, each guest’s name was printed on the invitation.

These are the very origins of wedding invitations and in honor of their history, we still use some of the rituals and traditions that have carried through hundreds upon hundreds of years to appear in our newest invitations.  Now, when you are choosing if you’d like to seal your envelopes with a piece of wax or when you are selecting the tissue paper that covers your inside inscription, know that you are carrying forward traditions dating back to the nobility of the Middle Ages.



Steve

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