Wedding Invitation Basics

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Typical Wedding Invitation Ensembles Include:

• Wedding Invitation
• Inner Envelope
• Outer Mailing Envelope
• Reply Card & Envelope
• Map or Directions Card
• Table Placement Cards

Wedding Invitation

Your wedding invitation sets the tone for your special event; firmly establishing your style and taste. It is the first official message about your event, which a guest will receive from you, so make it special. For a wedding, first determine if you want a formal, traditional or more contemporary style wedding and have your wedding invitation match accordingly.

The traditionalwedding invitation is simple and elegant; usually in black raised ink printed on a heavy white or cream card stock. The wedding invitation may be either flat or folded with the printing traditionally on the front. A formal wedding invitation opens up a world of possibilities in terms of style, card stock, construction, finishes etc.

For a more contemporary wedding invitation, there is an immense selection of exciting possibilities. Many contemporary couples love the freedom modern invitations give to tailor the wedding invitation uniquely to their personalities. If you have a theme or color scheme in mind, look for invitations that echo this.

Inner Envelope

This envelope typically has no glue on the flap and is intended for the guest to carry the invitation in to the event. The envelopes are typically hand-addressed with simply the guests name - no address details on the front and no return address on the flap.

Make certain you order additional envelopes in case you make mistakes while addressing. Too often we have had last minute panic calls from clients needing only a few more. It is much cheaper to order an extra 25 at the outset then to pay full price again after the fact.

Outer Envelope

The outer envelope was traditionally used to keep the inner invitation envelope clean for a more impressive presentation to the guest. Whether or not you opt for double envelopes is your decision. Today, we see many invitations sent with single envelopes for a variety of reasons, including less paper waste and cost savings to the bride and groom.

You would write the full names and address of the guest on the outside as you would for any letter mail. Standard etiquette is to pre-print your return address (excluding your name) on the back flap, but there is also a trend to save costs here and either leave it blank, write it in by hand, or apply a home-made sticker.

Make certain you order additional envelopes in case you make mistakes while addressing. Too often we have had last minute panic calls from clients needing only a few more. It is much cheaper to order an extra 25 at the outset then to pay full price again after the fact.

Reply/Response Card & Envelope

Response cards provide a simple and painless way for your guests to inform you of their intention to attend (or not) your event. The cards have a space for your guests to write their names and indicate whether or not they will be attending. A printed return envelope is a must. The front of this envelope should be preprinted with the name and address of whoever will be receiving your replies.

To make it even easier for everyone to reply, you should typically put a stamp on this reply envelope. Since budgets and event venues require exact numbers, it is socially acceptable to call, or write, those guests who have not responded.

Map or Directions Card

Preprinted enclosure cards providing directions to the ceremony and the reception site can be exceptionally helpful to your guests, especially those coming from out-of-town. Photocopied directions blemish the beauty of your beautiful invitation ensemble and are often very difficult to read, so why not splurge and have us print them for you to match your entire ensemble?

Table Placement Cards

These are not mailed with the invitation. Typically you would order one per person attending your event. Again, do not forget to order extras; plan for your mistakes and last minute changes to your guest list. Simply hand-write the guest name and the table they are sitting at and arrange these on a table at the entryway to your dining/reception hall.

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Wedding rules of ettiquette

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Some standard rules of etiquette to follow when ordering your wedding invitations are listed here:

Issued By

Wedding invitations are issued by the parents of the bride; or by the surviving parent; or, if the bride is an orphan, by the nearest relative. The accepted order of relation:

1. Elder brother
2. Elder sister
3. Both grandparents
4. Uncle and Aunt
5. Guardian
6. Bride and groom
7. Groom's family

Folding

Wedding invitations and announcements are folded with the printed surface on the outside except for "contemporary" invitations which are folded with the printed surface on the inside. "Contemporary" wedding invitations usually have a design or caption on the outside.

Envelopes

Two envelopes are used with wedding invitations and announcements. The invitation or announcement and accompanying cards (reception and response cards, etc.) are first enclosed in an inner envelope which has no glue on the flap. Guests' names are written on the front of the inner envelope titles and last names only — no address). Example: "Mr. and Mrs. Smith". The invitation or annoucement is inserted into the inner envelope folded edge first. The inner envelope is then placed within the outer envelope with its flap facing the front of the outer envelope. The outer envelope is addressed for mailing. Envelopes should always be written out by hand in black ink.

Mailing

Invitations are mailed no more than four to six weeks in advance of the wedding date.

Abbreviations

As a general rule, abbreviations are avoided. The exceptions are long established contractions such as “Mr.”, “Mrs.”, or “Jr.”. House numbers are written in figures, while numbered sheets are usually written out.

Addresses

Addresses of churches, clubs or public buildings are usually omitted because such addresses are considered superfluous. However, a street address may be shown below the name of the church or club if such an address is considered necessary for better direction.

Correct Social Titles for Men

The correct social title for a man, either the bridegroom, the one issuing the invitations, or an invited guest, is “Mr.” with the exception of: 1) Reverend 2) Doctor 3) Justice.

Correct Social Titles for Women

If the bride is a doctor of medicine or dentistry, she does not use her title when the invitation is being issued by her parents. If, however, the invitation is being issued by the bride and groom or a guardian, the bride’s name is given as “Doctor Susan Howard”.

If the bride has a doctorate degree and uses her title professionally, she has the option of calling herself “Ms.”, “Miss”, or “Doctor” if she is issuing her own invitations.

When addressing an invitation to a married woman with a title, it is a tradition to use her married name. If, however, she prefers her professional title or has retained her maiden name, you would put the wife’s name above the husband’s on the outer envelope. The inner envelope would carry the couple’s married name, “Mr. and Mrs. Andrews”.

If the bride will be retaining her maiden name after the marriage, an at home card announcing this would be included with the invitation or announcement. The wording might be “Susan Howard, Charles Bradford, at home…” This situation is never handled in the invitation wording itself.

Wedding Invitation Printing

Do you offer raised printing?

Yes we do. Raised, or thermographic printing, is a process by which the ink is coated with thermographic powder as it comes off the press, and then run through an oven, producting the raised or embossed effect.

Raised or thermographic printing is especially popular for wedding invitations.

Can I supply the paper and envelopes and have you do the printing?

Yes you can. The price for printing on your supplied materials is as follows: $48.50 for each side of each item type, regardless of quantity, up to 1000 pieces per type, using 1 ink colour. For a second ink colour add $29.50

Michael's Arts & Craft Supply store sells beautiful wedding stationery sets that we have had great success printing on with our thermographic ink processes.

What things do I need to watch for when supplying my own paper and envelopes?

Please, absolutely no surface glitter stocks - if you can rub it of with your fingers, we will not print on it, as it clogs up our presses.

Please do not cut, separate, unperf, or un-collate the stock in any way - we need the full-size sheets to print on.

Excess handling of the paper by you before-hand can cause sheets to curl which then jam and get wasted in the press.

Please supply 10% extra paper for set-up and waste - offset printing is a craft, not an exact science and there will be waste.

If you have purchased individual sheets, like scrap-booking papers, remove any barcode or pricing stickers. They tend to come off and jam up our presses, wasting your sheets in the process.

Typical single sheet sizes available at Michaels and other craft stores are usually 12"x12" or 8-1/2"x11". Remember: please give them to us at the size you purchased them. Do not cut them down thinking you are helping us out or that it will save you money. It won't.

Do you offer pre-designed a-la-carte invitation packages?

We are currently creating some exclusive invitation sets and a-la-carte items. Check back soon for pricing and package details.

Can you supply the paper stocks and envelopes and do the printing of my invitation items?

Yes we can. We carry a standard stock of traditional linens, woves and laid stocks in white, ivory and cream finishes.

Pricing for our standard invitation stocks is: Invitations or reply cards or map cards or table cards: $67.50 for each side of each item type, regardless of quantity, up to 500 pieces per type, using 1 ink colour. For a second ink colour add $29.50.

Envelopes any type: $93.50 for each side of each item type, regardless of quantity, up to 500 pieces per type, using 1 ink colour. For a second ink colour add $29.50.

For efficiency and economy of scale, we offer the above standard invitations at 5"x7" only . The reply cards and map cards are 3"x5". Table placement cards are 1.5"x5". Envelopes are sized to fit the respective items.