You’ve said “Yes.” You’ve posted ecstatic pictures of your face grinning like a maniac above a shiny ring. You’ve set the date. You’ve made reservations and tasted tiny bits of cake. Now all you need is the dress—and an audience.
Wedding invitations aren’t a particularly glamorous part of the planning process, but they’re unquestionably critical if, y’know, you want anyone to be there to watch you waltz down the aisle. The format of the invitation itself runs the gamut—there’s the formal (“Mr. and Mrs. Parents-of-The-Bride request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter to Mr. Groom”) to the simple (“You are cordially invited to celebrate the wedding of The Bride and The Groom”) to the downright excited (“You’re invited!”). But the question is . . . which do you choose?
Ideally, of course, you choose whichever floats your boat—or tosses your bouquet, as the case may be. But as most people who’ve gone through a wedding will attest, it’s almost never up to just the bride and groom to decide what they want. Some parental units will insist on a formal wedding invitation to announce to the world that they are indeed classy, sophisticated people who know how to host a proper celebration. Others will be more concerned that the invitation looks good enough to hang on the fridge (even after you’ve been married for 10 years). Some might even have the foresight to realize that the more freedom they allow their maritally minded children, the more fondly the happy couple will remember the experience—if those crazy kids want to send out superhero invitations complete with tiny capes, so be it.
Truth be told, the invitation is just the paper reminder that makes sure people get to the ceremony on time and on the right day and tells them whether or not they’ll get food (nothing is worse than trying to listen to the vows while your stomach is growling). Some people prefer to have their invitations made at proper printing house, but far more have been turning to the Internet. I designed my invitation on zazzle.com using some Paris-themed clip art and script-y font (classy and sophisticated, remember?) and it arrived on time and beautifully rendered. There’s a plethora of printing sites these days, so if you poke around, you’re sure to find something that speaks to you.
And as for the wording? The blog Offbeat Bride has a particularly useful entry titled “Wedding invitation wording that won’t make you barf.” (Check it out here.) Because nobody wants a barfy bride.
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