Once the wedding date has been finalized, the most important step is ordering the Wedding Invitations.
A wedding invitation is an important part of the wedding stationery that not only delivers the event details but also conveys the distinct taste and style of the couple-to-be. Thus wedding invitation planning needs some special considerations.
- Style: Once you have decided your wedding theme and style, you need to choose the style of your wedding stationery. This style will help your guests get a basic idea about your wedding theme and tone. You can choose from the available styles by visiting various wedding invitation-designing firms or opt for styling the cards yourself.
- Listing the guests: Start by creating a basic list of the guests. This will help you to get an idea about the number of cards you have to order.
- Cost effectiveness: Like in case of the rest of the wedding formalities, the cost of wedding cards must be taken into account . The price of the card will depend upon the style of card you’ll choose. You can visit some online sites to get an idea about the cost.
- Language: The language of the invitation card should be as clear as possible. A third person wording style will do just fine. Give a special attention to spellings and punctuation. The wordings must start with the details about the hosts. The cards should not contain any abbreviations. The details must include the day, date and timing of all events. An example of the date format is: Sunday, December 2nd , 2014 followed by the time which should be written in simple numerals or a 12-hour format such as 2:00 pm. Include the address of the venues for both the wedding ceremony and reception as well as the Mehendi, Sangeet etc. You can add phrases of your choice in this aspect.
- Printouts: When you are done with all the above steps, it is time for the printing the cards. The invitation cards should be printed out at least 4-6 months before the main event so that there is ample time to send them to the guests. The responses, thereafter, will give you an approximate headcount for the wedding.
- Addressing and sending the cards: Address the cards appropriately using suitable titles for the invitees. Collect mailing addresses of the guests beforehand so that there’ll be no confusion later. Categorize the guest list into family, friends and workplace colleagues. Try to send the invitations as soon as you finish addressing them. Don’t forget to stamp the cards. (This might seem like an obvious thing to do, but is one of the most easily forgotten details).
- Thank you cards: Along with the invitation cards don’t forget to order the Thank You cards as well, though this is a fairly new concept in Indian weddings. As soon as your wedding gifts start to pour in, you will need to start sending thank you notes so that you don’t forget this important formality later.
- Extra cards: Don’t forget to order extra samples of all wedding day cards. This is in case you have to send some last minute invitations for which you must always be prepared.
Featured image: via Seven Promises