Choosing your wedding invitations can be one of the most fulfilling and most frustrating experiences during the entire wedding planning process. Hundreds of stationers offer thousands of choices and provide dozens of invitation books to peruse. The sheer breadth of their selections can be overwhelming. Before starting your invitation search, here are three aspects of the invitation selection process to take into consideration. Also known as The Three “P’s”, it will enable you to find the perfect wedding invitation while alleviating the anxiety of your search.
Preparation. The venue, setting and theme of your wedding can have an enormous impact on the type of invitation you choose. For example, if you were planning to be married in a vineyard, you may want to look for invitations with a grapevine motif. Alternatively, if you were hosting a destination wedding in the Caribbean, you may opt for perusing tropical-themed invitations. Knowing these particulars ahead of time will enable you to pinpoint the style of invitation you prefer. More importantly, it allows you to forgo looking through countless invitation styles that are irrelevant to the setting.
In addition to the setting, the type of wedding you’re planning will also impact the style of your invitation. For example, an intimate evening wedding on a family farm may call for a simple, personalized invitation. On the other hand, a large formal wedding may require a traditional engraved invitation with custom detailing. Take a moment to consider what type of wedding you’ll be hosting.
· Afternoon or evening wedding
· Casual or formal wedding
· Traditional or unconventional wedding
· Local or destination wedding
· Large or small wedding
Personalization. Your wedding invitation should be a true reflection of your personal style and identity. While the setting, the colors and the type of wedding you’re hosting will help you narrow your invitation search to several dozen choices, it will be your personal style that helps you identify the top contenders. There are a number of options available to you when it comes to personalizing your invitation.
· Do-it-yourself. This is becoming a popular option for many brides. Many paper and stationery stores now offer do-it-yourself invitation kits whereby you can buy all the materials pre-packaged and assemble everything yourself. Alternatively, the store will provide you with the “recipe” for creating a particular invitation and then you decide on the materials you would like to use to create the correspondence. However, if you’re computer skills are lacking and/or you are short on time, you may want to consider ordering your invitations from a stationer or designer.
· Customize your order. Many stationers provide several color, font and printing options for select styles of invitations. For example, based on the theme and setting of your wedding, you could choose blue ribbon, a sans serif font and engraved printing for your invitation. This type of customization is easy to visualize and order. However, you are typically limited to the color and font alternatives pre-determined by the invitation manufacturer.
· Hire a designer. For the highest level of personalization, you can turn to a custom invitation designer. Using a designer enables you to personalize EVERY aspect of your wedding invitation. Not only can you select colors and fonts, you can request the use of fine papers and unique embellishments or add photographs that have special meaning. For example, if you’re planning a destination wedding in the Bahamas, you can request the use of palm trees, bright tropical colors and the addition of a poem that has special significance to you and your fiancé. The added benefit of using a designer is that you will save yourself a lot of time and aggravation rather than trying to do it yourself or flipping through countless invitation books at your local stationer.
Perfection. The invitation sets the tone for your entire wedding so it’s important to find a design that is ideally suited to the setting and your personal style. The invitation will also help set the direction for the rest of your wedding correspondence including your programs, place cards, menus and thank you notes. Therefore, it’s important to work with a vendor that can:
· accommodate requests to alter the invitation design to your personal style
· make last-minute changes to wording, font style, envelope color, etc.
· provide expert advice such as proper invitation wording
· deliver error-free invitations on time, even if it’s a rush job
By working with a business that can provide a high level of flexibility, guarantee the quality of their product, and offer personalization services, you will succeed at finding the perfect wedding invitation.
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