Your Wedding, It’s Guests & Your Invites
Who to invite, how to invite them and what your invites should even look like can be tricky. In this Your Wedding, It’s guests & Your Invites blog post we’re going to break it all down for you and help you bring together your guest list, your theme, some colour options and of course how to get the invites together with a great Wedding Invitation Checklist.
The idea of an invitation to most is simple. You just have to pick who you are inviting and invite them, right? Well, the wedding invitation say’s so much more than “we’re getting married and want you to join us!” The wedding invitation says everything about the wedding in a few words, the visual presentation of the invites and even the colours.
With a few simple adjustments you can make your invitation say that you are getting married on a beach or in a grand hall with chandeliers. The colours and style of your invites set the tone for the formality, or informality, of your wedding. All this can be done by wording, picking different fonts, colours, and layouts and by how you send them out.
Who Will Be Joining You?
First things first, who are you inviting? There are some very obvious answers to that question and some maybe not so obvious answers. You have to look at how big the space is where you are getting married, because that will depict how many people you can invite. Then you will have to look at how much you want to spend, because even though the venue will hold 300 people, you may only want to spend money on 100 people. Once you have a number in your head of how many people you want there, the rest gets easier. It could be beneficial for you to have an A and B list. The A list is of people that you couldn’t imagine your big day without.
The B list is for people that you would like to be there but may not “have” to be. You don’t have to invite that second cousin, twice removed, that you met once at a family BBQ, when you were 12. They will probably be on the B List, or even a “C List”.
You may also consider having a larger ceremony with a more intimate reception. In which case you’ll have to have an invite that expresses this or send out two sets of invites (but we’ll talk about that in another blog post).
Once you’ve narrowed down the who and to what it’s time for the theme and colours.
What is Your Wedding Theme or Vibe?
This plays an important role once you get into designing and making the invitations. If your wedding them is Barnyard Rustic, and your colours are cream, gold and brown, then you may not want to make your invitations red, blue, and yellow with floral details. This will send the wrong message and give the wrong impression to your guests.
If you have a theme in mind for your wedding already then it is a good idea to keep it consistent throughout everything that you do, and that starts with the invitations.
If a certain type of flower has a certain meaning or significance to you then consider using it in your wedding stationary. If your colours are bright, bold, and modern then make sure your stationary follows the same tone. Your guests will have an idea of what to expect if you keep everything consistent throughout your wedding design and that includes your wedding stationary. It could also save your guests from possible embarrassment of showing up under or overdressed.
Colour Palette Ideas.
Having a colour palette will complete the look and the idea of your wedding theme. There are some many ways that you could go about creating a colour palette and there are some many places you can go for inspiration. Some of our favourite places to look are Pantone, Design Seed, The Perfect Palette, and Every Last Detail.
The Formality of Your Wedding & Your Wording.
Every wedding is different so make sure your invites reflect what your wedding will be like. You’ll want to make sure your invitation wording reflects the formality of your wedding.
If your wedding is a black tie event you’re likely not going to say something like “Come on Down and be a part of our big day!” You may choose something more like “Heather Jones and John Smith request the honour of your presence”.
There is a lot that goes into how you word your invitations and how to get the formality of the occasion across to your guests. If you are getting married in a church, for example, etiquette dictates that you can say “Request the honour of your presence”, but you shouldn’t say “honour” if you are getting married outside of a church. If you get married outside of a church you could say “The pleasure of your company is requested”. The way you write out the date is also important, and will help inform the guests of the formality.
Make it Personal.
It’s your wedding, and it’s your time to show your guests that you care. Rather than staying with an 0ff-the-shelf invitation try something new and unique.
We highly suggest working with stationer. They will be able to help you throughout this entire process and will help make your visions a reality while bringing a thread of your theme and colours into your stationery suite.
Follow a Checklist to Make Sure You’ve Crossed Every T and Dotted every I.
There are a lot of pieces that go into making invitations, from picking the type of paper, to sending them out at the right time.
(We have a great check list to help you pull it all together)
Don’t forget; It’s about you.
In the end, this is your wedding and it’s about you. If you want to make your own invitations, go for it! If you have an idea but no artistic skills, there are vendors out there that are more than willing to help you make beautiful invitations that are unique and fit your personality. Have fun whichever way you go but make sure you include your personality throughout it all.
If you want to see some great on trend ideas this is a great post!
This excellent post from The Knot outlines how to write out your invitations and which formalities to use for what style of occasion.
