The wedding invitation helps set the stage for a couple's upcoming big day. It is the first opportunity to impress and excite those invited to attend the wedding. With today's digital print technologies, wedding invitations can be traditional, contemporary or made to suit any theme the couple has planned for their wedding day. Many couples choose to incorporate traditional or contemporary elements in order to create their own unique design.
Custom Wedding Invitations
Some couples choose to customize their wedding invitations to compliment the theme and colors picked for their wedding. This takes a bit more planning but it offers couples a unique wedding invitation to send to guests. A graphic artist can be of great assistance to the couple or bride-to-be when designing a wedding invitation design or theme that will enhance their wedding plans.
An experienced graphic artist will be able to show sample designs, then add their own professional expertise to create truly personalized wedding invitation. Many printing companies now have graphic artists on staff or available for this type of work.
Working with a Printing Company
Most general printers offer wedding invitation services, especially if the couple is selecting a more traditional style of wedding invitation. Printing companies may offer free wedding invitation samples of their most popular wedding designs to help couples in their selection.
These samples can come in a book form that couples check out or in single sample selections. For couples on a tight budget, discounts can be found by selecting discontinued invitation patterns and designs, or shopping at printing outlets. Just be sure to order extra invitations because once the printing outlets sell out of style is discontinued.
Wedding Invitation Styles
Wedding invitations come in three basic styles traditional, custom, and reception only. When choosing a wedding invitation styles it is important to keep in mind the type of wedding ceremony planned. The first type wedding invitation combines the wedding ceremony and reception information into one invitation. This wedding invitation format can be used if the wedding ceremony and reception are held at the same location.
The second and more traditional wedding invitation style consists of a wedding invitation with ceremony and reception information including a reception card insert. This type of wedding invitation often includes an RSVP card for guest to send back to the couple.
The third wedding invitation is actually a wedding reception invitation. These types of wedding invitations are sent after the wedding has taken place and it is a notification and an invitation to celebrate the marriage. This type of invitation is sent when a couple has a destination wedding in a foreign country or distant location that prohibits having a large reception ceremony after the wedding.
Additional Features and Services
Many couples will include a number of inserts to help their guests find the ceremony and reception locations. A direction packet containing a map and GPS information is useful for any type of wedding invitation. It helps guests to find all the locations where wedding festivities occur. For example, family wedding pictures maybe scheduled at a different location other than the where the reception or ceremony are to be held.
Direction packets are particularly helpful for out-of-town wedding guests make sure to include the phone number of someone designated to give additional assistance to guests on the day of the wedding. This frees the bride and groom from dealing with stressful situations prior to the ceremony.
Regardless of the designer or printer choosen, be sure to ask the printer if they also offer additional services as part of a wedding invitation-printing package. Additional services include invitation packet assembly as well as addressing the envelopes and delivering them to the Post Office.
Read more:Summer wedding invitations--
