Do you remember your first date with your future spouse? Whether it was formal or casual, you probably spent time deliberately choosing clothes, deciding how to wear your hair, and picking just the right accessories. You wanted to make a good first impression.
Now you are getting married! Your wedding invitations will be your guests' first impression of your wedding. You will want to take the same time and care in choosing your invitations as you did on that first date.
At Tabula Rasa, we know how excited you are. We want to help you sort through the many possible selections so you can choose invitations that are just right for you, helping explain some of the details involved in selecting the perfect wedding invitation trousseau to honor and celebrate your special day.
As you begin selecting your bridal suite, there are some questions to ponder. Will your wedding be formal, semi-formal, or informal? Traditional or contemporary? A local wedding or a destination? Large or small? Your invitations should reflect the style, formality, and personality of your wedding.
A traditional or formal invitation is one that is either engraved or thermograph in black ink on white paper, with or without a blind embossed panel. A traditional invitation is particularly appropriate if you are planning a formal wedding. In that case, correct wording would follow fairly universal rules of etiquette, featuring a classic script or serifed font. However, this does not mean you cannot express your personal taste with a formal invitation. Our wedding albums offer a wide range of formal invitation designs and typestyles. Many couples fall in love with a particular, formal look.
For a contemporary or informal wedding, your invitations can be any size, cut to any shape, in various ink colors, and on colored or textured paper. Informal invitations can feature motifs, decorations, and artistic formats that relate to the themes and character of your upcoming celebration. Your wedding invitations can be a beautiful expression of who you are as a couple; your creative choices are almost limitless.
Invitations are the centerpiece of your wedding suite and include the most pertinent information. They are the first exposure most people will have to your wedding and will create your guests' first impressions. Double envelopes and wedding tissue are often used to protect your invitations for your guests to experience them in pristine condition.
INVITATION
Sending a Save The Date is an excellent way to provide early notification to out-of-town guests of the upcoming union so they will have time to make arrangements for travel and accommodations. Send them at least six months before the wedding.
SAVE THE DATE
Reply Sets provide a simple and convenient way for your guests to accept or decline your invitation. The cards typically include space for their names and their response. If applicable, meal and attendance options are indicated here, giving both you and your venue ample notice. A stamped, self-addressed envelope is included.
REPLY SET
Directions and maps may be necessary for destination weddings or to facilitate guests finding picturesque venues nestled off the beaten path.
DIRECTIONS CARD
Bridal registries, wedding blogs, accommodation links and their web addresses or any other miscellany unique to your event are best served on this type of enclosure card.
WEBSITE ENCLOSURE
Enclosure cards specifying venues for guests are used for out-of-towners and destination weddings. Include pertinent lodging information here so your guests can reserve their rooms with ease.
ACCOMMODATIONS CARD
When your wedding includes activities beyond a ceremony and reception, it is customary to enclose an itinerary with your invitation. You may include these activities on your reply set to plan your events accordingly.
ITINERARY CARD
Reception cards are used whenever the marriage ceremony and subsequent reception are held in different locations. Reception cards are not necessary when the ceremony and reception are held at the same place.
RECEPTION CARD
Wedding ceremonies and receptions do not necessarily have the same number of guests. For temple weddings and instances where not everyone is invited to the rite of union, your main invitation is to the marriage reception and the enclosure inviting your guests to the ceremony is selectively enclosed.
CEREMONY CARD
Programs are more than a treasured memento from your special day; they serve as a useful tool for orienting guests to the procedure of events surrounding the ceremony while providing a list of who's who in the wedding party.
WEDDING PROGRAM
Table cards and envelopes are efficient tools for directing your guests to their appointed seats. Placed in the entryway, the envelopes have your guests' names written on them. Inside, the card indicates the appropriate table number for your guest.
TABLE CARD
Menu Cards add a refined touch to the occasion, listing various selections from appetizers to main course, wines, and desserts.
MENU
Rehearsal Dinner Invitations are traditionally sent by the groom's parents, however one might prefer to include them when ordering your wedding invitations so they will be consistent with the style and design of your suite.
REHEARSAL DINNER
Announcements follow the same format as invitations, albeit with minor word changes, and should be mailed a day or two following the ceremony. They are sent to people you can't invite who may be interested in knowing that your marriage took place.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Informal Notes should first be printed with the bride's maiden name or monogram for thanking shower guests and correspondence before the wedding. After the wedding, correspond using notes with both your names, or your united monogram.