"It's simply an invite," you tell yourself. "What may possibly go wrong?" Famous last words, indeed! What may possibly go wrong? A lot more than you may imagine. Below are a few things to take into account when preparing your wedding invitations.
Wording
Oh, dear. How do you word the invitation if you have a complicated family? Unpleasant divorces, step-parents, birth parents, in-laws . . . family may be anything but easy to work out. The crucial rule to follow is that the person (or people) listed on the invitation ought to be the host (or hosts) of the wedding reception. If separated parents are co-hosting the event, they may each still be listed, though preferably on individual lines.
Take caution in not giving credit where credit is due. In one recent wedding, the groom's parents footed the bill for the whole lavish affair, but it was the bride's mother and father whose names were on the invitations. At the reception, several attendees heartily thanked and congratulated the bride's mother and father on the a wonderful wedding and wedding reception they'd sponsored, and the callous couple blithely took credit for everything. Of course, the groom's parents felt unhappy and unappreciated! In cases where the groom's mother and father are paying, you may decide to place the names of both sets of parents on the invites.
And what if you're hosting your own wedding reception? Well, feel free to put your names on the invite!
Typos and Misspellings
"Really, are you joking?" you may say. "Who does not check for typing errors?" Nevertheless, every year there are many invitations which arrive with errors in spelling and grammar. Usually, these invites are of the do-it-yourself variety. If you are planning to create your own invites, be sure to have someone else go through the wording, if possible somebody who's fantastic at English!
An additional detail to be meticulous about is the spelling of names. Let's say you aren't sure how to spell your old university roommate's wife's name. You could think, "Oh, potato, poTAHto, what's in a name?" But when the invitation arrives addressed to "Dan and Carrie" as opposed to "Dan and Keri," the couple might be less than pleased. A name is more than only a name; it's a part of your identity. Take some time to call your guests when you are in doubt; this personal touch shows that you genuinely care and may even inspire them to attend your special celebration.
It's in the Post
Various other common problems revolve around the mailing of wedding invitations. First of all, make sure you allow enough Response time for guests to answer. A great guideline is usually to post your invitations eight weeks ahead of the wedding. This generally provides invitees enough time to make travel arrangements and also to secure vacation days if needed. This grace period should also give you time to react if some of your wedding invitations are returned to you as undeliverable. But don't let that come about in the first place! Just like the spelling of names, double check the addresses of your friends and family to be certain they are current and correctly written.
Now WHERE am I going?!
One of the worst type of wedding invite problems you want to avoid is including faulty directions or unreadable roadmaps to your wedding wedding ceremony or reception. Directions aren't much of a problem in a small town, however in an unknown city, finding your way about might be annoying and even scary to some people. Be cautious of printing out directions verbatim from the latest mapping internet site. Such websites don't always give the most direct or logical routes, as many people have unhappily found out firsthand. Unless you are a superstar with directions and are 100% sure that the instructions are accurate, you might give some thought to driving each of the routes outlined yourself (from the north, south, east, and west, as required). You may find unexpectedly closed streets, construction, or merely simple wrong instructions. Oh, and it could be a nice idea to include a contact number on the invite of a directionally-gifted friend with a cell phone who would be willing to guide travelers to every venue on the day of the celebration.
Don't permit these kind of invite problems happen to YOU! With just a little luck, and plenty of preparation, your wedding invitations may go off without a problem.
Author Resource:
Stamka Jonislavki writes extensively on all matters related to weddings and wedding planning. She has recently been focusing a lot of her efforts in the areas of wedding invitations and wedding invitation wording