First Impressions Count: What Your Wedding Invitations Say about You

The decision has been made—a couple has decided to get married, things have to be perfectly planned…right down to the wedding invitations. Though the engaged couple know certain guests, there will be others new to either the bride or the groom; therefore, first impressions are important. Before the wedding even occurs, the wedding invitation will be your first introduction to people. The invitation will give a glimpse into the tone of the wedding and tell the guests about the personality of the couple; therefore it is best to make choices about your invitations that reflect who you are and what you’d like to convey.

For example, if you are someone who is into nature and respects the planet, you’ll want invitations that say that about you. Your invitation will say: I love the outdoors, I don’t have time to fuss over my hair and make-up—I appreciate my inner beauty. The design of the invitation will incorporate nature themes, such as including dried flowers, using environmentally-friendly paper and inks made of natural ingredients. Your invitations can also exclaim your love of nature by including sceneries found outside. You can also set the earthy-tone by using colors such as rich greens and browns.

Alternatively, if you select invitations that are bold and vivid, your invitations could be telling your guests: I, myself, am a bright and bold personality; I love standing out in the crowd, I want this to be the best wedding every. Your invitations are likely to have unusually large and unique lettering, which will let your guests know that your wedding is going to be unique and as large-as-life. You might even consider wording your own invitations, as opposed to having a preset written one.

Your invitations could have a quote which conveys old-fashioned values, never ending love or timelessness. You may choose soft colors, script lettering and special touches, such as ribbons. You might just be the romantic type if these things appear on your invitation. You may choose words that reflect fairy tales and love never lost—being as forever as the moon and stars.

The materials, coloring, styles and themes you choose for your wedding invitations reflect who you are, whether you realize it or not. While you may simply be choosing what you like and are drawn to, your invitations are giving first impressions of you. Even those on a budget should realize that your choice of invitations still represent who you are. Your invitations will suggest whether you are fun, to the point, or emotionally stand-offish in your personal life.

The important thing is to consider what you want to convey. You may not want your first impressions to be too personal, so you could choose an invitation that is beautiful, yet a bit less informative. You may want your guests to see directly into your heart and choose warm, welcoming invites. Clearly, if you are sending the guest an invitation, you want the guest there for one reason or another, so your first impression invitations should say that: come to the wedding—we want to see you there.

The truth is, first impressions DO count and sometimes your wedding invitation will serve as your first impression to someone. Therefore, it’s a good idea to consider what your wedding invitations say about you.

Choosing The Text For Your Wedding Invitations

Choosing the text for your wedding invitations can be an intimidating task. While it is fun to select beautiful stationery and play with font styles and colours, putting pen to paper to announce to your guests that they are invited can leave some people lost for words. There is no need to stress. By following some simple rules and applying just a touch of imagination, you can create a wedding invite that is clear and concise as well as meaningful to you both.

The first rule of choosing text for your wedding invite is to keep it clear. Make sure you set out the details of the ceremony such as date, time and location in a way that leaves no guest unsure of where to go, at what time they are expected to be there and also, what to wear.

Respect your hosts. Are the bride’s parents paying for your special day? Then make sure when choosing the text for your invites you acknowledge this by letting your guests know that the invite is from the bride’s parents with the words “Mr and Mrs John Smith request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Jane Smith to Adam Jones”. This applies also if the parents of the groom are paying for the wedding; simply reverse the order of the naming of the bride and groom.

Finally, regardless of how formal or informal your wedding ceremony is going to be, keep the tone formal when choosing the text for your invite. Remember, this is a once in a lifetime event. The importance of this occasion is best reflected in an invite that gives attention to rules of formality, in particular an emphasis on a polite tone. Use the full names of all people named on the invite including their title e.g Mr, Mrs, Miss etc. If the guest has a title such as Reverend, Dr or Professor, use it. Small details like this mean a lot and will not go unnoticed by your guests if you neglect to include them.

By following these simple guidelines you can rest assured that you will be on your way to composing text for your wedding invites that is impressive to look at and a pleasure to read. Your guests will feel honoured to be invited to your ceremony and you will be setting a tone that people will remember for years to come.

A word on wedding invites

A word on wedding invites

The overwhelming amount of organisation required to put on even the simplest of weddings is something that every modern bride is keenly aware of. The gown, the venue, the cake- not to mention dressing the bridal party and settling on a theme for flower arrangements. Interestingly however it is not until the bride and groom-to-be sit down to pen the invites that they realise that the requirements of this task are something they had not anticipated.

Getting the wording right on your wedding invites is a detail that gets the ball rolling in the right direction for your special day. The wrong spelling, awkward grammar or (heaven forbid) mistakenly inviting your divorced auntie and uncle on the same invite (even worse if they are re-married!) can taint the mood of your wedding, long before the day arrives.

If you are using the services of a professional invitation printer, they will certainly provide you with the support and inspiration you will need to ensure that your invitations are stunningly beautiful and meaningful to you both. Spelling mishaps will be less likely and the appropriate formalities such as using the correct titles for your guests (Mr or Dr?) and order of names (Mrs first or Mr first?) will be explained to you. Using simple template forms, you will usually be guided to enter the names of your guests, the tone you are wanting to achieve- formal or casual, and any other special details that are important to you as a couple.

Your unique style as a couple

It is therefore a good idea to start thinking in advance about the tone you want to set with your invites. When it comes to invites, the theme of your wedding and your unique couple style should be set by the stationery you select rather than wording.  We recommend sticking to formal language for an invite as this is the best way to convey information in a way that is easy to understand. If you are opting for quirky or unusual stationery, this will on its own set the theme, while excellent formal communication on this stationery will ensure that your guests get the information that they need to help make your day special.

Where to start?

So where to start with the wording?  A good place to start is by considering who is hosting the wedding. Is it the bride’s parents? Is it the groom’s parents? If so, then the tradition is for the invite to open with the name of the people who are paying for/hosting the event requesting the attendance of the guest ‘at the marriage of their son/daughter to (name of bride and groom)’.

When you start your invitation in this way, you will be setting a tone that is quite formal and traditional. However, it is now acceptable for the bride and groom to host their own wedding and use their own names as requesting the attendance of the guest. If you prefer a more casual tone then this is definitely the way to go.

Traditionally, the bride is always named before the groom. If adhering to etiquette is what is important to you then you will probably be taking this option. It is your special day however, and if you feel it would be more appropriate to name the groom first, by all means do what you feel is meaningful for you both.

Conveying the correct details about the ceremony is just as important as setting the right tone. Your invite will therefore also need to include the venue for the ceremony and it really is helpful to stick to formalities when presenting this part of the invite. The correct order of information is as follows:

-          The date and time of the ceremony. It is best to spell these out if you want a more formal tone and to use numerical form e.g ‘Saturday, July 21, 20012 at 3pm’ to deliver a casual mood.

-          The location of the ceremony including full address

-          Time and venue of reception

You will also be including an RSVP on your invite and it is helpful to your planning if you include an option for your guest to let you know how many people will be in their party e.g if they are coming alone or with a partner.

Guiding your guest

One final yet important point to remember when preparing your wedding invitation is to provide clear information that will help your guest choose an outfit that is appropriate to your wedding. This means explaining in polite, concise language the dress code of your event. This is usually stated as ‘black tie’ or ‘smart casual’ as decided by you. Your guests will feel that they know what is expected of them if you provide this is a brief and understated fashion.

The essence of the wording on your invite then is to communicate an official message to a guest indicating your wish to have their company at your wedding.

Final word

Our wedding invitation wording  tip is: stick with clear and concise language and express your style as a couple through the stationery you select together.