Deciding who to invite to your wedding can be a very delicate matter involving complex negotiations. Thankfully, deciding how to invite them is a lot more fun.
Your wedding invitations serve an obvious practical purpose. They tell your guests when and where your ceremony and reception will be, and they also provide a way for people to confirm or decline so you have a good idea of how many people to expect. That does not mean wedding invitations are merely utilitarian! Your wedding invitations set the tone for everything wedding-related that follows, and you can create your own to make them just right for your unique celebration.
So what is a wedding invitation? It might seem like the question is too obvious to ask, but if you are creating your own invitations, you need to consider each element. You need an invitation card that includes all of the practical information (location, date and time of your ceremony and reception) as well as a design and artwork that gives you the opportunity to introduce your wedding theme. You also need a card for your invitees to return indicating if they are coming or not, an envelope for them to use returning it, and of course the outer envelope to hold everything else.
You can also include maps and information about local hotels and B&Bs. There’s one thing, however, that you should not include in your invitation, and that is information about where you are registered for gifts. That can be shared discretely on your wedding website or by word of mouth.
Introducing Your Theme with Wedding Invitations
Most wedding now have a theme, and it can be as simple as saying your wedding is a traditional, black tie formal event to focusing every detail of the decoration and food on your honeymoon destination. If you and your betrothed share a love of Irish heritage and culture, there are many ways to make that your theme. For your invitations and other stationary, and perhaps even your wedding cake, you can pick your favorite Irish symbol and use it as a motif.
The Claddagh – The heart symbolizes love, of course, held in the hands of friendship and crowned with loyalty.
Celtic Knot Work – Celtic knot work designs have no end. They are infinite and eternal, just like your love.
The Trinity Knot – Ancient Celts worshiped the triple goddess, symbolized by the three swirls on the entrance stone at Newgrange. The trinity knot can also symbolize your past, present and future together.
The Harp – Romantic, elegant, beautiful and timeless, the harp has symbolized Ireland since the days of the bards. Harp music is also ideal for wedding ceremonies.
Consistency is key. When you are considering various types of paper, textures and colors, to use, investigate whether you can use the same for your programs, table settings and thank you cards and find something to match it for your wedding website.
Wedding invitations are usually sent out six to eight weeks before the event, and you can give people more notice with a save the date card, which is usually sent out three to six months in advance. Of course, before you send out save the date cards, you need to make sure all of your wedding party can attend and reserve the venue!
