The invitations are your guests introduction to your wedding flavour - the formality and mood of the event so you want to make sure you get it right and get your guests as excited about the big day as you are.... Or close.
Name order
Your invitation usually begins with a name (or several names). According to protocol the name of the hosts of the wedding are included first. These are the people who funded your designer gown and the other elements of your wedding. So if your mum and dad paid the bill, their names should be included - the same is true for your in-laws. If you and your sweetheart forked out for everything, then technically your parents don't need to be mentioned. But as you well know:
Some things are about love, not money, and it's a nice gesture to add their names anyway.
What else
Names are a good start, but no matter how nice, they're not enough. You need to add a few words to let your guests in on what's, where's, and when's. You can do this in a couple of ways.
Traditional
If you're hopelessly romantic and would like to use the same words as your mother did, you've made your job rather easy. Simply place your details into the classic template and voila - you're a part of the family tradition!
Naturally if certain elements don't agree with you, changing them doesn't make you any less traditional - for example your mum might prefer: 'Mrs. Sandra and Mr. John McFadden.' If you have time add a personal touch by including your guests' names - your Great Auntie Maude will be thrilled to see her name in print!
Break from tradition
Rules are made to be broken! If you don't like the traditional wording, make up your own. "Suzie and Rob would like to invite you to their wedding, at St Mary's Cathedral..." as long as you clearly state the date, the time and the address, anything goes. So grab a pen and let your imagination run wild.
What's your type?
Now that you know what your writing, have a think about the typeface that will best suit your magnificent wording. Be careful, not only does this have to look marvelous but it helps if your guests can read it. So although the Giddyup or Bickley Script fonts may appeal to your sense of style, they may not be the best ones to use. There should always be a good balance between the aesthetic and the practical - 'readable' should always win over 'decorative,' or your guests may show up dressed in macaroons rather than according to your maroon colour theme! A good compromise is to print your guests' name in a fancy, scripted font and use a plain one for the rest of the wording. This way you can have a delicate feel without compromising legibility.
Here are a few examples to help you on your way to creating stunning invitations:
MR AND MRS JOHN MCFADDEN
TOGETHER WITH
DR AND MRS STEPHEN WILLIAMS
OR
STACEY MCFADDEN AND PETER WILLAIMS
REQUEST THE PLEASURE OF
YOUR COMPANY/THE COMPANY OF DAVID AND LISA
AT THE MARRIGE OF THEIR DAUGHTER
STACEY ANNE TO PETER IAN WILLIAMS
OR
AT THEIR FORTHCOMING MARRIGE
AT ST JOHNS UNITING CHURCH,
CRN DOUGLAS ST AND MONA VALE ROAD, ST IVES
ON SATURDAY 30TH JANUARY 2010
AT 4:00 PM
AND AFTERWARDS AT
MANDALAY,
72 BURNS BAY ROAD, LANE COVE
AT 6:30 PM
RSVP 2ND JANUARY 2010
17 WATERHOUSE ROAD, ST IVES NSW 2075