Wedding Invitation Essentials

After all the planning and choosing you are now ready to send out your wedding invitations. Your guest list of who you would like to invite has been finalized. There are some guidelines and things you need to know when it comes to wedding invitations.

If you are inviting children you can write their names out one by one. Another option is to write "and family". For example:

Mr. and Mrs. Jones, Melissa and Thomas or Mr. and Mrs. Jones and Family

Teenagers of 16 years or more can be given their own wedding invitation.

Should you not wish to invite children to the wedding do not put their names or "and family" on the invitation. If you suspect that guests may not get the message that their children are not invited it is best to talk to them and explain the situation rather than put "no children" statements on the invitation which could come accross as rude. You may choose to invite children only to the wedding ceremony. In this case you can mention it on the invitation in a polite way.

Single guests should be given the option of bring a guest along. You should put their name "and Guest" on the invitation. As follows:

Mr.Ross Smith and Guest or Miss Samantha Jones and Guest

Stay informed. You will need to keep a record of the guests that are attending so that you can pass this information on to your venue and have accurate numbers for other supplies such as wedding favors.

Sometimes you have a case where you only want to invite certain guests to either the ceremony or the function. For this situation you should print two different sets of invitations. One set would have the details for the reception and the other set would not.

Should you not receive a reply for any of your guests by the reply date you should phone them. You must find out who will be coming your wedding so that you can make preparations and avoid problems.

Your wedding invitations should be ordered about 6 weeks before you plan to send them out.

Check your invitations thoroughly before they get printed. Ask someone you trust to double check it for you too. You should also check all other wedding stationery too. Pay particular attention to spelling mistakes.

Don't forget to order extra wedding invitations and response card. These will be useful if you make any mistakes when you write and address your invitations.

Your invitations should be mailed to your guests at least six weeks before your wedding date. You should ask for a reply three weeks before your wedding date. This way your guests have enough time to respond to you and you have enough time to settle on arrangements at your end.

If your wedding is to be located in an outdoor venue such as a beach or has a special dress code, you should mention this on your invitation.

Gail Kaye has been working in the wedding industry for many years. She likes to share her knowledge to help brides and grooms in planning their weddings. Her website www.weddinginvitationsjournal.com is where you can find information on wedding themes and wedding collections such as orchid wedding invitations. It is a great resource for any bride to be no matter what type of wedding you are planning.