By Zara Pitman — 21st April 2015

How to invite your beloved guests?

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Your wedding invitations are your guest’s first impression of your special day and can give them an initial taster as to what to expect. There are many different types of invitations now and I think couples are opting less and less for the traditional wedding stationary and instead going for unusual styles that reflect them as a couple. Invites 1Traditionally, guests would be invited by the bride’s parents, on a cream or white card with a swirly black font and guests would RSVP in writing to the parents in an as equally formal way. However, nowadays couple s are often paying for the weddings themselves, parents are often divorced or it isn’t the couple’s first weddings. All of these reasons make it more and more appealing for the couple to be creative, and there are many options out there. There is also the issue of timing to be considered. Again traditionally it would have been 6 weeks before the wedding that invites would have been sent out however, the modern lifestyle involves planning holidays, guests travelling from afar and generally juggling life commitments. Mid week weddings are also more common now which may involve guests taking time off work and you can assist your guests by giving them ample notice so they can plan their experience accordingly. All of this means that if you send your invites out earlier they can get planning. Not to mention it means you get your RSVP’s back sooner and that’s another job ticked off the list! If you were to opt for the 6 week tradition then Save the Date cards, posted or online, can be a great option so that people can pop the date in the dairy. There are loads of fun and quirky whatsapp messages (for those overseas), emails or even videos to let your loved ones know your intentions!

DIY

If you have the time making your own wedding invitations can be the way forward, it can save you money for sure and it shows love and care has been taken over each invite. Make sure you enjoy the experience though and allow enough evenings and weekends to create the masterpieces; it being one of the first major wedding planning jobs you don’t want to cause friction this early on as things are only going to get more stressful!

Paperless

Invites 3Are you are bold enough to send your invites via email?   This might be perfect for your circle of friends who are technologically savvy but for your great Aunt Thelma it may not be as effective!! It can be very budget friendly, mostly free, which can be the deciding factor. You may chose to set up a wedding website where you can share maps, menus and timings for the day and guests can interact with each other which can build a fun mood between the guests before the day has even started.

Specially Made Invites

Invites 2This is the most popular choice, choosing the colours, fonts, feel of the paper, envelopes, the list is endless! Then seeing it all come to together, neatly held together by a pretty bow or in a sealed box can be a lovely moment for you as a couple. As a guest I know I love the feeling when one of these lands in my letter box and I unravel it to see what’s inside! You can then tie this design in with the rest of your wedding stationary, your place names, menu cards and order of the days. It’s a gorgeous girly and fun thing to do! Personally, I went for a traditional invite but with an email RSVP option to make life a little easier for my busy guests. We had many guests from all over the world including New Zealand so we sent ours out well in advance to give them time to plan their trip. However, I was surprised at the unexpected cost for all the stamps and airmail!!! Love Zara x