Tuesday Tip: Wedding Stationery {Part 3 - The Invitation}

We continue our wedding stationery series with some details and tips on wording your wedding invitations.  If you missed Parts 1 and 2, check them out here and here! 

As a reminder, the wedding invitation suite you select sets the tone for the experience a guest will have at your wedding.  Same thing goes for the wording and font of the invitation! However, a few things should be included and considered in each and every wedding invitation and they are as follows:

• it should be legible - make sure that the font you select is easy to read and in colors that are easy on the eyes.  Ask a few people to take a look at the invitation proof before you place the order and ensure that it is easy to read and the information listed is correct. 
• the hosts of the wedding should be listed first on the invitation - 

1. If this is the bride's parents as is traditionally the case, the above wording would be an example of how that is done.  "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter..."
   
2. If it is the bride's parents with the help of the groom's parents, you would say something to the effect of, "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith and Mr. and Mrs. David Jones request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their children..."
   
3. If it is the couple hosting the wedding themselves without the help of their parents, you would say something to the effect of, "Ann Smith and Adam Jones request the honor of your presence at their marriage..."
4. If everyone is hosting - bride's parents, groom's parents + the bride and groom or if there are divorced parents and it is easier to simply group them - you would say something to the effect of, "Together with their parents, Ann Smith and Adam Jones request the honor of your presence at their marriage..."

• each word and number should be spelled out - dates, times, addresses - everything spelled out completely and certainly no abbreviations!  See the above invitation as an example but note that this sample did not spell out, "New York" which is a "No-No."  Even states need to be listed formally, not abbreviated.  It is standard to leave out the zip codes in addresses on invitations as they are not necessary.  
• the card shouldn't be crowded - the invitation should include host information, the full names of the bride + groom, the date, time and location of the ceremony.  Reception information can be listed as, "Reception to Follow" or "Dinner & Dancing to Follow" at the bottom of the card with details on a separate enclosure if the reception is off-site from the ceremony location.  Any additional information like directions + RSVP information should also be on a separate card {more to come on that next week}!   
• there should be NO MENTION of registry information - the invitation suite should not have any information about your registries whatsoever.   The only acceptable place to list registry information is on your wedding website.  A link can certainly be provided to that in your invitation suite but registry information should be saved for bridal shower invitations, wedding websites or passed around by word-of-mouth.  Never in a wedding invitation suite!

More to come next week as we dive into the enclosure details in an invitation suite!  See y'all then!