Disclaimer 1: As the wedding season gets into full swing for the summer brides of 2024, most of you who fall into this category won't have time to read my blog even if you wanted to. So, I won't worry about you feeling left out by a topic that no longer applies (but that doesn't mean you can't forward it to a friend who is just about to start the planning process herself!)
Disclaimer 2: If you've ever heard or, even better, seen the Broadway musical "Hamilton" by Lin-Manuel Miranda, you'll enjoy this blog title a lot more. If you haven't, do yourself a favor and watch it. I think it's still on Disney+.
Since I know you've now been holding your breath through two paragraphs to find out the subject of this blog, let me encourage you to exhale. We'll be talking about words, specifically those on your invitations.
(And speaking of breathing, let me encourage you to take several long, slow, deep breaths daily during all of this wedding planning stuff. It'll give you lots of practice for the big day so that hyperventilating won't be one of the memories you'll have to look back on.)
One of the fun features of a wedding in this modern era is the freedom to step outside the boundaries of "the correct way to do things" and not be thought strange by your peers. Notice that I used the word peers; your parents and grandparents might still have trouble wrapping their heads around your decisions. Please remember to be kind when you're explaining your choices. And give them time to adapt!
But no matter how much work you want to put in to being creative with your color choices, flowers, location, decorations, ceremony music, etc., the wording on your wedding invitation doesn't have to take up as much brain power as you may think. Actually it may be one of the easier decisions you have to make, especially if you let The Bride's Secretary (me!) help you with that.
What makes it easier? Well, your choices are essentially limited.
Now before you close this window in disgust because I've offended your right to do things differently from every other bride, let me explain.
You're limited by real estate.
Because you're limited by real estate, you're limited to the number of [legible] words.
Because you're limited to the number of words, you're limited to the information you can include
There. Feel better? The limitations were not as horrible as you thought.
Even with all the creative options out there, I've yet to come across an invitation that falls into the same category as a high school English paper - 500 typed words, double-spaced with 1 inch margins in 11 point font. You have one small-ish card to spell out the important details of your big day: who, when and where. (Obviously your guests will need some additional details spelled out but that's what your insert card or wedding website is for. If that all goes on your invitations, your guests won't want to read them at all.)
Who, when and where. It's the same information whether your invitation is formal or casual, traditional or whimsical. You've invested so much time designing your invites to suit your style as a couple. So design your who, when and where verbiage to be complementary.
What does that look like?
Let's say you're planning on your wedding being a black tie affair. Your invitation is probably going to be clean and minimal, possibly black and white with gold foil for example. If so, it'll look best to use formal wording, such as writing out numbers and full names.
Dr. & Mrs. Ian Fleming
request your presence at
the wedding of their daughter
Susan Abigail
to
Loren James
son of
Mr. & Mrs. Jim Button
on Friday, May Thirty-first,
Two thousand and twenty-four
at
Six thirty in the evening
Wedding and reception to be held at
Memorial Presbyterian Church
One thousand and nine Elmhurst Lane
Plover, Wisconsin
Harking back to Hamilton, that's probably how his contemporaries would have worded it in a handwriting we might find illegible today.
But if your wedding invitation vibes with your beach destination wedding, the same information may be written differently.
Ian and Jackie Fleming
and
Jim and Kaylene Button
parents of
Susan Abigail
and
Loren James
invite you to
join the wedding celebration
of their children on
Friday, May 31, 2024
6:30 pm
Vista Victoria Resort
Playa del Carmen
Mexico
Sometimes it's not about HOW you word it a certain way, it's about WHY you word it a certain way. Back when I was a [young] bride, more often than not, the parents of the bride paid for the wedding and so the invitations were actually coming from them and the wording indicated that. However, a vast majority of today's couples are paying for the lion's share of the wedding themselves, if not all of it. So the formality of listing parents' names might fall away.
Together with their families
Susan and Loren
invite you to join them
for their wedding celebration
on
Friday, May 31, 2024
6:30 pm
Memorial Presbyterian Church
1009 Elmhurst Lane
Plover, WI
Wording like this, or even simpler (below), also helps when listing parents would take up half the invitation because it includes several stepparents.
Susan and Loren
would love to have you join them
at their wedding on
Friday, May 31, 2024
6:30 pm
Memorial Presbyterian Church
Plover, WI
Recently, I've come across some fun and even funny wording that totally encapsulates the personality of the couple and/or their wedding. But the important information itself remains the same: who, when, where.
So whether formal or casual, classic or modern, make sure your invitations have all the information your guest will need. In fact, if you're starting this whole process and you'd like some guidance, send me an email and we'll talk. (Take it a step further: make a reference to "Hamilton" in your email and I'll apply a 20% discount to your order of either the Silver all-in-one package or the Premium design level.)
If you're a bride beginning your planning process, give yourself a wedding gift ~ hire The Bride's Secretary. Together we'll create a beautiful stationery suite that reflects your wedding style and sets the tone for your special day.
P.S. I think I'll do some research on some examples of those humorous invitations to share with you at a later time. Just because it'll be fun to read. And I'm all about fun - most days at least!
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