Family Issues

Invitations are part and parcel of planning a wedding. Just as important is the wedding invitation. The invitation envelope is the first thing that is noticed by prospective guests so a bride should be careful with the choice of envelope that may be reflective of  the colors or theme of the wedding.

Wedding invitation envelopes may come in different forms and designs. Traditionally, outer envelopes are designed to be larger and heavier and the smaller envelope containing the actual invitation.

This practice has an interesting story. Prior to the 20th century, almost all wedding invitations were personally brought to their recipients and in the early 18th century, the practice of sending engraved invitations began with the upper class. The maid or butler receives the (probably untidy) envelope from the messenger, removes the seal and gives the inner envelope to the house-lady. From them on, the practice continued until the modern times.

Wedding invitations may be chosen by the bride in local bridal shops, printer, or online. She is faced with nearly endless options - envelopes made of heavy paper, parchment, vellum, in square or rectangular shapes; she can choose the “pochette” which is an envelope square in shape, folded on each side and folded in to make the envelope. The bride may choose any color she can imagine.  In fact, the color of the envelope may even equal the color of her bouquet, if she wishes.

Wedding invitation envelopes can also be plain, inside and out. Other envelopes may be lined in colorful foils similar  to the color of the ink on the invitation.  There are envelopes using colors complementary to the paper.

The envelope made of parchment done with subtle marble finish, is an example of a formal but traditional version of wedding invitation. Parchment gives the envelope a handmade appearance because of its “deckled” edge, giving the edge of the paper a torn look.

Wedding invitation envelopes may be engraved or hand-addressed as demanded by wedding etiquette.  Though address labels or computer-printed envelopes are gaining headway, hand-addressed ones are demanded by etiquette.

The price of wedding invitations includes as a “package” the price of most wedding invitation envelopes. However, brides are willing to pay extra for envelopes that are lined, made of parchment and vellum. It is important that brides order their invitations early so that corrections can be made if something is incorrect with the finished invitation. The bride must also list other options so that she can find the best price.

Tags: Wedding, Wedding Guests, Wedding Invitation, Tying the Knot, Starting a Family