Unique Wedding Invitations & Wedding Ideas

Your wedding invitations are the first introduction to the wedding festivities that your guests will have, so it makes perfect sense that you want to have the most beautiful invitations possible.

There are many varieties of wedding invitations, and in addition to the type of paper, print, and theme, you will need to choose the verbiage for your special invites. The wording and phrases that you choose for your wedding invitations will largely depend on whether or not your event will be formal or more relaxed.

For formal weddings, the wedding invitation phrasing does have a set of rules that you should follow. For casual or relaxed events, you have the room to be much more creative. However, if you are the type of couple that likes to break the mold, go ahead and combine things and mix them up! The guidelines for formal weddings include the following:

Write out full names and include middle names. If you do not know middle names, leave them out. Do not use initials.

Use the British spelling of words (such as honour and favour) unless you really prefer the American English versions. Stay consistent, whichever you choose.

It is a good idea to spell out all words, like the hour, date, and year. Also, spell out words in the address such as Street, Avenue, and so on.

In place of "the third" or "3rd", use Roman numerals.

If you are getting married in a non-religious setting, use the phrase "request the pleasure of your company" instead of "request the honour of your presence" which is generally reserved for houses of worship.

For less formal weddings, you can stick to the guidelines above, but relax them a bit. For wedding invitations, the wording when it comes to familial situations can get kind of tricky. It depends on who is hosting the event, if the parents of the bride are married, and so on. Here are some suggestions for popular wedding invitation phrases, but feel free to choose what you like best:

For the wedding when the bride's parents are hosting choose something like this, "Mr. and Mrs. John Robert Brown request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Elizabeth Mary Brown to Mr. Richard Tyler Smith on Saturday, the eleventh of October two thousand and eight at three o'clock in the afternoon."

When the couple is hosting the event, go with something like this, "Elizabeth Mary Brown and Richard Tyler Smith request the pleasure of your company at their marriage on Saturday, the eleventh of October two thousand and eight at three o'clock in the afternoon."

For a wedding in which both sets of parents are hosting, something like this could be used, "Together with their families, Elizabeth Mary Brown and Richard Tyler Smith request the pleasure of your company at their marriage on Saturday, the eleventh of October two thousand and eight at three o'clock in the afternoon."

Following the date and time, you would generally put the name of the venue and its address. For weddings where the bride's parents host but are divorced or remarried, you will typically list both sets of parents, if both are hosting the event:

When the father has remarried and the mother has not, use something like this, "Mr. and Mrs. Mark Jones and Ms. Jennifer Brown request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of Elizabeth Mary Brown to Mr. Richard Tyler Smith on Saturday, the eleventh of October two thousand and eight at three o'clock in the afternoon."

If the remarried mother of the bride is hosting, use phrasing such as, "Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Drake request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of Mrs. Drake's daughter Elizabeth Mary Brown to Mr. Richard Tyler Smith on Saturday, the eleventh of October two thousand and eight at three o'clock in the afternoon."

As you can see, there are plenty of options when it comes to popular wedding invitation phrases. Remember, the main invitation is not the only component that requires wording - you have the reception and reply cards as well. You have the choice to have a separate card for the reception or to include it on the main invitation. Below are some examples of the reception card:

"Reception immediately following the ceremony [list venue and address here]."

"Reception Dinner at seven o'clock [list venue and address here]."

Reply cards can be a tricky business. You will need to keep in mind the amount of people that your venue can hold and if you are allowing your guests to bring a date. You may include phrasing such as "Invited guest only, please" as well as the list of dinner options for the reception.

If you haven't already started thinking about the budget for your wedding, that should be the very first thing you consider. Think about what you want to spend on the event and what items are the most important to you and your future spouse. On average, the typical American wedding will cost about $22,000 which is largely comprised of the rings, the photographer, and the reception.

However, your invitations need to fit into that budget as well, and we all know that printing costs can be quite pricey.

The wedding invitation is highly personal and highly visible. It is actually the very first thing that most people regarding your wedding, and therefore may set the tone for your entire wedding event. Many times, brides and grooms spend between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars on their wedding invitations because they will be the first glimpse anyone gets of your wedding. There are many unique and creative invitations out there, and with a little thought and motivation, you can even design your own at a fraction of the cost.

With the availability of home printers and computers, there is nothing holding you back from designing your own unique wedding invitations. It is an excellent idea for the bride and groom who are planning their wedding on a budget, as well. But by doing your own invitations, you can customize them to fit your exact personal style without regard to what others think or want to change.

So, even if your event is formal but you have a more whimsical demeanor, you may want to design your own, just to have total control.
For traditional, elegant, and formal wedding invitations, going unique can be a little more difficult, especially if you hold fast to tradition. The typical formal wedding invitation will be white, ivory, or ecru with gold or black lettering, with very formal wording. However, if you want to add your own personal style, you could stick with the traditional coloring and fonts and change up the wording a little. Perhaps write a small, catchy poem rather than saying "request the honour of your presence."

If your wedding will be outside or on the beach - or if you and your future spouse love the great outdoors - you may want to consider unique wedding invitations that incorporate your interests. You could use shells, acorns, and leaves as accents on your wedding invitations. When done in a tasteful way, the invitation will be memorable, whimsical, and fun - a great way to start off your marriage.

For a modern wedding, it's all about the paper, style, and print. A modern-day fairy tale wedding might come on a paper that has a slight shimmer to it, plenty of vellum, and perhaps even some hand-stitching. Ultra-modern brides and grooms have found it beneficial to combine all the elements of the traditional, casual, and formal wedding invitations for truly unique invites.

Regardless of what style invitation you choose to go with, you will want to get the very best paper. Whether the wedding event will be formal or not, you want to choose good quality paper that feels substantial in your hand. Remember, the wedding invitation is both a visual and a tactile experience, so don't hold back when choosing the paper.