After having asked for the bride's hand in marriage, and having prepared the guest list you will need to start thinking about actually sending the wedding invitations
to relatives and friends. Generally, the invitations should be printed
on fne white cardboard or on card of a pale creamy color.
The
lettering should be clear and simple, in a dark black or blue color.
The wedding invitation usually measures 31x21 centimeters open and is
folded over in two, creating a hinge in the centre.
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Etiquette for Confirmation of AttendanceAccompanying
the wedding invitation, a reply card of the same color and style should
be included. The size should be 10 x 7 cm. This card should be
placed in an open envelope upon which has been printed the address of
the bride's family, to whom the confirmation of attendance should
be sent. A postage stamp should have already been placed in the
top right corner to facilitate its quick return. Although
congratulations are often given informally to the bride and groom by
phone, or face to face if you socialise on a day to day basis with the
particular guests, etiquette dictates that the formal response to the
wedding invitation card is sent in writing. Typically a RSVP card
is included in with the wedding invitation, in order to allow your
guests to simply reply so that you know for sure who will and who will
not be attending. The letters RSVP come from the french phrase
"repondez s'il vous plait" which simply means please reply.
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The
guests will need to confirm their attendance at least thirty days
before the wedding, so that the bride and groom can orgainize the
banquet on the correct scale, and can work out the budget for
this.
Formerly
two separate notifications were sent to friends and family of the
couple. The first of these simply announced the forthcoming
marriage, without actually inviting the recipient to the celebration.
The second was the actual invitation to the wedding banquet. In
modern times this custom only continues in big state weddings, or in
social events of the highest order, and requires a careful protocol.
Enclosed
with the wedding invitation and the response card, usually a map to the
location of the wedding celebration and banquet place of
celebration of the wedding and the banquet is included, especially if
these are to be held somewhere that may not be completely
straightforward to find. It is recommended that both the location
map and the wording of the invitation card are checked over a number of
times by different people before the final printing takes place. The
printers should customarily offer a sample print for the bride and
groom to review before the full print run.
Wedding Invitation DesignsThe
wedding invitation design and style will usually vary depending on the
positioning of the information, the font used and the size of the
invitation. A classic way to lay out the invitation is to position the
names of the parents of the bride in the top left, and those of
the groom's parents in the top right section. At the center, the
location, date and the hour of the ceremony are positioned. The address
of the bride is placed in the left bottom part of the invitation , and
that of the groom in the bottom right.
Following
the positioning of the above information, usually at the very
bottom and centered the city and date of the wedding are noted, and
below this the request for the recipient to confirm their attendance as
a wedding guest.
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