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Who
to Invite?
In order to establish how many guests you can invite to your wedding,
you will need to have a budget in place. A budget will determine how many
guests you can afford to invite and make it easier to put a limit on the
number of guests.
The guest list need not be a major issue as long as all parties involved,
the bride, groom, and both parents, are able to discuss it as soon as
practicable. If all parties are contributing to the financing of the wedding
then the best way is to establish how many guests you can have in total
and divide it three ways. If one party has more guests than the others,
it may create tension between families. You may have to look at inviting
only the immediate families and not the extended families in order to
be able to invite everyone else. If only one party is financing the wedding,
then there should be a decision made as to how the guest list is divided.
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You will also need to decide if you will be inviting children. While they
may look cute entertaining the guests, they are also prone to having temper
tantrums at the most inopportune times. They can also get bored and restless
quickly if there is not enough to entertain them for a full day and night.
If there are only a couple of children you would like
have in attendance, consider having them in the bridal party. While most
of your guests would not be offended if you did not invite their young
children, it would be inappropriate to invite some children and not others.
If you have single friends you are inviting but are unable to add ‘and
guest’ to their invitation, try to seat them all together at the
reception so they do not feel uncomfortable with a table full of couples.
While most guests realise they may not always be able to take a friend,
they will appreciate being with other people in the same situation.
Even though it might be a good opportunity for business networking for
your parents or yourselves, it could greatly increase your guest numbers.
Best to leave this type of guest till last and if you have any room, then
invite them.
If you have potential guests interstate or overseas, be prepared for them
to accept your invitation. Don’t assume they won’t attend
as they live too far away as it may rebound on you inflating your guest
list further. It would be best to invite interstate guests well ahead
of time and ask them to give you an indication as soon as possible as
to whether or
not they will be able to attend.
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Wording
of Invitations
The bride’s parents traditionally send the wedding invitation when
they host the wedding. If the financing of the wedding is being shared
by all parties, you may want to word the invitation to show all parties
as the host. The various wording combinations are endless and depend upon
how formal or informal you would like them to be.
For examples of different wording, contact a printer of wedding invitations
who will show you a catalogue of different styles and designs. If you
have any wedding invitations at home, look through these for ideas with
regard to wording, design, fonts and colours. Most bridal magazines can
give pictures or examples of wording.
While a printed invitation is most popular, you can create invitations
yourself with the right tools – computer software, elegant paper
and a very good laser printer. You might find that the cost difference
between printed and home made invitations is minimal and therefore it
may be easier to get them printed. Before ordering your invitations, consider
what other stationery needs you will have and look at ordering everything
at the one time.
Other
Stationery Requirements
Generally, you will need wedding invitations and envelopes, RSVP cards
and envelopes (optional), place cards for the reception and if desired,
order of service booklets for the ceremony. It is a good idea to order
some extra invitations and
envelopes in case of mistakes. Always make sure you have a few spare for
keepsakes. Thank you notes can be printed but they are more personal if
hand written by the bride and groom.
If you plan to have other stationery printed, they should all be uniform
in colour, font, paper and design. This will allow the same theme to be
followed throughout. A lot of brides like to colour coordinate their stationery
in line with the colours of the bridal party or the flowers they will
have. While the effects of this can be wonderful, this can often be time
consuming and hard to accomplish.
Make sure you proof read all copies before authorising the printer to
go ahead. Once you have signed the proof copy, you are liable for any
mistakes. Read through everything carefully, and pay particular attention
to the spelling of all names.
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Sending Invitations
Invitations should be sent no later than six weeks prior to your wedding.
If you are getting married over the holiday season, i.e. January or February,
it may be wise to send them eight weeks before. The RSVP date should be
two to three weeks prior to the wedding. Don’t forget you will need
to know final numbers for the reception venue at least two weeks prior
to the day.
RSVP
Cards
Sending pre-printed RSVP cards and envelopes with the invitation is optional
but will be convenient for your guests. This means they only have to fill
in their name and the number of guests attending. The envelope should
be already addressed to either the host or you. If you choose not to enclose
RSVP cards, be prepared to follow up late responses.
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Order of Service Books
‘Order of service’ books are a nice touch for the ceremony
as they provide a memento for your guests. Generally, they list all the
members of the bridal party, the parents of the bride and groom, the celebrant
or minister, readers and any musicians or singers at the beginning then
a running order of how the ceremony will unfold. You can include any poems
or readings in full as well as a copy of your vows. A message from the
bride and groom on the last page will make it more personal. As they are
usually not very large, they can be bound with coloured ribbon in keeping
with the wedding colour scheme. Ask your printer to show you examples
or speak to the celebrant – they may have some from previous weddings.
Table Place Cards
Place cards are essential for your reception, as guests need to be allocated
a seat at a designated table. This makes it easier for your guests to
find their seats and will ensure that everyone is seated in accordance
with your plans. It would be a good idea to have relevant groups together
on one table (relatives, school friends, work associates, singles, etc)
as guests will feel more comfortable sitting with people in which they
have something in common. You will not be able to accommodate everyone
in terms of their table location to the bridal table but try to keep close
family and friends closest to the bridal table then work outward.
An alphabetical listing of every guest with their table number next to
their name can be displayed in the reception foyer and guests can then
go straight to their table without having to look at every place card.
Location
Maps
Venue location maps for out of town guests will be very helpful, especially
if guests are unfamiliar with the location of the venue. A simple photocopy
of the street directory with the venue highlighted and showing the most
direct route is easy to enclose with their invitation.
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