Avoiding Invitation Disasters!

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by: StamkaJonislavski
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Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2011 Time: 8:59 AM
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Avoiding Invitation Disasters!

"It's merely an invite," you tell yourself. "What might possibly go wrong?" Famous last words, indeed! What might go wrong? A lot more than you can imagine. Below are a few things to consider when preparing your invitations.

Phrasing

Oh, dear. How can you word the invite if you happen to have a complicated family? Messy divorces, step-parents, birth parents, in-laws . . . family might be anything but straightforward to work out. The crucial principle to follow is that the person (or people) listed on the invite ought to be the host (or hosts) of the wedding reception. If divorced parents are co-hosting the big event, they might each still be listed, though preferably on individual lines.

Take caution in not giving credit where credit is due. In a recent wedding, the groom's parents footed the bill for the entire magnificent affair, yet it was the bride's parents whose names were on the invitations. At the reception, several attendees heartily thanked and complimented the bride's mother and father on the a beautiful wedding and wedding reception they had sponsored, and the callous couple blithely took credit for everything. As you can imagine, the groom's mother and father felt unhappy and unappreciated! In cases where the groom's parents are paying, you may decide to put the names of both sets of parents on the invitations.

And let's say you're hosting your own wedding wedding reception? Well, feel free to put your names on the invite!

Typing errors and Misspellings

"Really, are you kidding?" you may say. "Who does not search for typos?" Nevertheless, every year there are many wedding invitations that appear with problems in spelling and grammar. Usually, these invites are of the do-it-yourself variety. If you plan to create your own invites, be sure to have someone else proofread the text, preferably somebody who is fantastic at English!

An additional detail to be meticulous about is the spelling of names. Let's say you aren't sure how to spell your old school roommate's wife's name. You may think, "Oh, potato, poTAHto, what's in a name?" When the invite arrives addressed to "Dan and Carrie" instead of "Dan and Keri," the couple might be less than pleased. A name is more than merely a name; it's an integral part of your identity. Take the time to call your guests if you are in doubt; this individual touch shows that you really care and may encourage them to attend your special celebration.

It's in the Mail

Some other common problems revolve round the mailing of invites. First and foremost, be sure to allow enough Response time for attendees to answer. A great rule of thumb should be to post your wedding invitations 8 weeks before the wedding. This typically provides invitees plenty of time to make travel plans and also to secure vacation days if needed. This grace period should also give you time to respond in the event that some of your wedding invitations are returned to you as undeliverable. However don't let that come about in the first place! As with the spelling of names, double check the addresses of your guests to be sure they are current and properly written.

Now WHERE am I going?!

Among the most severe wedding invite disasters you want to avoid is including faulty instructions or unreadable roadmaps to the wedding wedding ceremony or wedding reception. Directions aren't much of a problem in a small town, however in an unfamiliar urban center, finding your way around could be frustrating and even scary for some people. Be careful of printing out directions verbatim from the most recent mapping website. Such internet sites don't always give the most direct or logical routes, as many people have unhappily found out firsthand. Unless you're a superstar with instructions and are totally confident that the instructions are accurate, you could ponder driving each of the routes outlined yourself (from the north, south, east, and west, as needed). You may find unexpectedly closed streets, construction, or only plain wrong instructions. Oh, and it may be a nice idea to include a contact number on the invite of a directionally-gifted friend with a cellular telephone who would be willing to guide travelers to each venue on the day of the celebration.

Please don't permit these kinds of invite problems happen to YOU! With just a little luck, and plenty of preparation, your invitations could go off without a problem.

About the Author

Stamka Jonislavki writes extensively on all matters related to weddings and wedding planning. She has recently been focusing a lot of her efforts in the areas of wedding invitations and wedding invitation wording