Everything you need to know about your Wedding Invitations.
Normally the invitations are ordered two to twelve months before the Wedding Date, once you have finalized the day, the location, the time and the theme of the event. They represent the first impression you will make on your guests so you can incorporate the colors you chose, both to anticipate the style and set the tone of your event. Regarding the font, it is very important to make sure it is readable to your guests.
A general rule to follow on invitation wording is to avoid abbreviating: they can create miscommunication and generate confusion among the guests. If you want to limit or restrict the number of children attending the reception, avoid writing “No Children”. The etiquette suggests that you enclose a note to those who might talk to parents and spread the message. Furthermore, make sure to order more invitations than you need in case you forgot to include someone on your list.
Invitations should be sent six to eight weeks before the date of your wedding. In case of international guests, out of town guests and Destination Weddings ten to twelve weeks before the event would be more appropriate in order to give your guests time to plan their travel schedule.
You may also want to send out save the date announcements, four to twelve months prior to your event. They are extremely useful in case of destination weddings, because they give travel and accommodation information in advance for your guests' convenience.
There are many ways to address your invitations. Normally they are handwritten, printed or done in calligraphy. It is important to address the outer envelopes to guests using the proper titles (Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms.) without abbreviated names or addresses. If a couple is living together without being married, the invitations should be addressed with their names on separate lines.
One last tip about the gifts: it is never appropriate to request monetary gifts, but if you want your guest to make a charity donation it would be better to use an additional card saying: "In lieu of gifts please make a donation to..."
