With all the hustle and bustle of a wedding, sometimes its hard to find time to figure out exactly what information goes on your paper products. When you work with a custom invitation designer like Zenadia Design, they can help take the stress off this area by giving you suggestions. I always refer my clients to Verse It. This is an amazing website, filled with hundreds of ways to word everything from your save the date cards to rehearsal dinner invitations.
Lets take a look at some of the things you should include on your paper products:
Invitations
Rather than state the obvious, lets take a look at a few etiquette tips:
– Whoever is paying for the wedding us usually listed first. That is, if the brides parents are paying you’ll want to say something like: Mr and Mrs Edward Smith invite you to the marriage of their daughter…
– Don’t put where you are registered on your invitation. This can go on your wedding website.
– The phrase “request the honor of your presence” is to be used for a ceremony in a house of worship. The phrase “request the pleasure of your company” is to be used for a ceremony in a secular venue.
Save The Date
Your save the date should include you name (obviously!), your wedding date and the location of the wedding. You might also want to include your wedding website, should you have one. If you don’t have a wedding website, you could include where you are registered on your save the date.
Programs
There are many different options of things to include in your program. Below are some basic suggestions.
Your name
The date of the wedding
Location of the ceremony
Wedding Participants
Parents of the Bride
Parents of the Groom
Grandparents of the Bride
Grandparents of the Groom
Maid of Honor
Best Man
Bridesmaids
Groomsmen
Flower Girls
Officiant
Order of the Ceremony
Prelude (list music if you wish)
Seating of Mothers
Processional (list music if you wish)
Opening words
Readings
Wedding Vows
Exchange of Rings
Pronouncement
Blessing
Recessional (list music if you wish)
You may also want to include the following:
Note of thanks from the Bride and Groom
Explanation of any religious ceremonies
Dedications
How long you have known each person in your bridal party.
Place and Seating Cards
– Place cards should contain the person’s full name. (i.e. James Smith)
– Seating cards should either have the name of the person (James Smith) or the name of the family, if they are all at one table (the James Smith Family). You will also want to include the table number that the particular person is assigned.
Menu
For the menu, you basically want to tell your guests what they will be eating. List the appetizer, salad and entrée. If there is a choice of entrée, list this as well. You can also list the type of cake or dessert they will be having. Including the date of your wedding, and either your names or a monogram, if you should have one, is also a nice touch.