Wedding Invitations|Cheap Wedding Invitations|Wedding Invitation

Planning a wedding can be a daunting and very stressful task. We highly recommend you take six months to a year to plan your wedding and will outline for you an easy-to-follow schedule.

Twelve months before the Wedding

• Get yourself a binder with paper and dividing tabs.


• Discuss with your fiancé and his/her families, plus your own, to determine a budget.


• Decide on your wedding theme e.g. Christmas, Fall, Snowflakes, Black and White, etc.


• Select a wedding date with your fiancé and families.


• Decide on your wedding attendants.


• Book a ceremony and reception location(s).


• Book your professional wedding photographer, florist, caterer, videographer, and DJ or wedding musicians.

Nine months before the Wedding

• Make an appointment with your officiant. For most religious ceremonies, you may be required to attend pre-wedding counseling. For civil ceremonies, your officiant may require a meeting to discuss your wedding ceremony.


• Wedding gown shopping and first fittings should be looked after at this time.


• Shop for your wedding accessories, wedding veil or head piece, and wedding shoes.


• Begin preparation of the guest list. Be sure to include both sides of the family as guest lists are often a contentious issue. It will take time to decide on long lost cousins, work friends, neighbors, etc.


• Decide on gift registry locations and register.


• Begin your search for your honeymoon location. If you are getting married during a peak holiday season such as Christmas, you may need to book your honeymoon up to nine months in advance.

Six months before the Wedding

• You need to meet with the wedding professionals who will assist you on your special day. The menu should be mapped out with your catering company, a review of requested wedding photos with your photographer, a discussion with your videographer on the amount of footage and locations for videos, and your preference for music with your DJ or wedding musicians.


• Limousines and/or other wedding transportation should be booked. Wedding carriages or winter horse drawn sleighs should be booked and pricing confirmed.


• If you are ordering wedding invitations and/or save the date cards and wedding announcements, you need to decide on a provider. If you are making your own wedding invitations and other wedding stationery, you should choose a wedding invitation kit template package. Announcements should be sent out to those friends and family who you have not included in the ceremony.


• Honeymoon trip should be booked and final budget plans for the honeymoon confirmed.


• Bridesmaids and Flower Girl dresses should be decided upon and ordered.


• Start shopping for wedding rings.

Three months before the Wedding

• Guest list needs to be finalized by you and your fiancé and BOTH families. We can't emphasize enough that you need to have the blessing of all concerned when it comes to the guest list.


• Final decisions and ordering of wedding rings.


• Visit hairstylist for a consultation and have your first wedding day hair run through.


• Make wedding day appointment with hairstylist. Don't forget to include your bridesmaids if they are having their hair professionally styled for your wedding.


• Research and review state requirements for blood tests.


• Research, review and book hotel rooms for out of town guests who may require accommodation.


• Follow up on your wedding gown and confirmation of delivery dates for your gown and those of your attendants.


• Attend your first wedding gown fitting including all accessories and shoes.

Six to eight weeks before the Wedding

• Prepare your wedding invitation kit templates for printing, including the Thank You cards.


• If you have ordered your invites from a commercial business, be sure they are ready for you.


• Address and mail the wedding invitations.


• Shop for and purchase any wedding gifts for your fiancé, attendants, parents and grandparents.


• Attend your final dress fitting including wedding accessories.


• Spend time wearing your wedding shoes so that you are not crippled before the wedding dance starts.


• Test a spray on tan if you plan to tan for your wedding.


• Make final decisions on your wedding hair style and any hair color changes should be made.


• Pick up your wedding rings from your jewelry shop.


• Print out your personalized Thank you cards from your wedding invitation kit templates or purchase generic Thank you cards.


• Send any Thank you cards for wedding or shower gifts received over the past weeks.

10 - 14 Days before the Wedding

• Confirm with your caterer with one final review of the menu.


• Confirm with your officiant the venue and time of ceremony.


• Confirm with your photographer, videographer, DJ and/or wedding band.


• Confirm your honeymoon reservation and any special requests for the wedding night.


• Address any wedding announcements, stamp and set in preparation of mailing on your wedding day.


• Final visit to your hairstylist to review any last minute concerns or changes.

One Week before the Wedding

• Attend any last minute parties or bridal showers in your honor.


• Write any Thank you cards for gifts received at these functions.


• Give the caterer your final number of guests expected to attend.


• Bridesmaids and Flower Girl confirmation of the time they are expected to arrive.


• Purchase travel insurance for the honeymoon if you are leaving the country.


• Purchase travelers checks for the honeymoon holiday.


• Double check to be sure that travelers checks are accepted and easily cashed at your final destination.

Wedding Day Peace of Mind - Priceless!

Weddings are beautiful events much planning and organizing goes into the big day. After the wedding date is confirmed and the theme of wedding is chosen the next stage is to organize everything. From booking the chapel to organizing wedding invitations are all things couples need to plan for. The best way to keep track of everything is to make up a list and allocate tasks. An important task to organize as early as possible is the wedding invitations. There are many things to consider when choosing wedding invitations from the paper type to the ink to the size of the invite. The cost will vary greatly depending on the paper type you chose.

When considering wedding invitations you need to consider the paper selection, this will help distinguish your invitations from others. Things to take into consideration include the finish, weight, opacity and brightness of the paper. The finish of a paper is its surface texture, depending if you want your invitation to have an uncoated or coated feel will require different surface textures. Wove paper will have a smooth uncoated surface finish to the wedding invitation. Laid and Linen paper both have textured lines on the surface of the paper, linen paper has finer lines than laid paper. Coated paper will give the wedding invitations a waxy finish (shinny or matt). Uncoated paper is untreated, which results in the paper looking dull and unreflective. Coated one side means simply that the paper has a coating on one side of the paper while the other side is dull.

The size of an average wedding is between 70 to 120 guests, which equates to a lot of wedding invitations. The weight of the paper will affect the cost of the invitations and the mail out costs. Paper weight is indexed on a scale, the thicker the paper the heavy it will be, which in turn increases the cost of the product. The weight of paper also affects the paper's opacity. Opacity is determined by the weight, ingredients and absorbency of the paper. A paper's opacity will affect how much printing will show through on the reverse side of the paper. This is very important for wedding invitations you do not want anything printing through onto the reverse side of the invitation. Paper is also measured by it's by brightness. The brightness of paper is indexed on a scale 1 to 100, 100 being the brightest. Typically most paper will reflect 60-90% of light. When selecting brightness for wedding invitations the higher the percentage the better especially if you are choosing a traditional theme wedding. The brightness of the paper will reflect the ink and contrast between light and dark hues more clearly.

With just 2 days to go until the arrival of May, the 2012 wedding season is about to burst into life as brides and grooms from every corner of the globe head up the aisle to say their "I do's".

May and September tend to be the busiest months of the year for weddings in the UK, and if you are one of the lucky ones marrying your sweetheart this year, why not take advantage of the rainy weekend, stay indoors, and book your dream honeymoon holiday to somewhere warm and exotic!

When it comes to the cost of your honeymoon, it seems the sky is the limit. After researching all morning the average spend ranges between 瞿3000 and 瞿7000 for a two week break, and many savvy newlyweds now ask their guests to contribute to their honeymoon fund rather than buying a gift, so that they can splash out on a memorable holiday and enjoy those first weeks as man and wife - a great idea!

So with your perfect partner, honeymoon budget, and your wedding dates all planned, the only thing left to decide where to go! So without further ado, here is our list of Top 5 Honeymoon Destinations for 2012 Weddings...

Mauritius

Mauritius is not just one of our favourite honeymoon destinations; it tops most other lists too! A paradise bathing in the Indian Ocean, it is perhaps the most romantic holiday spot in the world. Sophisticated resorts with endless spa treatments, powder white sandy beaches, warm sunshine, and indulgent dining venues - what more could newlyweds want!

Caribbean

The Caribbean attracts honeymooners from all over the world, and with such an amazing choice of beautiful islands, it is no wonder that it remains such a popular destination. If we were to choose one island for a truly romantic honeymoon, it would have to be Anguilla. Laid back, relaxed, and breathtakingly beautiful, this tiny island has it all.

Santorini, Greece

The Greek Islands are picture-postcard perfect during the summer months, and Santorini with its stunning blue and white buildings, cobbled streets and abundance of wild flowers is a wonderful place to spend a romantic holiday with a loved one.

South Africa

Those looking for something a little bit different should consider South Africa for their honeymoon. Combining a city break, a wine tasting tour and perhaps a safari, is a great way to celebrate your marriage, and you could always add-on a week in neighbouring Mauritius to get the best of both worlds!

Australia

If your honeymoon is going to be your 'holiday of a lifetime', why not take the plunge and head down under to Australia! A magnificent country that has something for everyone, Oz is a wonderful place to visit, and there is nothing more romantic that drinking a glass of wine together while watching the sun set over Ayres Rock.

Wherever you decide to go on your honeymoon just remember, "Short honeymoons are better than no honeymoons, but long honeymoons are best of all" - enjoy!

Formal weddings are all about etiquette. This starts before the wedding, with the wedding invitations. Depending on where you get your letterpress wedding invitations, they may or may not already be assembled correctly. If they arrive in separate stacks, don't panic. Despite the fact that assembling the invitations will be a time consuming process, it is relatively simple to do. Typical letterpress invitations come with enclosure cards and envelopes, the invitations, and those envelopes, which must be assembled a certain way to follow wedding etiquette. After assembly, the invitations should be addressed a certain way.

Enclosure Cards and Envelopes

There are a variety of enclosure cards that may be included with your wedding invitation. These enclosure cards are designed to make it easier on the couple and the guests when the big day arrives. Common enclosure cards include: response cards (for quick indication of wedding attendance), reception cards, ceremony cards, and pew cards. Some other items you may want to include with the invitation may be a map with directions to the ceremony and reception, transportation cards, and admission cards.

The most commonly selected enclosure card is a response card. This is a card the guest will mail back to the couple, with the selection of "will be attending" or "will not be attending." These are designed to make it easy for guests to respond to the invitation, which will make it easy for the couple to determine the final guest count for reception and meal purposes.

The response card should be placed in the smaller envelope, and the envelope should have the name and address of the person or people receiving the replies already on it. This can be handwritten if the handwriting is nice, or a calligrapher can be used. Appropriate postage should be affixed to the envelope.

Invitations and Envelopes

Wedding invitations will have two envelopes: an outer envelope for mailing purposes, and an inner envelope to protect the beauty of the invitation. This is because in times when the invitations used to be hand delivered, the outer envelope could get dirty without ruining the actual invitation.

When writing the address on the outer envelope, include the guests names, and do not use any abbreviations. For example, if you are sending the invitation to a post office box, the words "post office box" should be written out instead of using "P.O. Box." The return address should be on the back flap of the envelope instead of the upper left corner.

The inside envelope only needs to include the guest names, using only their title and surname. In the case of families with children under age 18 also being invited, the children's first names should also be listed on the inner envelope, on the line below their parents.

The addresses and names can be handwritten if the handwriting is nice, or a calligrapher can be used.

Wedding etiquette can be overwhelming for many of us, but when you take your time, the wedding invitations don't have to be a stressful endeavor.

It has long been tradition for the newlywed couple to leave on a honeymoon after the wedding. The honeymoon is a traditional period of time that the couple takes alone together away from the pressures of work and family.

Many couples assume that a honeymoon needs to be a spectacular - and very pricey - trip. When couples want a special once-in-a-lifetime experience, it can be tempting to spend thousands of dollars. It isn't necessary, however. There are ways to have that honeymoon and not break the bank. Read on for details.

A major boon to the budget conscious couple is the increasing popularity of cruise ship weddings. Nowadays more couples embark on a cruise to an exotic locale such as Bali, or the Caribbean, and get married aboard the ship!

Does this surprise you? Many cruise ships have a chapel on board which is staffed by a priest or minister. The clergyperson can marry you while you are on board. Compare the cost of a traditional wedding, which can easily reach $20,000 or more, with the cost of a cruise ship wedding. That just costs the price of your cruise plus a few more hundred dollars for licenses and chapel fees.

It pays to be creative and nonconventional in tough times. Maybe a cruise ship wedding is not the most standard or typical wedding, but it can still be lovely and memorable. Plus, you are already on a fantastic trip that works as the honeymoon!

Cruise ship wedding doesn't sound good to you? Or you have your heart set on a different trip? You can still cut down your honeymoon costs. Instead of registering for a bunch of gifts that you really don't want and many not ever use, why not ask your family and friends to contribute to a honeymoon fund?

It's a simple thing to set up a honeymoon registry fund online and collect contributions. Both sides benefit when you do this. Your family and friends will be so glad to be giving you a gift that you and your spouse will be glad to receive, and you and your spouse will get that fantastic trip that you've wanted for so long.

Creativity is called for if you want to have a honeymoon during periods of economic distress. It makes sense to budget and cut corners where you can. If you need to postpone, even, you can always take that dream trip to the exotic location when economic times turn around.

Contemporary wedding invitations are the perfect choice if you don't want a traditional wedding invitation. Traditional wedding invites are fairly simple, normally just a flat sheet of card with your wedding details on the front. Not everyone wants this look, some couples want a more contemporary feel to their wedding stationery. Designs with a bit more colour, texture and sparkle.

Contemporary wedding invitations come in all different shapes from pocket-fold to gate-fold. Pocket-fold invitations have become very popular in recent years. The pocket allows you to place extra information with your invite such as a directions card, gift list and reply card.

Decoration wise, floral and swirl patterns are currently very popular. Most wedding stationery that utilises patterns can be printed in different colour ways, so you can match your stationery to your wedding colour scheme.

Diamant矇 decorated wedding stationery adds a touch of sparkle and luxury. You can buy designs pre-decorated with diamant矇s, or if you want you can add them yourself afterwards. Pre-glued diamant矇s are available from many stationery and craft shops. To stop the invitations looking tacky don't over do it, between 1 and 4 diamant矇s per card should be enough.

More and more couples are choosing to get married abroad. If this applies to you then you might want to choose wedding invitations that have a beach or travel theme. For example a card decorated with a luggage tag, shells, planes or a photo of a sunny beach. You may also have a reception or wedding blessing when you return for your guests that couldn't attend the wedding. Your invitations for this reception should carry on the travel or beach theme.

A contemporary addition to modern wedding stationery is the save the date card. These have become an essential choice for couples getting married during a popular holiday season. They give your guests advance notice to "hold" or "save" the date. They are also very handy for guests coming from out of town. Non-local guests will need to make special travel and accommodation arrangements and will appreciate the extra warning that save the date cards give.

Current statistics relating to wedding insurance demonstrates clearly that there is a worrying trend as far as under insuring weddings in the UK is concerned. The average wedding in the UK over the last 12 months has been around 20,000. This includes the wedding itself, the reception and the honeymoon.

Very worryingly there are still an alarming number of couples choosing not to take out any wedding insurance at all. However, even amongst those who don't have such a touching level of faith in fate, it seems that on average most couples in the UK last year under insured their wedding by around 30 to 40%. In real terms we're talking about a shortfall of between 6,000 and 8,000, which is certainly no mean sum of money. For many couples today that represents either the whole or a significant chunk of the deposit needed to their first home.

Few young couples today can afford to risk around 7,000 on average, and yet in many cases the reason it seems for this shortfall is simply that couples don't appreciate the fact that it only takes one small thing to go wrong to result in the entire wedding having to be cancelled or postponed.

This doesn't mean postponing 60% of the wedding. It means postponing the whole wedding. It seems many couples seem to think that if the wedding venue burns down, floods cut off the whole area or the Bride and Groom go down with food poisoning, everything will be all right, and they will only need to postpone about 60% of the wedding! Quite how this is supposed to work isn't clear.

Yet these very same couples would hardly take the same approach if it was to do with car insurance say. If they were happily driving their car one day and happened to be involved in an accident, they would be pretty disappointed if their insurance firm turned round and happily offered to replace their car, all except the wheels, the engine and the seats. That would hardly represent a terribly useful mode of transport, nor a very comfortable one.

Discovering that at the very time you need your insurance that you'll only be able to claim around 60% of what you actually need is never going to work in any circumstances, whether it's car insurance, home insurance or wedding insurance.

Some people claim that the reason they under insure their wedding is because they believe that they have other insurance policies which overlap with their wedding insurance policy, and it is these other forms of insurance which will pick up the bill if needed.

This is dangerous territory, because in many cases couples will find that there are plenty of examples of small print where cover will not be provided under certain circumstances, and when you consider that the difference in price is little more the bottle of wine, it seems ludicrous to run the risk of finding yourself facing an 8,000 bill, and a wedding that has to be cancelled because there's no way in which the couple can foot the bill for the difference between their wedding insurance and the actual value of the wedding itself.

Have you ever been to a wedding in the city? The traffic, congestion, pollution, urban noise, tall buildings and rush of urban life makes for uptight guests. After all, that is why you pay a fortune for a wedding planner to make all those things go away. Right?

Brides want their special day to be perfect including happy guests, happy groom and happy surroundings.

THE GRAND TETON

If you are an outdoors person looking for a backdrop that makes a real statement "The Grand" (as it is called by locals) has to be it! This sharp mountain peak, known as one of the Rocky Mountain's youngest peaks, rises from a 6,400' valley floor to an elevation of over 13,780 feet. Imagine a backdrop for wedding pictures vaulting over 1 1/3 miles above the dance floor! Talk about a "big rock!" Very few fake (or authentic) Greek columns can compete with a mountain! What's more, glaciers fill the crevasses most of the year. A June wedding would display more than just white-capped mountain peaks. Your view could include glaciers the size of several football stadiums!

Inside the park weddings are permitted in certain places designated by the National Park Service such as Schwabacker's Landing, Blacktail Ponds Overlook and Signal Mountain Summit. A reservation fee and permit are required to hold a wedding at any of these locations. It is good to keep in mind that each guest that enters the park through the gates at Moose or Moran is charged the normal park entrance fee.

QUIET SERENITY

About the only thing you can hear in this popular wilderness is the soft and steady whoosh of a nearby stream. Wildlife frequent the shadows at dusk as the looming moonlight supplants a spectrum of streaking sunbeams. Sandhill Crane, Canada Geese and an occasional Bald Eagle glide overhead keeping watch over wilderness habitat and overnight summer sleeping grounds. The silence is broken only by an occasional bugle of a bull elk gathering his harem at the end of summer's passing.

WEATHER

If you know the west, you know that most summer days are clear and the visibility unlimited. Hiking and climbing enthusiasts can view the Snake River Valley of Idaho to a distance of nearly 200 miles and the mountain ranges of Wyoming as far as obscuring peaks will allow. Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and Montana are all visible from the peaks of the Tetons on a clear day.

The temperature in summer rarely breaks out of the 80's during the day and the nights are cool requiring a jacket as mountain shadows stretch across the valley of the Tetons. You should probably plan on more, than less, when planning evening wear and bridesmaids dresses.

THE OUTDOORS

Most brides planning for guests are interested in good friends, good food and good entertainment. The kind of entertainment in this part of the world goes far beyond loud bands and Rocky Mountain music. This is truly "America's Serengeti." Viewing wildlife including buffalo, moose, elk, deer, antelope and occasional creatures that are found on the top of the food chain, keep guests entertained with awe.

None of this is man-made.

It is all natural and in the most environmentally protected area of the lower 48. Mingling among the animals throughout the park makes for great entertainment and breaks from traditional rehearsals and receptions.

Guests, adept to the outdoors, can take a lazy float through the Oxbow or a wild river ride down Snake River Canyon in the afternoon. Whitewater and clear water are found all along the Snake as it winds a serpentine course past the foothills of The Grand!

A quick flick of a fly into the tributary waters of The Snake will yield a catch of native ancestry originating in the headwaters of the Yellowstone Wilderness. Cutthroat and Rainbow trout are abundant and are easily found by fishing enthusiasts. Some may be so overtaken by this experience they may not make it back for the vows.

THE AIRPORT

A little-known fact about Grand Teton National Park is that a commercial airport is located within its boundary. Commercial flights on several major airlines deliver passengers (guests) to the foot of the Tetons. A 6,300 foot runway accommodates 737s as well as commuter-size aircraft. The view out the right cabin window on final approach to runway 19 is simply breathtaking. The descent along the entire Teton Range begins at an altitude even with the peaks and ends at its foot. Rental cars and shuttles are available at the airport and accommodations are not far away.

So, if you are looking for adventure in a wedding that reaches beyond the traditional back yard or urban setting, consider Grand Teton National Park and its surrounding venues. Your guests will not be disappointed with the scene and they will remember your special day for a lifetime!

It would be boorish not to invited your ex in-laws to your second wedding if you have close ties with them especially if you have been widowed. All throughout the years that you reared your young ones, without your husband, their son, they were there for you. Should you ignore sending your ex in-laws your wedding invitations?

The Matter with Ex In-Laws

You alone can decide if you are going to invite you're your ex in-laws to your second wedding. If you have been widowed and remained close with your in-laws, you should invite your ex in-laws. This happy event is not only for you and your groom, but also for your children who will be having a father figure in their lives. Sharing the big day with the people who have supported you emotionally and financially during the rough times is just proper. So send them those wedding invitations!

However, if after the death of your spouse, your in-laws did not bother to call or give a hand when you were down and out, there's not need to bother sending them wedding invitations but you can inform them; after all your children are their grandchildren but it's your wedding and your second shot at happiness. Even if your partner is amenable to the idea of having your sister in-law and her parents at the wedding, don't risk it. You can never tell what might happen then.

But there are cases when the bride has not severed ties with the in-laws and theirs is not the usual in-law relation but friendship strengthened through the years. Not inviting your dear in-laws would be unspeakable. Like your dearest friends, your wonderful in-laws would be happy to be there at our wedding.

Dealing with the In-Laws

If you are divorced, you have all the reasons not to send wedding invitations but if you have remained on good terms with your ex and with your in-laws, you can consider inviting them. Have a talk with your ex and sound him out about the prospect. But if you had a nasty divorce, why invite your ex and ex in-laws? If a second wedding requires that all signs of the previous wedding - engagement ring and wedding ring should be removed, so what's the reason for inviting the exes over?

Discuss ex in-law issues with your new partner. He must have his own problems too. An insistent sis-in-law who demands that he update them and invite them to every event in his life can be big problem. At this point, he must let the interfering ex in-laws know that he has moved on. In addition, the presence of ex in-laws can put your families and friends in an awkward position so there's no point at all to invite them to your encore wedding.

You can do this too if you feel that your ex in-laws are just being nosy. Be firm when informing them about the second wedding; you can give the excuse that it's a private affair with just a few of your friends and your parents. You don't have to mention the wedding invitations.

Those wedding invitations are meant for your closest and dearest family and friends, not for exes and ex in-laws unless there is a good reason to have them over, with the consent of your new partner of course.

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So you want to make your own wedding invitations. What kind of wedding invitation software do you need?

If you have a word processing program, you probably have all the software you need. Basically you will just be putting text and clip art or photos on card stock. In order to get a nice wedding invitation you will want to add your own touches.

Creating a wedding announcement is not difficult. My advise would be to get the card stock cut to size before you print on it. This will allow you to just print them and they will be done or ready to add more touches to. The program that I use to make invites is Microsoft Works. It came with my computer.

You will want to learn some of the proper wedding invitation etiquette. This will allow you to use wording that will be appropriate for your situation. This can avoid hurt feelings.

You may also choose to make your own unique wedding wording. Today with so many theme weddings, it isn't unusual to see wording that is somewhat humorous or catchy for a theme in progress.

Using a nice script font to put your wording in will make your card beautiful. You can use almost any size in a word processing program. Adding some nice wedding clip art will hep to set a mood for your wedding. Your wedding announcements may be the first impression many of your relatives will get about your big day. You can control this with nice invites.

The best part about using a good word processing program is that you can set up a data base. With your data base you can custom address your wedding invitation envelopes. This will really add to the appeal of your first impression. By using the same font and colors on your envelopes you will create a flow that will give a complete expensive look.

There really is no need to have wedding invitation software. You can use a standard word processing program and add some wedding clip art with a nice script font and you will have the perfect announcements.

By taking control and printing your own invitations you will be able to add your own touches. Many brides will avoid the double envelopes, it saves money and is more environmentally friendly. We no longer have horseman delivering the invitations. This was the purpose of two envelopes. The outside got dirty, so it was removed and the inside was written to the recipient.

You may even choose a seal and send wedding cards. This is done with no envelopes. You simply use one sheet of card stock. Again you can do this without any special wedding invitation software. So if you don't know how to make your own wedding announcements, learn, you will have fun with them.