Wedding Invitations|Cheap Wedding Invitations|Wedding Invitation

Much as we spend most of our lives online, there are still occasions when a printed letter is required, even if all you do with it is to attach it to an email! Here, then, are some tips on how to approach it effectively.

It's important to differentiate here between the really hard-nosed direct mail sales letter, and, say a new business announcement, or a covering letter you send out to accompany some marketing or other information to a prospect or customer. The former type is best left to professionals, because it takes a great deal of skill, practice and experience to do it well. The latter kind, though, can be done quite effectively by the DIY sales writer. Here are my thoughts on that.

The one main difference between sales letters and personal letters is the role you play. In a personal letter you write in your own style about what you want to say. In a sales letter your focus is totally on the recipient, and you write in the style that he or she will identify with most readily - regardless of your own personal style. Because of this, your style will vary according to who is going to receive the letter.

Show them you care from line one

Right from the very first line, you need to show your readers that you empathize totally with their needs. The better you do that, the more likely they are to keep reading. To achieve that you need to do your homework and find out what your readers real needs are, and focus everything you want to sell them on how it meets those needs and benefits them.

You also need to focus very firmly on YOU, and avoid talking more than strictly necessary about WE and US except for where it obviously benefits YOU.

Facts, not sales talk

Finally, a good sales letter needs to focus on facts, not selling jargon. Readers aren't stupid. They're not going to be interested in your product or service unless a) they know precisely what's "in it for them," right from the beginning, and b) why that's in it for them. The only credible way to answer the "why" part is to give truthful, straight facts. The selling skill isn't in making up a plausible sounding story. The skill lies in showing readers how the facts will benefit them.

Let's use a consumer example, although the same theory applies to the business-to-business variety. This is the launch of a new window cleaning service. First, the wrong way:

Dear Sir (First mistake. Many householders are women. It's also a bit too formal for this audience, and this service.)

We are proud to announce the new See-Through window cleaning service in the XXXtown area. (Wrong again. You may be proud to announce it, but to say so sounds old-fashioned, pompous and affected. The reader doesn't care about you or whether you're proud or not.)

Our 20-strong team of cleaners has been fully trained to ensure an efficient and thorough service to householders: (How many cleaners does it take to do the windows of the average home, unless you're talking the White House, Buckingham Palace, or the Sydney Opera House? One? Two maybe? You may be impressed by your 20 star performers, but they'll make your readers think they're in for a large expense.)

...at very attractive, cost-effective rates. (Nonsense, says the reader. Cost-effective is what businesses say when they try to justify high prices. I only react to facts. Like how much would it cost for an average three-bedroomed townhouse?)

We also offer discounts to groups of ten or more households wishing to have their windows cleaned at the same time. (Where? Zimbabwe? Alaska? Halfway up the Andes? What about me and my neighbors?)

Further details of this discount facility are available on request. (You'll tell me about prices if I ask you nicely. Nuts to that. I want to know now.)

If you would like more information on the new See-Through window cleaning service, please contact our office. (Well, at least you finally remembered who you were writing to. But why should I contact your office? And who? The canteen manager? And where? One of those funny little phone numbers at the bottom of the letterhead in 6 point type? If you want me to buy from you, make it easy.)

Yours faithfully (oh come on - you're not writing to a tax inspector.)

I Glass Chairman (Gosh, a real chairman. I wonder how much he knows about how I like my windows cleaned. Haven't you got someone a bit more in touch with me and my needs?)

OK. Let's try again with a more appropriate style and approach, using headings to break up the text and emphasize key benefits. We also need to give far more in the way of facts.

Dear Householder,

A CLEAN, CLEAR VIEW FROM YOUR WINDOWS AT A COST THAT CLEARLY MAKES SENSE

Window cleaning can be a time-consuming chore for you - messy, dirty and even dangerous. Paying someone else to do it can help. But can you always rely on them to turn up regularly?

Now, though, you can leave the problem of window cleaning to us. See-Through window cleaners have just set up a new professional service in your area to clean your windows as often as you want, on a regular basis. All you have to do is tell us how often you want us - biweekly, monthly, three-monthly or whatever suits you best - and one of our fully trained cleaners will be there every time, on time.

And you don't pay more because we're professional. An average three-bedroomed townhouse costs around YY.00. That's less than many independent casual window cleaners charge.

GET TOGETHER WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS AND BRING THE COST DOWN EVEN MORE

For ten or more homes on a regular basis, we'll give you a discount of 20%. That brings the cost of an average three-bedroomed townhouse down to just XX.00. And twenty homes or more get a massive 50% off.

LET US GIVE YOU A FREE QUOTATION

Just mark and post the enclose reply-paid card, or email us here: clarity(at)seethrough.com.uk

We'll get in touch right away to make an appointment for one of our specialists to visit your home and give you a free, no-quibbles quote.

And if your windows need attention urgently, call us now on our Hotline - XXX XXXX. We'll get one of our team over to you within 72 hours, at no extra charge.

Let See-Through give you a cleaner, clearer view from your windows - at a cost that clearly makes sense.

Warm regards

CLARITY GLASS Customer Services Manager

Creating your own invitation for a special event in your life is a great way to add a unique style to the celebration. However, if you are going to do something as special as a wedding, some taste ought to be thrown into the mix.

The worst wedding invitation I ever received came to me in a reused envelope - you know the ones people are supposed to send their bills back in but pay online instead. Inside this utility bill envelope was a neatly folded piece of paper. At first I thought it was a joke.

On the front of the invitation was the most ridiculous picture of the couple who were to be married. Both look like they were intoxicated and there was nothing appealing about their pose.

On the inside in bold black letters stated "Lets Party! We are getting married!"

Underneath this shouting phrase written in the poorest choice of fonts stated that the wedding was to take place "About the crack o' noon" at the local park. It went on to say that they hope everyone could join them afterwards for a beer bash and BBQ at their home.

Finally, at the bottom, the invitation advised that children should not be brought because at the last party the police had to come several times.....

It will go down in history as the worst wedding invitation that anyone has ever received in the mail. The wedding itself may have been fine - I did not have the nerve to go.

These days, there is so many design tools available for the computer that almost anyone can create their own wedding invitations. It can be a great way to save money while creating wedding stationery which is unique and personal. These are the steps to follow if you wish to design your own wedding invitations.

The very first step is to think about the style of your wedding. If you are having a very formal wedding and wearing a ballgown with opulent wedding jewelry, you will need equally grand invitations. Do keep in mind that when going the DIY route, you will not be able to make engraved or letterpress stationery on your home printer. You could, however, make a design that a professional printer could then translate into letterpress or engraving (for a price, of course). Another idea for formal DIY invitations is to purchase stationery stock with a pre-engraved or letterpress motif and then add your own flat printing with the invitation wording at home. Most of the blank invitations are designed to be run through a home printer and the paper can be a very fine quality. For a casual wedding, still choose a nice heavy paper, but do not worry about letterpress or engraving.

Then think about the layout of your invitations. Do you prefer to follow a fairly standard format, perhaps with a customized border? That could very easily be created using a program like Photoshop. Or maybe you like the ultra-modern look of sans-serif fonts in a variety of sizes; that would be something that you could play around with in a basic word document before printing on your invitations. Creative use of color will add style to minimalist invitations. Remember to experiment with paper color as well as ink color. How would your wording look printed in espresso and red on pale blue? Or maybe you want to try charcoal lettering on yellow paper. Just keep in mind that if you want white lettering on dark paper, that will be an effect best created in letterpress, thermography, or engraving.

Personalize your DIY invitations with a unique motif that says something about your wedding. If you are having a classic elegant wedding and wearing a traditional wedding gown and jewelry, an elaborate monogram would be the ideal way to dress up your station. Either create it yourself by hand or in Photoshop, or find a local artist on a site like Craigslist to design your monogram. Ask them to save it as a jpeg file, and then you can easily insert it into your invitation template. The same goes for any image or motif you may choose, whether it is a pair of crossed golf clubs for the sporty couple, a sketch of your dog, a photo of the bride and groom, or a brightly colored tropical flower for a beach wedding.

Once you have the basic layout and motif decided, the next step in designing your own invitations is to consider the extras. Do you want to layer a printed vellum over a paper textured with flower petals? Maybe you want to make your wedding invitations several pages long and bind them like an art book? Or perhaps you would like to glitter the edges, add a bow to the top, or make a tri-fold invitation. You can also create very unique wedding invitations made to look like theater tickets, maps, or whatever else strikes your fancy.

Just be sure to choose a wedding invitation design which fits within both your artistic abilities and the time you have to assemble it. After all, the number one rule of any wedding DIY project is to avoid biting off more than you can chew. With that in mind, you can really have some fun creating extraordinary invitations that will get everyone very excited about your wedding.

If the idea of traditional wedding invitation wording clashes with your need for self-expression and the ability to invite guests in your own words, then read on for casual and modern ways to word your invitations that will not only give you the freedom to exhibit your personality, but will still accomplish all that etiquette dictates an invitation should.

Essential Elements of Wedding Invitations

In today's more relaxed culture, where etiquette rules seem to fall through the cracks, weddings are one area where these rules are still important, especially concerning invitation wording. Invitations function as physical reminders of your upcoming wedding and are sent not only to invite guests, but to inform them of your wedding details.

However, you may relax your wording and ease past etiquette mandates that often leave invitations sounding formal and uniform instead of reflecting the personalities of the happy couple. When wording your wedding invitations, keep in mind that you must include the full names of those hosting the wedding, as well as the bride and groom. You must also include the request line, which asks guests to be present for your wedding. Of course, wedding details, such as time of day, date, and location also need to be listed on the invitation. The difference will be the way you word these necessary components.

Casual Wedding Invitation Wording Samples

If your wedding will be traditionally hosted, but you want to loosen up the feel of the wording to match a casual invitation, consider the modern way to introduce the important people: the hosts without formal surnames.

Tom and Sarah Fuller
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Catherine Anne
to
Patrick John
son of
John and Lilly Miller

If you want to make the invitation wording even more casual, consider changing the traditional request line to a more relaxed phrase that will mimic the tone of your wedding.

Tom and Sarah Fuller
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Catherine Anne
to
Patrick John
son of
John and Lilly Miller

Or
Tom and Sarah Fuller
invite you to share and celebrate
the marriage of their daughter
Catherine Anne
to
Patrick John
son of
John and Lilly Miller

If both the parents and the couple are hosting the wedding together, then word the invitation so that everyone is acknowledged.

Catherine Anne Fuller
and
Patrick John Miller
together with their parents
request the pleasure of your company
at their marriage

If the couple will host the wedding, then their parents don't need to be formally mentioned on the invitation, although their emotional contribution should still be recognized at the wedding.

Catherine Anne Fuller
and
Patrick John Miller
invite you to share their joy
as they exchange marriage vows

You can easily adapt any of these wording samples to reflect your personality. If you have want to tie in your request line with your wedding theme or location, then go ahead as long as the intentions and the main components of a wedding invitation are recognizable to guests. This way you'll have a unique memento of your wedding worth keeping.

Calligraphy is a special form of handwriting that would be perfect to use with your wedding invitations. You can send your invitations to be handwritten by a specialist but because of the time that he will spent on it you can easily use a printing business that does wedding announcement cards. These businesses have specific computer programs that print the Calligraphy handwriting style faster and more efficient on your wedding announcement cards.

Most of the people believe that by printing these wedding cards than making them by hand it will not show the same effect and their calligraphy hand-written invitations will not be unique. This is not true. There are many websites online that you can explore and see several examples of printed wedding cards with printed calligraphy on them together with the type of printer that is used and the type of ink and paper. It is very difficult to find a difference between them and the real hand-written.

Calligraphy is a unique style that appropriate for style and for more formal wedding cards. With the equipment and the technology in the modern days you can get the top quality of this type of wedding announcement card for your special event and the guests will be surprised.

One of the things that you should take care when getting married is the invitations because it will complete this puzzle of the most important day of your life. Calligraphy gives the impression of importance and style that you have in your heart and you want to express it on paper. Today it is easy for couples to find that unique printing business that will design those perfect wedding invites. The only thing you need to is give them time so they get them ready and send them back to you so that you can have them mailed out before the special day.

How To Write Calligraphy Wedding Announcement Cards?

Sophisticated and elegant wedding card wordings to go with your Calligraphy wedding invitation. The modern way to write your invites is to match it with your wedding theme. Gone the days the design was the center of the attention, nowadays people are looking for unique and elegant wedding invitation wordings that will make them remember the big day or stand out the rest.

Before you start writing your invites first decide what type of invite you want to send out to your guest formal, informal, themed wedding invitation or modern wedding invite. Once you decide the type of wedding announcement card. Then decide what you want to write, the best way to word your cards is to write the couples love for one another or the couples love journey relating to the wedding theme.

Who says that your wedding centerpieces have to be white flowers in a simple round vase? The idea that you have to do any element in a traditional way is totally out the window for weddings today. To really create a unique look, think about replacing the basic floral centerpiece with something a bit less typical.

What sort of atmosphere do you really love? Is is a funky nightclub, or an elegant supper club, or perhaps a relaxing spa? Whatever your favorite time or place, you can use it as inspiration for your wedding. This is a great way to personalize your wedding and to make it distinctive.

For brides and grooms who love the disco era, instead of a floral centerpiece, try a disco ball. You can either put it on a stand on the table, or suspend it from the ceiling over each table, with candles on the table to cast light onto the silvery ball. If you have always dreamed of recreating a moment from "Saturday Night Fever" for your first dance, then this idea is for you!

Perhaps there is a little bistro or supper club that is near and dear to your heart. It could be your favorite date spot, or maybe where your fiance proposed to you, or both. Capture the intimate, warm feeling of a bistro by using smaller tables, and topping each one with a tiny lamp instead of flowers. If you like the idea of having a few flowers on the tables, slip one into the napkin at each place setting. This can also be a fun do-it-yourself wedding project. Get lamps with basic white or ivory lampshades, and trim them out yourself. For a bride who is wearing pearl bridal jewelry, decorate the shades by adding a pearl trim to tie in with your bridal jewelry. Or you can use a fancy braided trim in your wedding colors for a splash of color on the lamps. If you are feeling a little wild, you can even consider trimming out the lampshades with maribou feathers!

For the bride and groom who love nature, there are all sorts of intriguing alternatives to traditional centerpieces. October brides can decorate their tables with a ribbon wrapped bundle of wheat. It is very simple, but at the same time has strong visual interest. A tall glass cylinder filled with seasonal fruits would be another wonderful natural centerpiece idea.

Think about your interests; if you and your future husband love to travel, an around the world theme would make for some interesting centerpieces. Miniature hot air balloons could make very charming accents when used in lieu of flowers. For fun, have some ivy or other greens trailing out of the basket of the hot air balloon.

Literary types, such as professors, could try out something even more offbeat for centerpieces: a stack of books. Choose beautiful old leather bound editions collected from used book shops, and artfully stack them in the center of each table. To make it festive, you can tie a wide satin or grosgrain ribbon around the whole stack, with a large bow at the top. Definitely seek out classic books about love or romance, like Jane Eyre or Emma. Your guests will have a great time discussing the books on their table - it is a centerpiece sure to spark some lively conversation.

Your wedding is your day to make a statement. Instead of doing what is expected, it can be a lot more fun to come up with something unique that says something about you as a couple. Designing your own centerpieces is a fantastic way to make your wedding even more special.

When it comes to wedding planning  the most important thing first and foremost is to set a budget and stick to it. If you do this before you do anything else then it will really help before you get carried away with all the buzz and excitement that only planning a wedding can bring. At the very least it will pay off dividends to have an amount that your really don't want to go above whatever happens.

Something else to factor in at this stage is if there is anyone that is likely to chip in and pay for anything or at the very least towards something.  It can sometimes be an awkward conversation to have but one that is in your best interest to broach at the outset.

Decide what is the most important section of your wedding day to you both. Is it the location for the actual ceremony or maybe the reception and party afterward? It may even be that your honeymoon is the most important thing to you both. Decide this again at the outset so that you can apportion relative amounts to whatever means the most to you both.

If one of you is a list person why not create a spreadsheet or keep an expenses notebook? It's often amazing how seeing things written  down in black and white can help pull in the spending reins a little! Think carefully before you spend large amounts of money or lay down large deposits. Especially in the case of an unforeseen emergency  find out if deposits can be clawed back. Consider wedding insurance as well and get some quotes for this to cover things that you wouldn't even consider happening a year down the line. Seek a second opinion on large financial outlays from someone  whose opinion you respect. Check the terms and conditions on everything!

If you or anyone close has a  talent for being creative then a wedding is the time for using it. Get family and friends together for a brainstorm on who can be the most creative using the least amount of money. This could be fun, too and really gets everyone involved. Someone might be able to offer your something you hadn't even considered or knew about. .. a home baked chocolate wedding cake, wedding flowers from someone's wild flower collection or maybe a ride in your great uncle's vintage car?

People will still get married recession or not  and wedding gifts will still need to be bought but maybe this is the time to use all our skills for getting the most amount of fun out of spending the least amount of money on a wedding day!

Wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of wedding vows by the couple, presentation of a gift (offering, ring(s), symbolic item, flowers, money), and a public proclamation of marriage by an authority figure or leader.

There are many types of wedding such as Civil Wedding, Elopement, Destination Wedding, White Wedding, Weekend Wedding, Military Wedding, Double Wedding and Mass Wedding.

Weddings are one of the most special occasions in our lives, some want a simple wedding with only few people to attend their wedding and others want a grand wedding ceremony to make it more memorable.

So how do we invite people?
By sending invitations to those who are important in your life such as you parents, neighbors, friends, brothers and sisters.

How do we make invitations?
There are many styles of invitations such as a Pocket fold Invitations, A 3-Panel Invitation and a Classic Square Card Invitation. Naturally we make our handmade invitations but it would take most of your time and would be tiring doing the designs again and again in your own hands with different names. We could use our computer to draft our invitations and print it but doing it so is quite complicated specially when you're going to think of how should you design your invitations to be more inviting, that is why mostly we just buy in the market whatever looks so inviting, but their designs are fixed and not quite fitting on your wedding theme.

Having problems of designing? some people might not be good at it that's why they just buy in the market, is it quite tiring to wonder around finding the right one to buy, well luckily we could now go online and just search in the internet and not only that, we could also ask them to make a customized invitations for you that would look professional, is it not convenient? It could save your time for preparing other important things we need on your wedding.

Now that your invitation problem is now resolved the next thing were going to think about on how would our wedding reception would look like, it would be best if you use the same theme on what you have on your invitations, like putting it on a reception menu, Thank you cards, Give away tags, and other printable things.

There are many ways on how we could make our occasion be more memorable, using an item to have a sentimental value, something to cherish in our entire lives, Having the best moments in our lives and also memories on a specific place, we always try to remember back in order to keep our emotions strong.

If you've been thinking of opening a wedding invitation business, let me just say, "Do It!" It's very easy to do and, depending on which way you decide to go with your business, the start up cost can be as little as a few hundred dollars.

There are three types of wedding invitation businesses. The first type, where you work as a manufacturer's representative, is probably the least expensive in terms of start up costs, and also probably the easiest way to get into the business, especially if you've never had your own business before.

In this business model, you simply sell the manufacturer's ready made cards, you act as their representative in your area. They provide you with samples and order forms, and there's usually some type of training or support system in place to help you when you have questions. Although there may be some small investment required to get sample books from the manufacturers, you don't have to invest in any stock or supplies with this method.

If you've never sold wedding invitations before, this is a good way to start. All the work is done for you. The invitations are already printed and packaged, the order forms are already created and the pricing is already set by the manufacturer. All you have to do is sell the invitations and you earn a commission for each sale from the manufacturer. This way, you can concentrate on learning how to run a business, and the ins and outs of selling wedding invitations, without investing any of your own money.

Another option you have is to sell Bespoke. These are invitations that you create yourself from card stock, pretty papers and embellishments like ribbons and pearls and flowers. This type of invitation business requires the largest investment of time and money, usually $1000 to $3000, but also has the largest profits because you can set your own prices. And if you're the artistic type, you're creations can command a very pretty penny. This business model, though, requires that you have more than a basic understanding of business because, since you'll be making the invitations yourself, you'll have to know how to control your costs and how much mark up to include in order to make your business run profitably.

The third type of wedding invitation business, which is the best method in my opinion, is the combined business. In this case, you sell sell pre-made blank wedding invitations and stationery, that you get from a supplier, and you finish it off on your home computer. With this method, you're not working for a manufacturer, you're purchasing the blank invitations from a supplier. The cards are already decorated on the outside, all you have to do is print inserts for the invitations and other assorted cards, and then put the inserts inside the invitations.

Opening a wedding invitation business that concentrates on selling the combined invitations is really the best way to go because you have very little initial investment, only the few blank cards that you want to start off carrying, and you get to set your own prices. While not quite as profitable as selling Bespoke, this method is more profitable than if you were a manufacturer's agent.

Help your friends and family plan ahead by sending out save the date cards as soon as you have determined the date of your wedding. Wedding invitations typically aren't mailed out until six weeks prior to the day of your wedding and that does not always provide guests with enough warning so that they can reserve that date on their calendars. If you would like to ensure that the largest percentage of your invited guests is able to attend, it is extremely beneficial to send out save the date cards or magnets.

These cards or magnets should be mailed out at the beginning stages of your wedding planning. Because they are sent out months, or even a year in advance as opposed to just weeks, they provide your guests with the opportunity to mark the date on their calendar and prevent scheduling conflicts.

There are many different styles of save the date cards and save the date magnets to choose from. The magnetic options serve as a daily reminder of your special event for your invitees and can help all of your guests get excited about attending your wedding and reception. An added benefit to save the date magnets is that they are harder for your guests to misplace than cards.

When choosing a save the date card, you can either opt for a pattern which features the colors that you have chosen for your wedding or you could select for one of our casual and fun styles. Whether you prefer an elegant or whimsical style, you are sure to love our incredible selection. Save the date cards are available in a variety of shapes, including circles, squares, and engagement rings.

Customize your save the date card by choosing one of our styles which features a photograph of the couple. This is a wonderful way to share your favorite engagement photo with your loved ones. Browse our extensive selection of save the date cards today and choose your favorite style. Your guests are sure to appreciate the advanced notice.