Wedding Invitations|Cheap Wedding Invitations|Wedding Invitation

Weddings are expensive no doubt about it. The parties, the dresses, the flowers, the reception hall, the food, the music, the drinks and the honeymoon all have to be paid for by the couple and their families.

The off season varies by area of the country on each continent. But wherever you are the off season wedding will be big on savings. During peak months when dates are plentiful the vendors of wedding fare do a brisk business and the demand makes the supply more expensive. However the opposite is true of those months when there is a shortage of business. The supply is overstocked and much cheaper. Couples can negotiate for greater bargains during those months.

The most popular months for weddings in most states are "May through October" after that business drops off considerably. Doing your homework before hand and cataloging prices for things you will need during the peak months will help you to negotiate an even greater bargain for yourselves.

January, February and March tend to be the least popular months for a wedding. This is especially true in areas that experience a hard winter. The lessening of the demand makes the prices infinitely lower. This is true for catering, photography, flowers and most other things are cheaper during off seasons. Only at Easter and Valentine's Day will the flowers be more expensive.

Negotiating will be a large part of what you do for an off season wedding most vendors already have adopted some type of discount policies, if they do not you can set a precedent. You may be able to eve get a discount rate on the honeymoon. Booking the honeymoon hotel and travel to destinations that experience an off season can make a big difference in the type of accommodation's you can afford.

There are so many styles of wedding invitations available that it can be difficult to narrow down your choices. The invitation will be a keepsake. One day your children will enjoy looking at, so you want it to accurately express you and your fiancé's personality and style.

Knowing the top styles of wedding invitations and how they are used can help you to make your choice. Wedding invitations are available in classic, contemporary, religious and seasonal designs among others. The decision between these styles comes down to personal preference and how each design will go with the theme of your wedding. If, for example, you are getting married in the church you grew up in, wearing your grandmother's wedding gown, you may not want to go with a contemporary invitation. Likewise, an autumn wedding, outside, under a canopy of changing leaves probably calls for a seasonal invitation.

Choosing the paper

The most popular types of paper for invitations may surprise you. For a more casual look consider cotton or linen paper. Each of these papers have their own unique look and feel, If you are unfamiliar with the different types of paper, consider visiting your local bridal shop to look at and touch each type of paper before you make up your mind. For a green, eco-friendly wedding, great looking wedding invitations can be made from recycled paper, not sacrificing any elegance or class.

If your wedding is formal, linen paper is still a good choice. Other types of paper that work well in a formal wedding are parchment, vellum, textured paper and paper with a deckle-edge. Of course, if your wedding is extremely formal, or, if you just have a taste for something different, there are many varieties of handmade and hand-painted paper available that are beautiful and unique.

Choosing the ink

Again, the color of ink that you choose for your invitations is often dictated by the formality of the wedding. The popular choices for casual weddings are black and gray, or one of your wedding colors. For more formal occasions, choosing one of your wedding colors is acceptable, or you may wish to choose a metallic ink, such as copper, gold or silver. The look of a metallic ink, backed by black ink is another popular and attractive choice.

Choosing the font

If you plan to put together do-it-yourself wedding invitations, most kits have several fonts to choose from. While traditional printing methods limit the number of fonts, current technology offers many options for personalizing wedding invitations. Some popular font styles are Antique Roman, Finehand and Rookscript, but the choices here really are endless.

Popular additions

Your invitation choice will affect many parts of your wedding. All of the paper material that will be used at your wedding can be ordered to match your invitations. The list of items that will be included with your invitation adds up quickly. In the envelope with your invitation, you will include a response card and envelope. The envelope is traditionally printed with the bride's address, and includes a stamp, to make responding as simple as possible. You may also want to include a reception card in the invitation envelope. This card will give the details to the reception, and use the same card stock, font and colors as the invitation. If you have guests arriving from out of town, you may also choose to enclose a direction card, providing directions to the ceremony location, and an accommodation card. This is a card for those who will need overnight lodging. It includes information about local choices in hotels, or, if you have secured a special rate at a specific hotel, information on how they should make their reservations.

There are other cards that you will use at your wedding. While these are not included in the invitation, they can also be made to coordinate. A save the date card is a card that goes out early, before the invitation, telling others that an invitation is forthcoming. They are especially useful if you are getting married at a busy time of the year. Thank you cards are an important part of the wedding, and they, too, can be ordered to coordinate with your invitations.

Cards that many people choose to use at their reception include table cards, place cards, escort cards and menu cards. All of these are not necessary, but they add a nice touch. Table cards are used to identify each table and go nicely with escort cards. Escort cards are displayed at the entrance to the reception. Each person finds their escort card, which tells them where they will be seated. The table cards make identifying that location easier. Place cards identify where each person will sit, and menu cards, as the name implies, let your guests know what is on the menu.

It has often been said that you should never aim to work with children or animals, and almost certainly most wedding insurance companies would suggest quite strongly that when planning your wedding, both children and animals should be kept at a considerable distance.

Sadly not everyone listens to their wedding insurance company's helpful little suggestions, and in the following five examples it is quite clear that children and animals can very easily be a liability. All of these examples of wedding insurance claims are completely genuine, as well as being completely horrifying.

Our first example involves a very romantic couple who decided that as they stepped out of the church a flock of doves would be released. What could be more romantic than pure white doves taking wing as the couple take their first steps towards a life together?

Unfortunately, one of the doves decided, for reasons best known to itself, to hurl headlong towards the limousine. Unfortunately the dove didn't live to see the rest of the wedding, and the limousine company decided to sue the couple for the damage done to the paintwork.

Sadly our second example involves the same couple, because several of the remaining doves decided that the excitement of the occasion was simply too much, and contributed their own little messages on several guests below.

This involved cleaning bills and cleaning expenses for hired suits and dresses, and in both of these two examples the wedding insurance company were necessary in order to cover what could potentially have been two very expensive costs.

The third wedding insurance claim example that demonstrates that you should never work with children or animals involves another animal, in this case, a horse. The Bride had visions of arriving at the church in a romantic horse drawn carriage.

Unfortunately the horse decided to make a break for freedom, and hurtled past the church, on down the main high street, and halfway across town. Quite apart from the fright which the Bride and her entourage experienced, the entire event delayed the wedding considerably, and there was quite a bit of damage to several of the cars parked outside the church.

But it isn't just animals that are to blame, because children can be just as unpredictable. There was of course the case of the Bridesmaid who decided, just before the wedding, to open a can of coke. You can probably see where this is going, with a Bridesmaid dressed up in a pretty dress, standing next to the Bride, with a can of highly volatile, very compressed drink.

Of course, the drink went everywhere, and although a great deal of mopping was attempted, all of the dresses had to be professionally cleaned afterwards, at additional expense. Fortunately the wedding insurance company picked up the bill, but it is unlikely that the child in question picked up a can of coke anytime soon after that.

Our fifth and final example, to be completely fair, involves a boy. Specifically, a Pageboy, who was given the tremendously exciting task of walking behind the Bride up the aisle.

Perhaps someone should have pointed out to the Pageboy that it was necessary to walk quite that close to the Bride. As he stepped on to the back of the dress, the Bride's head was yanked backwards, she lost her balance, and fell down. The dress was torn, the vale was torn, and the Bride's composure was completely shattered.

So if you're looking to plan your wedding, make sure that you avoid children and animals, but if you absolutely must include one or both of the two risks, make sure you have a sympathetic and very generous wedding insurance company backing you up.

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Wedding invitations don't start or end simply with the actual invitation. A properly prepared wedding invitation has many key elements to it including card stock, ink color, formality, and last but not least, two envelopes. Choosing the right envelopes to suit your invitations is very important and should not be overlooked.

The wedding invitation envelopes are going to be the absolute first thing prospective guests see when they receive your wedding invitations in the mail. For that reason, there are a few things you should be made aware of and consider before choosing your envelopes. First, you should choose envelopes that are tasteful and possibly reflect the color or theme of the wedding. Since many envelopes come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and designs, it's important to consider the invitation as a whole as well, not simply trying to isolate each aspect and designing it piece by piece.

There are nearly an endless amount of choices when it comes to wedding invitations and their envelope counterparts. Most invitations are square or rectangular but one of the styles that are becoming very popular is known as a pochette. A pochette has a square shape and folding tabs on each side. These tabs fold in to create the envelope. Since there are so many colors to choose from as well, consider matching the envelope to the bouquet color of your wedding. Another idea is to pick a color that reflects the time or the theme of the wedding. For instance, if your wedding were going to take place on Valentine's Day, you may consider choosing a red or pink envelope for your invitations. If you are going for traditional appeal, consider an envelope made of parchment paper. Parchment often features a deckled look around the edges which is something that resembles a torn edge. It helps your invitation appear to be handmade.

When addressing your wedding invitations, etiquette almost demands that they are hand addressed. While printed address labels are becoming popular as well as having printing companies print them on the envelopes for you, those who are perfectionists about proper etiquette will say that hand addressing them will always be the best thing to do. Most envelopes are part of a package deal put together by printers but many offer upgrades to the package as well. You may feel that you'd like some form of lining in your envelopes for instance. Most printers are willing to work with you to create the perfect package but be forewarned that changes usually equate to additional charges.

Books have been written about choosing your wedding stationery. There are so many different styles, paper stocks, ink colors, lettering styles and sizes of cards and envelopes to choose from that it can leave the bride-to-be flummoxed. But it needn't be that way.

Take Time

When the decision to have a wedding has been made the person responsible for the stationery, be it the bride, the bride and groom, or the bride's mother, should consult a professional who has experience in wedding invitations. This can be a wedding planner, a bridal shop, a stationery or jewellery store, or another reliable source.

The stationery should be chosen when the date of the ceremony is decided on and the guest list is complete. The wedding party that finds itself short because they remembered to invite a few more distant cousins at the last minute will no doubt be charged extra by the stationer. The stationery should be chosen from three to six months before the ceremony, so the wedding party can have time to proofread it and address the envelopes.

Simple or Elaborate?

Invitations can be as simple or elaborate as the bridal party wants and can afford. Stationery can be square, round, rectangular, decorated with lace and bows, laser cut, and even decorated with tiny gemstones. Its colors can be coordinated with the bridesmaid's gowns, or created around a theme such as a beach wedding or ethnic wedding.

Simple invitations can be handwritten if the wedding is going to be small or informal. But a large and formal wedding needs formal stationery. The traditional formal invitation has a fold on the left side, with letters written in black ink. The stationery is printed on heavy cream, ivory colored or ecru paper, and the invitation is sent in a sturdy double envelope. The type is engraved or set in a process called thermography. In engraving, the paper is pressed on an etched metal plate and the letters are in bas relief, which is elegant and feels good to the touch. However, engraving is expensive. In the less expensive thermography, ink and powder are fused together to create an effect like engraving. Most people can't tell the difference.

Other procedures for printing the stationery are laser printing, which is for informal weddings, stationery printed out on a home computer, or calligraphy. Calligraphy is quite elegant and can be done on computer or by hand. A calligrapher makes a master of the wedding invitation, which is then replicated through engraving or thermography.

The Paper

Formal invitations have an outer envelope, an inner envelope and tissue paper. A cheap wedding invitation, printed on good, heavy card stock, is inserted fold side down in the unsealed inner envelope along with a response card, reception card, ceremony card and perhaps even directions to the venue. Then, the inside envelope is place in the larger outside envelope. The bride might also want to order thank you notes and change of address cards. After all this, she can turn her attention to the many, many other things that will make her big day memorable.

Planning a wedding can be an incredibly difficult, expensive and time-consuming thing to do. Getting all of the details right is one of the hardest parts of it all. One part of that planning includes putting together invitations. To save money, consider using wedding postcard invitations instead of full invitations. They are less expensive and easy to create! You can still customize them as you would the typical invitations and they make you stand out from everyone else.

Vintage

If you love all things retro, incorporate that into your wedding postcard invitations. One idea is to go with a vintage typeset style of invitation. That is what was used at print shops in earlier eras. It creates a retro, unique look that is memorable and striking.

Another idea is to use a black and white damask pattern on wedding postcard invitations with touches of blue and silver. This is evocative of old Hollywood glamour. It's also simple and quite elegant.

Collage

An option for a casual wedding postcard invitation is to do a photo collage. This can be of you together as a couple, such as engagement pictures of you together. Use three to five photos, depending on the size. Along with the photos, have your name and or wedding date in text, in decorative white or lavender text.

City Landmark

If you live in a city that you love, or are getting married in a certain city, consider using a landmark on the front of your wedding invitation postcard. For example, if you are from Seattle, consider adding a picture the Space Needle on the front of the invitations. If you are getting married in San Francisco, use a stunning of the golden gate bridge on the front of the wedding postcard invitations

Seasonal

Add a seasonal touch to your wedding invitation postcards. For those having a winter wonderland style of wedding, add a scene of snowflakes and silver on the front. If you are having a summer wedding, put a gorgeous beach scene on the front of the invitation. Another idea is to put a photograph of a large starfish on the front.

The text part on the other side of the wedding postcard invitations can include anything that you want. Include information such as the venue location, your names, and the date and time of course. You will have less space to work with than if you used a traditional invitation. Just be concise and make sure to get down the most important details first.

Part of the challenge of planning a party dealing with the 'what ifs.'

And probably the number one concern that most people have when planning an event is bad weather. Bad weather can gum up the works in a number of ways.

If the event is in the winter, a harsh storm can make driving treacherous or impossible. I recall a blizzard several years ago that was severe enough for governmental authorities to shut the highways to all but emergency vehicles.

If your event is in the winter months, it behooves you to raise the issue of inclement weather to your vendors. Each vendor will have its own policy on policy on cancellation. In some cases you may lose your deposit. Some vendors such as caterers have to incur up-front out-of-pocket costs to serve you and they cannot be expected to absorb them.

Some vendors will apply your deposit to your new date.

If your event is an expensive one such as a wedding, consider wedding insurance. It is designed for such occurrences (but not for couples who get cold feet).

In some scenarios, a rain or snow date will work well.

The downside is that outside vendors and venues have to keep themselves open for two dates instead of one. Some may not be able to accommodate that or there may be additional charges. Also few guests are likely to commit to two dates upfront.

In warmer months, people living in hurricane prone areas have to deal with that threat. The same scenario applies as a blizzard in more northerly climes.

But rain can disrupt outdoor events any time of year. Roads can be flooded out in heavy rain and that can delay your vendors and your guests.

It is delightful to be outdoors during the spring and summer. But ill-timed rain can gum up the works if you have not planned for its possibility.

The easiest and least expensive way to handle that contingency is to have an easily accessible, nearby sheltered area. That could be a nearby building, a pavilion or a tent. Then the 'show' just goes on rain or shine.

Most hotels and catering facilities are set up for both indoor and outdoor scenarios. Many public parks have pavilions that you can reserve or rent at little or no cost.

And if the event is at home, just keep some rooms cleared in case the party has to make a quick dash indoors.

There are many types of wedding invitations to choose from when planning a wedding. Before making your decision, consider the type of wedding that you are having. This can dictate whether a classic style invitation is right for you or if you should use another style. There are several situations where classic wedding invitations are used. The most common is for a wedding that is taking place in a church or another type of formal ceremony.

Classic wedding invitations look like they are quite old fashioned. Most of the time, they come on one sheet of paper, without any folds. They are often in an envelope with a sheet of tissue paper, and usually have one or two colors. The background is usually white or off white, and the color of the printing is a dark color. There is usually a boarder, and the wedding invitation has important information about the wedding on the inside. This information consists of who is getting married and the time and place where the ceremony is being held. Classic wedding invitations are usually all the same general size, and they have a very formal and traditional tone to them. However, the colors and borders can be customized. It is also possible to customize the text on the invitation to make it your own.

When to Go Classic

There are several situations where a classic wedding invitation is the best choice. If you are very religious, and the biggest factor in your wedding is going to be the traditional, religious aspect of it, you may enjoy having the classic wedding invitation more than you would enjoy having a different, more contemporary wedding invitation. If you are inviting many people who have very traditional values, and you want to make the traditional values into what is most important in your wedding, you may also prefer to choose the traditional and classic wedding invitation.

You want to make sure that your wedding follows this traditional theme after your choice of invitations. This is important because it can help you make sure that you are on track for a formal celebration right from the start. Often the more classic and traditional wedding invitations are the best way to show right from the start that you are planning a traditional and formal wedding. If you are not planning a traditional wedding, it is still possible to use this formal invitation. Although it may not match the exact theme of your wedding, the invitations are very simplistic and you are sure to find one that works well.

When to Choose another Option

Even though there are plenty of reasons that you might want to choose classic wedding invitations, there are also some times where that style is not the best choice. If your wedding is very informal, a classic wedding invitation just is not going to match the theme or setting of your wedding.

Many times, traditional afternoon weddings, followed by evening dinners and receptions do well with the classic wedding invitation. However, weddings that are in the morning, with afternoon receptions, or weddings that are in the early evening with late night receptions are ceremonies that might benefit from a different type of wedding invitation. You have to use your best judgment and ask yourself if a traditional wedding invitation is really the best style for your ceremony.

In addition, if you are having a destination wedding, you probably do not want to go with the classic wedding invitation. A destination wedding is a great time to explore different possibilities when it comes to choosing this type of event , so you want to be sure that you are leaving your options open for the type of wedding invitation that you want to send out. A destination wedding in another location such as the beach, or a different country, may call for a more creative wedding invitation rather than a classic wedding invitation. In this case, you may want something that is the color of the ocean or a landmark of the country where the wedding is taking place. These are just a few informal ceremony ideas where a traditional themed wedding invitation would not work as well.

No matter what, you are going to have a decision to make. You want to take into consideration the overall theme or idea behind your wedding. You also want to think about the time of day, the type of wedding you are having, and the level of formality that your wedding is going to have. All of these factors are very important because they help you to show how important your special day is, and they help you to choose the wedding invitation that is going to mean the most to you. Your wedding invitation should be something that you really love and enjoy.

No one's expecting the groom to get through his big day single-handed. In a vital supporting role are the best man and all the ushers. But what exactly are their duties?

There are no lie-ins on your wedding day. This is the most important appointment of your life. Make sure you're up bright and early with a very bushy tail indeed.

A lot of grooms spend the evening before their marriage with their best man and ushers. They may even stay over, just to be sure their groom doesn't accidentally oversleep.

Sometimes the bride's family will host a pre-nuptial dinner, with everyone (bride, groom, parents, close family, best man and chief bridesmaid) all spending the evening together. It's a good opportunity for everyone to run through the final plans and wedding day duties.

On the morning of the wedding, it's the best man's responsibility to get him and his groom to the venue on time. The groom's bound to be nervous - possibly shaking like a leaf. 'Bestie' is his right-hand man. He must keep him calm, allay any last-minute nerves, and ensure his wedding suit is all present and correct. The one object he mustn't forget about is the ring.

Transport
Wedding venues are never simple to get to. Be they churches in remote rural villages, big city registry offices or Caribbean beaches, there's always a convoluted journey involved. Wise grooms will calculate the journey time and then triple it; just to be safe.

Plan to arrive at the venue at least an hour and a half before all the other guests. You'll have time to iron out any last minute problems and then enjoy a pre-marital drink with the ushers.

This has become something of a wedding tradition within recent years. Groom, best man and ushers all meet up at a pub near the wedding venue and celebrate the groom's final moments as a single man. Besides, you can hardly be expected to get hitched on an empty stomach, can you?

Ushers' duties
The pre-marital drink is also a chance to run through all the ushers' duties:
You'll need at least two ushers to take care of car parking at the wedding venue.
Two ushers should stand at the entrance to the wedding venue, handing out the orders of service and meeting the guests.

The remaining ushers should be inside the venue, directing or escorting guests to their seats. They'll ensure the seats at the front are reserved for family, bridesmaids and close friends. As a general rule, the bride's family and guests are on the left and the groom's are on the right. At most weddings, since the bride's father is the host, the bride will invite many more guests than the groom. As the venue starts to fill up you will normally find the right-hand side (the groom's side) is emptier than the left. Since a lot of guests will be friends of both bride and groom, the ushers can keep things balanced by seating them on the groom's side.

At very formal weddings ushers may be expected to escort single female guests to their seats. Unless the guest is elderly, this may however appear overly chivalrous.

One usher should have the job of giving you and your best man the signal just before the bride arrives at the venue door.

One usher should remain at the back of the venue, near the door, in case there are any late arrivals.

One usher should remain behind after the service to check for any lost property.

During the ceremony
Groom and best man will wait at the front of the wedding venue, near the altar or registry office desk. They don't need to stand for the entire time. Once all the guests have arrived at the venue, they can take the weight off their feet - just as long as one of the ushers tells them when the bride is approaching so that they're standing before she enters the venue.

The ring
Of all the wedding nightmare scenarios, the one most commonly featured on films and TV programmes is the lost ring. The last thing you want the best man to be doing is scrabbling around in his pockets looking for it. Guests will start giggling and you'll start panicking. So make sure he keeps it in a jewellery box in his pocket.

Signing the registry
To make the marriage legal, the bride and groom have to sign the register. At a registry office this is done in front of all the guests. At a church it's done at the very front, behind the altar, or in a separate room to the side. Two witnesses will have to sign, too - normally a parent from each family.

Post-nuptials
At the end of the ceremony, the entire wedding party will march out of the venue, led of course by the newly-weds. The best man is sometimes required to escort the chief bridesmaid. Once outside, the photographer will need to take some photos. The best man should help gather together all the relatives and ushers.

Off to the reception
The journey between the wedding venue and the reception is bound to be convoluted. Guests may have to negotiate winding country lanes or busy city streets. That's why it's crucial that best man and ushers help direct them all.

While one usher remains behind at the wedding venue, in case there are any stragglers, the others can post themselves at key junctions along the route to the reception. Standing by the road in their suits and with their button-holes, they'll make effective human signposts.

A couple of ushers should also help the guests park their cars once they get to the reception. By this stage the Champagne will be flowing, so everyone will want to be out of their vehicles as soon as possible.