Newspaper Invitations

Wedding Invitation Etiquette

Wedding Invitations

There are two sides to wedding etiquette or what is proper and what is improper. On the one hand, you don’t want to come off as greedy and particularly heavy-handed with expectations, but on the other hand, this is your wedding, not theirs! The wedding invitation should be about you and your wedding while conveying your hopes that the individual(s) to whom the invitation is addressed will come.

Do I Follow a Certain Format?

Of course not. The main purpose of a wedding invitation is to invite someone to your wedding. Your wedding is the closing chapter of your courtship and the opening chapter of your future marriage. You want special people to be part of it because they are part of your life. To that end, you can get creative, make a novel wedding invitation, and think outside the box. Your wedding invitations can reflect your personality—in fact, those are always the best ones.

Are There Things I Shouldn’t Say?

Probably. Asking for certain gifts or where someone can go to find out what gifts to give you is considered impolite and may make you come across as greedy. Instead, make it clear that the most important gift they can give you is the honour of their presence—after all, that is the main purpose of a wedding invitation.

Is It Bad Form to Ask Guests to RSVP?

Not at all. RSVP is an acronym for a French term that means “please reply.” Your wedding invitation can contain information on how guests can RSVP. This helps you to plan the reception and other aspects of your wedding. Typically, you will want guests to RSVP two to three weeks in advance so that you can finalize the head count.

What Should Be Included?

That varies. Again, every wedding is unique and don’t get caught up in trying to follow what everyone else has done just because that’s the way it has always been done. Regardless, your guests will probably need to know the following:

  • Where and when
  • When and where to RSVP
  • The dress code (if there is one), black tie, cocktail attire, casual, etc.
  • If it is an adult only wedding, and if so, if there is a provision for child care
  • Whether the wedding invitation is for specific people only or specific people and their Plus One
  • Where to find more information (a website, for example)
  • Reception information (particularly if at a different location than the wedding)

Can I Add Something Else?

Absolutely! You may find that traditional means of sending out invitations have limited space, but there are novel wedding invitation ideas that will give you more space to add things like the story of how you met and became engaged, who is going to be in the wedding, pictures of you at various stages of your courtship, and so on.

Can I Send an Invitation Too Early?

No. You can send it too late, but not too early. Your guests need to have plenty of time to make plans. So knowing when to send out a wedding invitation can help your wedding be a success.

What About a Newspaper Invitation?

We think it is a great idea! Newspapers can be that novel wedding newspaper mentioned above. While there is nothing wrong with the traditional cards, a newspaper gives you the room to allow your creativity flow. You can add dozens of pictures, tell your story, provide a map to the wedding venue, give shout-outs to special people, and create more than a mere invitation—it can be a wedding keepsake that people will treasure.

Create a Wedding Invitation Newspaper

Our templates are 100% customizable, super user-friendly, and designed specifically to help you create an outstanding wedding newspaper with our free Cloud Designer. Below are a few of the 100s of templates available to you.