Wedding Invitations

Weddings may begin with a proposal, but many brides agree that reality doesn't set in until they see the words in print. One of the initial decision you make in planning your wedding is whom you will include in the celebration. Think of it as the first stop to carefully honor the presence of your family and friends, it also lays the foundation for what guests can expect of the wedding. It makes the first impression.

And as every bride should know, first impressions count. The wedding invitation is an especially meaningful consideration because its design and presentation are so closely linked to our most firmly entrenched conventions of etiquette. The time-honored practice of delivering formal written invitations began in the mid-eighteenth century with European royalty, who customarily sent by a messenger on horseback a hand-written missive sealed with the family crest. The soiled outer envelope was discarded, and the clean inner envelope was then placed on a silver tray for presentation by the butler. Though its literal purpose is obviously outmoded, the custom nevertheless preserves an inherent sense of ceremomy that seems especially appropriate to the occasion of a wedding. The traditional design, size and folding techniques for the classic wedding invitation - which is still delivered in a double envelope - have remained fairly consistent since at least the 1800's and were firmly established with the 1922 publication of Emily Post's enormously successful book on etiquette. The classic invitation, sent six weeks to eight weeks before the wedding, remains by far the most popular type in America.

Exerpt from "Town & Country Elegant Weddings" by Stacey Okun