Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Twisted Limb Paperworks has been creating their eco-friendly line of custom artisan-crafted invitations and working with couples and families on planning their events for fourteen years. Their staff understands that for many, preparing to send invitations for a large landmark event like a wedding or b'nai mitzvah can seem a little daunting. However, it is the company's long held belief that preparing for the big day, including sending invitations, is part of the celebration and that the entire process should be an enjoyable one. Below, find the first in a three-part series (selection & design/guest list, timing, and postage) of helpful tips to keep in mind when sending wedding or special event invitations.

Selecting and Designing your Invitations

This is your wedding, b'nai mitzvah, or other special rite of passage, so design an invitation that reflects your personality and interests. Your guests will be more impressed with a creative and thoughtful expression of you and your celebration than stationery that merely replicates what happens to be the most popular trend of the moment.

The invitation should also set the tone of the event; the design, paper, fonts and graphics should all give your guests a very clear idea about the type of celebration they'll be attending. Is it formal, casual or completely bohemian? Twisted Limb features fonts, colors, and styles spanning a wide range of formalities—their designers can help you determine the best choices for your celebration.

Of course, your wording also does more than relay the basics about your celebration. Wording can indicate the level of formality as well as the unique personality of your event—traditional and elegant, outside and carefree, or alternative and funky. With poetic phrasing, you can let your guests know more about your event location--is it on the beach, in an elegant ballroom, the community room of your church or temple, or among the flowers of your garden?

The Guest List

Remember that the number of guests does not equal the number of invitations—couples and families only need one invitation.

When finalizing the number of invitations you need, you may wish to order five to ten extras for last-minute guest additions and keepsakes. Don't forget parents and bridal party in the invitation count!

When sending invitations to single guests, you may put "and Guest" on the envelope to let them know that they are welcome to bring a date. If guests have significant others, however, it is polite to write their names on the envelope rather than "and Guest."

Let parents know that children are invited by writing the children's names on the addressed envelope. You may wish to send children 16 and older their own individual invitation.

If you are having a small, private wedding ceremony, but want to invite more guests to a reception, Twisted Limb Paperworks can print two sets of invitations for the same design fee—one with the ceremony information, one without. Just let them know. B'nai Mitzvah customers, talk to the staff about the many potential guest lists you might have--service, luncheon, teen party, formal reception, etc. Their customer service and design personnel can help you organize these overlapping lists and get you just the right number of each insert or invite, so that you do not have to order more than you need.

Though decline rates of 20% or more can be common, it's wisest to keep your guest list at the limit set by your venue and your budget.

After a wedding, you may choose to send announcements to acquaintances or distant relatives who you could not invite to the ceremony and reception.