OUT WITH THE OLD — INVITES WITH THE NEW.
These aren’t your great-grandma’s invitations, honey. You doth not have to cater to outdated wording! You can still be formal, of course. But be formally YOU, dahling. Elizabeth Means, owner of
Eccentricity, shares 10 ways to make your invitations more inviting.
1. IF YOU THEME IT, THEY WILL COME. Wedding invitation wording should reflect the style and the theme of the event, not just cater to formality. If you’re having a tropical beach wedding, create warm and romantic wording. If you are having a glitzy and glamorous winter wedding, be over the top and dramatic with the wording.
2. YOU DO YOU. Your personality should be behind the wording! Guests should feel like you, personally, are inviting them to the most wonderful day of your lives! “Cordially” and “request the honor of” are not common expressions in everyday vernacular. (Unless you truly are a great-grandma. Then … maybe.)
3. FORMALLY SPEAKING. If you are a formal bride, refresh the frumpy and outdated wording — use things like “with joyous hearts” or “bear witness to their love” — but still keep traditional formatting.
4. MONEY TALKS. It’s OK to ask for cash! Just dazzle up the wording. Instead of saying, “We didn’t register, make checks payable to….” tell them you have all that you need, but would love and appreciate any donation to your honeymoon fund. Added tip: Give your honeymoon-fund website cute categories like “scuba diving lessons in the Caribbean” and “dinner for two overlooking the bay.” Then people feel like they are getting you a tangible gift!
5. RSVP FUN. You still want to maintain an air of elegance on your actual invitation, but no one said anything about the response card! Have your yes/no responses reflect your personality. For example, have your yes be, “I am anxiously awaiting the day!” and your no be, “No, but I’ll pay the $50 opt-out fee.”
6. SAME, GIRL. SAME. Use those synonyms! The word “details” for instance — “particulars” “deets” “tidbits” “don’t forget!” “information” are all perfectly acceptable titles for a “details” card.
7. OVERSHARING IS CARING. Invites don’t believe in TMI. You don’t necessarily need five inserts to get your point across, but say “I do” to oversharing rather than cut costs and lose critical information. The more questions your guests can answer from your invites, the less time they will spend pestering you for information later.
8. R.S.V.PARENTS? Have your response card return to you, not your parents. Getting mom and pop involved often causes more trouble than it is worth.
9. KEEP IT SIMPLE. Putting “together with their parents/families” is a great way to pay respects to your families without putting four-plus parents names on the actual invites. This is great for more modern, clean, and minimalistic vibes.
10. REAL TALK. Sometimes there are things you should say that don’t sound pretty: “Don’t wear high heels because everything is on grass,” or “Don’t bring kids.” Try subtle or upbeat alternatives: “Attire is formal, but make sure to bring shoes you can dance in!” or “You know we love your kids, but this is an adult-only affair. Please take this as an opportunity to let down your hair and celebrate with us!”
