How to Choose Hebrew Wedding Invitations

American Jews whose guests are not Hebrew speakers nevertheless often choose to include Hebrew on their wedding invitations. This choice adds a certain panache to the invitations and lets guests know they will be attending a religious celebration. The following are some tips on choosing wedding invitations with Hebrew.

Instructions

1. Decide how much Hebrew you want to include. Some invitations are written almost entirely in English and include only a short Hebrew inscription, while others are written fully in both languages. Consider your own aesthetics and your guest-list demographics when making this decision (it is probably unwise to do your invitations entirely in Hebrew unless all of your guests can read it).

2. Consider your options. A number of artists who do calligraphy in Hebrew do exist, although it is possible to get Hebrew printed as well. Hand-drawn calligraphy may be more expensive and tends a to have a less formal feel, but it also may better serve your aesthetic needs. Furthermore, working directly with an artist, rather than using a printed template, will allow you more choice in the creation of the invitation as a whole.

3. Peruse different styles and choices. Below are a few links to get started, but you will be able to find sites of your own that offer this service. You may also visit a Judaica store and see if the owner knows of Jewish printers who do wedding invitations.

4. If you choose to use an individual artist, contact him/her to discuss the kind of invitation you want to commission. Many artists will work over the phone, although if you live nearby you may want to meet in person.

5. Consider doing the printing yourself. If you would like hand-calligraphy but don't want to pay for individual invitations, you may be able to pay someone to do one invitation by hand, and then get that printed on the paper of your choice.