How to Do Separate Invitations for the Wedding & the Reception
Wedding invitation etiquette involves many intricate details. The wedding invitation tends to be formal with spelled out dates and times; the reception invitation may be informal and simpler. Separate wedding and reception invitations are made because the actual event is separate from the celebration (especially if some wedding guests will not be invited to the reception) and because the wedding and reception are normally held in separate locations. Design and print your own invitations with ease by following a few simple etiquette guidelines.
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Things You'll Need
- Computer
- Word processing or desktop publishing software
- Invitation template for wedding invitation
- Invitation template for reception invitation
- Card stock
- Printer with necessary ink colors
Instructions
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Choose or design your wedding and reception invitation templates. If creating your own templates, open a new file and set the document size. The wedding invitation standard size is an A-7, 5" by 7" (folding 10" by 7"), and the reception invitation standard size is an A-4, 3.5" by 4.875" (folding 7" by 4.875"). Margins need to be at least 0.25" on all sides.
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Choose a font type and size. Common invitation fonts include formal (Lucidia BT, Vivaldi or Edwardian Script) and informal (Garamond, Lucidia Handwriting, Book Antiqua or Papyrus). Commit to one font and use what looks best between 12-point and 22-point size.
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Write the wedding invitation. View several samples of wording. Either the parents of the bride or the couple are hosts who invite the guests. Include the following information: bride's name, groom's name, state the event (wedding, marriage, matrimony), weekday, day of the month, month, year, time, name of church, address of church, and city, state and ZIP code of church. Spell out all dates and times.
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Write the reception invitation. View several samples of wording. Include the following information: state the event (reception, celebration, dinner and dancing),"immediately following" or the beginning of the reception time, reception location, reception address, and reception city, state and ZIP code.
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Choose your preferred color and thickness of card stock on which to print the invitations. For consistency, the card stock design should be mostly identical for both invitations.
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Print several test invitations on regular paper and proofread everything.
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Print the wedding invitations and the reception invitations.
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Tips & Warnings
Have two objective people proofread your invitation before the final printing.
Begin with a rough idea in mind. Gather samples of your favorite invitations to make the design work less time-consuming.
Although there are common, standard sizes for invitations, wedding invitation trends have really expanded beyond the formal standards of the past. Don't be afraid to choose non-conventional invitations. Make sure the hosts who are inviting guests approve of the design.
If you have a theme, color or flower for your wedding, consider incorporating this into the design of the invitations. Make sure to place the design in the template and write around any images, thermography or embossing.
References
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Comments
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This is called a tiered reception, and is a huge breach of etiquette. It is fine to have a small ceremony and big reception, but it is the height of rudeness to invite some of the guests to the ceremony but not the reception. This is because the reception is FOR THE GUESTS, *not* the couple, hence the word reception: The couple RECEIVES society, in the form of family and friends, and is presented for the first time as a social unit. Hospitality (in the form of food and drink) is served to those who attended the ceremony, since one never hosts a social functionw without serving refreshments appropriate to the hour. Receptions are not, and never have been, an after-wedding party for the couple. It is an huge breach of etiquette to invite some guests to just the ceremony, and then send them straight home.
