Informal wedding invitation etiquette

It's interesting:
"Linda and I first met about 18 months ago, when it quickly became clear to me that here was a woman of many attributes - beauty, brains, wisdom and, fortunately for Paul, a disarming love for dumb animals."

A wedding invitation should reflect the type of wedding you're having, so a casual wedding calls for an informal invitation. Although there are many similarities between informal invitations and more traditional formal invitations, there are some considerations you should make for informal invites. Let the content of your invitation express the informality of your wedding, allowing guests to appropriately prepare for the event.

1. Contents

   • Informal wedding invitations should provide only basic information. Rather than including a variety of inserts, couples can choose to include only the invitation and an optional response card in their invitation package. Multiple inserts are the mark of a more formal invitation, so limit the inserts and provide only the essential information in your informal invitation package.

   Wording

   • Couples hosting an informal wedding have more wording options for their invitations. Rather than "requesting the honor of your presence," informal invitations can invite guests to "request the pleasure of your company" to "share and celebrate marriage," as suggested by The Knot. Informal invitations can drop the "Mr." and "Mrs." if parents' names are included---for example, "Steven and Joy Perkins request the pleasure of your company to share and celebrate the marriage of their daughter, Elizabeth." The date, time and address can use numerals on invitations---spelled-out versions of these terms are not necessary. For example, the invitation can say "Saturday, June 4, 2012, at 4:30 p.m."

   Response

   • It is important to get an accurate headcount for your informal wedding, so your invitation should request that guests reply. Formal invitations use response cards, and these cards are also an option for more informal invitations. Response postcards are an untraditional option suitable for informal invitations---guests simply check "Yes" or "No" and drop the card in the mail. If you're hosting a small wedding, you can ask guests to call or e-mail with their response---but you might end up having to track guests down for a reply.

   Addressing

   • Brides sending formal invitations often hire a calligrapher to address envelopes, but that is not necessary for informal invitations. Hand-write the envelopes, and include the guest's title, first and last name---for example, Ms. Janice Black. According to The Emily Post Institute, address married couples' envelopes using the husband's name---Mr. and Mrs. Randall Williams.

   Etiquette for Guests

   • Guests should follow proper invitation etiquette even for informal invitations. They should submit their response by the reply date using the means requested on the invitation---calling, emailing or sending a response card. A busy bride does not have time to track down guests for their response, so they should take time to respond.

Source: www.ehow.com

Tags: informal invitations, invitation etiquette, wedding invitation, celebrate marriage, company share, company share celebrate