Special Occasion & Evening Invitations
Special Occasion invitations are one of the most important elements to your special day, they are often the first point at which your guests become aware of your celebration, they not only provide your guests with the time, date and venue information, but will also set the style and tone, providing your friends and relatives a taster of what is to come.
Quantities
You should allow one invitation per family including a courtesy one for the groom's parents and the minister. Don't forget to order at least five extra invitations for any extra guests you may decide to ask at a later date.
Insert Wording
The wording inside your invitation is personal to you, but it is important to convey the key details of your occasion, so that your guests will know when, where and what time to attend your function.
The key things to remember are:-
- Who will be sending the invitation (e.g. from you, from your parents, from our family)
- What the occasion is (although that is not really a difficult one)
- The time and date of the function
- Where it is being held
- If there is an alternative venue for the function, you will need to provide the address
- RSVP It's a good idea to include a date by which you would like to receive the replies. A sensible date is one or two months before the event, or whatever makes sense for your arrangements. After this date, you will need to chase answers, so it is often a good idea to include reply cards in your invitations. (Link to our standard reply cards)
- Address and/or telephone number for responses
To help you we have put together some standard wording layouts for different occasions (click through to Special Occasion invitation layouts). You can select from our standard wording options or simply provide us with your own words. We have automated the process to make it painless and easy to use, so you can select your layout., choose your font type and colour, even personalise with your own photography (click through to personalize with photograph). Once you have completed the online forms, you will be sent an layout for your approval by email. You can then approve it or simply amend. Once you have approved your insert requirements, we will print onto high quality paper inserts that you can easily put into your stationery.
In most cases with our stationery, the inserts are loose and not glued (they are held firmly in place by the gold/silver bows), you will, therefore, easily be able to address your invitations and then insert them into your cards. This means if you make a mistake you will not waste a handmade card. We will always send you 5 more inserts than you need to allow for any mistakes.
For designs where the inserts are pre-glued, it is advisable to order slightly more than you actually need, to allow for addressing errors. A note on whether inserts are loose or glued is indicated on each design page..
Invitation Enclosures
Whether guests are travelling from abroad or a nearby town, it's a good idea to include some additional information to help them on the day.
Directions & Maps
Send guests travel information well in advance, especially if they have to book tickets on rail or air. Suggestions of the nearest airport or cheapest way to obtain tickets are very welcome, as are numbers of local taxi firms. Remember, out of town guests may not have a car available to them. It is a nice thought to arrange for a coach or minibus to collect them from the hotel and take them to the ceremony venue, and then on to the reception. You should be able to print out a map from a website such as www.streetmap.co.uk and include a colour copy in each invitation. Those willing to spend more can have their maps printed by www.Special Occasionmaps.co.uk
Accommodation Details
Many guests will wish to stay overnight after your evening reception, and possibly even the night before the Special Occasion, so a list of local hotels and guesthouses is helpful. The names and addresses should be given.
Gift List
This should be a very discreet mention of where your gift list is held and how guests can access the details, should they wish to.
Dress Code
It is not correct to refer to morning dress on an invitation. However, you could include 'black tie' if you wish your guests to wear evening dress. Or, you might have an alternative, themed dress code.
Reply Cards
It is becoming commonplace now to send ready printed reply cards out you’re your invitations, you can stamp and address, thus making it easier for your guests to make timely replies regarding their intentions to attend.
