Choosing wedding shower invites is an important part of playing wedding shower host. Whether you’ve been asked to help plan a shower or you volunteered to host one for a friend or family member, choosing the invitations will have a big impact on the look and feel of the event. Much like the actual wedding invitations, the wedding shower invitations will be the very first impression guests have of the shower, setting the tone for the entire occasion.

If you’re in the process of planning a wedding shower and you’re ready to purchase the invitations, consider the following when choosing wedding shower invites:

Theme—This is the first factor you’ll need to consider when choosing invites. If you’re co-hosting the occasion, be sure to consult with the other host to confirm which decor theme is going to be used, as well as the color scheme. If you’re planning the shower on your own, nail down the theme and colors you plan on using, and then choose wedding shower invitations accordingly.

Formality and number of guests—You should also select invitations based on the formality of the shower and the number of guests. For example, if the shower is going to be relatively small and consist of a laidback barbeque at someone’s home, then semi-formal or informal invites with casual themes will work great. Typically, the larger the number of guests, the more formal the shower.

Budget—When you’re responsible for all or most of the wedding shower planning expenses, you can’t forget to account for cost. Store-bought invites that can be filled out by hand are usually the most affordable option, and they’re also very convenient. If you’re planning a more formal shower and have a larger budget to work with, you can order custom invitations. If you choose this route, be sure to order them very early to give yourself enough time to check for any errors and mail them out to the guests. Keep this in mind when choosing wedding shower invites.

Wedding style options for your wedding invites can be much more plentiful than you might have thought. In fact, you are likely to be overwhelmed when you start looking into the many different options offered. Of course, there is one really great benefit to all of these choices—there is something for almost every couple!

Beach Styles

Beach-style options are perfect for destination beach weddings. These wedding style options for your wedding invites are both fun and casual. They communicate a tropical tone to your guests and can be found in a multitude of colors, designs, and card formats. Of course, you don’t have to have a destination beach wedding to enjoy these wedding style options for your wedding invites. All you need is a beach theme for your wedding and you can have fun with these beach- style wedding invites, too!

Blooms

Having a summer or spring theme wedding? Then blooms may be just the wedding style options you are looking for! This wedding invite style is fun and flirty. Floral invite designs exude the feeling of spring or summer, and they can be found in a myriad of fun colors and designs.

Blooms can even be found in bloom card format. Let your guests plant their own flowers, straight from your invite! This can further add to the theme of your wedding and is a great way to make a killer first impression. Of course, these do tend to be a little more expensive than single panel invites, so be sure to evaluate your budget first.

Handmade

Want a handmade look to your invites but don’t have time to put them together? Handmade wedding style options for your wedding invites could be exactly what you had in mind. These can be great for vintage weddings or even just small, sentimental home weddings. Choose designs with homey-looking accents, like cozy shabby chic designs. Just remember to consider your personality when choosing wedding style options for your wedding invites.

It seems rather pointless to send an invitation to someone who is not likely able to attend your wedding. If you know that someone is busy on the weekend of your wedding, or is not likely to make the trip to your wedding location, you might not see the point in giving them an invitation. But proper wedding invitation etiquette dictates that you send them an invitation regardless of whether or not they are able to attend.

It is a good practice to invite everyone you are planning on inviting to the wedding, even if you know ahead of time that they probably won’t make it. The last thing you want is to have someone wondering why they did not receive an invitation to your wedding. They may not realize that you were trying to do them a favor by not sending them one and they may actually take the fact that you didn’t send an invitation personally.

The proper wedding invitation etiquette is to send an invitation anyway. Let the guests make the decision of whether or not they want to attend the wedding. You never know, they may decide to change their plans, or they may want to send a gift even though they cannot attend. Either way, the point is that it is their decision to make, so be courteous.

Ultimately, when you are making a list of people to invite to the wedding, you should send out invitations to everyone on that list. You should probably consider whether or not your guests will be able to attend when deciding on a location, but after the location has been chosen, you still should plan on inviting everyone you think of if you know that you’d enjoy their company. This is a kind gesture and is part of proper wedding invitation etiquette.

Understanding the right etiquette for sending out your wedding invites can help you avoid any embarrassing mistakes. There are so many different things to remember, but have no fear! These simple tips can help you narrow down what you need to learn and help you be more prepared when it comes time to send out your invites.

How Far in Advance Should You Send Out Your Wedding Invitations?

Your wedding invites should go out no later than six weeks before your wedding. This time frame allows your guests plenty of time to make arrangements at their work and for travel, if necessary. This can also allow you to set your RSVP date a little sooner. By setting your RSVP date sooner, you can better prepare for the number of guests that will actually be attending your wedding.

When Should You Set Your RSVP?

If you follow the right etiquette for sending out your wedding invites, you can easily request an RSVP two weeks before the wedding date. By following the right etiquette for sending out your wedding invites, you can get an appropriate head count before the actual date. This can help you trim costs and extras before the big day.

Sending Your Wedding Invites Out of Town

So what about family that live out of town? Using the right etiquette for your wedding invites can help your guests plan appropriately. Guests who live out of town may need a little more time for planning, especially if they must travel far to attend. Try giving these guests an additional two week notice by sending your invites out sooner.

What if you know that the out-of- town guest cannot attend? Guests who cannot attend might still appreciate a wedding invitation. You can send extra invites as a nice gesture, but don’t assume that they can’t come and send out the invites at the last minute.

Finding inspiration for your wedding invitation designs can be one of the most challenging parts of planning a wedding. Many couples fail to realize exactly how important the wedding invitations really are.

Your wedding invitations are the first impression your guests have of the wedding, and your invitation gets sent out long before your wedding, so it should offer a hint as to what your wedding will be like.

Use your wedding invitations to hint at the theme of your wedding. If you are having a beach wedding or a summer wedding, your wedding invitations can be designed with this theme in mind. You can choose a design to match the destination of your wedding, especially with a beach wedding. You can also choose wedding designs to coordinate with any season you are getting married in.

Another idea for your wedding invitations is to choose a more generic design. There are thousands of options to choose from, with many different styles of fonts and graphics. You can choose something that is traditional if you are having a formal wedding, or a whimsical design if your wedding is more casual and laid back.

Your final option is to make your own wedding invitations. As long as you have a computer with desktop publishing software, a quality printer and paper, and a lot of time on your hands, then you can make your wedding invitations yourself. You can download free design templates or make your own from scratch. Either way, this makes them much more affordable than if you had your wedding invitations professionally done.

Sending out wedding invitations can be one of the more tedious tasks of planning your wedding, especially if your guest list is large. You may be able to streamline the process of addressing them and sending them out yourself, if you are able to find a company that can both make and mail your invitations. Look for a wedding invitation that sets the stage for your event, as well as a quality vendor that can meet all of your wedding invitation needs.

Given how popular printed wedding invitations are, you may wonder whether there is a point of writing out your invitations by hand. Historically, wedding invitation etiquette has always held that you should at least write the addresses for your wedding invitations or envelopes by hand.

When you print your invitations or envelopes, they often lack the personal touch of doing it yourself. Wedding invitations are supposed to be personal and meaningful, but many argue that they lose that touch when they are printed out rather than written by hand like they were in the olden days.

On the other hand, it is very easy to see how much easier it is to print out the addresses rather than write each and every one by hand. If you are inviting a large number of guests, you might not want to write out several hundred invitations!

It used to be that people might consider the invitation impersonal if you filled the address out on the computer, but now, technology has become so popular that most people wouldn’t think twice of an invitation and envelope that was typed.

Still, you should always sign the invitation by hand, just to give it at least one personal touch, but go ahead and type the rest. After all, you do have many other things to worry about when planning your wedding. If you want a traditional wedding, you can opt to handwrite the invitations, but most likely, your guests will not care whether or not they are typed or handwritten invitations.

The one exception to this rule is the thank you notes. Thank you notes need to have that personal touch even more than the wedding invitations. You should always write those out by hand. A handwritten and personal thank you note always feels more personal and genuine, even if the messages are exactly the same.

If you have a large guest list, don’t stress too much about printing your invitation envelopes. Most guests won’t think twice of printed wedding invitations as long as the font and presentation are classy looking.

A majority of weddings are held during the spring and summer months, but that does not mean that your winter wedding cannot be just as romantic and exciting. Winter is one of the coldest and most dreary times of the year, but you shouldn’t let your wedding invitations be dull or gloomy. The cheerful pastel colors of springtime may not be appropriate for winter wedding invitations, but that does not mean that you cannot have a beautiful invitation design.

What colors should your winter invitations be? You should stick to colors from the cool side of the color spectrum, such as blue and silver, but don’t forget white. You cannot create a winter-like design any better than you can with the color of snow, right? You can also choose deep reds, purples, and blacks or whites, but try to avoid wedding invitations that look like holiday greeting cards. You don’t want your wedding invitations to be covered in green and red or with pictures of Santa, or they may not feel like wedding invites at all.

Thankfully, you can still incorporate winter designs in a tasteful way. The snowflake is the most commonly used design scheme for winter wedding invitations. Snowflakes make the perfect elegant touch to your invites, but they aren’t your only option. You can also choose to include designs with snow covered evergreen trees, snow angels, stars, or anything else you can think of.

Winter wedding invitations don’t have to have a seasonal wedding design. If you are having a destination wedding on a sunny beach, snowflakes are the last thing you want to include on your wedding invitations.

You can always choose a more generic invitation design that is appropriate for any season of the year. This gives you thousands of options, with many different choices for colors, fonts, and style ideas. For the freshest winter wedding invitation design ideas, remember to choose designs that are bold, different, and that showcase your personality. If you stick to invites that embrace the seasonal ambience and your bridal personality, you can’t go wrong with your winter wedding invitation choice.

Trendy brides need a trendy wedding, and the best place to start is with wedding invite trends for 2011. Your wedding invites are used to set the stage for your wedding. By properly setting the stage, you can clue your guests in on what to wear, what to buy for a gift, and what to expect.

Stripes are In

Stripes are one of the hottest new trends for 2011. You can use them for a fun and playful border, and you can use stripes based on the colors from your wedding. You can make them vertical or horizontal. No matter how you use them, pinstripes are a great way to make your wedding invites stand out. Add an elegant script and you give your wedding invites a look that is both classic and trendy.

Don’t Be Afraid to Be Bold

Wedding invite trends for 2011 are bold and beautiful. However, they still hold a little bit of a conventional trend. Wedding invite trends for 2011 consist of bright and bold backgrounds with white lettering. Think dramatic contrasts and clean, sharp designs with crisp emblems.

Say it with Flowers

Fabric flowers are making their way back to the wedding scene with wedding invite trends for 2011. These beautiful additions are replicas of the real thing and are a huge contrast to the conventional, engraved flower print. You can choose nearly any flower you like and even in a variety of bloom stages. This allows your wedding invites to be personal and unique, with a sweet feminine flair that screams “bride-to-be!”

A New Take on Monograms

New wedding invite trends for 2011 also include monograms, which have evolved over the past few years. Instead of elongating the monogram by including both of your last initials, monogram trends include just the first initial of the bride and groom.

Remember that your wedding invites are a reflection of your wedding and your personalities. No matter which wedding invite trends for 2011 you use, be sure to add your own little touch of personal flair.

Choosing the right paper for your wedding invites might not seem like that big of a deal. After all, it’s just paper, right? Wrong! The paper is the canvas for your wedding invite. Your wedding invites provide you with the first chance to make an impression on your wedding guests. Before you can choose all of the elements for your wedding invites, you must first choose the right paper for your specific needs.

Budget First

Before you start looking at paper for your wedding invites, it is important that you start with your budget. Your budget is a very important aspect in choosing the right paper for your wedding invites, especially if your budget is limited. Paper types will vary greatly in their cost, and failing to set a budget before you get your heart set on a specific paper type can cause you to be very disappointed – or worse yet – you could end up overshooting your budget.

Coordinating Colors

The next thing that you want to consider before choosing the right paper for your wedding invites is your wedding colors. Doing this will help you incorporate your wedding colors into your wedding invites. Today, there are many more options outside of traditional white and ivory. Nowadays, bold and vibrant purples, yellows, and pinks are all being used for wedding invite paper.

Casual or Formal

Another important factor in choosing the right paper for your wedding invites is the formality of your wedding. For more casual weddings, you could go for a Mylar invitation or colored cardstock. For more formal and upscale weddings, you could go for invites that are made from 100% cotton or vellum. For a modern and edgy wedding, go for corrugated paper.

In the end, choosing the right paper for your wedding invites comes down to personal preference and taste, so spend time deciding which type suits you and your overall wedding theme the best.

Embellishments for your wedding invites can add class, style, and elegance. They can even add a little bit of a personal touch. However, some of these embellishments can be rather expensive. Find out which ones to choose according to frugality and which ones to choose for trendiness.

Beading

Beading has become one of the more popular embellishment types for wedding invites. However, beading can also be one of the more expensive embellishment types for your wedding invites. If you really want to use beading on your wedding invites but don’t have a lot of money to spare, try a small design or just a few simple beads for extra accent. You can apply them yourself or you can find a number of pretty designs with premade bead appliqués.

Bejeweled Embellishments

A wide variety of jewels can also add a great deal of extravagance and beauty to your wedding invites. Almost any color you can imagine can be found, but they are often the most expensive embellishments for your wedding invites, even more than beading accents. If you are trying to keep your wedding invites within budget but really want to add these extras, then simply choose small accents of jewels to add to the front of your invites. This will cut the cost but still allow you to add these beautiful embellishments to the presentation of your invites.

Bows

Bows are a traditional yet elegant choice for a wedding invite embellishment. They are one of the less expensive options, especially if you choose your fabric wisely. If you do not have enough in your budget to have them assembled for you, however, you can always order the bows and invites and then assemble them on your own. This can save you on assembly costs that some invite vendors tack on. Whichever embellishments you choose for your wedding invites, be sure to consider your budget and remember to have fun as you explore all of the wonderful options!