Arming your guests with as much information as possible within your invites is a good idea. If you furnish them with just the bare minimum you will no doubt find yourself answering endless phone calls about accommodation, wedding registry, dress code & travel arrangements. Avoid the extra stress & make sure you include everything you think they will need to know to make it your wedding & enjoy themselves.



Many stationery designers can put together an information sheet for you to include with your invites or for something more upmarket choose an envelopments style invite which has little pockets for your invite, RSVP & other information cards such as accommodation & travel.

Accommodation

It would be safe to say that the majority of your guests will want to stay overnight probably before & after the wedding, so make a list of hotels, B&B's & guesthouses in the locality, along with addresses & contact details, so they can book themselves. If you are getting married in a hotel or having your reception in one, ask about a group booking rate. You may get a healthy discount if your book a number rooms for your wedding guests. Furnishing your guests with this information means you won't be left with the additional headache of having to book accommodation for all your guests.

Travel

Supply your guests with details of trains, buses & even airports, along with a set of directions to the ceremony & reception venues. Those that don't live in the local area will appreciate this & will hopefully prevent anyone from getting lost on the day!

Gift List

A gift list or registry is traditionally a list of items you & your new husband would like to receive as gifts from your guests. In the past, as couple's didn't traditionally live together before marriage, a gift list consisted of various household items which they would need to set up home. It was the done thing to include a copy of the gift list with your wedding invitations, however, many do feel this impolite & that guests should decide for themselves what to purchase. In modern times most couples would have already lived together & set up home before marriage & will instead ask for money or gift vouchers. Many guests do appreciate being given some suggestion of what to buy you & a discreet reference in your invite may prevent you or your mother talking endless calls about what you would like!

If you wanted to put together a gift list or registry many high street department stores will do this for & will send your guests a copy of your list. When a purchase has been made it struck off the list to prevent any doubling up of gifts.

Children

It is up to your own personal feeling about whether or not to invite children to your wedding. If you want to invite the children of your friends then it is a good to include their names on the invitation. However, some confusion can arise if you don't include them, so it may be wise to include a short note with your invite making it clear the children are not invited. Be diplomatic & maybe say something along the lines of ?Unfortunately, due to space restrictions, we're unable to invite young children. We hope this doesn't cause you any inconvenience?.

Dress code

In etiquette terms a dress code only really applies to black tie functions, however, you may like your guests to wear something that compliments the style or theme of your wedding. It was a trend for celebrities to ask all their guests to wear just one colour such as black or white to their weddings. If you want to apply a dress code put a simple note at the bottom of your invitation & maybe include further information separately depending upon the nature of the dress code.

Other info

Consider anything else you think they may need to know. Some couples like to include a copy of the menu, which can prove helpful in finding out if any of your guests have dietary requirements you were unaware of. You could also include the time you expect the evening reception to conclude or when the bar will close. Also indicate if you are having a cash bar at your reception, so that guests come prepared to pay for their drinks.

Wedding Invite Frights?. and how to avoid them.

DO Proof read your invite carefully for any mistakes. Typos & repetitions of words are common mistakes

DON'T Use nicknames. The bride & groom should be listed by their full name.

DO Check all the details such as date, time & address.

DON'T Forget to check the proper spelling of names with relevant parties