Unique Wedding Tips

Choosing invitations is an integral part of planning a wedding. However, choosing the wedding invitations is also an important process. The wedding invitation envelopes are the first things that prospective guests will see, so a bride is well advised to choose envelopes that are tasteful and may reflect the colors or theme of the wedding.

Wedding invitation envelopes come in many shapes, sizes and designs. The most traditional design is the larger, heavier outer envelope, with a smaller envelope containing the actual invitation enclosed. The double envelope is a tradition with an interesting story. Before the 20th century, almost all wedding invitations were hand-delivered to their recipients and in the early 18th century, most of those who actually sent engraved invitations were of the upper class. The recipient’s butler would take the (probably dirty) envelope from the courier, open it and present the neat, clean inner envelope to the lady of the house. Thus was a tradition born that continues even now.

A bride may go to a local bridal salon, printer, or online to choose wedding invitation envelopes. Her choices are nearly endless. She can choose envelopes made of heavy paper, parchment, vellum, and in square or rectangular shapes. One shape that is becoming more popular in wedding invitation envelopes is the “pochette.” This is an envelope that is shaped like a square, with folding tabs on each side, which fold in to make the envelope. Wedding invitation envelopes are available in almost any color imaginable, and a bride may even be able to match her envelopes with the colors of her bouquet, if she desires to do so.

Some wedding invitation envelopes are plain, inside and out, but a bride may choose ones lined in foil, again in an array of colors. She can match the foil lining to the ink color used on the invitation, or choose a complimentary color to the paper.

One very formal, traditional version of wedding invitation envelopes is an envelope made of parchment. This is heavy paper with a subtle marbled finish. Parchment often features a “deckled” edge, which means the edge of the paper has a torn look, giving it a handmade appearance. Parchment is considered one of the most attractive forms of wedding invitation envelopes.

Etiquette demands that wedding invitation envelopes may be engraved or preferably, hand-addressed. While envelopes addressed on a computer printer, or with address labels may be gaining popularity, sticklers for proper etiquette still say hand-addressed are the best.

Most wedding invitation envelopes come as a “package” price with the invitations themselves. However, a bride will usually pay extra for lined, parchment or vellum envelopes, and these fees will be listed with the invitation prices. Ordering invitations and envelopes early ensures that the bride can make corrections if something is amiss with the finished product, so this process should be near the top of a bride’s “to-do” list. Comparing prices from various sources will ensure she is able to find what she wants at the best price.

This list of invitation etiquette dos and don’ts will help steer you through the most common wedding etiquette dilemma and get it right.

* Don’t print “no children” on the invite if you’re planning an adult’s only reception. Simply address each invitation explicitly to your intended guests (i.e. Mr. and Mrs. John Smith, not “The Smiths”).
* Do invite the partners of guests who are married, engaged, or living with a significant other. Try to find the name of your guest’s intended date (if you don’t already know it), and include that person’s name on the invitation.
* Do spell out all dates and times (half after four o’clock in the evening, not 4:30 pm; and the twenty-second of April, not April 22)
* Don’t use punctuation on the invitation, except after abbreviations and between the city and state
* Do put return postage on your response cards.
* Do send wedding invitations at least six weeks before the big day. Try to order invitations three to four months in advance to ensure they go out on time.
* Don’t forget to invite your officiant and his/her spouse to the reception
* Do send a separate invitation to children over the age of 18 still living with their parents.
* Don’t print registry information on the invitation.
* Do publicize your registry information by word of mouth only

This complete guide to wedding etiquette answers even more of your etiquette questions, such as introducing your parents, gift-giving and receiving, attire, and cash bars.

Are you planning to buy your significant other an engagement ring? Are you wondering how much to spend on that engagement ring for her? Here is a 5 step way to figure out how much to spend on an engagement ring.

Step #1

Figuring out how much to spend on an engagement ring is not an easy task. Each woman is different and each woman wants something different. They will almost always be modest so the first rule of thumb is to go a little larger than what they think they are getting. If they think they are getting a half carat, then bump it up to a three quarter carat diamond. This will ensure she is happy.

Step #2

The price of the ring is only part of what you need to look at. The real price tag is the value. She does not need to know exactly what you spent, but the value is going to be on the appraisal so she will know that. There is nothing wrong with getting a $3,000 ring for $1,000. That is called smart shopping.

Step #3

Figure out what she thinks the value of her ring should be and make sure the ring is worth more than that. If she will be satisfied with a $2,000 ring, then make sure you get at least a $2,500 ring. It is always good to go above and beyond when it comes to her diamond engagement ring. This does not mean you have to spend $500 more than what she expects the value to be, that is up to you.

Step #4

Forget the 2 months salary rule right now. That was just intelligent marketing on the part of DeBeers about 15 years ago. If you make $4,000 a month, then you are talking about spending $8,000 on a diamond engagement ring. Most people that make $4,000 a month cannot afford to spend two months of their salary on a ring. Maybe getting a ring that is worth $8,000 would be a good idea if you can get a great deal and spend around $3,000. Trust me this can be done and we will talk about that a bit in step 5.

Step #5

Spend what you know you can afford and get a great diamond engagement ring that she will love. Your goal is to make her happy and make sure she says yes so you need to get her what she wants and go a little above what she is expecting. Trust me what she is expecting and what she wants are two different things. You need to find these out and then do some creative shopping using online discounter like eBay. Avoid the mall jewelry stores and make sure to get prices from more than just a couple stores. There are a ton of great deals out there and the more patient you are the better your chances of getting a ring that will appraise for twice what you spend.

You now have 5 steps to help you figure out how much to spend on an engagement ring. This is just a short guide and you should always take your soon to be wives feelings and opinions on this matter very seriously. After all she is the one that will be wearing it for the rest of her life.