In our contemporary world, wedding invitations can be given via word of mouth, phone, or even email. The key aim of the wedding invitation is to make sure that all of your guests know the time and place of your wedding ceremony and reception.

While wedding invitations are like various other kinds of invitation, there's nearly always more ceremony to them. Due to this, wedding invitation etiquette has been established to help you find a way through the ins and outs of requesting the presence of guests to your marriage. This protocol exists since formal wedding invitations communicate the formality and the tone of the event via the quality of the paper, the elegance of the font and the style of the invitation. The more formal your wedding will be, the more formal the invitations have to be.

Correct protocol for a formal wedding invitation doesn't permit for requesting the presence of guests via email or telephone since these styles of communication are comparatively new. This means you have to use the traditional invitations printed on paper. Formal wedding invitations commonly have the following qualities:

* They're printed on thick white, cream or ivory stock

* They use a timeless letter style such as Roman

* Formal invitations are normally inscribed and almost certainly written in the third person form.

* Normally, there are two envelopes that form part of the invitation packet. The first envelope is the exterior one, which contains all the components of the invitation. The second envelope is used for the reply card only.

There are other helpful rules of etiquette for formal wedding invitations which should be taken into account throughout the planning stage.

* For more formal wedding ceremonies, you don't have to be as creative.

* If your guest is certain to bring a date or companion it's fine to write "and companion" on the invitation when you don't know their name. Normally, this reduces the amount of undetermined guests brought along by those who were invited.

* Wedding services that happen in a house of worship necessitate a more solemn approach than those held in the home or al fresco; therefore the invitations have to convey this formality.

* Generally, formal wedding invitations are produced at a printer, and the envelope is addressed by hand by members of the wedding party.

Proper procedure is essential for the formal wedding invitation. It signals the magnitude of the special occasion to those involved, in contrast to other invitations such as wedding shower invitations which are a good deal less formal and more festive.

While the idea of choosing the right wedding invitation wording can be somewhat intimidating, the good news is that there are basic guidelines that you can follow no matter what style of ceremony you are planning. Learn more by visiting the Wedding Invitation Etiquette site.