Different Styles of Wedding Invitations
Wedding invitations are an important element when it comes to planning your wedding, and many couples want their invitations to reflect their personalities and their relationship. There are a number of different styles of wedding invitations available that vary in key characteristics such as design, printing, degree of formality and size.
Folds
Many commercially available wedding invitations are single cards that are mailed flat, with all of the information printed on the front of the paper. Others are folded in half, either with the printing on the outside and a blank inside, or with a design on the front and the printing on the inside of the card.
There are also a number of wedding invitation styles in the trifold family. One of these is the z-fold wedding invitation, which folds out like an accordion and has all the printing on the front of the three panels. Other wedding invitations are barrel folded, often with the edges meeting or interlocking on the front of the invitation and the invitation text printed inside on the center panel.
Sizes
Most classic rectangular wedding invitations have dimensions between 5 inches by 6 inches and 6 inches by 8 inches, depending on the style of the invitation and whether it is folded (flat sheets tend to be larger so all the information fits). Some companies produce square invitations, between 5 inches by 5 inches and 7 inches by 7 inches. Square envelopes require additional postage, though, because they cannot be machine handled.
Formality
Wedding invitations vary in their degree of formality. In general, the most formal invitations will have little in the way of design, but what they have will be classy and elegant. Informal invitations generally have bold designs and unconventional styles. Themed weddings often will have informal themed wedding invitations to match.
Ink Style
Traditionally, the lettering on wedding invitations was engraved through a process of stamping the paper with the desired text to raise it, then applying ink only to the raised letters. Today, a more commonly available option with a similar effect is thermography, where the text is printed in a glue, ink and powder combination that gives the raised look when heated. Basic flat ink printed wedding invitations are a less-expensive alternative. All options are also available in a variety of colors.
Do It Yourself
Although the above descriptions relate to commercially available wedding invitations, it is also possible to design your own style of wedding invitation. Many kits are available with paper and computer templates so you can lay out the text yourself and print your invitations at home. Other couples choose to make their own invitations from scratch, with personal designs, unique artwork and hand-written information.
Tags: inches inches, wedding invitations, inches inches inches, wedding invitation, wedding invitations, available wedding, available wedding invitations