Formatted:
Position: Horizontal: Center,
Relative to: Margin
From designing to print production, it is evident that this can be a lengthy process.
According to etiquette, invitations should be sent out six to eight weeks in advance. Printing time
must be considered as well, and can take up to three weeks. If done ahead of time, there are
advantages to personally meeting with a stationer to custom pick a wedding invitation. They
have the advantage of hand-selecting the fonts, substrates, graphics and embellishments for
their special day, as well as getting a feel for the substrates – their weight, thickness, surface. In
this process, a completely unique invitation has been specially customized just for them.
While this was the main way to order wedding invitations in the past, today, local
stationers are in competition with online retailers. Invitation websites are those that have pre-
designed wedding invitations to choose from. Customizations include typing in the desired text,
customizing the typeface, size and colors. Oftentimes, the website will preview what the
invitation will look like with customizations. After purchasing the invitations in bulk, the file is sent
to the print-facility and the invitations are printed digitally. Once completed, the printed pieces
are mailed to the soon to be married couple.
One of Tthe advantages of online retailers are is
the ease of accessibility to the invitations. They can be ordered from the comfort of one’s home.
Possible disadvantages include disappointment in paper choice (too thin, too smooth/rough)
and color reproduction issues. Another choice is to send electronic emailed invitations, or E-
vites. They can be customized with imagery and text pertaining to the couple and are emailed to
guests. Some argue that E-vites are distasteful and too informal, but there are advantages as
well. E-vites are very inexpensive or free, convenient, easy to set up and send, and
allow the
ability to monitor the guest list online.
Based on the trends, more people are purchasing their invitations online than in years
past. This may be because online ordering is a convenient way to have a stylish invitation
without expending too much effort. Online ordering is also appealing because customers can
customize the text and instantly view an on-screen version of the invitation. This reasoning, in