Making wedding invitations is not always so easy and obvious. In addition to the creative details, there are rules of etiquette regarding the content and correct order of your names. Here are a few pointers on how not to get it wrong.
Wedding invitations are extremely important: they are the first creative and decorative details; they are often the protagonists of a flat lay style shoot (photo from top); they contain wedding phrases and important information for the ceremony but above all, they are the first means by which the bride and groom announce the style and colors of the wedding. So let’s see how to compose the structure of the announcement by understanding the exact order of your names to appear in it.
The parents’ announcement
As tradition and etiquette dictate. The parents’ announcement is one of those choices that have fallen into disuse with time and fashion. While parents used to play a major role in the organization and management of weddings, nowadays the bride and groom are increasingly independent and far removed from the archaic concepts of ‘dowry’ and ‘consent’. However, this type of formula cannot be used when: the parents are separated, especially if there is bad blood between the ex-spouses; one of the future spouses has no father or mother; the spouses have already lived together.
In any case, in extremely formal ceremonies, the wedding announcement in the wedding invitations starts with the couple’s parents, with the bride’s name written on the left and the groom’s on the right, as it is the bride’s father who gives the groom his daughter’s hand in marriage.
Wedding invitations : The formal announcement of the bride and groom
The formula commonly used is for the bride and groom to announce themselves directly as a sign of independence, responsibility, and conviction. In these modern formulas, in fact, there is no father who gives his daughter in marriage, but both spouses are on an equal footing. Unlike the previous case, there are no precise rules here, so you can choose to have her or his name appear on the right or left as you please. His name tends to appear on the right and hers on the left, but for reasons of gallantry, the opposite is also allowed.
The informal announcement of the bride and groom
If you have already spent some time together or if you have simply chosen to celebrate your wedding in an extremely easy and informal ceremony, the announcement can come to life starting with funny wedding phrases. You can structure the invitation to have your names on the front page and then find the phrases “We are getting married” “We look forward to seeing you at our wedding!?” “We are finally getting married”. In this case, it’s the couple at the center of everything.
Announcing the children
Getting married when you are already a family is not just a matter of choosing the perfect wedding dress for the little girl or the best pageboy. If you already have children in common, the ideal announcement is made by your children. With this formula, the wedding is no longer a couple’s event, but the family itself is the focus of attention. The announcement structured in this way becomes even more important when it is made by the children from a previous relationship because it makes them feel involved, loved, and present in every decision of this new extended family.
The announcement in wedding invitations and participations
Although etiquette dictates that the number of invitations should be substantially the same as the number of invitations, in reality, this rarely happens. The main difference between invitations and invitations is therefore only in the content of the text, not in the structure of the names. To make your job easier at the printers, you could create a single layout to be used in both cases and insert the card with the banquet instructions in a separate card where, without any kind of formal announcement, you could write your names with the classic wording inviting guests to take part in the celebrations, specifying, if you prefer, a specific dress code for elegant ceremony dresses.
Even on the thank, you tags commonly used to accompany the confetti or wedding favors, it is a good idea to include your names and an accompanying phrase or the simple word “Thank you”. In this case, tradition dictates that after the ceremony the groom should become the head of the family and his name should precede the bride’s name, but the rules are usually broken in less formal ceremonies where it is the woman’s name that comes first, as a matter of feminism or gallantry.