Welcome to 2018 – where weddings have evolved into a modern-day celebration of love and unity. Florals, attire, colors, location, and even the stationery are a reflection of the couple and their style. Gone are the days of our mothers’ and grandmothers’ traditional wedding expectations!

In this era of modernized weddings, quite a few old-school etiquette elements have also evolved. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s in & what’s out for wedding invitation formalities…

It used to be that only your first initials could be used in a monogram pre-ceremony. Your full monogram (first initials + married surname initial) could only be used post-ceremony. Honestly, I think the only one who notices or has an opinion on this one is your 85-year-old grandma. It’s much more mainstream now to use the latter option throughout your stationery suite. We say go ahead and use whichever option you most prefer – no judgement! Go ahead and get excited about your new initials! (…and who has time to nitpick over such a thing?)

Listen, we could try to recommend text all day long for your invitations. But we simply won’t dwell on it! If you already have a preference on how you’d like to word or stylize your ceremony time (i.e. “six thirty in the evening” vs. “half after six in the evening” vs. “half past six on the evening”), we’ll use whichever you think sounds best. It’s YOUR invitation, no one else’s.

Ok, I’ll stop you right there on this one. No matter how evolved wedding stationery gets, this one is – and will always be – a big NO NO. You’re inviting guests to come and celebrate with you. No where should it mention anything of gifts (not even a honeymoon registry). Keep this information solely for bridal shower invitations and word-of-mouth.

Pro Tip: One way to skirt around this is to list your wedding website within your invitation. Simply say, “for additional wedding details, please visit…”. Most guests will visit your website & see the registry details there!

Some of the most gorgeous invitations out there use only the couple’s first names. And we’re all for it! Old school etiquette calls for listing your full names – though, we say if you’re confident all invitation recipients will already know who you are with only first names included, then it’s really not a big deal.
 

{Photo Credit: Kaylee Creighton Photography}

Back in the day, brides were married “to” grooms, except in the Jewish faith, where brides “and” grooms marry. This was reflected in the invitation wording, as well. Enter modern weddings and updated wording (not to mention same-sex unities!) – this verbiage is no longer enforced or even noticed. We’ll use whatever conjunction you prefer!

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When it comes down to the invitation design process....

We recommend selecting an experienced wedding stationer and taking their advice - our main goal is to assist you in creating a custom invitation that's kind and respectful in it's wording, and that relays the proper information appropriately! =) Tune the others out and go with what works for you.

Best,

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