By Alexa Jastrzemski

Congratulations on your engagement! You have entered one of the most exciting times of your life as you make plans to marry your love. From the rings to the bridal party, the dresses, suits and tuxedos . . . to the wedding announcements and invitations, you are going to be busy planning and making decisions.

When a couple decides to marry, they have to make the announcement to family, friends and associates. Today, this involves a combination of a formal wedding announcement in the newspaper, phone calls, tweets, instant messages, face-to-face and emails. The couple still has to choose the format of their invitations, along with a color theme for their wedding. Some couples decide to order invitations that reflect their color theme, be it ivory and green, red and white or white and black. Today’s styles give engaged couples much more leeway than in days past.

My son recently got engaged and he and his fiancee chose a white and black color theme for their wedding. Their wedding invitations reflect this theme. They chose an understated flat invitation with a black 8 1/2 by 5 1/2 black card stock. On top of this card stock, the designer positioned a 4 3/4 by 5 1/4 white card stock with the invitation printed out. A slender black ribbon with white dots was tied around the entire invitation. A shorter white ribbon with black dots has been threaded through holes in both pieces of card stock, tying the white page to the black page.

Look at the invitation styles. These include the single-fold with the couple’s name on the front and the wedding announcement on the inside of the invitation. A more ornate invitation might have the announcement covered by two flaps tied together. In addition to the invitation style, pick a card stock that matches your theme. Go high-end with a damask stock. Go for a high-quality, heavy card stock or paper that matches the theme. Discuss your preferences for your wedding announcements with the designer and have fun choosing!

Think of activities you enjoy, be it horseback riding, picnics - or the circus. Depending on what you like doing, design your wedding invitations around that activity. Because this is your day, you can choose invitations that reflect your personalities. Today’s wedding announcements no longer have to be the formal, understated single-fold invitation with the delicate blotting paper, RSVP card and reception information card your parents mailed out. The typeface should also reflect your preferences - you would not use an Edwardian script for an invitation that reflects a Western theme.

The wording for your wedding announcements has to give your names and your parents’ names. Couples may choose to say, “Mr. and Mrs. Edward Smith and Mr. and Mrs. Dilbert Jones wish to announce the wedding of their children, Darlene Smith and Scott Jones.” Alternative wording might look like this: “Because you have shared in our lives we . . . Darlene Smith and Scott Jones . . . Together with our parents/invite you to share/The beginning of our new life together/On Saturday, the fifteenth of October/Two thousand and eleven/At two o’clock in the afternoon.” Include the location of the wedding - church, temple, synagogue or other location, along with the city.

About The Author

Planned for 3 engagement parties of friends, Alexa is always enthused and inspired to come up with unique and unforgettable wedding announcements. Someday, she wishes to have her own dream wedding, but after she fulfills her dream of backpacking in Europe.

Tags: For Weddings