Wedding invitations

Grandmabatty

Franbern that sounds so lovely.
I remembered the 'show of presents'. All the presents had to be viewed by all and sundry over two evenings and an afternoon. My chief bridesmaid and I were in charge of greeting each lady who arrived, showing them the gifts and telling who had given each gift. Woe beside if you missed anyone out! Then serve them tea and cake and listen yo chatter. We had to take small groups at a time. It all sounds utterly bizarre nowadays

I remember a friend having this display of presents. They were Scottish and I assumed this was a Scottish tradition.

The thing I remember about this wedding was it was the most expensive and elaborate wedding I have ever attended. Full choral wedding, 6 adult bridesmaids, umpteen coursed wedding breakfast for 150 in the best hotel in town and a singer hired to sing during the meal. It was lovely.

But after the wedding, the happy couple went off to their tiny little house they had bought in an inaccessible part of Kent, because it was all they could afford, they could not afford a honeymoon and when the honeymoon period was over the husband was faced with a 2 hour journey to work each day from a staton 5 miles away.

The cost of the wedding could almost have bought the house outright and I did think that if the wedding had been scaled down a bit. It wouldn't have changed its glory, but the money ssaved would have enabled the young couple to buy a slightly bigger house in a much more convenient location.

When my sons got married the invitation had both parents name on the top of the card. Then the invited persons names. Then our son name and their daughters name. Then venue details ect.

Yes but happy memories grandmabatty

Franbern that sounds so lovely.
I remembered the 'show of presents'. All the presents had to be viewed by all and sundry over two evenings and an afternoon. My chief bridesmaid and I were in charge of greeting each lady who arrived, showing them the gifts and telling who had given each gift. Woe beside if you missed anyone out! Then serve them tea and cake and listen yo chatter. We had to take small groups at a time. It all sounds utterly bizarre nowadays

Back in 1964, Fiance and myself said we did not want an elaborate, synagogue wedding. Dad was quite happy and told us that he had a special account which was there for this and he would give this money towards a deposit on a house. Great.
My Darling Mum, just looked at me and said 'I must do what is best for me BUT, ever since my birth she had so looked forward to seeing me in a wedding dress etc.etc.........

We had a big wedding!!!

My Fiancee's Mum was a widow, so my Dad paid for everything and also included her in the wording on the silver embossed invitations. When these were sent out (by post), each also had an addressed, stamped card for people to return saying if they were accepting the invite or not.

Back then, in English, Jewish working class circles it was more normal for just cash to be given as wedding pressies, we did get the toasters, etc at our engagement party.

I must say I absolutely loved my wedding day, so pleased that we did go with it. Started in the morning at home with neighbours etc being invited in , buffet food and drink laid out - me sitting on white sheet covered settee. Then off to Synagogue and from there to hall. Line up of parents/grandparents/bride and groom to welcome each guest as they arrived. A sit down five course meal (still have the menu in my wedding album). Back then it was normal amongst caterers to ask guests for 'tips' at end of such meals, and my Dad insisted on NOT having this and paid an extra charge to prevent it.

In the evening part, more guests would be invited for the dance, and also quite lavish sit-down tea that was served.

First thing hubbie and I did when we arrived at our overnight honeymoon hotel was to open all the envelopes he had been given and count up the money. Following day we had out in Central London and then returned to the house we were going to make our home for the next seven years.

Great times.

One of my daughters married, twelve years and two children since they bought their first house together.
The save the date involved the couple, children and their dog. It was great fun.
Wedding invitations arrived by email along with information about the quirky venue.
The wedding was both traditional and modern and a great party.

In recent years we have received a printed invitation for one wedding, being invited by the Bride's Mum as Dad had died a year or so before. The other one was beautifully handmade by the bride and groom, being invited to the wedding by the Bride's parents, even though Bride and Groom were paying for the wedding. Tradition and modern together. I have kept the invitations.
We asked our 4 guests personally when we got married but I also gave them a homemade invitation with the time and location.
There are so many lovely crafts nowadays that homemade invitations are on the up.

My invitations were worded as suggested by the OP. My mum was widowed when I married and we lived 200 miles away so we organised everything. She gave us £2000 towards it and if we spent more we had to pay the rest. In the end my In-Laws offered to pay for the wine and champagne so we came in under budget and I gave my mum the change! I made my own wedding dress as I knew the exact style I wanted. I only found one example in the style and it was a really cheap nylon thing. The one I made cost less and, though I say it myself, was much superior! The accessories probably cost more than the dress!
My son and DiL's wedding invitations were home designed and printed, from the couple, and were accompanied by a simple card headed RSVP. There were tick boxes for whether guests were attending or not and a space to write dietary requirements. The reverse was addressed to my son so could simply be posted back once filled in. I clearly replied verbally as I found the blank card in amongst my wedding memorabilia from the occasion.
The invitations were on the same card as the service sheets which I know they printed themselves as I was involved in folding them and tying string through as they weren't stapled. Everything was DIY and I was definitely very involved in all the preparations of the last week, staying in the house they were to move into along with her parents. The happy couple remained in their separate accomodations and on the night before the wedding my DiL moved in with her parents while I went to a hotel. A couple of days before the wedding, myself, the bride to be and her mother were to be found equipped with secateurs and buckets, picking michaelmas daisies on a large grass verge near a Dunelm store in Leeds, for the bouquets and buttonholes which we then made the next day! I remember that preparation week with great affection as I got to know my DiL's parents quite well along with anyone else who turned up to help. We worked hard preparing everything but it made it all the more special.

Etsy has companies that have standard invitations that can be personalised and modified. We used one for invitations to our Golden Wedding lunch, obviously the product page is just an example
www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1738341652/golden-wedding-anniversary-party

Save the date cards as a previous GN said are very popular. I have one on the fridge for May 2027. First GD to get married. First GGC on the horizon? No pressure!

When I married, after having lived on my own for years, my finacé and I bought printed cards that had a blank space where you wrote the names of the couple inviting guests and a similar blank space for the name or names of the guests, and for the place and date.
They looked a bit like this:
-- and- request the company of-------
at their wedding on -- 19--- at ----- church at - a.m. and to the reception afterwards which will be held at
-----
R.S.V.P on or before ----

Our cards had wedding bells on them, but you could choose other decorations, such as champagne bottles and glasses, as obviously no-one used wedding bells if it was to be a registry office wedding, or taking place in a mosque or synagogue.

This cards could be bought at any stationer´s at the time, and you could buy similar ones for christenings, confirmations , dinner parties, etc.

My daughter got married 8 years ago..wording changed slightly but mostly same.

DD's wedding in 1998 similar to ours in 1965, as described above by many of you. But DS rang us in 2002 and told us that he and his girlfriend would be getting married the following Thursday, in the local registry office.

How sad. Conventions disappearing. Who did not love a row of "stiffys" on the mantlepiece? Apart from the black on white printed wedding invitations, there were the ubiquitous "At Home" cards. All with RSVP on the bottom - a handwritten response was expected!

i still have the lovely box and spare invitations from my mum and dads wedding. i think it was lovely to have them done by a printer, the way they were presented was really nice

And highly decorated Wedding Congratulation telegrams to send if you couldn’t attend .
Read out during the speeches by the best man.

Our invitations were plain white card embossed with silver print, as my mother thought the ones with pictures were common! She also was a bit disapproving of acceptance cards, and she would always reply to any she received with a handwritten letter, ‘ Mr and Mrs X thank Mr and Mrs Y for their kind invitation etc, etc, and have much pleasure in accepting’.
When I look at the vast array of printed stationery, tableware, favours that are bought nowadays, I remember how tickled we were with books of matches with our names and the date on them!

I remember all the beautiful and elaborate wedding invitation cards from the Sixties and RSVP conventions

As the cost of postage in now really expensive l can see why people are now going online.

Maybe the future maybe a Virtual Reality Avatar invitation designed by AI you can send on Tik Tok?

We had printed invitations from my parents but not silver edged with squirly writing and they matched the Order of Service. I have both in our wedding album. We honeymooned in the dead of winter in Devon, our Reception was at home all prepared by my Mum and lasted from 1-3pm. I had no Bridesmaids, the Best Woman was my husbands Sister and our wedding list was at Boots in the days when they sold hardwear etc...all very 70s and we are still together ! Happy Days

Calendargirl

Not only wedding invitations, but Order Of Service sheets for the ceremony, (church), little fancy cardboard boxes to send out a piece of wedding cake (always fruit) to guests unable to attend, and paper napkins with the couple’s names on.

From our wedding, nearly 54 years ago.

I have an album with the wedding photos in, alongside one of each of these mementoes.

As part of my ‘decluttering’, I recently outed all the ‘spares’ of above items from a suitcase in the loft.

The invites were used for shopping lists, and the napkins are in a drawer, to be used on the rare occasions I host a meal for friends, it will be ‘deja vu’.

Calendargirl, I have saved some of these too..in the drawer under the bed, paper serviettes with silver bells and our names, and little drawstring bags for a peice of cake, also have a list of all the guests , some invitations and acceptance cards...it's lovely to look back on...

I am not even sure whether I had any printed invitations for my wedding. It was a church wedding, but I never ever wanted to be a 'bride' so it was an agreement between me and my parents, church because we were catholic, congregation limited to immediate family and god parents, Best man (and fiancee) and Best woman, my closest friend. I think all invites were by word of mouth.

Visgir1

I got a wedding invitation only last week, which arrived via Wots app which you tapped into a link.
It was a elaborate production, pictures of the couple (my dear niece) with all the possible information you would need including how to get there, hotels etc you just "ticked" the return link and they got an instant RSVP.
Sure you could print it off it you want.
When my DD got married coming up for 10 years ago she did all the invites on line but as cards to send off.
Think the day of getting invites printed have now gone.

Brilliant idea. Wedding cards can’t be re- cycled 👏👏👏

Forty years ago, I went to a local printers who supplied the invitations, order of service, placecards, headed note paper and envelopes for thank yous, all in the same design.

We lived at home with our parents until our wedding night and had nothing for our new home, except furniture. We had 100 guests. I wrote our wedding present list out of the Argos catalogue and were lucky to receive everything we could possibly need, from cutlery, crockery, pots & pans to step ladders, garden tools and wheelbarrow!

And you had to have a good memory when going round all the gifts to remember who gave you what. There was always a one aunt who would remind you. Plus the envelopes of money had to be laid out on the bed along with lamps, sheets,kettles, cutlery and dear know what else. As for sending out the invitations, postage was much cheaper then and most, if not all the guests, replied by post

Not only wedding invitations, but Order Of Service sheets for the ceremony, (church), little fancy cardboard boxes to send out a piece of wedding cake (always fruit) to guests unable to attend, and paper napkins with the couple’s names on.

From our wedding, nearly 54 years ago.

I have an album with the wedding photos in, alongside one of each of these mementoes.

As part of my ‘decluttering’, I recently outed all the ‘spares’ of above items from a suitcase in the loft.

The invites were used for shopping lists, and the napkins are in a drawer, to be used on the rare occasions I host a meal for friends, it will be ‘deja vu’.