What You Can and Can't Include in Your Wedding Invitations
Weddings have unspoken rules of conduct which apply to wedding invitations as well. Here are a few pointers on what you can and cannot include in your wedding invitations.
Wedding invitations were invented to let a bride and groom's intended guests know that their presence is requested for a wedding ceremony. Therefore, you must include your name and your ceremony venue. Other elements of the invitation are your vows, your wedding entourage, and your parents' names.
A reception card can be included in select invitations if you wish to limit the number of your guests. These reception cards can contain the number of seats allotted to the recipient so there'll be no confusion and no unexpected guests.
One other thing that must be included in the wedding invitation is the response card in a ready-to-post envelope so you'll know who will be attending your wedding or not. Include additional instructions such as the timeline for confirmation of attendance, alternative ways of confirming attendance and the expected attire.
You can't add a "cash only gifts" note on your wedding invitations. Though cash may be more practical especially if you and your partner are moving overseas or across the country, this is an unacceptable breach of accepted wedding etiquette. This can cause bad feelings and your guests may not attend because of it.
You also cannot include your registry information in your wedding invitations. Remember that just as wedding etiquette implicitly compels the guests to give you a wedding gift, this same etiquette forbids you from imposing your preferences on something which is entirely within your guests' discretion.
The above are merely highlights of wedding invitation do's and don'ts. Consult a wedding professional for more advice on wedding invitation etiquette.
