Top Ten Really Bad Wedding Invitation Mistakes
On Friday, Chris and I will be going down to Half Moon Bay to pick up a few invitations for our final ceremony. These are basically for my grandparents, parents, and my friend Carolyn, who I hear keeps all of her invitations in a special box. I find this really sweet and sentimental and am glad to know that at least one of our invitations will not be going in the recycle bin.
There are very few things that Chris and I are doing that fall under the category of “traditional”, but I don’t mind invitations because there’s something very special about ask your family to attend an important event through the use of bright colors and lickable paper. (Stamps, I’m talking about stamps. I know you got all excited, thinking that the invitation were going to be like paper-thin Jolly Ranchers. Wait… maybe?)
Of course this made me think of wedding invitations mistakes that one should never make. Should you make these mistakes, I will punish you by forcing you to spend ten hours with Lindsay Lohan in a windowless room.
Note: none of these stories and tips are about people I know. I’m no fool- I know where my bread is buttered.
#10 Mentioning the Money Tree that will be at your reception.
Your guests would be better off at a timeshare meeting. It costs them nothing, they get free drinks, and they don’t have to hang dollar bills on a paper mâché tree of FAIL.
#9 Sending a pity invite.
If someone receives an invite to your wedding within two weeks of the actual event, they are going to know that you pity-invited them. Not only does this suck emotionally, this requires them to buy you a gift, which is a double-suck.
#8 Calling your friend’s significant other “and guest” when you’ve met that “guest” at least twice.
Extra loser points if your friend has been with that person longer than you’ve been with your fiance. Consider yourself ex-communicated if the “and guest” was invited to your shower and bachelorette.
#7 Sending invitations after the wedding.
Oh, I know you’d NEVER do this. You’d never send an invitation to someone after the wedding, then claim that it got lost in the mail, would you? Before you answer, remember, the baby Jesus is watching.
#6 Including a return envelope intended for monetary gifts.
Believe it or not, this happened to a friend of mine. If this happens to you, take a small stack of Monopoly money and place it in the envelope. Affix a note to the “cash” that reads: “Sorry, I am uncomfortable sending real money through the mail.”
#5 Stapling your registry cards to the wedding invitations.
Imagine the glee that spread through my soul when I heard this story. Really… I mean, really? The practice of including registry information in a wedding invitation is dubious yet acceptable, however, invitation+registry card+ stapler should never meet.
#4 Including blank RSVP cards.
We’d all like to believe that our friends and families are smart. The simple fact is, they are not. Which means if you include blank RSVP cards, except to receive several blank ones back and several more with just the number of guests and no names.
#3 Making a memorial out of your invitation.
It is a very sad thing when a loved one cannot attend a wedding. There are definitely places to honor this loved one, like in your wedding program, during your wedding toast, or on your wedding website. Nothing will creep your guests out more than an invitation that reads “John (deceased) and Mary (also deceased) Johnson invite you to attend…”
#2 Sending out an invitation with spelling errors.
Not everyone is a wordsmith. And not everyone can survive without spell check. But there’s no excuse for inviting everyone to the “Evangelical Fee Church” for your wedding ceremony. Unless, of course, you really do want them to pay first.
#1 Pretending to be Edward and Bella from Twilight.
Please excuse me as I go crawl into my closet to weep for America’s lost youth.
Tags: planning a wedding, wedding etiquette, wedding invitation mistakes
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Actually, I got all excited thinking about the lickable paper . . . until I realized “trip of a lifetime” means something totally different in this context.
My aunt had a money tree. Problem is, no one brings money with them to a wedding reception!
Seriously, a money envelope? Wow!
Don’t lie - you’re totally considering the Twilight invite. I know it.
I had to look “ineluctable” up in the dictionary. Like the new avatars. Cool!
What you didn’t say is whether invites can be from family pets. “Snowflake and Caribou invite you to attend the wedding of their owner…”
chris- you KNOW someone has done that. And Janet- of course I am. Marnie- couldn’t have said it better.
You know, Jaime, invitation #9 could also mean something much worse than pity. It could mean that you were B-Listed! Or worse, C-Listed (yeah, we had a C-List in our invitation list). There’s nothing worse than getting the invitation two-weeks before the wedding when you know damn well you’re getting the seat originally reserved for the third-cousin-whats-his-name-on-your-father’s-side. I say thanks but no thanks to your ploy for gifts.
-Dee
Very well written post however, I would recommend that you turn the No Follow off in your comment section.
Keep up the good work.
I get excited when i receive wedding invitations. sometimes i also make customized wedding invitations.-;*
A friend of mine made the mistake of having their invite printed with the wedding registry information. When she realized what she had done she couldn’t afford the time or money to have them reprinted. I suggested white-out but than didn’t go over very well.