Personalized Wedding Invitations

1. Write in a way that mirrors you and your family's unique spirits, attitudes, and personal qualities. You shouldn't be forced to use arcane language that no longer sounds personal or colloquial. The old phrase, 'Mr. and Mrs. Doe request the honor of your presence … etc.', is not the final word on wording. Your wording should be fun, light, and recognizable as your own. Otherwise, guests will feel bored, or at the least, unimpressed. A sample that demonstrates how to spice up your introduction is as follows: 'Because you have been such a good person to our family, we request the privilege of your presence at so-and-so's wedding.'

2. If you can afford to hire a graphic designer, and some at the college are kind of cheap, then you can ask him or her to include hand-drawn images of the theme you'd like to get across. Some people are getting married in the place where they live, either because it's special to them or because of budget. Either way, get the graphic designer to draw a beautiful color sketch of a creek or the church where you're getting married. People will remember it and think it's very personal. Only a minority of invitations goes into such detail about the significance of the location. Plus, it will be a nostalgic treasure if you move, a keepsake for posterity.

3. Some think it's cute or special to include a photograph of the couple on the wedding invitations. This is smart except some guests will think it's distasteful. Instead, get a hand-drawn or computer-illustrated silhouette that looks just like you and your spouse. These silhouettes are sexy sleek and sensual to be sure.

4. Include some favorite lines of text from music lyrics, a poem, or a book, and this will set the stage for a fantastically romantic wedding invitation.

5. You can always write your invitations with pen and ink. They look really personal that way. What better way for the invitations to express you than your own words and signature writing style? However, you only need to write it once and then do a high-resolution, scanned copy on the rest. Send the original to one special friend.