7 Wedding Invitation Tips You Don't Want To Overlook (Part 2)

Last week's blog covered the first 3 of 7 Wedding Invitation Tips You Don't Want To Overlook, and this week Country Jewell is completing the list with the final 4. Make sure to consider all of this information when you are preparing our own wedding invitations for your ceremony and reception at our rustic wedding venue near Knoxville.  

Information to Include
Invitations really only need to cover the basics. These include:

• Ceremony date, time, and location,
• Names of the hosts (be it the couple or their parents,)
• Names of the bride and groom
• RSVP information. 

If you want the RSVPs mailed back to you, that information will be on a separate enclosure card with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Reception information can be included on the invitation if you are trying to avoid additional inserts, or it can be printed on a separate enclosure. If directions are included, they need to be printed separately, and gift registry information should never be included with the invitation. Etiquette dictates that this information is given another way, like on a wedding website or through word of mouth.  

Addressing Invitations
Wedding invitations are a bit more formal than regular cards or invitations you might send. It looks best if the addresses are handwritten, but this is time-consuming. You might consider hiring a professional to address your invites if you don't feel you have the time or if you don't necessarily love the look of your own penmanship. If you do decide to use a printer to put the addresses either directly on the envelopes or on sticker labels, there are a lot of beautiful fonts that you can find online that mimic the look of real handwriting nicely. 

Titles are very important for a formal invitation. Be clear about who is a Ms., Mrs., Dr., etc... Also, all words for the street address should be spelled out rather than abbreviated. Make it extremely clear exactly who is invited to the wedding when you address it. If children are not invited, do not add "and Family" after a couple's name. The inner envelope is the place where you can get specific and list each person's name individually. Also, your single guests should only expect to bring a "plus 1" if you have included "and Guest" after their name.  

Postage
When you set the initial budget, many couples forget to include the price of postage for mailing the invitations into their final figure. Unusually shaped or large-sized invites will require more postage to mail, and if you have a lot of extra enclosures included, the heavier weight will up the cost too. Don't forget to add money to your budget for extra stamps for RSVPs being returned by mail also. A great way to save money here is to skip the inserts that contain additional information and instead let your guests know to visit your wedding website for those details. If they RSVP online too, that is even more money saved for you. 

Order Extra
Mistakes happen, invites get lost in the mail, and every once in a while couples think of "one more person" that they need to invite. For this reason, it is very important to have a few extra invitations handy. The cost to reprint only a couple of extra invitations after your initial order will be pricey and take time. It's also nice to have an extra or two left over after the wedding for keepsakes. 

You want to make sure that the information that you send to your guests in your wedding invitations is clear and concise so that your family and friends know exactly what's going on and are sure to make it to your special day at our scenic wedding venue near Knoxville. A Country Jewell wedding is a wonderful celebration that no one will want to miss. 

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

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7 Wedding Invitation Tips You Don't Want To Overlook (Part 1)

The wedding invitation isn't one of the first tasks that you will need to handle when you begin planning your ceremony and reception at our rustic wedding venue near Knoxville, but it will need to be taken care of at a specific time on your wedding planning timeline. You will want to put a little extra thought into getting your invitations just right because there are many factors that are often overlooked and not noticed until it is too late. Country Jewell has gathered a few tips for you to make sure all of your bases get covered. Today features the first 3 of 7, and we'll continue next week with the final 4.  

Timing
Ordering and sending out your invitations are both very time-sensitive tasks. They will need to be ordered 4-5 months before the wedding date. This should give you plenty of time to get them all addressed at a leisurely pace. They need to be in the mail 6-8 weeks before the wedding date. This gives your guests plenty of time to respond but not too much time so that it slips their minds. (If your guests will be needing notice farther in advance, you might want to use the tips in last week's blog about Creative Save-the-Date Card Ideas.) 

Proofreading
Since you'll be ordering your invitations 4-5 months out, you will, of course, need to begin deciding on a design sooner than that. Once you find a style you love and get the wording set in a way that you are happy with, you will need to double-check, and then triple-check, and then possibly check it one more time for any mistakes! 

Believe it or not, sometimes it's the most obvious information, the day, date, or time, that gets left off. Having to reprint your invitations due to a simple oversight like this can double the price you end up paying and throw a huge wrench into your budgeting plan. Don't do the proofreading all on your own. Have a few different people take a look before placing your final order.   

RSVP Confusion
To get a proper guest count, the RSVP information needs to be extremely clear and easy for your guests to understand. Make sure that the date you expect them returned by is obvious. You will need time to get a final headcount to your caterer, and if you are making an assigned seating chart for guests, this will also figure into how early you need to know who is coming. 

If there is a choice of menu options for dinner, it needs to be included on your RSVP. It is also very important to know who each RSVP is coming from. It is very common for guests to check the "yes" or "no" box, but completely forget to put their name on the card! Numbering each RSVP discreetly in a corner or on the back can help you out in the case that this happens. If you don't want to bother with RSVPs coming through the mail, you can have guests do it online through a wedding website or request that they call you with their information instead.   

Next week we'll continue this topic with 4 more things that brides and grooms easily overlook while designing and sending out their wedding invitations. You want everything that has to do with your special day to be as perfect as possible, and Country Jewell is here to help you in any way that we can. 

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

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5 Creative Save-the-Date Ideas for Your Wedding

The time between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day (aka "Engagement Season") greatly increased the number of couples that are now ready to start planning a wedding. If you want to give guests early notice about your ceremony and reception, you will need to send out Save-the-Dates. Country Jewell has a few creative ideas to impress your guests.   

Postcard
A wedding invitation is the formal invite to your special day, so you don't want to spend too much of your budget on the save-the-dates. Postcards are less expensive to mail than a card with an envelope (35 cents vs. 50 cents each.) You can get creative with the front of the postcard by using a photo of the two of you, or possibly a calendar with the date cleverly shown on the front. If you are planning a destination wedding, you might want to use postcards from the city where you will be getting married. Adding a short, handwritten message on the back is a nice, personalized touch.    

Magnet
Putting your save-the-date information on a magnet allows your guests to immediately stick it on the refrigerator, keeping it in plain sight so that your wedding excitement stays fresh in their minds. The front of the magnet can be done similar to the postcard ideas above, but this one will have to be put into an envelope to mail out.  

Mini-Calendar
There are lots of cute min-calendars available online that can be personalized, but a plain calendar will do the trick too. When you place it into the envelope, have it open to your wedding month and either circle the date with a heart or place a heart sticker on the date. You should also include a short note or letter cluing them in to what the calendar is all about, in case they don't get the idea right away.  

Photo Stickers
Most places that print photos can also put your pictures on small stickers, and there are many places online that you can order them from too. Send the stickers, with the backs still on them, attached to a paper save-the-date that instructs your guests to place the stickers on your future wedding date on their own calendar at home. 

Email
Another option is to send an email save-the-date. These don't have to cost you anything but a little time to create them, or you can spend a little bit and use a website that will allow you to personalize an animated email card. It can include a link to save your wedding date directly to their online calendar plus a link to your wedding website if you will be creating one.

Information to Include
Wedding save-the-dates only need to have very basic information for your guests. They are exactly what the name implies, a notice to save the date so that they have a chance to make plans to attend. You should include:

• Your names (obviously!) 
• Wedding date (or dates if it's an entire weekend)
• Location (the city for sure, the venue if you already have it booked)
• Notice that a formal invitation will follow

If you have a wedding website, this information can also be included on your save-the-dates. These should be mailed out about 6 months before the wedding to allow your guests plenty of time to make travel arrangements. 

Our scenic wedding venue near Knoxville is an excellent location for a destination wedding. Country Jewell itself seems to be set apart from the rest of the world, allowing you and your guests to enjoy a completely private experience on your wedding day, yet still located in a spot that is central to many options for your guests' entertainment and lodging needs. We are less than 10 minutes off of I-75, putting us near Knoxville, Norris Lake, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg. We know both you and your guests will absolutely love it here. Let us know if you'd like for us to "save the date" for your wedding! 

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

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Valentine's Day Romance for Everyday Life and Your Wedding

February is a very romantic month. Not only does it contain Valentine's Day, but it is also labeled "Creative Romance Month" and "National Weddings Month." This seems like the perfect time for Country Jewell to highlight a few creatively romantic ideas that can both be incorporated into your wedding at our beautiful rustic wedding venue near Knoxville and your daily life. (Valentine's Day is a great time to start making one or more of these a tradition for the two of you!) 

Love Letters
Handwritten love letters are rare for most people, so receiving one from your sweetheart is an extra special treat. It is a lovely tradition for couples to write love letters to each other to be delivered on the wedding day while each is getting ready for the ceremony. You can also do this for other romantic occasions, or simply "just because" any time you feel like writing down your feelings and making your special someone smile. 

Don't stop there. While a handwritten love note is the ultimate, go a step further. Occasionally leave little notes around the house for them to find on post-its or other small scraps of paper. The occasional text full of sweet nothings is sure to make them very, very happy and keep that romance alive too. For the big occasions though, put pen to paper and seal it with a kiss! 

Relive A Memory
Every year, be it on your anniversary, Valentine's Day, or some other important date, recreate something that is special to the two of you. Pick a restaurant or a particular meal to enjoy only on that date each year, or possibly drink one certain type of wine you don't drink on a regular basis, making it unique to that romantic moment. You could even recreate your first date every year. You can begin this tradition at your wedding, or if you already have something in mind from your time dating, incorporate it into your wedding day. 

Make A New Memory
If you're the adventurous type of couple that prefers to try something new and different together every chance that you get, promise to pick out a new adventure to share with each other every year. It doesn't particularly have to be romantic. As long as it is something you can experience together, it is bound to bring you closer together, which is always wonderful for romance. 

You can bring this idea of trying something new into your wedding planning by searching for a unique unity ceremony to share or by learning a choreographed dance to perform at your reception. If it's something you haven't done before, give it a try!    

Take An Annual Photo
This is an excellent way to watch the progression of your love and life together over the years. Strike the same post every year and take a photo to add to a collection. If the picture can also be taken in the same place annually, even better, or go the opposite direction and make sure you find a brand new location each year. If you have not yet gotten married, make sure that you take this photo on your wedding day, and for already married couples, pick one of your wedding photos to inspire your recreated pose. 

Renew Your Vows 
This can be done in a big way like getting married all over again, or simply by going back over the vows that you made to each other in private. If this is something that you might want to do, have your wedding vows framed or saved on paper in a special place to keep them safe until you want to get them back out again. Another option is to watch the video from your wedding or flip through the album of photos from that amazing day.  

There are two main themes throughout the ideas suggested above. One is togetherness, and the other is reminding your loved one of how special they are to you. For those of you yet to get married, start some traditions that can be incorporated into your big day at our scenic wedding venue near Knoxville, and for everyone that has already tied the knot, start a tradition now, possibly pulling inspiration from your own wedding day. From all of us here at Country Jewell, have a wonderfully romantic Valentine's Day full of love! 

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

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