I frequently get inquiries like this one:
"Can you write something about wedding invitation wording? Many people seem to leave it to the last minute and lose the chance to do something creative…"
Here’s some direction, followed by a previously-posted example. (And p.s., it can be done at the last minute and STILL be creative.)
Using the location as the lead into your invitation will establish set the setting for your wedding even before the guests arrive. Most locations are chosen because they have some magical feeling for the marrying couple. Think about what it is that makes your location of choice magical, meaningful, significant to you. Make a list of those characteristics.
Here are some questions that may help you:
1. What does your location look like?
2. How does it make you feel when you imagine yourself standing in the very spot you will stand to take your vows? (Safe? Held in the arms of God? Full of life? Joyful because there’s nothing more that I love than being in a garden full of flowers? Excited because I’ll be standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the expanse of the blue sea below? etc.)
3. How did you know that "this" was the place to get married?
4. Have you been here for any other special milestone in your life? (It’s the house where I grew up. We got engaged here. My mother and her mother both were married here…)
Now, convey these points in the writing of your invitation. It will make the invitation so much more alluring and unique. Traditional wording is fine for very classic, traditional weddings. But if you’ve dedicated large quantities of time (and money) to the choice of your location and other elements that will set the stage for the particular kind of magic you want to experience on your wedding day, then use your invitation as a means of saying "welcome" in a way that invites your guests to step onto your magic carpet for a ride unlike any they’ve ever experienced before.
Sample Invitation using "location" as the lead…
There’s a place on Earth
1,000 feet above the neighboring sea
where we will gather in the garden of a beloved friend,
next to a grove of Olive trees for good luck,
and among those whom we most cherish.
There,
we will make sacred vows of commitment
in a ceremony intended to
strengthen our experience of life as partners
and our belief in the tradition of family.
Joy-filled we’d be if you will join us.
Saturday, May 10, 2005 at Noon
at the home of Marc Rhodell
101 Cliff View Road
Malibu, California