Glossary of Wedding Invitation Terms

Choosing a wedding invitation, wording the invitations, addressing them, and mailing them: all in all, a considerable amount of time and effort goes into your wedding invitations.

Image: Adorn Invitations

If in addition to all this, you don’t understand half the terms that are associated with wedding invitations, your job can become even more time consuming, not to mention confusing. Who knew wedding stationery could get so complex?!

Here’s a glossary of wedding invitation terms to help you out with your invitations.

• Blind Embossing

  This is a type of printing, in which a design is pressed on paper, with the end result being a raised image. The embossing so done is called blind as there is no ink or foil used in forming the design.

• Calligraphy

  Calligraphy is a form of writing. It is a beautiful art developed from old italic script and was typically done by hand. But today, calligraphy can also be done using calligraphy machines. It is a preferred method of addressing wedding invitations.

• Ceremony Program

  This is a list, which details the program during a wedding ceremony, and gives you the order of the songs and prayers, with the names of attendants and musicians.

• Ecru

  Ecru is a creamy beige colour that is used in many wedding invitations.

• Envelope Linings

  These are petite pieces of tissue, which are sometimes used in formal wedding invitations to add a unique touch.

• French-Fold

  A type of fold used in wedding invitations. French fold entails folding a paper twice, once horizontally and once vertically, to make a four part invitation.

• Informals

  Refers to informal stationery, which is usually used for writing thank-you notes and other informal cards.

• Pearlised

  Pearlising is a procedure, wherein a shiny pearl-like finish is given to some part of a wedding invitation, usually raised or embossed designs, so as to make it more luminous.

• Rain Cards

  They are included with the wedding invitation and are used to notify the guests of the address of an alternate site for the wedding in case of rain.

• Short-Fold

  A kind of fold where the paper is folded, but not exactly from the center. This results in a short-fold and a longer back fold in the invitation.

• Vellum

  A type of paper used for wedding invitations, which has a lustrous and smooth finish.