The Wedding Invitation- An Ad for Your Event

No. It just means that you have greater flexibility and room for interpretation. I think that if your personality flows this way, then you may feel like you want more whimsy, more personality and more innovation in how you plan and execute the details.

For instance, how would you feel about having an invitation that is made out of wood, sent in a wooden box? It takes a certain person to take this step. And, wow, does it make a statement. But if it's you- well it certainly gives all your guests a great idea about what your wedding and reception will be like.

I often say that your invitation is like advertising- it gives your guests a glimpse of what to expect. And it should reflect who you are as a couple and where your lives intertwine and go forward.

Today you have so many options for a wedding invitation- you can consider a modern style of typeface/font, the lettering printed on a slight angle, a box vs. an envelope....Really the options are endless.

So who can help you create the perfect introduction to you as a couple and give the right preview of the big day for you as a couple? We can.

I can tell you this. My experience as a bride a million years ago was that you had very few choices. If you followed convention, you had both ivory or white paper and black ink. Script or block lettering. And if you couldn't afford engraving then you could get thermography, which did in a way resembled engraving.

You or your Mother (or if you were lucky enough to use a calligrapher) hand addressed each envelope. No computers. No mailing labels. Maybe you had your return address printed.  I was cheap/clever by buying a hand embosser and crimping that return address onto every outside envelope.

But that was just a little moment when I got to insert my artistic personality. That’s it. I did use a standard size invitation and outside envelope, return response card and envelope. I used a beautiful block style font that was modern, yet felt traditional.

The surprise was that it was a beautiful shade of moss. Yes, in a word, a shade of green. Not ivory or white. And green ink- not black. Yowzer, did that freak out my Mother-in-law! (If you saw it today, you would see that it is elegant and stately, not at all wild and crazy).

But this is now; not then. And my best advice is caution, meaning you would like to see whatever you do stand the test of time.

So if you want to get creative you need an excellent graphic designer to make your vision all yours and not be just something picked out of a book.

And for goodness sakes, it doesn't have to match your dress, your bridesmaids' dresses or any other element of your wedding- even your favorite colors.

Just make it about you as a couple. And ask for advice. There are plenty of us that are willing to share our opinions. Take them or leave them, but they will be there for your taking.

Come see Lisa and her designers for ideas at the free 2013 Bridal Showcase, Elegance Reinvisioned, Thursday, January 24 through Saturday, February 2 at Lisa’s Gift Wrappers, 22834 Woodward Avenue, Royal Oak.