Wedding invitation
With computer technology, some are able to print directly on envelopes from a guest list using a mail merge with word processing and spreadsheet software.
In the Middle Ages, illiteracy was widespread among common people, so the practice of sending written wedding invitations emerged among the nobility.
In 1642, the invention of metal-plate engraving (or mezzotint) by Ludwig von Siegen brought higher-quality wedding invitations within the reach of the emerging middle class.
The resulting engraved invitations were protected from smudging by a sheet of tissue paper placed on top, which is a tradition that remains to this day.
Following the invention of lithography by Alois Senefelder in 1798, it became possible to produce very sharp and distinctive inking without the need for engraving.
Wedding invitations were still delivered by hand and on horseback, however, due to the unreliability of the nascent postal system.
The origins of commercially printed "fine wedding stationery" can be traced to just after World War II, when a combination of democracy and rapid industrial growth allowed ordinary people to mimic the lifestyles and materialism of society's elite.
About that time, prominent society figures, such as Amy Vanderbilt and Emily Post, emerged to advise the ordinary man and woman on appropriate etiquette.
Although it lacks the fineness and distinctiveness of engraving, thermography is a less expensive method of achieving raised type.
The bite or deep impression is a recent aesthetic that adds the sensory experience of touch to letterpress printed wedding invitations.
There are hundreds of websites that offer wedding invitations and stationery, and being online allows the customer to order from anywhere in the world.
In some non-Western countries, such as India, where the concept of wedding invitations was acquired through the British, the language continues to follow Western traditions.
The exact wording varies, but a typical phrasing runs as follows: Mr. and Mrs. John A Smith request the honor of your presence at the wedding of their daughter Jessica Marie to Mr. Michael Francis Miller on the first of November at twelve noon Christchurch Hall Richmond, Virginia Wedding invitations sometimes include the spelling 'honour,' even in the United States, where the 'u' is not correct in any other context regardless of formality.
Invitations are generally chosen to match the couple's personal preferences, the level of formality of the event, and any color scheme or planned theme.
For example, if the invitation uses formal, third-person language, then the recipient replies in formal, third-person language, saying either "Mr. Robert Jones accepts with pleasure the kind invitation to the wedding on the first of November", or "Ms. Susan Brown regrets that she is unable to attend the wedding on the first of November."
Some American etiquette experts consider the practice incorrect and ineffective at increasing response rates.
These may include an RSVP response card, a separate invitation to a wedding reception, and information such as maps, directions, childcare options, and hotel accommodations.
