The History of Wedding Invitations

invitations are as much a part of weddings today as the bride and groom! While many traditional couples send formal invitations, casual invitations are gaining popularity in today's society. Regardless of the happy couple chooses to call, there is no doubt that each wedding is planned, invitations will be created and sent one way or another.

When the wedding invitations first come into use? Most people agree that the tradition began in the 12th century, the town crier, who will walk around the city and to announce important events to the public. Word of mouth is an important tool for spreading news, and everyone within hearing of the town-crier, by default, was invited to the wedding!

In the Middle Ages, when many people were illiterate, noble families would commission monks hand-writing and illuminating the wedding announcements in calligraphy. These invitations often include a family crest or coat of arms, an important symbol that has helped to identify families engaged couple. Many people today have such a family crest or coat of arms on the wedding invitations as head of the tradition and heritage.

In 1600, literacy has increased and has become common for weddings to be published in the newspaper. At the same time, the technology of engraving was created as a new way to print announcements. Soon, the middle class people began to send a customized, engraved wedding invitations. To create the engraving, metal plate was engraved in reverse with the text. Then the plate is signed and stamped onto paper to produce finished products. Paintings are often covered with tissue paper to prevent ink from smearing. Many modern invitations are still tissue paper, although it is largely a decorative element now.

In the late 18th century, the art of lithography was developed, making it possible to create beautiful prints calls without engraving. Invitations at the time generally were still delivered by hand, and were often enclosed in another box for protection. This is another tradition that modern society is still watching.

Modern wedding invitations has become widely used after World War II. The development of thermographic printing allowed more sophisticated designs that are stamped on the invitations at a lower cost than traditional engraving. Thermographic printing creates a raised effect that is often used for letterheads, business cards, and even Braille. Its versatility lends itself perfectly artistic nature of modern wedding invitations.

Today, the invitations are often creative and individual expressions of a couple's personality. Some couples might send a small gift as a vocation, like a candy store. Other couples can send a request with a framed photo and personalized letter. Some people choose non-traditional works, such as hand stock with flower petals pressed into it. Invitations can even include your favorite cartoon characters, symbols, such as the Irish Claddagh, ribbons, bows. . . the list is endless!

So the next time you open your mail and that is recognizable among its envelope the letter, take a moment to ponder the history of how the invitation came to be. Just think, it all started with a humble town crier!