If you are not involved in a whirlwind romance but are taking the process slowly, the first indication of your impending nuptials is the "Save The Date" notice. This pre-invitation is traditionally sent about a year before the actual wedding letting your friends know of your future plans and giving them plenty of time to take it into consideration for planning vacations or other events.

It is not always a good idea to wait until the three-month notice that the actual wedding invitation gives as long term plans may have already been made. The Save The Date card should not be confused with an Engagement Announcement card which should be sent as soon as two people have decided to join in a marriage union.

As well as a reminder to attend, the wedding invitation serves as a lasting memento of the event. Within the invitation packet it is also a recommended idea to include a response card for the potential guest to return so you can have. This will provide you with an idea of how many people you will have to provide for with the catering. If you are sending invitations to a widespread group of people, a printed map of the location of your wedding will help get all your guests to the right place.

While a person may opt to design and create their own unique wedding invitations, the usual approach to obtaining high quality items is to solicit the work from a professional wedding invitation printer. The selection of cards they can offer will provide many forms that can be further customized to your particular tastes. The traditional engraving, tissue inserts, proper style envelopes and miscellaneous extras can be coordinated to match your wedding decor.

Design catalogs are available for you to peruse that will show you in detail just what aspects of the invitation you need to get your wedding presented just the way you want. The styles will range from simple, inexpensive cards to embossed and engraved invitations that are a work of art unto themselves. The catalog will show you a wide selection of wedding ephemera you may want to add to your wedding decor.

Through the wedding catalog you can obtain matching napkin rings, toast glasses, scrolls, place mats, souvenirs and other touches that will make your wedding event memorable for not only your guests but for yourself as well.

The professional wedding invitation printer can also provide matching service to you for years to come. Once wed you will most likely need to eventually send birth announcements to your friends and acquaintances. Matching styles can be coordinated for these as well. This identifying motif can be utilized again and again as new life events occur and you wish to spread the news for everyone to share the joy with you.

The wedding invitation printer can also provide birthday party invitations as your family grows and eventually graduation announcements to celebrate the major accomplishments of life. One can even find a selection of "Career Advancement" announcements so you can have a written notice of your successes to share with those you care for.