In this more relaxed era, a wedding invitation can be sent by telephone, conveyed verbally or even emailed. The objective of a wedding invitation is to let your guests know when and where the ceremony and reception are taking place.

Even though wedding invitations are like many other kinds of invitation, there is almost always more formality to them. Because of this association, wedding invitation etiquette has been established to help you navigate the ins and outs of inviting guests to your wedding. This protocol is in place because a formal wedding invitation lets your guests know through the paper stock, the type style and the wording that this is not a casual event. For a more formal wedding, your invitations need to match the tone.

for a formal wedding does not allow for inviting guests via email or phone since these methods are relatively new. It calls for the traditional style of printed invitations, which are sent by regular mail.

Formal wedding invitations usually have the following characteristics. There are usually two envelopes with the invitation. The first envelope is the outer envelope which holds everything pertaining to the invitation. The second envelope is used for the reply card only. They are often engraved and generally written in the third person style. They are printed on heavy white, cream or ivory. They use a classic font.

There are other useful guidelines for preparing formal wedding invitations that you should keep in mind. Most formal wedding invitations are printed by a professional printing service and then the envelope is hand addressed by either the groom or bride. If your guest is certain to bring a date or companion it is acceptable to write "and guest" on the invitation when you do not know their name. Usually this limits the amount of unknown guests brought along by others. For a very formal wedding, your invitations should not be highly creative. Ceremonies held in places of worship require a more formal setup and thereby more formal invitations than a ceremony held in a nature setting or a home.

Wedding invitation etiquette is essential for a formal invitation. This implies the importance of the special occasion to those involved, unlike other invitations such as wedding shower invitations which are far less formal and more festive.