Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 9, 1992 TAG: 9202060044
SECTION: YOUR WEDDING PAGE: YW-26 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By ANNE PIEDMONT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
INVITATIONS SET WEDDING'S TONE
The wedding invitation does much more than just invite guests to the wedding and reception, it sets the tone for the entire event."It's the first thing the guests see," says Diane Rosenberg, owner of R.S.V.P., "it needs to set the tone. You know it will be a nice wedding."
Not surprisingly, she and other stationers are selling a lot of traditional invitations. "You can't go wrong when you do traditional," she said, adding that the trend in invitations goes along with the trend toward the traditional wedding.
"We're seeing more traditional invitations than we did five years ago," said Ann Breslin of Roanoke Book & Stationery, "because the traditional wedding is back."
That traditional invitation will be on ivory or ecru (maybe white) paper with the printing done through the engraving or thermography process. Engraving is the better known of the two, and the more expensive. But, according to Gail Sowers, owner of Paper Alley, the thermography process has come so far that it often is hard to tell the difference.
The preferred invitation paper is Crane's. "It's considered the finest," said Rosenberg, adding that some people will choose the less expensive thermography process so that they can afford the Crane paper.
One of the newest trends in wedding invitations involved addressing the envelopes. Hand-lettered addressing is available through a new technology that marries a computer and a cartridge pen contraption. The end result is as beautiful as hand-done calligraphy, says Sowers, at a comparable price. "It's a personal touch."
She offers a variety of writing styles and ink colors, and can also letter and address shower and luncheon invitations. Even though the process is faster than when done by a human, she recommends allowing plenty of time for the addressing.
Addressing the envelopes in calligraphy "finishes off" the invitation, Rosenberg said, adding that she has even individually lettered the actual invitation for a small wedding.
Though traditional invitations are most popular in the Roanoke area, the non-traditional also are available. Breslin offers invitations decorated with blind embossing, color prints, flowers and, even, colored inks.
Rosenberg said the non-traditional, out-of-the-ordinary invitation works especially well for the non-traditional wedding. "That gets back to the invitation's role in setting the tone for the wedding," she said. "It needs to be in character for the bride."
Sowers offers a wide range of invitation choices and, for the bride who wants something a little different, she offers advice and suggested wording.
When ordering an invitation, Sowers recommends allowing two to three weeks for those done in thermography and four to six weeks for engraving.