Wedding Initations: All About Eve
Before the printing press cam into being, weddings were announced by town criers. Wealthier families, however, still commissioned skilled calligraphers, frequently from monastic orders, to create elaborate wedding notices as keepsakes. These wedding invitations often carried the crests of the people who were getting married, and were wax sealed. To be sure, most traditional wedding invitations bear this decorative motif. After the emergence of the printing press, hand written invitations continued for a while.
The printing methods of the era failed to measure up to the steady hands of trained calligraphers. Nevertheless, it became common practice to announce weddings in the local newspaper. It wasn’t until the invention of mezzotint, or metal plate engraving, that high quality printed wedding invitations were available. This occurred in the mid 1600s, and was welcomed by the emerging middle class. Each engraving required an artisan to write the text in reverse onto the plate, using an engraving tool. The plate was then used to print the invitations. To keep the wedding invitations from smudging, a piece of thin paper was placed on top, which is why we still use tissue paper between invitations. Wording for invitations were significantly more elaborate than modern versions.
In 1798, a new process was invented by Alois Senefelder. Lithography allowed sharp, distinctive inked lines without needing to engrave metal plates. That allowed real mass market wedding invitations to be created. However, despite the relatively modern printing methods, delivery was still quite old fashioned. Wedding invitations were delivered by horseback courier and by hand, since the postal system was quite unreliable. The invitations were packaged in double envelopes to protect them from damage, a tradition that remains today, despite the fact that our postal systems are much more reliable.
Wedding invitations continued to be produced in much the same way up until a little after WWII, when commercially printed wedding stationery became available to most people. Rapid growth of industry mean that ordinary people were now able to send out invitations of a type that had previously been available only to the rich. Thermography, an inexpensive method of making raised type, was also in wide use. It’s less distinct and fine than engraving, but far less costly. It makes raised, shiny lettering without making an impression in the paper’s surface. Combined with other advances, this new method of making attractive type allowed fine wedding invitations to be available to almost every couple.
It is still common practice to have wedding invitations printed on special paper and sent with double envelopes. Often they still contain a sheet of tissue to prevent the ink from smudging, though, of course, modern inks seldom smudge. RSVP cards and envelopes may also be included along with the wedding invitation. However, there are many more forms to choose from in modern times. Not all wedding invitations have to look the same, and you have the latitude to be truly creative.
October 25th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Today,in this current market,there are a vast number of invitations available for the bride to choose from. In addition,she may choose to pick one from a book and actually customize the one shown on the book page with their own artwork. I work for Papyrus/Tucson as a contractor/consultant and I am often called upon,even though I have my own business,to do just that type of thing. At present,a customer who is being married in Italy has chosen an invitation from Papyrus,in a Checkerboard book and has asked for a peony illustration,which will be sent off to Checkerboard in a file format (at no extra charge for printing).There are many other options to choose from as well. Take the time to pick as mention,a qualified invitation specialist,either a custom designer such as myself,or a store that carries at least twenty books similar to Papyrus,because they will have trained people in the store to help the bride with choices,which can sometimes be daunting. Try to avoid a party store.Normally they carry only a very small assortment of low end books.(Cranes and Wm.Arthur,both high end vendors,will normally not ship to those types of retailers,which is why you will not see them displayed. Pick a retailer who has been in business for a number of years(I’ve been in business for 23 years).They will know which vendors(like Carlson Craft as an example)who make mistakes but ship very quickly,or ones that ship quite late even though they get it done right. Checkerboard for example,is a winner of the Louie award,which is similar to an Oscar for papers and invitations and greeting cards. A good vendor will know all of this. Others will not.