The History of Wedding Invitations – Part 3

Read Part 1 | Part 2


People have always wanted to celebrate important events with family and friends, but it wasn’t always as easy as it is today to inform them of those events.

The Modern Era
Following World War II, incomes for many families increased dramatically, creating an explosion of the middle class. This growing segment of the population could better afford luxuries previously limited to the wealthy. More than anything else, this popularized wedding invitations, making them de rigueur for nearly all weddings.

Although postal systems have improved dramatically and delivery times are much quicker, today’s wedding invitations are usually mailed even earlier. Thirty days before the event is fairly common, to allow sufficient time to receive the replies and finalize all the wedding and reception plans. More and more, the need to order accessories, advise caterers and reserve furnishings requires sending out invitations earlier. Guests, too, have their own concerns. Today, many guests travel from far away to celebrate the nuptials with the bride and groom. The need to make travel plans requires early planning. The Save-the-Date card, a modern addition, allows for early notification without having to send the invitation months in advance. Save-the-Date cards are sent as early as a year ahead of the event, but most often precede it by about six months.

Modern wedding invitations are most commonly printed using a technique known as thermography. Like an engraved invitation, a thermograved wedding invitation has elegant and distinctive raised print.The process is much different than engraving, however, and much less expensive, allowing invitations to be printed with the rich, elegant look and feel of traditional engraved invitations, at a fraction of the cost.

Using computers, modern printing equipment and highly automated processes, invitation manufacturers today are able to provide beautiful wedding invitations at prices affordable to the average consumer. Since 1919, The American Wedding has seen various stages of printing technology rise and fall, having tried several of these technologies for a season. We have worked to produce quality products, worthy of nobility, at a low cost of doing business, which in turn means selling our wedding invitations and accessory products at reasonable prices to every bride and groom.

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