History of Wedding Invitations

Before the invention of the printing press weddings in England were normally announced by the Town Crier.

In the middle ages most people were illiterate, however, most of the nobility was literate and they were the ones that began the tradition of sending wedding invitations. Commonly a monk, who was skilled in the art of Calligraphy, would hand write the invitations. These notices often carried the Coat of Arms or personal crest and were sealed with wax. Some couples today still choose to finish their wedding invitations with a wax seal.

The early printing presses were not of a good enough quality for printing wedding invitations. However in 1642 advancements in technology finally meant that higher quality wedding invites could be produced. Although these printed invites were only really affordable by the middle classes. The technology used at this time was metal-plate engraving. However this could be time consuming process as each letter had to be hand carved from a metal plate.

In 1798 Lithography was invented by Alois Senefelder. This printing technique was a vast improvement and meant that sharp and clear printing could be achieved without engraving.

The origins of modern "fine wedding stationery" began after World War II. Increased industrial growth meant that ordinary people could afford high quality printed wedding stationery. Fine wedding invitations were no longer for the middle classes.

The development of thermography provide an alternative to traditional engraving. This method does not impress onto the paper like traditional engraving does. But leaves raised letter on the surface of the paper.

Modern wedding invitations come in a variety of styles, colours and themes. Many different printing techniques are used to create wedding invitations in the modern printing industry. Many choices of card and paper are also available. Other embellishments such as charms and ribbons often decorate modern wedding invites. More traditional wedding invites simply contain black text printed on white card with only minor embellishments. Couples do not have to choose a traditional style invite although these are still available. They can choose a design which is full of colour, vibrant, modern and funky. Or perhaps something cute or funny.