Category: Tips

One of the wedding trends that’s really revving up brides today is the addition of a time capsule to the wedding prep proceedings. Yes, the wedding time capsule is a growing trend — to the point where you can buy a pre-made kit from many web sites.

In kit form, your wedding time capsule takes the form of an attractive tin, in which you place various mementos — photos, videos — as well as predictions for the future; then, you seal it all up with some festive stickers, to help discourage premature peeking. You decide ahead of time how long you’ll wait until you open it again — your 10th anniversary? 25th anniversary? And then you write a stern directive to yourself on the tin to help you keep to the agreement.

Although most people equate “time capsule” with “something you bury in the ground,” burying your wedding time capsule isn’t a great idea. Not only does that subject the contents to extreme temperature variations, but with the US Census recently reporting that the average American moves every five years, chances of you leaving behind a buried capsule before the hoped-for anniversary rolls around are high indeed. Instead, keep yours out of the elements and somewhere relatively kind — avoid damp attics, but a climate-controlled closet would be just perfect.

Some of us just like to do things our own way, and a wedding time capsule is no exception. Of course you can create your own! And a great way to do that is to get close friends and relatives in on the fun. Have them scribble up some predictions — or perhaps marital advice. Take advantage of a pre-wedding party to snap photos of your intimates, and tuck the photos into the capsule. If you really want to motivate people to get involved, hold some kind of drawing for participants, such as a wedding raffle — give away a box of fine cigars, a bottle of bubbly or even an afternoon at a spa.

While you’re letting others in on the action, there are number of ways to go about it. One is to compose a list of predictions for everyone to guess at — the whole experience is similar to filling out a junior high slam book, and just as fun. For example, ask participants to predict:

How many children you’ll have,
what kind of household robots you’ll have,
how many career changes you’ve gone through,
what major nation we’re closest to, and which one we’re mad at,
what animal is the trendiest pet,

… and so on.

Another is to ask your wedding party and close friends to compose short letters to you. Give them each envelopes, and instruct them to tell you on the outside when it’s time to open the envelope. Some will simply say “fifth anniversary,” “10th anniversary,” or “when your first child is born.” Others will get more creative — and you’ll probably find it’s terrific fun to stretch out the time capsule concept in this inventive, unpredictable way.

Wedding invitations are an integral part of a wedding’s theme and the “mood” you want to set for your ceremony. After all, if the purpose were to solely inform the guests of the details of the event, then you could just send an email or postcard. However, the invitation also serves as a souvenir of a special occasion, and an announcement of a couple’s love. Like the wedding ceremony itself, it must be beautiful and personal.

Selecting the Wedding Invitation’s Design

There are thousands of ready-made wedding invitations to choose from; simply select a design, send the details, and the printer can have it ready within weeks. With such a wide selection, it may be difficult to pick which one is best. Here are the things to consider:

• Formal or casual. You want a wedding invitation to complement the overall theme and mood of the wedding. Is your wedding formal or casual? A formal wedding may need classic script fonts, formal wording, and the traditional double envelope. A more casual invitation may use more modern fonts and more natural wording (i.e., instead of “we cordially invite you”, say “please join us…”), but care must be taken to retain the solemnity of the occasion. Let’s say you want to enclose a photo of you and your fiancé—not typically done for traditional invitations. Wear appropriate clothes to the photo shoot: shorts and tank tops simply don’t work.
• Color. You should always choose a subdued color. If you are using a rather bright color for your motif, like turquoise, opt for a delicate ribbon trim or small accents at the sides or corners rather than applying it to the whole invitation. This makes the invitation look more classy, and again, is in keeping with the nature of the event. It’s a wedding, not a night dancing at a trendy club.
• Personal Touches. You can add a short poem, a photo of the couple, or a song lyric from the wedding ceremony.

Wedding Invitation Inserts

Most wedding invitation companies can provide a selection of templates where you just have to fill in the specific names, places and dates. However, many couples prefer to make their own, to make the invitation less stiff and more personalized. If so, here are a few guidelines:

• It is not necessary to put the entourage in the invitation. However, you can have a separate piece of paper listing the members that can be inserted in select invitations—specifically those that go to the entourage themselves, and to the more immediate family and friends. They would appreciate the souvenir; plus, it is a way of thanking them for their participation.
• You’d never forget to put the date and the venue, but many couples forget to put a map to the church and/.or reception area. A map would be very helpful, and would save many guests any inconvenience especially if the wedding is located in a place they are unfamiliar with.
• If you are trying to control the number of guests, insert a small card that says, “We have reserved __ seats for you.” This is a subtle and polite way of minimizing the headcount.
• If you are moving to a new home after the wedding, you can include another small insert announcing your new address.