Crafts Weddings

The History of the Wedding Invitation

Just about everyone can relate to this.

You pick up your daily mail and separate it into two stacks: junk mail and bills. Suddenly, you come across an envelope with your name and address finely printed in calligraphy. With heightened curiosity, you open the envelope carefully to discover a wedding invitation inside. There’s more calligraphy, perhaps a ribbon, or a pair of white pearlized doves symbolizing everlasting love.

For generations, recipients of wedding invitations have been in awe of the exquisite and graceful beauty which has been created on paper. But what did couples do before the creation of the printing press? If you’ve ever wondered about the history of the wedding invitation, we have the answers for you.

Prior to 1447 when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, there was no way to mass produce wedding invitations. Additionally, most people during that time were illiterate and couldn’t have read a written invitation anyway. Most weddings were announced by a town crier. Town criers were men that would walk through the streets loudly announcing the news of the day. As such, anyone within earshot became part of the wedding celebration.

During this period, wealthy families would commission monks that were skilled in calligraphy to hand-craft wedding invitations and other notices. Most of these invitations also included the family’s coat of arms or personal crest. Sealed in wax, many of these invitations were hand-delivered to the intended recipients by horse courier.

After the printing press was invented and as literacy rates began to rise, printed wedding invitations became more common. However, because the ink was just stamped onto the paper, the overall look of the invitations was disappointing. Thus, the tradition of announcing weddings in the local newspaper became commonplace.

In 1642, Ludwig von Siegen created metal-plate engraving, a process that is still widely used today. Engraving requires an artisan to hand write the text in reverse onto a metal plate using a carving tool, and then the plate was used to print the invitation. Invitations4Less.com is proud to offer copperplate engraving:

http://wedding.invitations4less.com/invitation_list.asp?Type=SR&Keyword=Engraved

More than 150 years later, Alois Senefelder developed the printing process called lithography which created crisp printing without the time constraints of engraving metal plates. This invention paved the way for the emergence of a genuine mass-market in wedding invitations.

Wedding Invitations were still delivered by hand and on horseback due to the unreliability of the emerging postal system. A double envelope was used to protect the invitation from damage while en route to its intended recipient. Mailing invitations in double envelopes is a tradition that is carried on today, despite advances in postal reliability.

After World War II, incomes of families increased, thereby giving the commoners the means to mimic the lifestyles of the wealthy. Imitation became commonplace in weddings and in particular, wedding invitations. Influential society figures such as Amy Vanderbilt and Emily Post emerged during this time to advise the ordinary man and woman on appropriate wedding etiquette.

During this time, the development of thermography changed the wedding invitation industry. Often called “poor man’s engraving,” this process uses heat and a powdered resin to create a raised effect of the lettering. Because thermography could imitate the same beautiful invitations as engraving, it made invitations more affordable for average families.

In recent years, letterpress printing has made a strong re-emergence in popularity for wedding invitations. Due to the deep impressions that are made onto the paper, letterpress is very appealing to today’s savvy bride. Invitations4Less.com is proud to offer these letterpress invitations from Lucky Onion: http://wedding.invitations4less.com/invitation_list.asp?Type=SR&Keyword=Letterpress

There you have it. The history of the wedding invitation.

About the Author

Jeanne Woodyard has been in the stationery industry since 1883, and with Invitations4Less.com since 2007. Jeanne provides excellent customer service and offers custom design services.

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