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This is the third in a series on how to write an Inviting Invitation.  Parts I (Lead With Your Location) and II (State Your Purpose Please) have been posted on the previous two days in the category "Inviting Invitations."

Part III:  WHY DO YOUR GUESTS MATTER?

A third element to consider is "Why are you inviting guests?"  What is it about having others at your marriage ceremony that is important to you?

A poetically paraphrased version of your answers to these questions will enhance your invitation by making your guests feel special because you've actually identified why their presence matters so much to you.  It doesn't have to be complicated, as you will see below.  A few words can go a long way toward making your message distinct. 

My "sample couple" told me that they absolutely "cherish" the friends and family who were being invited, and that having them present for their exchange of vows is actually what would make their wedding day the most "joyful" for them.

The result follows (see words in bold):

There's a place on Earth

1,000 feet above the neighboring sea

where we will gather in the garden of a beloved friend,

next to a grove of Olive trees for good luck,

and among those whom we most cherish.

There,

we will make sacred vows of commitment

in a ceremony intended to

strengthen our experience of life as partners

and our belief in the tradition of family.

Joy-filled we'd be if you will join us.

Saturday, May 10, 2005 at Noon

at the home of Marc Rhodell

101 Cliff View Road

Malibu, California

This is the second post in a series of of how, specifically, to cultivate content for writing a creative invitation. 

Yesterday's post:  Lead With Your Location

is followed here by: State Your Purpose Please

Another means for coming up with unique wording for your wedding invite is to include the PURPOSE of your marriage ceremony.  This might seem obvious, but I know from experience that if we put 10 couples in a room and ask them each "Why are you getting married," we will hear 10 different answers. Consider this question for yourself.  And here are are some other questions to help you get to you personal perspective. 

1.  What is it about getting marriage that appeals to you?

2.  What will it do for your partnership?

3.  What guiding principle or belief do you hold that is informing your choice to become married?

The couple who's invitation I use below stated that they wanted to become married to "strengthen our experience of life as partners and our belief in the tradition of family."

We added this phrase to the beautiful description of their location to create their personalized invitation:

There's a place on Earth

1,000 feet above the neighboring sea

where we will gather in the garden of a beloved friend,

next to a grove of Olive trees for good luck,

and among those whom we most cherish.

There,

we will make sacred vows of commitment

in a ceremony intended to

strengthen our experience of life as partners

and our belief in the tradition of family.

Joy-filled we'd be if you will join us.

Saturday, May 10, 2005 at Noon

at the home of Marc Rhodell

101 Cliff View Road

Malibu, California

I frequently get inquiries like this one:

"Can you write something about wedding invitation wording?  Many people seem to leave it to the last minute and lose the chance to do something creative..."

Here's some direction, followed by a previously-posted example. (And p.s., it can be done at the last minute and STILL be creative.)

Lead with your LOCATION.

Using the location as the lead into your invitation will establish set the setting for your wedding even before the guests arrive.  Most locations are chosen because they have some magical feeling for the marrying couple. Think about what it is that makes your location of choice magical, meaningful, significant to you.  Make a list of those characteristics. 

Here are some questions that may help you:

1.  What does your location look like? 

2. How does it make you feel when you imagine yourself standing in the very spot you will stand to take your vows?  (Safe? Held in the arms of God? Full of life?  Joyful because there's nothing more that I love than being in a garden full of flowers?  Excited because I'll be standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the expanse of the blue sea below? etc.)

3.  How did you know that "this" was the place to get married?

4.  Have you been here for any other special milestone in your life? (It's the house where I grew up.  We got engaged here.  My mother and her mother both were married here...)

Now, convey these points in the writing of your invitation.  It will make the invitation so much more alluring and unique.  Traditional wording is fine for very classic, traditional weddings.  But if you've dedicated large quantities of time (and money) to the choice of your location and other elements that will set the stage for the particular kind of magic you want to experience on your wedding day, then use your invitation as a means of saying "welcome" in a way that invites your guests to step onto your magic carpet for a ride unlike any they've ever experienced before.

Sample Invitation using "location" as the lead...

There's a place on Earth

1,000 feet above the neighboring sea

where we will gather in the garden of a beloved friend,

next to a grove of Olive trees for good luck,

and among those whom we most cherish.

There,

we will make sacred vows of commitment

in a ceremony intended to

strengthen our experience of life as partners

and our belief in the tradition of family.

Joy-filled we'd be if you will join us.

Saturday, May 10, 2005 at Noon

at the home of Marc Rhodell

101 Cliff View Road

Malibu, California

Thousands of Americans line up for the 777 wedding date. The 777 wedding date is a wedding on July 7, 2007. The number 7 is always been an important and lucky number on many religion and culture. Not to mention, the date falls on Saturday and long weekend. Relatives have plenty of time to be at your wedding too.

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If you want more from your wedding holiday than just the regular old sombre ceremony and the same old dinner and reception that everybody else has, you should consider a wedding deal for Las Vegas for a unique and fun wedding.

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Engagement party is a very hectic and an extensive task to do but this can be managed once you are relaxed and manage things out one by one. First of all you have to make a list of individuals that you have to invite.

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So you’ve been invited to a wedding but don’t have a clue what type of gift to get. Not a problem. Although choosing and purchasing the right wedding gift can be a difficult process, there are always numerous items a newlywed couple will need and will appreciate for their new life together. If you want to go the traditional route, stick with household items like towels, dishes, small kitchen appliances and serving dishes. These are all great ideas and will be greatly appreciated by the new couple.

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This article is a tongue in cheek look at planning a wedding. We detail how to plan he worst wedding possible by making all of the wrong choices in the planning process.

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Ever notice how many brides read romance novels? Romance novels are not just about romance you can garner a wealth of information about weddings and traditions.

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As the wedding reception gets rolling (and drinks start flowing), your wedding guests will begin to loosen up. Often, this is when the wedding toasts begin - a potentially bad combination. Here are a few tips on how to keep your wedding toasts from becoming a wedding roast!

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If your wedding has a theme, you might want to choose wedding guest favors that will compliment it. For instance, you are having a country style wedding, apple shaped candles would be a good choice. Or you can choose favors that go with the season, such as autumn leaf candles or soaps. For a beach wedding, shells filled with mints or salt water taffy and wrapped in tulle would be perfect. For a formal wedding, sterling picture frame place card holders are very elegant. What ever your tastes are, there are bound to be wedding favors to suit you.

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These are the wedding day jitters. And, yes, you will have them. The wedding day jitters affect different people in different ways. Some brides only have them mildly while other may have them so bad they are physically ill. Most, though, fall somewhere in between. This is a big day in your life. Your life will never be the same after today and that alone is enough reason to get the jitters. Everyone gets the jitters in one way or another on their wedding day. Some get worried jitters as described above and others get nervous, excited jitters. It all depends on the person.

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I've received several emails recently about a previous post "Circle Seating With A Twist."  Here are further instructions you may find useful... Circle seating means "seating in the round." Chairs are set up in a circle.

A platform may be placed in the middle of the circle upon which you and your partner can stand with your officiant. Anyone who comes up to speak, steps up onto the platform. By setting chairs in a circle, every guest gets "the best seat" in the house. You can double layer the circle if space is limited or the size of the circle loses it's intimacy. With a guest list of 100, for example, I recommend making the inner circle 40 chairs and a second row, or outer circle, of 60.  The platform can also hold a chuppah or an arch to provide a precise point of focus for your guests and to accentuate the "sacred space" for your marriage ceremony.

If you want an aisle, you can make one by not quite "closing" the circle -- in other words, remove three chairs from the circle to create a space to walk in and out of.  Indigenous cultures, however, would say that it is important to close the circle prior to beginning the speaking portion of the ceremony so that the energy of the experience doesn't leak out.  Think of the ceremony area as a container to "hold" you during the ceremony.  Closing the circle after your walk down the aisle would be like putting the lid on the container.  Another way to think of it is that you create for yourself the feeling of being cradled with love when you state your vows.   Closing the circle may be done as simply as having one of your attendants tie a ribbon from a seat on one side of the aisle to the nearest seat on the other side.  Then have an attendant untie the ribbon before you walk back down the aisle at the end of the ceremony.

The 3 most common wedding speeches fall under the headings of the bride’s father’s speech, the bridegroom’s speech, and, last of all, the best man’s speech. The toastmaster should call upon the bride’s father to propose a blessing of “health and happiness to the bride and groom.” Try to make it heartfelt and genuine because crudeness is inappropriate. A little humor, however, is fitting.

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If you don’t hire a professional wedding photographer, then you’ll want to adhere to this feature set when you select a digital camera for taking photography at the wedding. This should never be taken lightly - even though professional wedding photographers are expensive, they are certain to do a great job and leave all the worry on their shoulders, not yours.

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When choosing a destination, remember that what looks good on paper isn’t always that tantalizing up-close. Stay tuned to the criticisms in travel reviews, and don’t select on a whim. Narrow it down by theme, i.e., beach or forest, mountainous terrain or quaint, old village, etc. Then narrow it down by country. Travelling in the country you live in can be a mite cheaper than travelling abroad. Your spouse’s opinions are critical. Picking a mutually pleasing place is what it’s all about. Don’t acquiesce to friends or family, choose a destination based on your own aesthetic and activity-oriented likes and preferences.

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The bridegroom is the male person that’s soon to be married or was recently married. Bridegroom is often abridged to the word, groom. The groom is accompanied by his best man, the groomsmen, and ushers, and his partner is the bride. After the ceremony is finished, he will be a husband an longer a groom.

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You can save your bridesmaids a lot of money and despair by giving them a designer looking dress for a fraction of the price. Here are 10 great ideas you can use to do just that.

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