Part 9: Finishing the Fine Details of Your Invitations

Now that you have the basic design of your invitations all planned out, it is time to figure out the fine details. This includes the type of material you use to print your invitations, the colors you use, and the size and type of font your card includes.

To pick out the right type of paper for your invitations, you should take a trip to your local craft store. Here, you will find a wide variety of papers to select from, including different colors, designs, and thicknesses. Of course, there is no shame in using simple paper. Or, if all of this thinking is getting to be too much for you, you can just buy an invitation kit as well. With one of these kits, you will have all of the components you need – including basic stationary to print your invitations and the envelopes you need to send them.

With your paper selected, you will need to choose the font you will use to make your card really stand out. I know, I know…there are literally hundreds of different fonts for you to select from. Don’t spend hours selecting the font. Rather, simply work on selecting a font that fits with your theme. If you are planning a fun and whimsical family reunion, a formal font will obviously be a poor choice. So, narrow your choices down to a font that fits with the theme and the overall look of your invitation.

Of course, the most important thing you need to do is determine what information needs to be included in your invitations. Be sure to included where and when the event is taking place. Also, include your contact information so your relatives will know how to get in touch with you if they have any questions.

Even if you have a family website set up with information about your reunion, formal invitations should still be sent out. Not only does this help make your invite a bit more official, it also ensures all of your non-techie relatives receive an invitation to your event.

A last word of advice when creating your own invitations: spell check, spell check, spell check. The last thing you want to do is to send out 100 invitations that read “Come too are famillee reeunion” – if your relatives are anything like mine, you will have at least a couple that will never let you live that one down. To avoid being ribbed by your Uncle Mike for years to come, print out a copy and proofread it one more time before mailing those invitations out.