| ’s wedding planning invariably includes picking | | | | coat-of-arms. The crest was a way for people to |
| out and sending wedding invitations. While most are | | | | distinguish which family was hosting the celebration. |
| familiar with formal invitations, other couples are opting | | | | This tradition is often a part of modern wedding |
| for casual, colorful, and unique ways to ask people to | | | | invitations today, though not as common as it was |
| celebrate their special day with them. However, the | | | | during the Middle Ages. |
| wedding invitations we see today have not always | | | | Over time, though, people became more literate and |
| been a part of the wedding celebration, and they have | | | | printing large numbers of documents became |
| gone through a rather long evolution. | | | | commonplace. Thus, by the 16th century it was more |
| It is believed that the tradition of sending wedding | | | | commonplace for wedding announcements to be |
| invitations began in the 12th century with the use of a | | | | placed in a newspaper. The process of engraving |
| town crier. People did not send pretty paper invitations | | | | became much less expensive with new technology, so |
| through the post. Instead, the town crier would walk | | | | even middle class citizens of the time could afford to |
| through the city streets doing what he was hired to | | | | have wedding invitations printed and sent to family and |
| do…announce the news to the citizens. Thus, | | | | friends. Some modern wedding invitations are still |
| word of mouth was the key way to invite friends and | | | | engraved using this same method. |
| family to the wedding. | | | | By the 18th century lithographing became more |
| The use of a town crier or word of mouth was a | | | | commonplace, and thus engraving was no longer |
| necessity in a time where people were fairly illiterate. It | | | | necessary. The second envelope became more |
| was mainly families of nobility that would hire | | | | popular at this time, as invitations were still delivered by |
| calligraphers, mostly monks, to hand-letter wedding | | | | hand. The extra envelope provided greater protection |
| announcements. Often the wedding announcements | | | | to the invitation, and it is still a common tradition today. |
| would include the wording along with a family crest or | | | | |