Below are just a few things you should keep in mind when ordering the invitations:
Designer Wedding Cards, Scroll Wedding Cards or Standard-Sized Cards. RSVP Cards, Wedding Thank You Cards, Ceremony Cards, Table Cards, and Envelope Seals, etc.
Time Table: Order your invitations three to four months in advance. Wedding cards should be sent out four to six weeks in advance.
Number of Guests: It all depends on the kind of wedding you are having. If your parents are involved, they might want to invite most of their friends and then your friends. The list can add up quickly. Please sit with all the parties concerned and make a final list before you order your Wedding Cards.
Guest List: This can be a sensitive issue. Try different options like, splitting the Guest list in thirds. The Couple can invite one-third of the total number of guests decided by the families. Thus, both sets of parent will get the remaining two-thirds. In the end, try to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings.
Who to Invite: To keep costs low, invitations to friends with children, make no mention of the children on the invitation. Have family members or close friends mention that because of space limitations you are unable to accommodate children. An alternative to inviting guest with children would be to hire a few babysitters for the night, and supply pizza, and a movie for the children. Most hotels can provide this type of accommodation in an adjacent room. It is not necessary to invite dates for single guests.
Ordering Invitations: Choose a Printer who offers a wide variety of styles. Find a place where you can physically touch the invitation or the Printer is willing to mail you samples. The internet is a great resource; please use it to find a Printer who is willing to work with your special needs.
Addressing and Mailing invitations: Your invitations should always be neatly hand written. If you do not have enough time, recruit your friends to help.
Thank-You Notes: It is a good idea to order your thank you cards while you are ordering the invitations. Send your thank you notes as soon as the gifts are received and do not forget to mention the gift you received. If you have received cash, do not mention the amount, rather what you intend to purchase.
At-Home Cards: An elegant way to provide friends and family with your new mailing address and other contact information. These cards can be particularly useful if you and your fiancé have opted for a less traditional married name and would like to minimize confusion during the initial transition. In any event, the wording on your At-Home card should be simple and concise. Order them at the same time that you are ordering your invitation.
Money Saving Tips
Order offset invitations, rather than engraved invitations.
Use standard size invitations to save on postage.
Order extra invitations, second printing will cost you more.
Skip inner envelopes, Indian invitations normally do not require inner envelopes.
Eliminate response cards. Use a phone number on the invitation for RSVP. These days many couples are opting to use email for RSVP, even though this maybe considered tacky and less formal.
The Wedding Budget
In order to insure a well planned wedding you need to have a budget or at least a rough figure that you and your family or your fiancé have in mind. Is the expense going to be divided equally between two parties? If yes, bring both parties together to talk to each other.
Determine your Budget
In planning your wedding, recognize that you will have to compromise and change the budget along the way, unless you have extra money stashed way for the special day. It is best to come up with a tentative budget to see what you will need, who is paying for each item, and what you think it will cost.
Remember, creative ideas from family & friends and comparison shopping will help you no matter what size of wedding you are planning. If you have always dreamed of a big formal Indian wedding you may have to come up with some creative ways to invite a large number of guests, possibly a summer afternoon outdoor wedding. Hotel receptions can get rather expensive.
WHO PAYS FOR WHAT?
HOW TO DIVIDE THE EXPENSES
Each Indian wedding is unique! There are no set rules when it comes to paying for the wedding expenses. In my business I have seen couples handling these issues in a number of different ways. I see many young adults very comfortable in letting their families handle the expense as they see fit. On the other hand many young couples who are financially able and are well established in their careers are often paying for their own, or part of the weddings.
These are a number of different ways to divide the wedding expenses. Here are just a few of the most common ways:
- Bride and Groom collectively pay for the entire cost of the wedding.
- Bride and Groom’s Parents pay for the entire cost of the wedding
- Bride, Groom and the families equitably split the costs.
Financial Record Keeping
Track it! Make sure you always know where you stand in relation to your original budget. It is essential to keep accurate records during the planning process. Buy a notebook or create an excel worksheet to track all your expenses!

Here are a few ideas of what to Track:
- Contact Information of the Vendor
- Description of what you ordered
- The total quantity and price of the items ordered
- The total deposit you put down and the remaining balance
- Date of when you plan to pay off the entire expense
Finally, make sure you have saved, and made copies of any and all contracts, receipts, and documentation to show that you have indeed purchased items and/or services. This will help prevent any disputes later on down the road should there be any inconsistencies.
In the end, take a step back and look at the bigger picture! Realize that this is “your” day, and it only happens once. Let your family, friends, and wedding specialists help you along the way. Sometimes we get caught up in trying to make every thing ‘perfect’ and untimely the exact opposite occurs.
If you are having the time of your life, who cares if the tablecloth was off-white as oppose to cream, the truth is only you will know that. Your guests certainly do not care about the color of the table linens. They care about you and your happiness! Good luck to all the 2007 Wedding Couples. kashmir