Wedding Invitations in the Olden Days

Wedding Invitations in the Olden Days

Wedding Greetings: Wedding Invitations in the Olden Days
By: Anne Walker

Before there was printing, there were already weddings. Of course, there were also wedding guests. So, how were the guests made aware that they were invited?

In olden times, messages were passed by word of mouth alone. Wedding announcements were no exceptions. There were appointed messengers who went to the houses of the intended guests and told them about the occasion. The messengers waited for the response and brought the answer back to the families of the bride and groom. The village or town crier would also tell everyone about upcoming important events including weddings.

For those who were rich enough, monks were hired to craft a wedding invitation. A special paper was used as the stationery for the wedding announcements. Because each invitation had to be made by hand, only the select few gave and received them. They were usually reserved for the most important guest or those whose ranks were higher than the father of the groom.

The invention of printing changed the way weddings were announced. The special paper was still used but they were no longer as ornate as those made by the monks. The printing process still kept the production of wedding invitations slow because the paper had to be tried before being handled otherwise the ink would spread and stain the paper. The common people, however now had another way of announcing weddings. They were printed in the local newspapers. The village crier slowly disappeared.

A century later, a change came into the printing process. Lithography or the ability to transfer engravings to paper using metal plates was introduced. This allowed for more elaborate designs as sketches and scripts can now be put on a paper. The wedding invitation was now delivered by horsemen so some degree of protection had to be introduced. The invitation itself was covered with tissue. Two envelopes were used; the inner more formal one and the outer envelope exposed to dust. Obviously, it was still the moneyed families that could afford such arrangements.

Today, wedding invitations are requisites of a wedding. Advances in printing have made them accessible to the masses. The tissue and the double envelope are still around but the horsemen have been replaced by vans, and airplanes. But the significance is the same. They let everybody that matters know that two people are committing their lives to each other and that the recipient is invited to bear witness.

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