Make your invitation a Memento
This is something I did when I married and now I do for the children of our friends. It makes a special memento using your own invitation.
You need 2 invitation setups, including, invitation and mailing envelope, response card and return envelope and reception detail card.
( See SPECIAL NOTE at bottom, if you are short on invitations you can use just one.)
Depending upon if you are addressing your own invitations or going to a calligrapher or printer these instructions will have to be altered slightly.
Address one complete invitation setup to yourself at your first address as a married couple and just hold the second setup for later, do not address.
Mr. & Mrs. Newly Wed
1 Our First Address
Anytown, USA 11111
Stamp the invitation and the return response envelope. Put the blank return response into the return response envelope and the rest of the setup into the Invitation Envelope.
If you are SHORT on invitations DO NOT SEAL the envelopes and have a larger envelope (manilla for example) that will accommodate your invitation available and take this with you to the post office.If you have extra invitations seal the envelopes.
On the day of the wedding, (if you are too busy, pass this off to a trusted party) take both pieces to the post office and ask to have them hand cancelled. That way they will have the actual date of the wedding as the stamp cancellation. The only Post Office I know of that is open on Sunday,
is in the Roosevelt Field Mall on the lower level although there must be others.
Once they are cancelled according to the post office they have to go through the mail. This is the reason you have to stuff the envelope, so as to avoid any bending . When you arrive home from your honeymoon , you will have your invitation at your first home as a couple waiting for you & the response will be at your parents address or an alternate address that you used for your responses. You will need to retrieve that. Do not open them.
Now for the Memento part.
Take the invitation that was mailed and the response envelope and the second setup that you held aside and assemble the following
Addressed Invitation envelope with cancellation
Response envelope with cancellation
Invitation
Response card
Reception detail card
Take all 5 pieces to your local framer and have each piece matted collage style in one frame. Have fun with the mat colors - perhaps the colors used for your wedding. You have a wonderful memento of your wedding day and as you move during life - your first home address as a married couple will always be with you and your invitation can be a focal point on a wall and a great discussion piece. I prefer just the invitation but I have had friends kids who had a banner of their first song across the top and others who had the sheet music as the mat.
SPECIAL NOTE If you are running short on invitations ask the postal worker to cancel the 2 envelopes, remove the invitation etc. and hold for safekeeping, place the cancelled envelopes (unsealed) into the larger manilla envelope with cardboard to avoid bending and mail the manilla one. This way you will only need one invitation.
SECOND NOTE Your framer may open the cancelled envelopes if they are too thick to lie evenly with the rest of the matted pieces but it is better to leave that to him.
IF you have any questions, I will be happy to respond but prefer to answer in this format, in the event you are confused maybe someone else is too. It is a bit difficult to describe but beautiful - hope I didn't confuse too many of you.
You need 2 invitation setups, including, invitation and mailing envelope, response card and return envelope and reception detail card.
( See SPECIAL NOTE at bottom, if you are short on invitations you can use just one.)
Depending upon if you are addressing your own invitations or going to a calligrapher or printer these instructions will have to be altered slightly.
Address one complete invitation setup to yourself at your first address as a married couple and just hold the second setup for later, do not address.
Mr. & Mrs. Newly Wed
1 Our First Address
Anytown, USA 11111
Stamp the invitation and the return response envelope. Put the blank return response into the return response envelope and the rest of the setup into the Invitation Envelope.
If you are SHORT on invitations DO NOT SEAL the envelopes and have a larger envelope (manilla for example) that will accommodate your invitation available and take this with you to the post office.If you have extra invitations seal the envelopes.
On the day of the wedding, (if you are too busy, pass this off to a trusted party) take both pieces to the post office and ask to have them hand cancelled. That way they will have the actual date of the wedding as the stamp cancellation. The only Post Office I know of that is open on Sunday,
is in the Roosevelt Field Mall on the lower level although there must be others.
Once they are cancelled according to the post office they have to go through the mail. This is the reason you have to stuff the envelope, so as to avoid any bending . When you arrive home from your honeymoon , you will have your invitation at your first home as a couple waiting for you & the response will be at your parents address or an alternate address that you used for your responses. You will need to retrieve that. Do not open them.
Now for the Memento part.
Take the invitation that was mailed and the response envelope and the second setup that you held aside and assemble the following
Addressed Invitation envelope with cancellation
Response envelope with cancellation
Invitation
Response card
Reception detail card
Take all 5 pieces to your local framer and have each piece matted collage style in one frame. Have fun with the mat colors - perhaps the colors used for your wedding. You have a wonderful memento of your wedding day and as you move during life - your first home address as a married couple will always be with you and your invitation can be a focal point on a wall and a great discussion piece. I prefer just the invitation but I have had friends kids who had a banner of their first song across the top and others who had the sheet music as the mat.
SPECIAL NOTE If you are running short on invitations ask the postal worker to cancel the 2 envelopes, remove the invitation etc. and hold for safekeeping, place the cancelled envelopes (unsealed) into the larger manilla envelope with cardboard to avoid bending and mail the manilla one. This way you will only need one invitation.
SECOND NOTE Your framer may open the cancelled envelopes if they are too thick to lie evenly with the rest of the matted pieces but it is better to leave that to him.
IF you have any questions, I will be happy to respond but prefer to answer in this format, in the event you are confused maybe someone else is too. It is a bit difficult to describe but beautiful - hope I didn't confuse too many of you.
