How on earth are you supposed to put formal invitations together? You opened the box to find several different cards, envelopes, and tissue paper. Before you start throwing things in the trash, thinking you don't need them, see if these steps don't just do the trick:

• Place the response card face-up under the flap of the response card envelope.

• Place a piece of tissue paper over the lettering on the invitation to prevent smudges.

• Put any enclosures (reception cards, maps, directions, and so on) inside the invitation. The response card goes in here, too.

• Place the invitation into the inner envelope with the lettering facing the back flap. Don't seal the inner envelope.

• Put the inner envelope inside the outer envelope; again, the writing on the inner envelope should face the flap of the outer envelope.

• Seal the outer envelope. Make sure the envelope is properly addressed and contains your return address.

Seal it, stamp it, and cross the addressee off your master list. Complete and mail all of your invitations in one batch.

Ceremony and Pew Cards

In addition to standard invitations, many brides find that they need more from their printer. Ceremony cards are used when a wedding is being held in a public building — such as an art gallery or a historical home where tours are regularly passing through. These cards are shown to a person who works at the site and is assigned to differentiate between patrons of the building and wedding guests. Pew cards are reserved for your cream-of-the-crop guests. They flash their little cards to the ushers and are granted access to the best seats during the ceremony.

Programs

Many weddings include a little program that either gives detailed information about the ceremony, or tells something about the main players (who are these bridesmaids?), or both. You can actually print these at home on your computer. Craft stores sell the card stock, program covers, and ribbon that you'll need to assemble a beautiful guide to your special day.