Why we should abolish wedding invitations

If you have to choose between white lines in size S or size M, then you know one thing for sure: you're in trouble.

Deep, deep in trouble. Stop talking about fonts. Curly or straight and businesslike? Gold or black letters? Thick and sturdy white paper or something less thick but still sturdy paper? Gray-white paper. Spring white paper. Fabric softener white paper. Anything goes. A wedding invitation is incredibly fun to receive in your mailbox, but be careful: designing them yourself is not really a pleasure. I've emailed back and forth daily for no less than nine weeks with the company where my cards come from. Every dot, comma, space, and letter has been extensively discussed.

The hardest part is the decoration around it. Do you want gold tissue paper? White tissue paper? Soft pink velvet with orange polka dots tissue paper? No, no tissue paper at all. Okay. A eucalyptus branch? A sprig of lavender? A grain of ‘forget-me-not‘? Or just a whole field bouquet with it? A golden string, a white string... With an envelope with a flap or without a flap? In a different color than the fabric softener white paper of the card, ma'am? And then, at the moment you think you've covered everything and can order them, we actually want the text in Dutch? Isn't ’Time to say yes‘ much hipper in English? Yes, it is... But does my grandma understand that? No. I can't hear it anymore. Or read it.

It was about the biggest task of that whole wedding. I had chosen a dress, found a ring, and put together a seating arrangement for the guests on paper even earlier. And while anyone who is not planning or has not planned a wedding will think: oh, what are you complaining about now. It's just a piece of cake, a card with, hop, quickly some dates and times on it. Not at all. Nine weeks, I'm repeating it again. And that bill... I think it's better that my fiancé doesn't see that. Because we're talking about cards. One card per person. Okay, it was two cards, because I thought a separate card with the timeline of the day was quite chic. And they were sent in a box instead of an envelope, because otherwise my eucalyptus branch would break. Oops.

But come on, the result is really something to be proud of. I'm proud of it and happy with it. I have no blood, sweat, or tears left over, but I can gaze at my card with a big smile. And the positive reactions are still pouring in: everyone thinks it's a real gift. I do think it has to do with those white lines in size S, you know.

FACTS

• Brides buy their wedding dress on average 11 months before their wedding
• Besides the dress, brides spend the most money on their makeup (67%)
• 66% of brides want their bridesmaids to wear the same color dress