Worshipful Invitations

My husband thinks that in 20 years we won’t even need paper anymore. Everyone will have a portable monitor that will project a keyboard made of light sensors. Sounds crazy, though they actually do exist. I’ve tried to debate him on the issue, but except for the brief window of our future where that technology would be too expensive for the masses, I really have no intelligent opposition to his theory. That is the direction we are headed: wireless and green for everything!

I think, as a writer, nostalgia and romance keep me hopeful that pen and paper will not become an obsolete practice. I was never too much into pen pals as a kid, but when I was in college, my friends would actually write me letters! It was so exciting to get the mail. Since college, the mail has become much less thrilling: bills, credit card offers, and wrong addresses. Boring!

Being in the newlywed stage of life, however, has resurrected that trusted old joy of finding surprises in the mail. It seems like every month at least one wedding invitation and one baby shower invitation comes with my name on it. And they are the most spectacular cards, each with its own distinct personality. Some of them I don’t want to throw away even after the event is over.

Since the dawn of literacy, written or printed wedding invitations have been the tradition. In historical England, the wealthy families would actually hire monks to create their children’s invitations so that each guest would receive a handmade, beautifully scripted card. Once the printing press was invented, invitations progressed from individually scripted to mass printed.

Eventually, the trend reached America and wedding connoisseur Emily Post coined the printed invitation as acceptable wedding etiquette. The printing has evolved to embossing and other such fancier practices, but even in this age of Evite and Pingg, wedding invitations have mostly remained in traditional printed form.

The most exquisite invitation I have ever received was from my close friend. First, I received her Save the Date, which was a ring-sized jewelry box that made the envelope bulky and promising. The box was tied with a delicate ribbon and held inside a miniature booklet of translucent stationery tied together at the corners by the same delicate ribbon. The booklet opened with romantic poetry and Scripture verses and then announced her wedding. At the end, the basic travel information was listed.

I was definitely excited to go to that wedding! If this was what the Save the Date was like, I could only imagine how beautiful and intentional the actual event would be. Her Save the Date set a tone of elegance and detail that was indeed projected throughout her entire wedding weekend.

Her invitation was no less stunning. It was another jewelry box, though this time, a square bracelet box. Inside was a layer of chocolate brown lace. Underneath the lace was an envelope that read Chris’ and my names and contained gorgeous blue and white floral stationery with her wedding information penned in fancy calligraphy. Again, elegant and detailed.

I called my friend and told her how amazing her invitations were and how loved I felt by the time and attention that had undoubtedly gone into both the Save the Date and the invitation. They were handmade and flawless. Clearly, if she chose an invitation design that demanded so much of her time and energy, she cared about making her invitations personal, and I truly felt that.

Her response to my call was total delight. Her intention was for each guest to receive the invitation and be reminded how beautiful and personal God’s love for him or her is. That intention had come through.

She also said that because they took so long to make, and because they had to double and triple check the inner envelopes to the outer envelopes, she and her mom had had a lot of time with each invitation to pray over each guest by name.

Can you even imagine how much glory to God you can bring by praying over your guests by name? Not only would you be committing your invitations to God by focusing on Him while you make them, but you would also be preparing your guests to meet the Lord at your wedding in ways that only He can ordain. They might never know that you prayed for them, but I guarantee it will make a profound difference in their hearts whether they can attend your wedding or not.

You can use your invitations as an opportunity to worship. Pray for your guests as the Holy Spirit leads you, and if you find yourself needing guidance in how to pray for them, plug their names into this prayer (below). You might find yourself altering it as you come across different people, and that’s great.

Whatever you do in your wedding planning, whether in action or in words, do it for God’s glory. (Colossians 3:17)

Jesus, thank You for the role that __________ has played in my life. Prepare his/her heart to encounter You in a transformational way at my wedding. Bless him/her with Your merciful and steadfast love, and protect him/her with Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.