What is that Thin, Sheer Paper in Invitations For?
Have you ever received a wedding invitation in the mail with thin paper inserts between the cards and wondered what it was for?
Those inserts you saw were either invitation tissue paper or vellum, and they are quite common. In this post, we’ll tell you all about wedding invitation tissue, why it’s used, where it goes and if you need tissue inserts in your invites.
What is Invitation Tissue?
Traditional wedding invitation tissue is thin, delicate, slightly translucent paper that is placed over an invitation card and sometimes between each card of the ensemble.
Wedding tissue has a soft, cloudy appearance and is usually white or cream. Tissue is often cut to standard sizes only – just enough to cover the wording on an invite.
What is Invitation Vellum & Why do Some Choose it Over Tissue?
A contemporary alternative to tissue, translucent vellum is commonly used as invitation inserts as well. Though both are thin, delicate sheets, vellum offers more translucency and a more contemporary look.
Though wedding tissue inserts are traditional and always in vogue, some prefer vellum inserts for the following reasons:
- Vellum is offered in a variety of colors
- Vellum is offered in more sizes and can easily be cut to custom sizes
- Vellum can be printed with custom text and designs (tissue can not)
Why is There Tissue Paper in Wedding Invitations?
There are three main reasons you find tissue paper in invitations – tradition, aesthetics and practicality.
Tradition
The use of wedding tissue dates back hundreds of years to when invitations were written by hand. To avoid illegible invitations, tissue was placed over invitation wording to blot excess ink. Though tissue is not always necessary to prevent smudging today, the tradition has remained.
Aesthetics
Placing tissue over and between cards offers a nice, organized, formal presentation, whether necessary for ink absorption or not.
Practicality & Protection
In some cases, tissue inserts can serve as a pretty and practical additions to wedding invitations. Some invitation print methods and designs are more likely to smudge, scratch or get damaged in the mail than others. In these cases, covering and dividing each card with tissue is recommended.
Do I Need Tissue Inserts in My Invitations?
In these situations, we recommend using protective invitation tissue or vellum inserts:
- Ink jet printing* – Ink jet printed cards are more likely to smudge in the mail over cards printed with lasers and conventional methods.
- Lots of cards – The more cards that are in your envelope, the more likely they are to rub up against each other and smudge/scratch. An insert provides a layer of protection.
- Embellishments – Crystals, string, ribbon, embellishments – anything you use to jazz up your cards may also damage neighboring cards if no protective layer is between them.
- Pocket invitations – Folded up on itself, each card on top of the next, pocket invitations are at higher risk for smudging, scratching and the like without inserts.
*Important note about tissue and smudging: If your main incentive for using inserts is ink smudging, we recommend tissue inserts over vellum inserts. Where vellum works to prevent damage from embellishments, scratching and rubbing, it does not work well for ink absorption and smudge prevention. In fact, due to its hardened, almost plastic-like feel, it may make smudging worse.
How to Arrange Invitations with Tissue
What order do wedding invitations go in and where does that tissue go, you ask? As mentioned, tissue is placed over the main invitation wording and if necessary, over each card for protection.
With tissue (or vellum) inserts on top of each, stack your invitation ensemble from largest to smallest. Typically this means the invitation card is on the bottom and the reply card and envelope is on the top.
