Personalized Wedding Invitations

My wife and I were married in Arad, Romania and while making wedding preparations I was struck by a Romanian tradition. Invitations for Romanian weddings are handed out person to person and family to family. This tradition is meant to demonstrate respect for the relationship by giving each guest special attention and time to consider the marriage-to-be. However, practically there are several things to keep in mind.

First, many invitees are acquaintances who have not been seen in a while or are more distant family friends. Second, given Romanian hospitality when a guest arrives something is inevitably offered to eat or drink, and, of course, this sense of hospitality is only amplified when big news is being announced. The compounding effect of these two things means that each invitation visit requires minimally 30-40 minutes to catch up on news and have a coffee (or palinca!) or two.

My wife and I planned for a very small Romanian wedding, and we invited only 40 local guests. For those of you quick on math you will know why when this was first proposed I found myself slowly shaking my head in wonderment – with five weeks left before our wedding and with both my wife and I working during the days, where would we find the time?

Despite my initial reservation, I quickly came to love this tradition. When the couple-to-wed makes their rounds it allows the various wedding invitees to get to know the couple one-on-one, which is missing in many wedding traditions that I know. Additionally, in some cases we were offered advice from our married family members and friends. This one-on-one attention to such an important moment is exceptionally rare and something I have come to prize from this experience.

After scores of sweets (some freshly made!) and uncountable cups of coffee, we had met, caught up with, been congratulated by, and gotten RSVPs from everyone on our list. While it made every weekend leading up to the wedding very full, especially considering the other wedding planning in the works, it was a fantastic way for us to welcome the celebration of our wedding.

This is a picture we took in Arieseni, the place where we got engaged.