Your wedding invitations officially inform friends and family of your plans to marry and provide them with the details they need to take part in the festivities. But they also establish a mood for the entire event, be it formal or casual, theme-inspired or traditional.

No matter how striking or simple, the invitation's main purpose is to get a message across. Thus,one of the biggest matters lies in deciding what your invitation will say.

For formal invitations, traditional reigns supreme. Most couples keep with the standard formal inscription that includes parents' names, "the honour of your presence," time, date and place.

There also are several variations on the standard theme designed to reflect contemporary circumstances, such as divorced parents or couples hosting their own wedding.

Invitation orders should be placed approximately three months in advance of the wedding date, according to wedding experts.

When you're ready to place an order, you'll need an exact figure in mind that includes invitations for the guest list, members of your bridal party and their guests,grand-parents, officiant and spouse and any extras you'll want to keep as mementos.

Be sure to request a proof to read before the invitations are printed, and ask someone else to read it, too.

Etiquette asks that the outer envelope be addressed in black, and include full names, titles and addresses of the guests. Inner envelopes always are left unsealed, and do not include first names or addresses.

Invitations should be mailed six to eight weeks prior to the wedding, say experts, and wedding announcements the day of the wedding or shortly thereafter.

And, finally, make sure you have a complete invitation weighed at the post office before affixing stamps so you know whether additional postage is necessary.