Invitations in 2 languages?

hoffse · January 2012

Hello, my FI's extended family does not speak or read English - they speak and read French. We are sending invitations to them overseas in France and Belgium.

Do we need to print 2 sets of invitations, one in English and one in French or just not worry about it? Printing 2 sets would be a lot more expensive than printing one set, but we do have it in our budget if necessary.

Thanks!

Summer2011Bride · January 2012

Do you have to buy your invitations in large amounts? How many invitations in French will you need? Personally, I would buy as many English ones as I needed, and as many French ones as I needed, but not two whole sets in both languages, KWIM? I do think it'd be nice to send them an invitation in French if they can't read English at all.

hoffse · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_invitations-2-languages?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:3a247276-3e68-4b38-b260-98d5b27a920dPost:96e35288-91e4-46ca-8bf4-d434951c64e7">Re: Invitations in 2 languages?</a>:
[QUOTE]Do you have to buy your invitations in large amounts? How many invitations in French will you need? Personally, I would buy as many English ones as I needed, and as many French ones as I needed, but not two whole sets in both languages, KWIM? I do think it'd be nice to send them an invitation in French if they can't read English at all.
Posted by Summer2011Bride[/QUOTE]

<div>Oh sorry I wasn't clear - our invitations go in sets of 25, and I wouldn't buy two complete sets... but the difference between buying 0 and 25 and larger than the difference between buying 25 and 100.... if that makes any sense. I'd need about 20 french invitations, but it will cost me almost as much as buying 50 or 75 because of how the pricing works.</div>

toothpastechica · January 2012

Yes you need to buy ones in french if they live in a french speaking country and dont speak english..its pretty inconsiderate in my mind to send them something they cant read when you are sending them something that says that you care enough about them that you want them at your wedding. Like pp mentioned cant you just order as many as you need in each langauge? (or buy the right amount of stuff if you are doing a print your own set) I dont quite understand why it would be so difficult.

toothpastechica · January 2012

why would you by 100 if you only need 20? you said they come in sets of 25...why cant you get 25 in english and 25 in french if they come in sets of 25

GeauxTigers17 · January 2012

hoffse, are you dead set on the invitaitons you've already chosen? If not, have you ever seen a wedding sheet? The traditional ones have a double fold, but ours had a single fold and opened like a book. Usually, the text goes on what would be the front "cover" but I have seen dual-language invitations with English on one inside of the fold, and French on the other. I think it would be cool to have them together.

LP11509 · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_invitations-2-languages?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:3a247276-3e68-4b38-b260-98d5b27a920dPost:16c71509-ed27-4437-a8ec-4d3ff238b142">Re: Invitations in 2 languages?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Invitations in 2 languages? : Oh sorry I wasn't clear - our invitations go in sets of 25, and I wouldn't buy two complete sets... but the difference between buying 0 and 25 and larger than the difference between buying 25 and 100.... if that makes any sense. I'd need about 20 french invitations, but it will cost me almost as much as buying 50 or 75 because of how the pricing works.
Posted by hoffse[/QUOTE]

<div>I'm confused. Are you buying invitations that you print yourself? If so, buy however many invitations you need for your guests. Figure out how many guests are French speaking and print that many invitations in French. Print the rest in English. I fail to see how that results in a price difference, or in needing more invitations...?</div>

GeauxTigers17 · January 2012

LP, I think she's talking about ordering from a place that gives discounts if you buy more invitaitons. For example, ours were a certain price for 50 invitations (say $50), but if you bought 100, it was a lot less than double (say, $75) so if she buys 50 in English and 50 in French, it will be $100 instead of $75.

LP11509 · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_invitations-2-languages?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:3a247276-3e68-4b38-b260-98d5b27a920dPost:a8f8bcbe-b015-46c8-b1b3-8ce2da28c6f9">Re: Invitations in 2 languages?</a>:
[QUOTE]LP, I think she's talking about ordering from a place that gives discounts if you buy more invitaitons. For example, ours were a certain price for 50 invitations (say $50), but if you bought 100, it was a lot less than double (say, $75) so if she buys 50 in English and 50 in French, it will be $100 instead of $75.
Posted by GeauxTigers17[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>Thanks! I understand now. Sorry OP, apparently I haven't had enough coffee today ;) I wonder if you explain to whoever is doing your invitations that you need the same invitations, just divided into 2 languages, if they would consider it one "order" and give you the discount? Maybe not but it can't hurt to ask. </div>

hoffse · January 2012

It's a price difference because the invitations cost about $5 each when we order 25 of them and $1.50 each when we order 200 of them. So ordering 225 in English versus 200 in English and 25 in French is a big price difference because I would have to order 2 different sets - one set in English of 200 invitations and one set in French of 25 invitations. The typeface has to be reset. Plenty of websites work this way. Toothpastechica, we're trying not to be rude which is why I asked the question. I've never gotten married before, and I've never invited non-English-speaking guests to anything I or my parents have hosted so we didn't know if this was an etiquette rule or not. It does add another $150 or so to my invitation price for the reason I stated above, so they wanted me to ask before we went ahead and did it. FI's family didn't send French invitations to their own relatives when FI's older brother got married, but we thought it might have broken a rule, and we weren't sure.

GeauxTigers, thanks for that advice - I'll look into that for sure. We love our invitations, but you're right that having both languages could be pretty cool and it might solve the price problem.

annakb8 · January 2012

OP, I agree with Geaux. I've seen invitations in two languages before, it can be done. You can either get a folding one like she recommended, or I've seen long skinny invitations that have the English on top and then the other language on the bottom.

I also understand what you're saying about buying sets of 25 being more expensive. This way you would only have to order one design and therefore just make one order.

hoffse · January 2012

Thanks LP, you're right that it can't hurt to ask. I'll email my vendor and see if they can work with me on it since we're putting in a very large order with them regardles.

annakb8 · January 2012

I'll also add that we sent invitations to my father's family in Iceland and we just sent the normal English language ones. They all speak English though, so I guess that's different. I mean, I think I could decipher an invitation in French and I've never studied French, but it could seem presumptuous to just send them English invitations.

hoffse · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_invitations-2-languages?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:3a247276-3e68-4b38-b260-98d5b27a920dPost:838583bf-d483-40a7-84f9-f7b80db66afe">Re: Invitations in 2 languages?</a>:
[QUOTE]I'll also add that we sent invitations to my father's family in Iceland and we just sent the normal English language ones. They all speak English though, so I guess that's different. I mean, I think I could decipher an invitation in French and I've never studied French, but <strong>it could seem presumptuous to just send them English invitations</strong>.
Posted by annakb8[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Yes that's what we were concerned about. FI's family seemed touched by the idea but said "eh they'll figure it out or call us." But my parents are hosting and don't want to come across as insensitive Americans if that's how it would be construed. We just weren't sure.

</div>

sweetcanadian1979 · January 2012

I would get cheaper invitations for those 20, they will never know that you didn't spend $5 on an invitation, nor will they know theirs is completely different style. It won't matter.

Nancy00714 · January 2012

I personally would send them in English. As a pp said it's not that hard to decipher an invitation. The date will be on there and whatever month it's in will be similiar in French. Most Europeans (Belgians definitely, French maybe) usually speak 2 or 3 languages and English is usually one of them. If it's not too much trouble, send them in french but don't think that your guests won't be able to understand the invitation.

I am having my civil ceremony in the US (to my Italian FI) and the invites for his family are in English. My religious ceremony is in ITaly and the invites to my American family will be in Italian.

And I don't think I would send a cheaper invite...if you take pics of your invite and then they see pics they might see that there initations weren't the same. Maybe on a nice piece of cardstock you could have the invite translated for them.

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