Wedding invites say more about the wedding, the bride and groom, and the welcoming family than probably anything else. Things may have been different a decade ago, when less was more. But in the noughties, when a wedding is in its planning stages, apart from the venue, the caterers, the menu, and the other hundred million things that need to be done, wedding invitation cards for most people end up in the top-five on the to-do list — for it is through them that all those who are to become part of the wedding are connected to it. After the video and the photos of the event, it is these small invites that remind the guests of all the wonderful festivities that celebrated the union of the bride and groom and their families, for years to come.

However, above and beyond the emotional aspect of it, the amount of money, time and resources invested in wedding invites these days, makes them not only hard to throw away, but at times also a menace. There used to be a time when the house you lived in or the car you drove symbolised status, class and repute. Today, wedding cards serve the same purpose. At times they also reflect what sort of wedding it is going to be — whether you will be served prawn cocktails or malai tikkas.

Just like everything else has a brand tag and a crazy hefty price tag these days, designer wedding invites have also become quite the rage in our developing part of the world. No bride- or groom-to-be seem to settle for a simple yet elegant piece of paper inscribed with poetry as their wedding invite. They prefer high-tech, bi-fold wedding invites that are nothing short of works of art (read very expensive works of art). Whether they are embellished with real pearls, especially cut Swarovski crystals or rhinestone buckles, fitted in hand-knitted, hand-woven, embroidered fabric pouches or pockets, or decorated with expensive artificial flowers, especially close-to-the-real-thing ones such as three-dimensional orchids or white roses, people make sure they go all out of their way to make a statement.

Wedding invite designers are even using unique materials for invitations, further stitched into fabric or burnt onto wood. There are even acrylic wedding invitations in the market. However, if nothing seems good enough, your designer can even replicate patterns from your wedding dress, copying the entire embroidery and embellishment setting onto your wedding invite, which is like giving away a piece of your dress to every guest who attends and even those who don't.

If this sounds over-the-top, wait till you feast your eyes on the few masterpieces, the cost of which, if put together, can feed entire cities. There are those in the shape of vintage wooden chests with the wedding invitation carved and filled in gold ink on the inside of the lid, and the chest filled with an assortment of imported chocolates and dry-fruit wrapped in red velvet with a classic motif in the centre flaunting the bride and groom's initials. Then there are fancy crystal bowls wrapped in expensive white lace with the wedding invite printed in silver on a pink satin cloth wrapped around a giant sapphire-like real Swarovski crystal with the names of the happy couple inscribed onto it. Some even go to the extent of getting wedding invitations engraved on slabs of marble or on wood in order to have them stand out from the rest.

When one comes to think of it, there is no end to this bizarreness, for people are willing to waste millions on something as basic as a wedding invitation. Wooden chests, crystals and marble slabs aside, when it comes to wedding invites and their emotional and historical value as far as family and friends are concerned, nothing works like a beautiful piece of paper, inscribed with thoughtful, memorable words, something the new couple and all those who love them can store easily for years to come.