When it comes to shopping for your wedding invitations, wondering if they will fold is probably not the first thing that comes to mind.  On the other hand since many styles do involve some type of fold, you really should be familiar with all the different folds so you know exactly how they affect the look of the invitation style.

Some of the more common folds include:

• Invitation Folder which has a single fold down the center of the paper so each half is equal.  The fold can appear either at the top or on the side of the invitation with your wording appearing on the front of the folder or on the inside once it’s opened.
• French-fold means the paper is folded twice creating an invitation with four equal sections or panels.  Invitations created out of parchment paper are most commonly seen with this fold.
• Short-fold is created with one fold that is off-centered from the middle of the paper so the front panel of the invitation is shorter than the longer back panel. The bottom of the back panel that is visible may show a special design or be printed with your first names.
• Tri-fold divides an invitation into three panels by folding the paper twice either horizontally or vertically.  To cover the middle panel, both outer panels are folded together so they overlap, one on top of the other.
• Z-fold is formed in accordion fashion meaning the paper is folded twice in opposite directions creating a three-paneled invitation.
• Gate-folds can be fashioned with either three or four panels where the two outside panels fold inward to meet in the center.  There are three panels in an open gate-fold with the bottom panel being twice the size of each folded panel.  In a closed gate-fold, there are four panels of roughly equal size where the outer panels are folded inward together.  In some cases, the folded panels are uniquely designed to interlock together.  

Of course not all invitations are designed with folds.  Many styles are simply one-panel wedding invitation cards.