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When choosing your wedding invitations and other wedding stationery, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. For most soon-to-be-wed couples, this is completely new to them, and it seems like there are infinite options to choose from.
The good news is that while the range of possibilities out there can make it difficult to choose your perfect wedding invitations, this also means that there are lots of ways to customise your wedding stationery, resulting in something that perfectly captures your style and personality. To help you get your head around the different styles of wedding invitations and figure out where to begin, our experienced wedding stationers offer their expertise.
Before delving too deeply into wedding stationery options, it’s helpful for couples to get an idea of what they’re looking for. Your wedding stationery should be inspired by the wedding itself, giving guests a taste of what’s to come. Below are ten questions for you and your partner to ask yourselves, which will go a long way toward helping you choose your dream wedding invitations.
Choosing a colour scheme for your wedding is one of the first things you should do when you begin planning your special day. The colours you choose can form the basis of your wedding invitation design and help you narrow down the options. If you can’t find the exact shade you’re looking for on your stationery supplier’s website, remember that colours can usually be adapted to suit your requirements.
If you’ve already decided on a theme for your wedding, choosing your wedding stationery will be much easier. A theme is a simple way to add your personality to the celebrations and can be carried over into your wedding invitations for a cohesive aesthetic. You may find it helpful to create a Pinterest board to keep track of your favourite styles and ideas.
If your colour scheme and theme haven’t given you a clear idea of the kind of wedding stationery you’d like, try looking to your venue for further inspiration. Consider the colours and style of décor, thinking about the elements that first drew you to it.
Just as your wedding day should reflect your style and personality as a couple, so too should your wedding stationery. If you both love nature, designs incorporating greenery or wildflowers may be a great choice, while minimalists may prefer clean lines and a simple font.
Inspiration can also come from the season in which you’re getting married. Bright colours and florals work beautifully for summer weddings, while blues, reds and greens are a fantastic choice for festive winter events.
If you plan to invite some guests to your wedding reception only, evening invitations are a must-have. These usually mirror the style of your main wedding invitations but include different wording.
Knowing your budget ahead of time will help you choose the right invitations. Thicker paper and certain printing styles like embossing will cost extra, and heavier or larger invitations may cost you more to post as well.
Look at lots of different wedding invitations to get an idea of the kind of wording you’d prefer. Your message can be as bespoke as you’d like — some couples opt for traditional and formal language, while others prefer something fun and whimsical.
If you need to provide lots of information to your guests, such as directions, accommodation details or an itinerary, you’ll want to choose wedding invitations that allow for this to be included. Printed gatefold wedding invitations fold out and keep all the details in one place, while pocketfold invitations have a separate pocket insert for you to store information cards and RSVPs.
If you’re unsure what details you might need to provide to guests, take a look at these 22 things to consider including on your wedding invitations.
Consider whether you’ll need additional wedding stationery to complement your invitations, as this may have a bearing on the designs you choose. Here are some extras you may want to consider:
Save the dates
Menus
Place cards
Table plans
Table numbers
Order of Service
Wedding signage
Personalised tags
For a complete guide to everything you might need, our Ultimate Wedding Stationery Checklist is a helpful tool.
Once you’ve decided on colours and styles for your wedding invitations and other wedding stationery, it’s time to move on to more specific design elements. When selecting a paper, look at your wedding stationery suppliers’ website to see what they offer and get an idea of what each of these options might look like. If you’ve narrowed it down to a couple of styles, you can always order samples to help you make a final decision.
Below are some wedding invitation paper types you may come across:
Card or cover stock — “Stock” is the word stationery suppliers use to describe the weight and thickness of paper. Card stock or cover stock is a thick and durable type of paper with a luxurious feel, available in several colours and suitable for printing your chosen design onto. This is the type of paper most commonly used by wedding stationers.
Cotton fibre — Cotton fibre paper is a more expensive option due to it being composed of 100% cotton. This paper has a soft feel yet remains incredibly durable.
Recycled paper — Recycled paper is made of repurposed materials and is a popular choice for eco-conscious couples. This type of paper ranges from kraft styles to handmade papers.
Vellum — Vellum is a sheer, frosted paper that sits on top of an opaque sheet to create stylish layered wedding invitations.
Couples also have several printing options to choose from when deciding on their wedding stationery. Below we’ve detailed some of the most popular printing techniques:
This flat printing style is an incredibly versatile and cost-effective option, allowing you to create an infinite range of high-quality wedding stationery designs. Digital printing is fuss-free and offers freedom and flexibility, making it easy to achieve the style you have in mind.
Engraving and embossing can add a luxurious look to your invitations, but these techniques require customised plates, which will raise the cost of your wedding stationery. Engraving and embossing add depth to wedding invitations by making designs appear raised on the front and indented on the back.
Foil will add a special finishing touch to any wedding stationery, giving your designs a touch of sparkle and sophistication. If you’d like foil invitations but are concerned about going over budget, modern digital foiling methods are an affordable alternative to traditional stamped foiling.
The letterpress technique uses metal plates to press ink onto the paper, leaving an impression behind that adds texture and a vintage feel to your wedding invitations. It is also known as Block Foiling or Hot Foiling where foil is pressed into the paper rather than ink. Like engraving and embossing, this requires custom plates and therefore costs extra.
Thermography is a heat-based printing technique available in several colours, and this method results in slightly raised lettering with a shiny finish. Expect to pay more than flat printing but less than engraving or embossing.
Now that you understand the paper and printing options available to you, it’s time to think about the size and shape of your wedding invitations. The shape of the invitation you go for will impact its overall look, so choose carefully. Here are some wedding invitation styles you may want to consider:
Standard wedding invitations — Standard invitations have a flat, traditional style, with no folds.
Square wedding invitations — Square invitations are also flat with sharp corners.
Pocketfold wedding invitations — Pocketfold wedding invitations come complete with a matching envelope, which folds out to reveal a standard invitation and a separate pocket for your information cards.
Gatefold wedding invitations — Gatefold invitations can be standard or printed. They feature two front panels that open outwards.
Ribbon tied wedding invitations — These unique wedding invitations are made up of hole-punched cards and come with a ribbon of your choice to tie everything neatly together.
Sleeve wedding invitations — In this style, an invitation and any additional cards are held neatly together with a matching sleeve, often personalised with the couple’s names.
Long folded wedding invitations — Long folded invitations fold out vertically and provide plenty of space for additional information.
Tri-fold wedding invitations — Tri-fold invitations also keep all your information together on one sheet but fold out horizontally.
When choosing the size and shape of your wedding invitations, remember that you can often customise them further to make them your own. As well as selecting the design and font you’d like to be printed on your wedding stationery, you can decide whether you’d prefer sharp or round corners and how you’d like them to be tied together.
No wedding stationery style guide would be complete without mentioning the many finishing touches you can add to your wedding invitations. Keep these elements in mind for an extra dose of charisma.
Sleeves or belly bands act as the perfect finishing touch for your wedding invitation set, tying the overall design together while keeping your invite, RSVP and information cards tightly packaged together. Personalise them with your names, an emblem from your invitation design or a unique monogram — or go the extra mile and opt for a luxurious foil sleeve.
Ribbon and twine will add a beautiful, vintage finish to your wedding stationery. Use either to tie each of your cards together and add a rustic look to your invitation suite.
Of course, you can’t forget envelopes! Many invitations will come with envelopes included, but couples have the freedom to choose the colour and size they’d prefer.
Add stunning detail to your envelopes with customised liners designed to complement your chosen wedding invitations perfectly. Envelope liners add a stylish finishing touch and show guests that you’ve put a lot of thought into your wedding stationery.
Small details can make all the difference, and stickers are a great example of how you can elevate your wedding stationery. Use personalised stickers to secure your envelopes and add extra style to your wedding invites.
If stickers aren’t your thing, you may be tempted by a wax seal to take your wedding invitations to the next level. This will add a stunning, traditional look to your envelopes.
For more information about wedding stationery and the styles available to you, take a look at our FAQ. If you’d like to familiarise yourself with more terminology we haven’t covered here, check out our complete wedding stationery glossary of terms.
