Ideas for wedding invitations

Wedding Invitation Ideas!

Making a statement with your wedding invitation design is becoming ever more important, and as it is the first impression guests will get of your wedding, many couples put a lot of thought into getting it just right. Ideally your guests will keep your invitation as a souvenir, rather than simply throwing it away once the details are noted in their diaries.

The following popular designs should give you some wedding invitation ideas:

1. Art Deco style wedding invitations

Bold geometric Art Deco patterns of the 1920s and 1930s are very fashionable in the world of wedding stationery, and if you’re looking for wedding invitation ideas to suit a tight budget these could be ideal for you. Art Deco style patterns can be printed using just black ink, which is cheaper than printing in colour, and can be printed onto coloured, metallic, or pearlescent paper.

2. Floral patterns

Simple, bright floral patterns are becoming more popular than more ornate floral designs, and they give a very clean, contemporary effect, especially when bold colours are used. As well as one dimensional  floral designs, Chinese style floral designs incorporating cherry blossom patterns are also effective.

3. Culturally inspired wedding invitations

Your heritage and ethnic background is a great place to start your search for wedding invitation ideas. Many couples are honouring their ancestors by including symbols, motifs, or themes that reflect their families’ background. Celtic symbols and patterns, tribal prints, and African influences can all be seen in wedding stationery trends.

4. Environmentally friendly invitations

There are plenty of great wedding invitation ideas to consider if you are trying to have an environmentally friendly wedding. You could use recycled paper for your invites, but look out for cards that are 100% recycled material rather than around 30%, and many companies now offer soy based inks. Electronic wedding invites are also a great way to go green as you save paper, postage, and the fuel required to deliver your invitations. If you still want to post your invites, at least make the RSVP's electronic.

5. Futuristic wedding invitation styles

As we enter a new decade, many couples are looking ahead for wedding invitation ideas, rather than back into the fashions of the past. Modern paper styles such as metallic, fluorescent, reflective, or holographic can all add an ultra modern edge to your invites, and unusual asymmetric shapes, along with layers of different textured materials can also create a surreal futuristic impression.

6. Wedding invitation colours

When couples are looking for wedding invitation ideas they often use the same colour as their bridesmaid dresses or flowers, and this can be very effective. Currently one of the most popular colours for wedding stationery is purple, in every shade from amethyst to violet. Purple is a warm, romantic, magical colour, and can be teamed effectively with silver, orange, yellow, white, cream, blue, and green.

7. Silhouette styles

One of the more popular wedding invitation designs is a bold coloured silhouette on a light background. A silhouette of the couple getting married works well, but there are various other possibilities, with a very fashionable choice being butterflies. Anything that has a distinct silhouette and complements your wedding theme can work well.

ALSO SEE : INDIAN WEDDING INVITATIONS

Tips for choosing Wedding invitation's paper

Confused about choosing your wedding invitation's paper?

If you are getting custom made invitations, the first material you will need to think about is the wedding invitation paper. Once you have found the perfect paper, you can decide on the printing and any accessories or decorations. Here are ten tips on choosing wedding invitation paper:

• 1.Use good quality card or paper as a base for your wedding invitations, even if you are on a tight budget. Your wedding invitation paper needs to be robust enough to reach your guests without getting bent and it should hold up well and feel strong to the touch.
• 2.Consider the texture of your wedding invitation paper. For a contemporary invite, a smooth, high gloss paper can be just right, whereas for a traditional invitation a linen finish might be more elegant.
• 3.Check with the printer you are planning to use and make sure the wedding invitation paper or card that you choose is compatible with it. Many couples decide to have a heavier, thicker card for the outer part of their invitation, and to have a lighter paper inside the card to print the invitation details on.
• 4.Use two colors of wedding invitation paper for a more expensive effect. You could choose two similar shades of your wedding colors for a subtle two tone invitation, or two contrasting colors such as scarlet and white for a bolder invite.
• 5.Choose unusual papers such as metallic, pearlescent, or reflective papers to give your invitations a unique twist. Printing with black ink on these types of paper is a relatively cheap option but still results in a professional finished product.
• 6.Use vellum paper, a translucent type of wedding invitation paper that is most often seen in white but can be bought in a wide variety of pastel colors. It is often used as an overlay with printed graphics or words visible through it, and it adds an extra dimension to your invitations.
• 7.Use dark or deep colored wedding invitation paper for an unusual invitation, but make sure you use a white or light colored ink for printing, or your guests won’t be able to read the details. You could also use white, ivory, or cream paper with a bold colored border.
• 8.Check the weight of your wedding invitation paper and your finished invitation to make sure you put enough postage on each one. If you are having a large invitation with heavy paper and plenty of inserts, the postage costs may be more than you think.

Layout and time schedule

Wedding Invitations - Layout and Time Schedules

Setting the scene
Your Invitations initially deliver the important information of Who, when, what and where. Invitations are the first point of formal contact with your guests. They establish their expectations and set the mood for your special day. Remember many guests will keep your invitation as a memento of your wedding so it is important to choose carefully.

LookStart looking as soon as possible, Time will provide for a thoughtful decision. Initially think about the scale, formality, theme and budget for your wedding. Then incorporate the colours of your flowers, bridesmaids and reception decoration to match the wedding colour scheme. Explore the variety of designs, papers, type faces and printing techniques, enjoy the possibilities and choose stationery perfect for you and your wedding.


Wording Options
The Invitation wording that you select should continue to set the tone of the occasion. Again there are many alternatives and what you say traditionally depends on your family circumstance and who is paying for the wedding. For specific wording rules, read over the following pointers.

Who to include?Invites are issued by the hosts of the wedding. These may be the Brides Parents, The Bride and Groom or a close relative of the Bride or Groom. Whoever the host be sure to include their relationship to either the Bride or Groom on the invite.

How to addressThe wording on the invitation establishes details of the Hosts and the Bride and Groom. When issuing and addressing invites to your Guests it is customary to include their correct titles. Formal Title etiquette advises that the Bride to be may use either Miss or MS before her maiden name and all other women be addressed as Mrs, Ms or Miss depending on marital status or known preferences. All men are known as Mr with the exception of Clergy, Judges and Military Officers where their appropriate title is used.

What to include?
Other essential wording that follows includes the Wedding Date and Time. The Date is written in full. For example Saturday, October 10th 2012. The time is simple, Numerals are expected such as 4.30 pm. 

Finally include the location of both the ceremony and reception. The full address of the ceremony and reception location should be included, especially when being held in a large city or out of town guests are expected. Address abbreviations should be avoided wherever possible. House numbers are acceptable in written numerals whereas numbered streets are written out in full (ie: first street ). Also use these guidelines when addressing your invitation envelopes to your guests. 

Don´t forget to include a workable RSVP date. Extra information you might include in the wording is the event dress code or you may like to feature a meaningful quote. 

Typeface OptionsTypefaces or fonts are the style of lettering used for the text on the invitations. The typestyle selected should match the formality of the wedding but not detract from your own personal style. 

Also consider the ink colour you want to use. If you are planning on printing in silver or gold then a clear and simple typeface will be much easier to read.

AccessoriesFresh ideas for other stationery and mementos Wedding stationery goes beyond wedding invitations. Exactly how many extras you order depends on the scale, formality and budget of your wedding. If you decide on matching extras it is recommended you order all your Stationery at the same time as this is often easier, cheaper. One complete order also ensures your stationery’s paper colour and weight, type face and design is consistent through out.

Consult Guest ListFinalise and Order You will need to finalise your guest list before you order your Stationery. If you are having trouble deciding you could try first writing a wish list of everyone you would like to come. Then consult your budget to decide realistically how many guests you can afford. This should give you a set number of guests to work with. To build your real list start from your closest family and include friends you are likely to be in contact with five years after your wedding. Save the remaining guests from your ´wish list´ as reserves if you want to send additional invites if you receive regrets.

EstimateDraft your mailing list and keep a copy for your thank you cards. Remember you will not need an invitation for each guest as many of your guests will be couples and families who only require one invitation between them. Adult children over 16, receive their own invitation separate from their parents. Remember to post invitations to your parents and the members of the wedding party as well as your celebrant. Consider that elderly relatives and close friends living overseas will appreciate receiving an invite, even though you may already know they can’t attend. Once you have counted these numbers to arrive at a final tally, add another five or ten just in case.

At least 8 weeks before the wedding

Collect Quotes
You should now be ready to order all your wedding stationery. Obtain written quotes with the details of numbers, colours, paper stock and delivery date. Double check these details when placing your order. Check the product details and quantity. If your order includes printing confirm that the printing details are correct.

Proof ReadYou must carefully proof read your sample invitation to check everything from venue and date details to names, addresses , punctuation spacing and spelling. Pass the sample on to a fresh set of eyes to be extra thorough.

OrderWhen you are happy with these details confirm your order and place a deposit.
At least 6 weeks before the wedding


The Mail OutYour wedding invitations should be mailed 6 weeks before your wedding and it is important that the majority are sent out together to avoid disappointment. Send international mail 8 weeks prior to your wedding and interstate invitations should be posted around 7 weeks before the wedding date. Overseas and interstate guests should have already been notified informally of the date as soon as it has been set to allow them to make travel arrangements.

RSVP dateYour RSVP date should be set at least 4 weeks before your wedding date until this time you may mail additional invites if regrets come in.

Two weeks before the wedding.

Printing Wedding Invitations

Getting Wedding Invitations Printed?

The design of your invitations should reflect the formality and style of your wedding. If you have simple colorful invitations with "we´re having a party" written, people will think it is a casual affair. If you have formal individual invitations, your guest won´t arrive in jeans. In choosing your invitations you can consider different printing options.

These are the types of wedding prints.

1. Engraving:

   Is the most elegant method of printing and is still used today by people that appreciate the finer things in life. Traditionally this is the only way a wedding invitation was printed. A copper plate is made of the invitation in reverse, and is placed under pressure to receive the ink to give it a raised finish. This also gives the invitation a slight bruise on the back of the printed card or paper. The expense of the process lies in the copper plates that are used. These belong to the customer and can be used for example, for the cover of the wedding photo album as a feature. When engraving an invitation all other components of wedding stationery should also be then engraved to keep the look uniform. Engraved stationery is available from specialty stationers. Engraving is more commonly used for personal stationery because the information on the copper plate can be used repeatedly at a margin of the price.

2. Thermography:

   Gives a similar look without the added expense of a copper plate. The invitation is off set printed and while the ink is still wet it is applied with a powder resign that is then heated (this is where the word thermography comes from, thermo meaning heat) giving it the raised finish. Thermography costs are that of engraving less the costs of the copper plates. Thermographed wedding stationery is the preferred style of printing these days giving the total look of elegance, and is available from specialty stationers and printers.

3. Offset printing:

   This form of printing is becoming more common. You will see off set printing (flat printing) in business etc; it is a commercial form of printing. Very commonly used because it is affordable in bulk lots.

4. Calligraphy:

   Depending on the desired look for your invitation the artistic flare of a calligrapher can be used. The hand written word can then be transposed for each of the previous printing methods. Or each invitation can be hand calligraphed. Keep in mind that most calligraphers charge by the hour therefore each individual invitation could be more costly than printing. When printing, the addition of a guest´s name on the invitations and the addressing of the envelopes are usually done with the assistance of a calligrapher if you don´t feel up to it yourself, as labels should never be used.

5. Computer printing:

   A lot of invitations can be formatted and printed from a computer. This is acceptable for a small gathering of guests or for party invitations. You can do it yourself or have a friend help. There are also a lot of invitation companies that use this form of printing, as it is low in cost to produce and quick and easy. Usually done with a laser printer in black ink. A lot of invitations are done this way.

6. Hand written:

   The appropriate time for a hand written invitation is when it is a more casual affair or a small intimate group of friends and family. The invitation is usually done on personal stationery and worded in a letter format. This style of invitation is best written in ink and not ballpoint pen to help keep the invitation elegant. In most cases the wedding would be held at home.