Your wedding invitation is more than a rectangular piece of cardboard or an email sitting in a guest’s inbox. The wedding invitation that you send out to your guests sets the tone, the mood, and the theme for your entire day. It will leave a lasting impression on your guests, and will even become a treasured keepsake for friends and loved ones and serve as a memento reminding them of your special day.
With that said, it is no surprise that brides and grooms often become overwhelmed by the amount of selection that they have when choosing wedding invitations. Which style should they choose? Which font works best? Should they send a “Save the Date” card? Include an RSVP card? Just how far should you go when creating your own invitations, such as the exquisite designs available from Pure Invitation?
First: Why You Should Invest In Physical Wedding Invitations
As a cost saving measure, it may be tempting to send an email invitation to your guests. Emailed wedding invitations are not only unimpressive, but they often become lost in “Junk” email boxes, are accidentally deleted, or become buried beneath other messages that your guests receive.
Choosing physical invitations which can be handed out or mailed come with three key benefits:
- A Memorable Way to Inform Guests of Your Wedding: A gorgeous wedding invitation that reflects the personality of you and your soon-to-be spouse not only notifies your guests of the date, time and location of the wedding. It is also far more memorable than a bland invitation and will serve as an important reminder to you guests.
- A Way to “Pre-Wow” Your Guests: A stylish invitation is a great way to get your guests excited for your big day.
- A Key Organizational Piece: The invitations you send out allows you to keep track of who is coming, meaning you can keep the wedding planner, the caterer, and the facility which will be holding your wedding constantly up to date.
Second: The Design of Your Wedding Invitations & Stationary
Today’s wedding invitations are unique, innovative and speak volumes about the bride and groom. Most wedding invitation providers will have a variety of different styles to choose from, starting with the most popular of all:
“DIY” Stationary
With DIY wedding invitations increasing in popularity, creative wedding invitation designers now provide “DIY” stationery kits for brides and grooms to use. These kits come pre-designed and contain all of the materials you need to craft these “DIY” wedding invitations. This means that those without any crafting experience can still deliver that do-it-yourself appeal. They also often have elements of many of the other types of stationery listed below (such as laser cut elements, print, craft style elements, etc.).
TIP: Most of the stationery that comes with these DIY kits can be printed at home with a printer. To give your invitations that professional look, consider paying the small fee to have the wedding invitation company print up your invitations for you.
Laser Cut Stationary
After DIY wedding invitations, laser cutting is becoming the most preferred way to create custom made wedding invitations. Any number of designs can be cut into your laser cut stationary, allowing you to create different shapes, “peekaboos,” and other fine features on your invitations. It is a great way to add that personal touch to what may otherwise seem like a standard wedding invitation.
Craft Style Stationary
This broad term refers to any type of wedding stationery which may include additional embellishments or elements to give your invitations that “wow” factor. Common elements include:
- Ribbons
- Sequins
- Faux gems
- Clasps and buttons
Printed Stationary
Your print stationary option range from shabby chic and vintage to contemporary and sophisticated. Apart from DIY invitations, print stationery is typically one of the most affordable options available to brides and grooms.
Letterpress Stationery
Looking to deliver that luxurious feel? Then letterpress stationery is certainly the right choice for you. The letters are literally pressed into a thicker piece of cardboard, giving your invitations the impression that they have been engraved.
Third: Additional Wedding Invitation Considerations
In addition to the style of the invitation, there are a couple of additional considerations which should be taken into account:
Font: The font should reflect the mood and the theme of your special day. When selecting your font, make sure that it is legible and printed large enough for your guests to read.
Color: The colors you choose should ideally match those which will be present on your big day. In terms of font colour, choose a color that matches the theme but will not force guests to strain their eyes to read the information.
Fourth: Your Wedding Invitation Add-On Options
Apart from the wedding invitation itself, there are a number of different wedding stationary options for brides and grooms to send before or along with the invitation. Some of these options include:
Save the Date Cards
These handy little cards are sent out 10 to 12 months prior to the official wedding date. Save the date cards are ideal for ensuring that everyone you want to be in attendance at your wedding will be able to plan for it and be in attendance. They are particularly handy if you plan on having a destination wedding. Your guests will appreciate being given a “heads up” and can start saving and making travel arrangements.
RSVP
For those who are not too keen on fielding phone calls, text responses and emails, sending a handy RSVP card with your invitation is one way to stay organized and keep on top of who is attending and who is not. These cards also serve as a gentle reminder that the bride and groom need to hear back from you.
Order of Service
Order of service cards outline the different events which will be taking place throughout the day and at which times. While these are traditionally provided at the actual wedding, more brides and grooms are choosing to send them along in the wedding invitations. This keeps your guests on top of when they should arrive so that they will not miss a single part of you big day.