Choosing the right invitation for your special day ranks right up there with centerpieces and color schemes. The perfect event stationery should be a reflection not just of you and your soon-to-be-hubby’s personalities, but should also be a “sneak peek” into the big day. From invitation colors to verbiage and even the feel of the paper, the devil is definitely in the details. In this week’s post, we’ll offer a few quick suggestions that should help you deliver the right message about what to expect on this tremendous occasion.
Style, Texture and Color
The first impression delivered when guests receive your invites in the mail will be the overall look and feel of the invitation. The weight of the paper in hand, the texture of the invite, and the colors involved in any graphics or art on the card. If you’re planning a formal affair, simple is always best. Choose an invite that has a heavy paper weight, smooth card stock and classic colors such as black and white or ivory. Looking forward to a garden party or casual event? Aim for color. Choose invites with colors that echo your overall scheme and fonts that let your personality shine through.
Verbiage
Whether you choose to go traditional or contemporary, there are a dozen ways to deliver the “please join us” message. To make sure you choose the right wording, we highly recommend consulting your wedding planner or stationery provider for the best advice. Before you pick up the phone, consider what you might like to see on the invite in terms of who’s hosting the event, time, date and the location.
Say Cheese!
A photo card can be a fun way to send a holiday greeting but is best avoided when it comes to wedding invitations. Your formal invitation should be just that – a formal invitation. That’s not to say, however, that you should avoid photos in the stationery process all together… Save the Dates are perfectly suitable for a photo card and can be quite fun when designed with one of your engagement pictures.
Matchy-Matchy
While many invitation companies out there offer full suites of invitations with everything from Save the Dates to Thank You Notes (and even place cards), it’s not set in stone that everything surrounding your wedding has to match. If you just can’t decide between the top two or three suites, choose an element from each one. Perhaps your Save the Date is a photo invite… Your rehearsal dinner invitation is fun and colorful… And your formal invitation is just that – a formal invitation. Mix it up! Have fun with your invites and don’t worry about getting too matchy-matchy. Our only word of caution: make sure that your selections at least complement each other whether it’s in color, font or overall theme… This will ensure guests can see a connection from one event to the next and won’t be confused by a hodge podge of stationery.
So, when it comes to your invitations make sure to have some fun. Choose something that reflects your personality and style, the event theme and communicates the message in the appropriate language. Good luck and have fun!
