Add Your Personal Style to Your Invitations

Wedding invitations have come a long way in the last decade. Gone are the days of looking through page after page of simple cardstock and linen papers where your only choices were white or cream and letterpress or thermography. Today’s bride has a variety of choices before her and the wedding invitation has evolved as much as the cake in terms of style and creativity.

Savvy brides can search the internet and find hundreds of invitation sites as well as pre-printed invitation sets at your local craft store. There are several limitations with internet and craft store finds such as font selections, sizes and color schemes. Most internet sites only specialize in one avenue of a wedding like Save the Date magnets or just invitations. For a distinct look and feel that is carried out through all aspects of the wedding, brides should seek out a local graphic designer.

A graphic designer skilled in event stationery will meet with the couple and get a feel for their tastes, the type of wedding they are having and color schemes, etc. After getting ideas on the church, flowers and attire, a good graphic designer will utilize elements of each to create a unique design that can be carried thematically across the entire wedding, from the reception centerpieces to the table cards, invitations, favors and even the thank you cards. For example, one of my clients had grown up on an orchard with cherry trees. She told me how every spring she would eagerly wait for the cherry blossoms to bloom. Even as an adult, these delicate white blossoms hold a special place in her heart. Using the very popular light pink and brown color palette, I incorporated a cherry blossom into the invitation. I also used the delicate outline of the blossom on the table cards, place cards and bookmarks that the couple gave out as favors.  The florist was able to use cherry blossoms as part of the reception centerpieces and the cake was also decorated with the delicate blooms created out of fondant. In doing so, we had taken an important memory of the bride’s childhood and connected it with the next chapter of her life.

A classically trained graphic designer can take the branding principles used in the corporate setting and easily apply those same principles to the bridal setting. Is your reception location known for its grand chandelier? A designer can pull the shape of the chandelier and re-draw it as a graphic element that can be used in the programs and the invites. Another nice design element is the beading on the bride’s gown. A designer can take the beading design and create a graphic element that can be incorporated into all of the print pieces. But invitations aren’t just about the bride. Did you and your fiancé share a mutual love for old movies? A designer can create invitations that look like old movie tickets and the programs can be done to look like old playbills. A designer can also help you introduce secondary colors to your wedding that complement and add dimension. They can be subtle or they can be bold to add drama. In addition to color and font choices, a designer can also assist with invitation wording. 

A good graphic designer can help you bring elements of your life into your wedding. They are skilled in color and paper choices and can design pieces to be printed at home or at a commercial printer.  Before committing to any designer, I would suggest asking to see their portfolio first and to have a one-on-one consultation so that the parameters of the wedding are clear. An invitation is the first part of the wedding that anyone sees, so it’s important to set the mood and tone from the start. Most of all, it is an expression of you as a couple, so have fun and see where your imagination takes you!  - BEB