5 Steps for Choosing the Perfect Wedding Invitation Theme

The wedding invitation is the letter of introduction - a glimpse of what your marriage celebration will be like before the long-awaited day arrives and a hint for your guests to make the right choice of their attire. Besides the basic information that the invitation provides, it also gives an insight into your style and personality as a couple. To make an impeccable first impression of your festivity, discover the five key steps for finding your perfect wedding invitation theme.

1. Define Your Style

This is the first and most crucial step in finding the theme that best describes you as a pair. You want your celebratory union to represent who you really are – be it elegant wedding invitations, classic, vintage, romantic, boho, modern, etc. The list of styles is endless, so as soon as you find your own, let the designers adapt the invitations to the wedding theme and work with them through the process to create something unique and fabulous.

2. Choose the Right Colour

After choosing the right style for your wedding invitation theme, you should decide on the colour palette that will dominate and lead the entire decoration path. When in doubt, think about the season of your special ceremony and get inspired by nature. For instance, go with vibrant tones such as yellow, coral and aquamarine if you're having a June wedding. On the other hand, for an autumnal celebration, stick to earth tones and think about the colours this season brings. A spring nuptial is ideally coloured with pastel tones - lavender, soft pink and light green. Finally, choose metallic silver and icy blue for your winter wedding wonderland.

3. Personalise!

Once you have a clear idea of the visuals of your invitations, think about the details you want to embed by adding a personal touch. Add some special elements that tell your love story and go beyond the general wedding theme. Think about how you met, your mutual preferences, hobbies - anything that is only yours and find a way to include it in your wedding invitation theme. In that way, you will have custom invitations that will reflect your unique story.

4. Unleash Your Creativity

Use your imagination and creativity and think outside the box when deciding on the wedding invitation form. Are you sports fans? Send game ticket invitations! Fond of travelling? Make them as passports or flight tickets! Or better yet, amuse your guests with puzzle-shaped wedding invitations!

5. Use the Best Materials

Besides typical white paper, you can also incorporate other good-quality materials to refine your personalised wedding invitations, such as recycled or textured paper, wood, glass, cork, or plastic. You can even include lovely natural elements, such as flower petals, feathers, satin ribbons, lace, silk, small leaves, etc.

Custom invitations are gorgeous elements in any marriage celebration. Not only because they literally invite, inform attendees or remain as keepsakes; but because they also capture the essence of the celebration and feed the spirit that will reign throughout the event. For this reason, paying attention to their design is absolutely important. Give them a distinctive, personalised and original touch, create an expectation among the guests, and make them excited to attend your iconic celebration!

If you need more assistance, it will be my pleasure and honour to work on finding your ideal wedding invitation theme with you and design the first wedding detail you will share with your guests. Get in touch or browse through the Design Bar for some gorgeous pieces!

How to Find the Right Wedding Stationery Designer for You

After the big ‘Yes’, it's time to start your preparations for your wedding; how exciting! Browsing trending bridal attire for you and your other half, consulting venues, discovering the tones and decorations that suit you best – the list seems endless!

That being said, wedding stationery plays a major role on that list. It consists of several pieces that will serve to personalise your festivity down to the last detail. From invitations and envelopes to welcome signs and table numbers, all of these lovely elements will have to maintain some visual coherence for a unique visual style. They are not just pieces of paper – they will set the tone for your special day so your guests know what to expect.

If you have already set the date and have chosen a venue, the next step is to find an excellent wedding stationery designer who will lavish the space with these gorgeous details. Here are some tips to have in mind:

1. Know What You Want!

Having a clear vision of your big day's style is incredibly important. Get inspired by looking through some ideas on Pinterest or other social media platforms to decide on the colour palette and the overall aesthetics. You must have a distinct image of what you want to be able to find the perfect designer for your wedding stationery.

2. Online or Face-to-Face

While searching for inspiration for invitations cards & stationery, you might come across some wedding stationery designs that would perfectly fit into your vision for the grand celebration. And if you live in a small town that doesn’t have much to offer, online purchases will be best for you – especially if you are the type of person who rarely changes their mind once you set your eyes on something you absolutely love! You can have some samples of their work to get a feeling of the paper, printing manner, etc; but you won’t be able to see all of their samples or the full scope of their services.

On the other hand, by choosing a local wedding stationery designer, you will have the chance to meet them, see a whole palette of samples to get an idea of what they are offering and work with them along the process of making your ideal stationery.

3. Ask the Right Questions

Once you have found what you are looking for regarding the style, the next step would be to see how customisable it is! If you have a strong and specific idea, make sure your chosen wedding stationery designer can make that happen.

Both of you must be on the same page, but how can you ensure that? Here are some questions to have in mind when discussing your wedding stationery:

• What materials do you use?

• Can you make wedding invitation design that is out of the ordinary? (illustrations, puzzles, prescriptions, tickets)

• Can you do a colour test? (Sometimes, what you see on screen differs from the printed version.)

• What other services do you offer? (menus, place cards, table numbers, signage, etc.)

• Do you make personalised digital invitations? (only if you want such a format.)

Since these details will complement your iconic day, the right wedding stationery designer should be able to channel your vision into these gorgeous pieces and tailor something that would reflect your overall theme and story!

Share your ideas for your perfect wedding stationery with me, and I will weave your dreams into bespoke designs. Feel free to get in touch and order the first thing your guests will see of your wedding!

Digital Vibrancy

Fine Art Digital printing has a great deal of emphasis on colour and handles complex and detailed patterns. Full-service stationers use fine art digital printing techniques to design artful wedding invitations on a variety of paper including matte, semi-gloss, and satin cardstock.

If you want elegant invites with complex watercolour or full colour floral artwork, fine art digital invitations will be created. To add an extra special touch to your digital fine art printed wedding invitations choose to add foil or letterpress techniques. Digital printing is a great way to introduce a photograph into luxury invitations or when a piece requires an exquisite full colour approach.

Digital Fine Art Printed Invitation

HOW DIGITAL WEDDING INVITATIONS ARE MADE

Digital wedding invitations are created using a digital commercial press. These invitations are beautiful but do differ from the other printing techniques used for wedding stationery in that they are flat to the touch.

No matter the luxury wedding invitation printing technique, the wedding day is about the love story of two souls joining as one. A curated and intentional wedding invitation will set the tone and should reflect the spirit, personality, and style of the couple.

Engraved Wedding Invitations

High-end techniques of engraving are perfect for adding a touch of luxury to wedding invitations. Engraving is considered by many to be the oldest form of printing, dating all the way back to the 17th century. And it’s one of our favourites.

The engraved style for wedding invitations is a quite aesthetically pleasing technique with a tactile finish which is raised from the paper using a heating method. A process that has been used for generations, this method is the embodiment of tradition. Engraved invitations are formal, regal, and immensely sophisticated.

Raised Print Invitation

How Engraved Wedding Invitations Are Made

The process of engraving curated wedding invitations begins when a photo is etched into a copper or metal plate. That plate is then coated or filled with ink and the wedding invitation paper is then pressed onto the metal plate with tons of pressure. This extreme pressure creates raised lettering on the front and indentations on the back of the paper and voilá, a beautifully curated wedding invitation is born.

Foil Stamping. Add a Little Glam.

The foil stamping technique is hands-down one of the most glam wedding invitation printing options. The ultra-luxurious metallic stamped look with the foil (gold and silver are the most commonly used colors) turns everyday words into high-end, intentional stories of love. The cost of this method is also reflected in the labor-intensive process,, but the effect is immediate, so the invitation looks stunning even with minimal design additions.

Working with a talented full-service stationer makes the stationery journey the most effortless and fun part of the wedding planning experience. And because your invitations set the tone for the festivities, it’s important to get them right.

Foil Stamping Using Metallic Gold

How Foil Wedding Invitations are Made

The way foil printing is done is pretty amazing. A thin strip of foil is threaded through a foil press machine and then the foil is applied on top of your surface (blank card, luxury wedding invitation, etc.).

Foil stamping differs from ink stamping in that heat and pressure are used to leave an indent on the paper (deboss). The heat causes the foil's colour to be pressed into the paper, and voilà! Pretty and shiny wedding invitations.

The Love of Letterpress

Letterpress wedding invitations offer an exquisite base for what will surely be an opulent invitation suite. They are striking in their finish with the extraordinary feel of the debossed paper creating a look that is artfully exquisite. The letterpress technique is brilliant for couples looking for a classic, graceful wedding invitation. Letterpress creates an indentation on the paper creating a delectable tactile experience.

Keen knowledge and experience is required to design for this speciality printing method. Full-service stationers like Studio Two Sixteen who offer letterpress can create artwork that results in wedding invitations that are effortless and chic.

Letterpress wedding invitations require care and attention as all the artwork is pressed into thicker paper like bamboo or cotton fibre; the thicker, the better! Dark ink works best for wording while light-coloured inks are beautiful for accent details, however, these never show up well on darker paper.

Letterpress Wedding Invitation

How Letterpress Wedding Invitations Are Made

Letterpress is the exquisite art of a centuries-old printing method that has been improved over time, becoming one of the most advanced printing techniques available.

In today’s modern times, letterpress wedding invitations start with computer generated designs that are then transferred to film as a “negative” and exposed to a polymer plate {the modern-day "metal" plate}. Individual sheets of paper are hand-fed through the press. The plate presses down on the paper, creating a deep impression of artwork, leaving the design and text looking crisp and clean. The attentiveness given throughout this laborious vintage process is reflected in the price point and is so worth it.

Letterpress printing is highly regarded and is one of the most sought-after printing techniques for weddings stationery. The result is a beautiful work of art that will serve as your authentic, curated wedding invitation suite.

Your Wedding Invitation Suite Done Right

Designing an unforgettable wedding experience that is authentic starts with one thing—a beautifully crafted wedding invitation suite. And while there are millions of designs that can be found online, having an experienced wedding invitation designer with in-depth knowledge of paper options and printing methods is imperative.

A knowledgeable wedding invitation stylist, like Tina at Studio Two Sixteen, will attain a gratifyingly impeccable suite that will leave a delightful impression. Having a thoughtfully curated wedding invitation will set the tone for the event and wedding experience. The invitation suite communicates the design aesthetic, wedding day style, and of course, valuable details about the wedding celebrations.

Letterpress Wedding Invitation with Copper Ink on Blush Card

And while the wedding stationery design and wording may hint at what's to come, the process also plays a significant role. With the thousands, perhaps millions, of designs and paper options available, it can become quickly overwhelming. Luckily, talented and intentional wedding stationers are available to craft and design the perfect wedding invitation, making it personal and unique to each love story.

Here at Studio Two Sixteen, our years of experience give us a sound understanding of the nuances and so we’re are able to help you navigate all these details without the fuss and confusion that can often get in the way of enjoying this truly fun time.

But it’s also important to know the most popular and well-loved printing techniques offered so we will be doing a series with the most sought after printing methods for wedding invitations in upcoming posts. Keep an eye out.