Wedding Invitation Trends for the New Year
Wedding Invitation Trends for the New Year
Wedding invitation trends are always very interesting to think about because they reflect several different fashion trends in other aspects of weddings such as bridal wear, wedding venues, and the preference of traditional or contemporary weddings. As the New Year begins, there are many new and different themes that are coming into focus. Also, there are several exciting wedding invitation trends that you might want to take part in. Remember, if you are able to use brand new trends in wedding invitation designs, you will find that your wedding invite is even more hip and exciting than you thought it could be.
Incorporating the Seasons
First of all, many people are really trying to incorporate the seasons into their wedding invitation design. In the past this concept has not been overly popular. Other than for some fall weddings which would incorporate reds and oranges in their color schemes. However, this practice is now becoming more and more popular because many people are relying on the season in which their wedding takes place to really give them a good start for the theme of their entire celebration. When this happens, more people put the season into their invites to begin with.
The typical fall colors are still used, and when a wedding takes place in the fall, it is not uncommon to use the reds, oranges, and yellows as they might be used in the wedding design, in the invite as well. Other seasons are also being used. When a winter wedding is being planned, the invites are often done with whites, blues and purples, and often with designs like snowflakes and ice crystals, all design elements that really speak to the season. When a wedding takes place in the spring, pale colors and flowers are used in the invitation, and for a summer wedding, there are often beach scenes, sandy colors, or bright colors that are used. This reflection of the season is often something that is done on the invitations, as well as something that is done with the theme of the wedding.
Straight Lines and Borders
When colors are simply used in wedding invitations, one style that is becoming trendier is that of straight lines and thick borders. These are being seen even more in wedding invitations than they used to be. This is a style and an idea that many brides and grooms are incorporating. This goes along with the idea of structure and form that is very popular in design today, leaving behind the frilly and flowery type of designs of the past.
Bright Colors
Bright colors are another type of trend that is increasingly seen in wedding invitations. In the past, muted and dark colors were seen because all weddings were seen as very formal events, rather than the fun, exciting affairs they have become. However, with bright colors and exciting designs, wedding invitations can give a casual lift to any type of wedding. If you want to have a great wedding, but you do not want it to be as somber and formal as, let’s say, your mother's wedding, then you should think about using bright colors in your invitations.
Unique Fonts
Another trend that is being seen with wedding invitations is unique fonts. In the past, most of the invites were done with script type writing, to mirror beautiful hand written invitations of the past. However, sometimes this writing can look archaic, even if it looks beautiful. These fonts are usually best suited for the traditional wedding invitations. Many couples are using unique fonts, even printed fonts that are not cursive and are not flowing. A big trend in fonts is not using capital letters, but having everything written in lower case instead. Another trend is to use round and thick fonts instead of flowing fonts. All of these images of fonts serve to help a couple make their invitations into a clear indication of what their wedding is going to be. The font of your wedding invitations will once again give the feel of a laid back gathering, or a formal event.
Re-wording Ideas
Another trend that you might want to think about when it comes to your wedding invitations is going to be rewording the classic ideas that you have probably heard one-hundred times before about weddings. Many people are playing with the formality of the words that are used in the wedding invitation. Sometimes the words are made more formal to fit the wedding, and sometimes they are made very informal, also to fit the needs of the bride and groom and of the wedding as a whole. You might want to think about the ways that you can do this with your own wedding invitations. If the wedding is going to take place on the beaches of Jamaica, there is a good chance you would not be using the same words you would be using if the wedding was in the ballroom in the nicest hotel in the city. The invitation should reflect the event.
Rachel Jackson is a freelance writer who writes about family events such as weddings, often focusing on specific aspects of a wedding such as the wedding invitations.
How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Invitations
How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Invitations
After setting the wedding date and tentative location, the next important decision is choosing your wedding invitations. With a such a wide variety of wedding invitation styles and price ranges, this decision can sometimes be overwhelming. Here are a few ideas to help you choose the perfect wedding invitation for your big day.
How many people to invite.
You may not have specific numbers yet, but you should be able to set a number range of guests you expect to invite, such as fewer than 100 or between 200 to 300. The bride and groom each may have different ideas of how they picture their wedding day so it is very important to communicate your wishes and ideas regarding a large wedding (with many guests) or small wedding (family and a few close friends). With this guest estimate in mind, you will be able to decide on a budget for your wedding invitations.
Budget.
When estimating the cost of wedding invitations, setting aside about 3% of your total wedding budget would be an adequate amount. This means if you have budgeted ,000 for your wedding, you are able to spend up to 0 for your wedding invitations. Costs for wedding invitations can range anywhere from ,000 and up per 100 invitations on the high end or as little as per 100 invitations on the low end.
Plan ahead, order early.
It's good to start early when choosing wedding invitations. You and your partner will need time to research and discuss the various choices available for your invitations. If you look early enough, you may even have time to request samples from various companies. Ordering your wedding invitations at least 6 months in advance will give you a cushion of time to allow for printing of the invitations and correction of any errors that may occur in printing. You also need to account for the time it takes to assemble your invitations and mailing them out to give sufficient time for a response. Plan on ordering 20 to 25 extra invitations in case they are needed because of mistakes in addressing the invitations or if you find you need to add additional guests to the list.
Wedding invitation types.
There are three or four different types of stationery that are popular with most couples choosing wedding invitations. Prices for these various types of stationery vary widely because of the way the invitations are made. The following are some common types of stationery used for wedding invitations:
Thermography. This type of wedding invitation is relatively inexpensive, popular and easy to find. This type of invitation can be used for a casual wedding. Thermography creates the illusion of raised text through a printing process that heats the ink and resin chemical in a combination that causes the printed text to appear raised while the paper beneath it looks smooth. Because of the heating process involved in creating this type of invitation, the proper combination of paper and ink must be used.
Offset Printing. This type of wedding invitation uses normal, everyday print. Although the print may seem common, this type of invitation will still announce your wedding in an elegant manner.
Engraved. This type of wedding invitation is usually very expensive and reserved for very formal weddings. Engraved invitations are usually used to annouce a very traditional style of wedding. This type of invitation is costly because an engraver must first carve the image or message into a copper plate, ink the plate, and then push the plate down onto the paper. This creates the raised lettering on the paper. Because of all the steps needed to create this type of wedding invitation, this method is time consuming and you will need to wait weeks for your invitations to be ready.
Embossed. Embossed invitations are very classy but also very expensive. Similar to engraved invitations, the raised print on this type of wedding invitation looks impressive but may be hard on your budget because of the technique used to create this type of invitation.
Calligraphy. This handcrafted invitation is elegant and refined but needs to be done by a skilled calligrapher who may be difficult to find. You can also look for a printer who creates the look of calligraphy on printed invitations. Obviously, the printed calligraphy is more affordable than the hand-written calligraphy but may not be as elegant as the hand-written one.
Once you have decided on your wedding invitations, make sure you order all the wedding stationery you will need, such as response cards and thank you cards, together for uniformity.
Choosing your wedding invitations should be an exciting and fun task in preparation for your big day. Keep in mind some of the ideas discussed above and choosing your invitations will be a bit easier.
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Important Information for Buying Wedding Invitations
Important Information for Buying Wedding Invitations
There are some important details to become familiar with when choosing wedding invitations. If you are shopping for wedding invitations, it is easy to get confused by all the terminology, etiquette and available styles. Other pieces of a wedding invitation such as Save the Date cards, table cards and place cards need to be decided on as well. Both the amount of information and the presentation of the information also need to be nailed down. Considering all of the choices to be made, choosing wedding invitations can be confusing and stressful as well.
Just to make this process a bit easier, take a look at the following checklist of important information you need to know for buying wedding invitations:
How many wedding invitations do you need?
Wedding invitations are expensive, so you certainly do not want to order too many. On the other hand, you do not want to run out and have to re-order, which will end up costing you more money in setup fees and shipping. Before you order your wedding invitations, sit down with your guest list and count up how many invitations you will need to send out. A few guidelines:
- a husband and wife get one invitation
- a couple living together get one invitation
- adult roommates each get their own invitation
- adult children living with parents should each get their own invitation
- children under the age of 18 can be included on their parents invitation
- a couple who don’t live together each get their own invitation
Which pieces of wedding stationery do you need to order?
Wedding invitations have several pieces that can all be bought as one or bought a la carte. In addition, there are other pieces of wedding stationery that you may or may not want to purchase. The most commonly used wedding stationery includes:
- Inner envelope
- Outer envelope
- Response Card and Envelope
- Reception Card if the reception is held somewhere other than the ceremony
- Save the Date cards for out of town guests or those that need a lot of advance notice
- Table Cards are printed with a table number for each table
- Place Cards tell your guests where they are seated
- Programs
- Menu Cards
- Thank You Cards
Obviously, you do not need to order every single one of these, but it is helpful to know what they each are.
Invitation Etiquette – the Words
Contemporary wedding invitations are much freer in terms of the words that are printed on the invitation. If you want to adhere to the most traditional and formal wedding invitation, you can find tutorials and templates online to help you word your invitations properly.
More importantly, though, you will need to supply the wording that you want printed on your invitation when you order them, so you need to know what you are going to have printed on the invitation before you buy them.
When should you order your invitations?
Invitations should be sent out about 6 to 8 weeks before your wedding date to give people time to plan. Your order will typically take about 4 to 6 weeks to arrive so you should order your wedding invitation at least 12 weeks before your wedding so you have time to address them and get them sent out in time.
How much do you plan to spend for your wedding invitations?
Many couples plan to spend about 2% of your wedding budget on their wedding invitations, including postage. It is helpful to have an idea of your price range for wedding invitations before you start looking so that you can choose invitations in your budget range.
Get familiar with the terminology
It’s helpful to know some of the terminology used in printing when you are looking at wedding invitations. This is far from an exhaustive wedding invitation glossary, but it will help you get started.
Border – a design around the edge of the invitation. It may be printed or embossed
Deckle Edge – an irregular edge that looks almost torn like homemade paper
Die-cut – paper that is cut into a distinctive shape or outline
Ecru – an off-white neutral color that is commonly used for formal stationery
Embossing – a printing technique that creates a raised surface
Envelope Liners – inner envelopes or linings for the inside of the outer invitation envelope
Flat Cards or Panel Cards – a single, unfolded card used as an invitation
What are your wedding colors?
If you want to coordinate your wedding invitations with your wedding colors, you will need to know what those colors are. Most traditional and formal wedding invitations don’t include color, but it can be an important consideration for contemporary wedding invitations.
Lisa Parkeris a freelance writer who writes about weddings, often focusing on a specific aspect of weddings such aswedding invitations.