My Wedding Invitations
Well after many months of designing and tweaking I am so happy to say that our wedding invites have arrived from the printers. I can't wait to show you them and share the process. If you want to design your own invites then keep reading to find out my tips and tricks.
I really enjoyed styling the invitations for these photos, there's something so lovely about stationery. I could spend hours looking at beautifully styled wedding invites on Pinterest! I created these invitations alongside my friend Grace from Meylor Paper Goods, it was such a fun project to work on together and much better than going at it alone. We worked to combine both our illustration styles and collaborated on the design of the whole suite, I think it all turned out so well!
I have a few pointers to share with you if you'd like to try your hand at designing your own stationery. Or if you're not thinking about getting creative you can take a look at my general wedding stationery guide here for more advice. The whole process took much longer than I thought and if I'd known that I would have started much sooner. You should typically send out your wedding invitations at least two months before the wedding so work back from that date and give yourself plenty of time for the design work.
The Style
Make sure the design of the invites reflect the style of your wedding, it should all be complimentary and cohesive. We're having lots of foliage at the wedding like eucalyptus, ferns, olive branches and rosemary so I made sure to include the wedding flowers in the illustrations. Grace designed a watercolour version of my wedding bouquet for the main invite which I absolutely love! I kept the typeface very classic to avoid them looking too trendy, I really didn't want them to look dated years after the wedding.
Paper and Ink Options
Think about the printing process and paper stock. I went for a textured watercolour style paper which makes each invite look as though it's been hand painted, they're nice and thick too. Simon and I opted for dark green invites which go with the green theme of the wedding, a bronze wax seal finishes the look. There are lots of printing options so make sure to do your research.
Flat Printing is like digital printing and the least expensive. Letterpress Printing uses printing plates covered in ink which are pressed into the paper, creating beautiful, textured invitations. Foil stamping is a similar process to letterpress, but it allows for the use of metallics on your invitations. You will also need to think about whether you want envelope liners, ribbons, seals or any other finishing
touches.
Wording
Here are a few wording examples you could use for your wedding invite suit:
Save the Date
Nancy Straughan
and
Simon Hacking
are getting married!
September 2nd 2017
Crail, Scotland
details to follow
Your reply is requested by the 2nd of August
... accepts with pleasure
will attend:
...Ceremony
...Reception
...Sunday Brunch
...declines with regret
Mail your save the dates 6-12 months before your wedding date. Allow 3-6 weeks for design and printing for standard printing, if you're having them foil or letterpress allow more time.
Invites
Mail your invitations at least 8 weeks before your wedding date, or 3 months prior, for destination weddings. Allow 3-6 weeks for design and printing for standard printing, if you're having them foil or letterpress allow more time.
I really enjoyed styling the invitations for these photos, there's something so lovely about stationery. I could spend hours looking at beautifully styled wedding invites on Pinterest! I created these invitations alongside my friend Grace from Meylor Paper Goods, it was such a fun project to work on together and much better than going at it alone. We worked to combine both our illustration styles and collaborated on the design of the whole suite, I think it all turned out so well!
I have a few pointers to share with you if you'd like to try your hand at designing your own stationery. Or if you're not thinking about getting creative you can take a look at my general wedding stationery guide here for more advice. The whole process took much longer than I thought and if I'd known that I would have started much sooner. You should typically send out your wedding invitations at least two months before the wedding so work back from that date and give yourself plenty of time for the design work.
The Style
Make sure the design of the invites reflect the style of your wedding, it should all be complimentary and cohesive. We're having lots of foliage at the wedding like eucalyptus, ferns, olive branches and rosemary so I made sure to include the wedding flowers in the illustrations. Grace designed a watercolour version of my wedding bouquet for the main invite which I absolutely love! I kept the typeface very classic to avoid them looking too trendy, I really didn't want them to look dated years after the wedding.
Paper and Ink Options
Think about the printing process and paper stock. I went for a textured watercolour style paper which makes each invite look as though it's been hand painted, they're nice and thick too. Simon and I opted for dark green invites which go with the green theme of the wedding, a bronze wax seal finishes the look. There are lots of printing options so make sure to do your research.
Flat Printing is like digital printing and the least expensive. Letterpress Printing uses printing plates covered in ink which are pressed into the paper, creating beautiful, textured invitations. Foil stamping is a similar process to letterpress, but it allows for the use of metallics on your invitations. You will also need to think about whether you want envelope liners, ribbons, seals or any other finishing
touches.
Wording
Here are a few wording examples you could use for your wedding invite suit:
Save the Date
Nancy Straughan
and
Simon Hacking
are getting married!
September 2nd 2017
Crail, Scotland
details to follow
Wedding Invite
Nancy Straughan
and
Simon Hacking
request the pleasure of your company
at the celebration of their wedding
September 2nd 2017
2pm
Crail, Scotland
and
Simon Hacking
request the pleasure of your company
at the celebration of their wedding
September 2nd 2017
2pm
Crail, Scotland
RSVP Card
Your reply is requested by the 2nd of August
... accepts with pleasure
will attend:
...Ceremony
...Reception
...Sunday Brunch
...declines with regret
The Design Timeline
Save the Dates
Mail your save the dates 6-12 months before your wedding date. Allow 3-6 weeks for design and printing for standard printing, if you're having them foil or letterpress allow more time.
Mail your invitations at least 8 weeks before your wedding date, or 3 months prior, for destination weddings. Allow 3-6 weeks for design and printing for standard printing, if you're having them foil or letterpress allow more time.
Programmes, menus and place cards
Any other paper goods that are not invite related can be designed 3-6 weeks before the wedding date.
Thank You Notes
If you're having a large wedding you may want to start writing your thank you notes before the big day so you don't have too much to do after the fact. It's polite to mail them within 2-3 weeks of receiving the gift.
Designing your invites should be a fun process and my top tip is to leave yourself plenty of time to avoid all that stress! Take a look at all my other wedding related posts here for more advice and tips.
Designing your invites should be a fun process and my top tip is to leave yourself plenty of time to avoid all that stress! Take a look at all my other wedding related posts here for more advice and tips.