Today, there are so many options for wedding stationery and invitation designs that it can be difficult to avoid being influenced by what others have chosen. Only you and your significant other know the ideal invitation for you because it is your big day. Once you've selected your favorite designs, be sure to request samples so you can inspect the quality. Take a deep breath and think about the following invitation details before choosing your final design because this is supposed to be fun.

Wedding Stationery and Style - Define

The invitation, more specifically its style, gives a hint as to the formality of your wedding in addition to providing the location and time of day. The type of event you're hosting—classic and elegant, casual and laid-back, or glam and modern—should be known before you start looking for stationery so you can select an invitation style that matches. After gathering inspiration, look through the wedding invitations of other couples and stationers to give your stationer an idea of what you like.

The styles I've shared below, which range from straightforward floral motifs to elegant vintage designs, can be applied to the majority of wedding stationery.

Wedding Invitation Styles

Rustic/Country: 

Elements include wooden patterns and burlap or barn accents.

Vintage: 

Vintage styles play on design elements of an older era, such as an art deco style.

Nautical:

Nautical invitations often include elements from the sea or sailboat patterns.

Elegant: 

There are many different types of elegant invitations. However, these styles typically focus on simplicity with a few unique design elements.

Simple: 

Simple invitations focus less on design elements and more on the clarity of the message. They may also be called minimalistic.

Traditional/Classic/Formal: 

Traditional wedding invitations focus more on the wording and a simple yet thematic design.

Floral: 

Floral invitations feature plenty of flowers and other nature-inspired design elements.

Modern: 

Couples who choose modern wedding invitations can expect straightforward style typography and unique artistic elements.

Tropical: 

These elements include flowers from the tropics and palm trees. Tropical invitations are especially perfect for destination weddings.

Seasonal: 

Couples can also choose invitations stylized for fall, winter, spring, or summer based on color schemes and other natural elements.

Recognize the Colors

Also, consider the colors of your wedding. You might want to incorporate your colors and a theme (if you have one) into your wedding invitations and then use them consistently throughout the rest of your wedding paper (like the escort cards, menus, and ceremony programs) for a unified appearance. While ivory, cream, or white card stock and a black or gold font are the traditional selection for formal wedding invitations, you can also add color and shine to your invitations with colorful or metallic fonts, paper stocks, envelope liners, or seals. When choosing colors, keep readability in mind (more on that later).

Invitation Shapes & Sizes

Wedding invitations typically have a rectangular shape and measure 115 by 160 millimeters. However, with circular, scalloped, and square invitations, couples are capturing a more youthful or contemporary vibe. Remember that sending bulky or extra-large invitations may result in higher postage costs if you deviate from the recommended envelope size.

To assist, we've broken down the various invite sizes and shapes below

Tri-Fold: 

invitations fold into thirds, accordion-style. These styles often cost more than the standard invitation.

Gate Fold: 

The two front folded halves open up to reveal the inside message in a gatefold. This style also often costs more than the standard invitation.

Flat: 

A flat invitation is a standard, traditional style. There are no folds on the card, and therefore no additional costs.

Square: 

Square invitations have the basic ninety-degree angles for corners, making them the standard shape for invitations. 

Bracket: 

As the name sounds, brackets have bracketed sides along all four edges.

Round: 

These cards are similar to the square shape but with rounded corners.

Ticket: 

A ticket-style invitation has inverted rounded corners, similar to an old-fashioned ticket. Scalloped edges appear like a series of repeating curves across every edge of an invitation.

Landscape vs. Portrait Orientation: 

Landscape orientation refers to the card printed with the top and bottom edges as the longest sides and the right and left edges as the shorter sides. Portrait orientation is the opposite.

Fonts for Wedding Invitations

Don't forget the text as you think about the colors and patterns; after all, that's why you're sending out the invitation in the first place. However, in general, stay away from using dark ink on dark backgrounds and light ink on light backgrounds. If you're going with yellow or pastel colors, make sure the background contrasts sufficiently to make the words stand out, or incorporate those colors into the design rather than the text. Yellow and pastel colors are difficult to read. Additionally, watch out for difficult-to-read fonts like overly scripted typefaces; you don't want to compromise readability for attractive letters.

The style of the letters or characters used in an invitation is described by the font or typeface. Frequently, a sans serif, serif, script, or other distinctive typefaces are combined in wedding invitation fonts. The theme and style of your invitations have a significant impact on the font type you choose. Below, we've broken down the four primary typeface styles to assist you.

Serif: A serif is a small line attached to the end of a letter or symbol within a family of fonts. A typical example of a serif font family is Times New Roman. This font is a popular choice for classic wedding invitations.

Sans Serif: A sans serif is the opposite of a serif, lacking the more minor strokes attached to the letters. Helvetica is one of the most popular sans-serif fonts available.

Script: Scripts fonts aim to mimic the fluid strokes in handwriting. Thanks to the elegance of the typeface, many script fonts are standard in wedding invitations. One of the most popular wedding script fonts is the condensed, calligraphic script font called Windsong.

Unique Fonts: Anything outside the three categories above would be considered a unique font. For example, “Paper Font,” a popular wedding invitation typeface, was created by a designer who cut the letters from the paper before digitizing them.

Pick your Words Carefully

Understand the guidelines for writing your invitation. Traditionally, the name of the host appears first on the invitation. Usually, it's best if you spell out everything, including the ceremony's start time. The host's name is always followed by a request line on traditional wedding invitations, such as "so and so request the honor of your presence. Check to make sure you've added everyone who needs to be included because the wording may change as the hosting situation changes.

The card shouldn't be Crowded

On your invitation, only include the essential information: the date and place of the ceremony, the names of the hosts, your and your fiancé's names, the dress code (if applicable), and the RSVP details. The invitation card won't look as elegant if you try to cram too much information onto it. Leave information like your wedding venue's directions and information on after-wedding activities for your wedding website or print it out on separate enclosure cards. Your registered address is one piece of information that has no place on your suite. Information about the registry should only be posted on your wedding website.

Begin Early

You should send out save-the-dates eight to ten months before the wedding. Depending on how fancy you go, printing them might take a few days, a few weeks, or even longer. While your save-the-dates don't have to match your invitations, ordering everything from the same stationer can help you save money and streamline the invitation process. So, nine to eleven months before the wedding, start looking for stationers. Order your invitations four to five months in advance in order to have them ready for mailing eight to ten weeks before the wedding. Send your invitations even earlier (12 weeks before the wedding) if you're getting married somewhere exotic or during the holidays.

Keep a Gratitude Journal

Utilize a spreadsheet or tool to keep track of RSVPs as they come in. Create a column where you can record the gifts that you receive from each visitor. Write your thank-you notes after that so you don't get behind as the wedding gifts start coming in. Within two weeks, you must send a thank-you note for any gifts you received prior to the nuptials. For gifts received on the wedding day or later, give yourself a month.

To ensure that you can create a cohesive vision for your day, starting with the element that carries it through from beginning to end, it's usually best to think about all of your stationery at once and order ahead.