Wedding Invitation Paper

It's your special day. From the lace on your hem to the spice in the soup, you want every detail to be perfect. Your wedding invite is no exception. That's why it's critical to educate yourself not only about wedding invitation paper but about the printing process as well.

Before you even start the search for that perfect invite, set a budget. This makes it easy to eliminate those out-of-reach invitations and help narrow down your search so you can spend more time sampling menus and less time stroking pieces of paper. Here's your guide to better buying:
Paper: Paper is paper, right? Wrong. When it comes to the happiest day of your life, knowing the fundamentals of wedding invitation paper can help you set the scene for your special event.
Cardstock: A heavyweight option, it's affordable, comes in standard sizes, and is readily available in many craft stores. Cardstock is an ideal option for DIY wedding invites.
Cotton: 100% cotton papers are smooth and elegant, making them a favorite for formal ceremonies.
Linen: This textured paper has long been a go-to wedding paper. It's elegant and always in style.
Vellum: This thin paper comes in many colors and patterns. Vellum is also less costly than 100% cotton, which makes it a great choice for budgeting brides. It's also available in a translucent blend that's used as an overlay on a bolder, heavier invitation paper.
But when it comes to wedding invites, it's not only about the paper. Wedding invitation printing is just as important to creating the style you want for your dream day. Here are the most commonly-used printing processes:
Engraving: Considered the most formal of invitation printing processes, engraving is a method in which content is etched onto a plate. The plate is inked then pressed into a high-quality paper.

Letterpress: This is the granddaddy of wedding invitation printing processes. Created in the 15th century, the method uses metal plates that press the paper. Since the 1990s, the technological advances have made letterpress more affordable. These invitations have a vintage look and feel.
Embossed: In this process, wedding invitation paper is pressed between two sheets of metal, creating a raised impression. And although embossing is often done by a professional printer, you can create your own high-end embossed look with a decidedly wallet-friendly cost. If you love the look of embossing, but not the cost, consider purchasing an embosser that features your initials then stamp it onto the flap of invite envelopes.

Thermography: Another alternative to embossing, this method uses dust or powder fused to wet ink to create a raised lettering effect.
Offset: Also called lithography, this wedding invitation printing method works by transferring images and text from a plate with ink directly onto rubber. The rubber is then rolled over the paper. This is the same process used to print your favorite magazine or newspaper.

Digital: This affordable option is an increasingly popular way to print on wedding invitation paper. To save money, brides can choose to use digital printing for RSVP cards, while using letterpress or engraving for the main invitation.
Whatever wedding invitation paper or printing process you choose, be sure that it reflects you, your spouse, and the love you share.

What Are Modern Wedding Invitations?

We all know modern is the opposite of traditional. When it comes to wedding invitations, traditional brings to mind a simple white or ecru invitation card, classic black ink, a standard font style and two envelopes for mailing. Modern wedding invitations, on the other hand, let you be more creative and unique which seems to be quite appealing to today's couples who tend to look for ways to truly personalize their weddings including their invites.

Here are some trends that you may feature on your modern wedding invitations depending on the design you choose and the options available:

• Two different lettering styles - A larger and sometimes fancier font style is used to emphasize the couple's names on the invitation.
• Two distinct ink colors - A contrasting ink color is typically used to highlight certain items on the wedding invitation such as the names of the couple.
• Pockets - Becoming increasingly fashionable, this style has a pocket for holding the wedding invitation and possibly a separate pocket for any enclosure cards, depending on the specific design.
• Self-mailing - These invitation styles no longer require a separate mailing envelope since they turn into their own self-mailer piece. Some designs have an envelopment, which may be colored, that wraps around all the invitation pieces for easy mailing. Seal n send wedding invitations, another design option, actually fold up and seal into their own self-mailing piece.
• Bright and bold colors - Today it is easier than ever to make a personal statement with your invitation colors either through your paper, design or ink choices. Beautiful color combinations are also abundant with colors you may not have considered as matching but actually create a stunning contrast when paired together.
• Distinctive sizes and shapes - You can easily select a wedding invitation design that has a unique shape such as being square or is an unusual size such as tea length.
• Patterns - As part of the invitation design, patterns are becoming stylish including paisley and retro motifs.
• Solid colored invitation papers or envelopes - Make your wedding invitations eye-catching by choosing a design that has colored paper stock or colored envelopes. Just be sure to choose an ink color that will look good on the colored paper.
• Recycled paper - For those striving to be more eco friendly, there are now many beautiful wedding invitation designs that are printed on recycled papers.
• Embellishments - Ribbon has become quite popular as an added special touch.

Modern Wedding Invitation For Couples

The days of being limited to the traditional white or ivory wedding invitation are over. Today's bride and groom have so many more invitation options than they have in the past and they can be quite overwhelming. So many couples come to me wanting fun, vibrant invitations but say they are feeling pressure to purchase traditional invitations. Some are feeling pressure because of the influences of their families and some because of the things they've read about wedding invitation etiquette.

Remember that your invitations are the first thing your guests will receive regarding your wedding so they should indicate what type of event to expect. With so many new and exciting options available to you, why not put a little bit of your own style and personality into your invitations. You can select from hundreds of paper and envelope styles in a range of colors and textures, choose one or more font styles and colors, add embellishments or artwork and select from several different printing techniques to create your own unique invitation.

In this article we will discuss what modern brides are doing differently than brides of the past and review some basics you should keep in mind when browsing for invitations.

Don't be afraid to consult with a custom invitation designer
By the time you are ready to choose your invitations you might be tired of meeting with vendors but there are a lot of advantages to meeting with an invitation designer. You will get a chance to meet with someone who is very knowledgeable about all types of invitations. They can help you narrow down your search and give you recommendations based on your tastes and budget. They will have samples of the invitations and envelopes that they carry and you'll able to look through sample books for ideas. It can be difficult to imagine what the invitations in a catalog or on the internet will look like, so it can be very helpful to see the invitations in person. Custom invitations don't necessarily cost more. It all depends on the types of papers and printing techniques you choose and the assembly involved in your design. Most custom companies also carry traditional styles so don't count them out even if you want a traditional design. The personal attention they can give you can save you a lot of time, money and stress from the time you begin shopping to the time you put your beautiful invitations in the mail.
Paper and Envelope choices

Paper choices have expanded greatly in the past few years. Beautiful papers are available in almost any color and pattern, and textured or metallic papers can add a whole new level of sophistication and style to your invitations. A popular trend right now is to use a two layer invitation. Typically a colored paper is used as the bottom layer with the invitation text printed on a white or ivory top layer. Matching envelopes are available for most solid papers so don't assume that you have to use white envelopes if you don't want to.

Traditionally all wedding invitations came with outer and inner envelopes. Today, many couples are opting to use only outer envelopes to save money. This brings up some addressing questions like how to address single guests with dates on the outer envelope, especially if you don't know the name of the date. Traditionalists will say that's what the inner envelope is for, but lots of modern couples are just putting “and guest” on the outer envelope and skipping the inner envelope all together.

Don't forget about all of your other paper needs like menus, programs, thank you cards, place cards and shower and rehearsal dinner invitations. Ordering them all from the same stationer can save you time and money and lead to a beautifully coordinated event.

Addressing your Invitations
I've yet to meet a bride that doesn't ask me if they have to hand address their own envelopes. More and more brides are opting to have their guest lists printed on their envelopes or printing labels. Some brides would rather spend that time concentrating on other wedding details and some think they have messy handwriting. Whatever the reasoning, having your addresses printed directly on your envelopes in a font matching your invitation looks especially elegant, but if you really want the hand addressed look and don't want to address your envelopes yourself, hire a calligrapher to address them for you.
Invitation Wording

Choosing the wording for your wedding invitations can be pretty challenging. For example, if the bride's parents are divorced or the groom's family is contributing to the wedding it can leave a couple fairly confused about how to word their invitation. In many cases “Mr. and Mrs. Smith request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter….” simply doesn't make sense anymore. Many couples are opting for less traditional wording styles like “Together with their families, Anne Marie Smith and James Robert Jones request the pleasure….” Or “Mr. and Mrs. Jones and Mr. and Mrs. Smith invite you to celebrate with them at the marriage of their children…” These wording styles allow the couple to acknowledge more than one family on the invitation. Ask your stationer for wording examples for your situation or visit invitation websites for ideas.

Modern Wedding Invitations

Traditionally wedding invitations were simple sheets of white card with the wedding details handwritten on one side. Now many printing techniques and finishes exist to create the perfect modern wedding invitations.

Modern invitations come in a wide range of styles from funky and wacky to romantic designs. Many modern designs take advantage of full colour printing to create vibrant and colourful designs. Below I have listed some themes/styles to consider for your wedding stationery.

Bold Patterns

Think stripes, large floral patterns, swirls, dots, there is so much to choose from. Many modern wedding stationery designs can be printed in a range of colours to compliment your wedding theme.

Butterflies

A choice for the romantic couples. Delicate butterflies adorn your wedding stationery to bring a touch of femininity to your wedding. For a less feminine design combine light blue and baby pink butterflies on the card.

Wallet/Pocket-Fold

This is great choice if you have a lot of information which you need to give to your guests. The pockets allow you to add extra cards such as a reply card, menu card, direction card and gift list.

Photo

Having your photo printed on the front of your wedding cards is a great way add a personal feel to the design. For a sophisticated look have the photo printed in monochrome with your names printed in silver foil. For a more fun and relaxed wedding have your photo printed in colour.

New Classic

The traditional wedding invitation is not dead yet, it has just been updated for the modern bride. Traditional styled invites are now accentuated with gilt silver or gold edging. The card used might be a coloured board rather than white or maybe a pearlised card to add a touch of luxury. Raised ink adds a texture to these simple cards and comes in a variety of colours. Alternatively an embossed border might be added to create an area of interest.