Set Your Style
By Danielle Robinson - CTW Features | posted on September 21, 2011 at 10:51am
Get the right tone your wedding through invites tailor-made for your big day
Styles of wedding invitations are as varied as ceremonies themselves. Whether you’re aiming for vintage or modern, formal or rustic, use your invites as a means to clue guests in to the overall design aesthetic of your special day.
“The look and feel of the invitation can speak volumes about [the couple] personally and imply what is in store for the guests invited,” says Adrienne Berry, owner of Dingbat Press, a letterpress invite shop. “Whether it’s casual, whimsical, black-tie, eco-mod or a mix of ideas, the great thing about invitations for this generation is that it’s acceptable to have a myriad of ideas about how to present the feeling of the wedding.”
If you’re having trouble pinning down exactly how to convey your wedding’s motif on paper, try putting together a board of inspirational photos that tie in to the key themes of your big day, says Minna Keum, owner Minna Designs, a custom stationer. “Choose one or two key elements and use them as a source of inspiration for your invitations,” she says. “If you have an interesting story of your relationship, why not make that the focal point?”
Although wedding themes and invitation styles are endless, here are some pointers from our experts on how you can get the word out in style.
Modern Vintage
Hearken back to classic glamour while retaining a fresh color palette. Keum recommends soft, textured papers combined with ornate fonts and bold hues, recalling a particular invite crafted for a former client. “We found inspiration from a vintage bracelet and used a pattern that was similar to it,” she says. “The combination of silver foil, ornate fonts and Swarovski crystals gave the invitation a modern, dramatic and luxurious look.”
Updated Elegance
You want the sophistication of a traditional wedding but wish to avoid feeling stuffy. Try classic calligraphy with a twist, by skewing the orientation of the type or through incorporating varying font sizes, as Berry once did. “The event was going to be old-world, Renaissance-themed, but the bride was very eclectic so she didn’t want a traditional layout,” she says.
Rustic Nuptials
This bucolic ceremony will be in touch with nature, establishing beauty through simplicity. Incorporate earthy, neutral tones on eco-friendly paper, with pastoral embellishments like wood veneer, burlap and twine, says Keum. Or, if you’re aiming for a rustic rehearsal dinner but a more traditional ceremony, like a former client of Berry’s, tie the two together with a nature-inspired print, like trees or a flower, while maintaining classic fonts and an elegant color scheme.
Beach Bride
Your special day will be full of sand and sun, complete with the comforting sound of a crashing tide. Use a tropical palette of blues, yellows and oranges, accented with bamboo paper and island or nautical motifs, says Keum.
If you’re still stuck on a look for your invites, Berry says there’s no substitute for meeting with a professional stationer. “They will be there to hear your input and advise what will set the right tone for what the you are looking for,” she says. “Meeting with your stationer can become invaluable.”
Copyright © CTW Features
