There are so many printed materials to plan during your wedding planning process. All the details of your engagement announcements, save the dates, wedding invitations, reply cards, enclosures, place settings, menus and thank you cards will make a lasting impression. These tips will help you navigate the timeline and design of your wedding invitations.
Timing the Paper
Plan your wedding invitations early. You should send out your engagement announcements as soon as you get engaged. As soon as you have a wedding date and no less than six months prior to your wedding day, you should send out save-the-dates. About six months before your wedding, you should order the wedding invitations and enclosures. Six to eight weeks before your wedding day, send out the wedding invitations. It is recommended that you send out invitations to the rehearsal dinner, bridal shower and other wedding related celebrations about one month prior to the occurrence of each event.
The Design of Your Wedding Invitations
Your theme will influence the colors, fonts and aesthetic of your wedding invitations and other materials. With your wedding theme and color palette in mind, choose fonts, styles, colors and embellishments. If you require a high level of customization, you might consider working with a boutique stationer. If a variety of pre-designed materials is what you are looking for, you can easily browse catalogs at larger invitations stores. Most things have shifted to an online experience, including some online stationers. This paperless option for designing your paper allows you to design and view proofs instantly online. If you have a unique vision for your wedding invitations that requires an artist, you might seek the help of a graphic designer.
The Style of Your Wedding Invitations
Think about the ways you will incorporate your wedding colors and designs into your wedding invitations. Most weddings have three colors, a primary and two accent colors. You will have the paper, envelops, fonts, graphics and inserts to consider. Beyond the paper, fonts and colors, you should think about the patterns of your wedding designs and incorporate the small details into your wedding invitations for a textured look.
Paper Lingo for Wedding Invitations
You will have so many decisions to make about texture and finish. It is a good idea to know the basic wedding invitation lingo. It is easy to understand when something is referenced as handmade or natural materials, but you might not identify the materials as cotton, rag or hemp. You might envision a vintage theme, but you should familiarize yourself with a deckle edge, if you want to create that irregular and torn look on handmade paper. Corrugated refers to folded stock with wrinkles and ridges. Industrial is created from chipboard or newsprint. Matte is nonreflective and opaque. Mylar is a shiny foil-like finish. Parchment is cloudy and translucent. Rice paper is thin and soft. Linen is grainier than cotton and has a textured appearance for a classic look. Jacquard is screen-printed paper that creates the illusion of layering, such as with lace. Vellum is a delicate, thin and opaque cotton blend with a matte finish. It can be layered on a card stock or used alone. Explore all your paper options before making a decision.
Printing Technique
You should also know the lingo for printing techniques. Letterpress is a technique that involves inking an image to produce an impression. This is where the text is impressed into the paper. Thermography creates raised lettering with a heat-based process that has an appearance similar to engraving. Engraving is created with a metal plate and creates textured and raised font. Embossing crimps the paper to create raised letters. Printing is a significant part of the design. Explore printing techniques and discover the one you absolutely love.
Crystal Ballroom Clearwater
Plan the fine details of your wedding invitations from the inspiration found in the design elements at your wedding venue. Share your vision with the professional wedding designers and planners at Crystal Ballroom Clearwater. Step inside the design studio and choose your colors, theme, linens, décor and floral arrangements. This all-inclusive wedding venue bundles the venue, furnishings, staff services and décor into an affordable wedding package to make your fairy tale possible. Walk the red carpet to a ballroom designed just for your magical moments.
