This year, I challenged myself to create and produce at least one new design every quarter. What was popular in wedding invitations five years ago isn’t the same and as trends change and my own design aesthetic evolves, it’s important to continue creating!
Since moving to San Diego, I’m super inspired by the “California casual” vibe. I also love “surfer chic” and “coastal-boho-modern”. These phrases might feel silly, but’s is a aesthetic, lifestyle, and vibe that give me all the heart eyes. Whether it’s clothing, interior design, or weddings – I am into it.
The Invitation Inspiration
When designing, I always start with inspiration – sometimes a wedding venue, but in this case I started with a couple: Hannah and Dylan of Bachelor in Paradise. Not only are they totally adorable, but have the best #vibes. (Vibe count is up to three now, I’ll try to lay off).
Their relationship feels playful, laid back, and loving. Even though they had to go on a reality TV show to meet, something about them just feels effortless.
Dylan is a SoCal boy and Hannah is a Southern girl who now finds herself in Southern California. (I can relate – I moved from Atlanta, Georgia to San Diego for my love interest as well!)
I wanted to give an ode to their love story and personalities within the invitation design. It doesn’t always have to be a literal representation, but the overall look and feel! Minimalist, but fun. Modern, with a touch of bohemian flair!
Instead of the typical wedding monogram, I created something unique with their date.
Letterpress Love
I love letterpress for wedding invitations – the texture is unmatched and sure to be the perfect first impression for your guests (pun totally intended). Read more about what exactly letterpress is here – and why I love it so, so much!
The taupe letterpress ink makes these invitations perfect for a wedding of any season (even though we don’t have true seasons here in SoCal!)
I paired with the vellum mailing envelope to bring the element of surprise and a black RSVP envelope to give a hint of formality. Even though these two are laid back, they have an elevated style that can be brought to their wedding day.
Your Custom Wedding Invitations
Like this Bachelor in Paradise wedding invitation and want to customize it for your love fest? We can change the colors, fonts, wording, envelopes, and even the printing method to fit your wedding vibe. Yes, it’s a vibe!
Rather than having something created completely from scratch, semi custom wedding invitations start with an existing design. You can choose to modify things like colors, wording, fonts, and more.
Why Choose a Semi Custom Design?
They’re less expensive
I feel confident in saying that no matter which stationer you choose to work with, opting for a semi custom wedding invitation will be less expensive than going totally custom. The time involved for the designer is much less and pricing will reflect that.
With my semi custom designs, I charge no design fee – couples can change things like wording, fonts, colors, and printing method and it’s all included! My custom designs start at $150 and go up from there, so semi custom does save a bit if you’re looking to hold onto a few dolla dolla bills for honeymoon spending!
They’re quicker
Another bonus of semi custom invitations is that the turnaround is much quicker. For the same reasons above, a custom design can take much longer to produce. It’s absolutely worth the wait, but if you’re in a crunch semi custom wedding invitations make a great option!
Are Semi Custom Wedding Invitations Right for You?
In the words of Ariana, “I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it”. A lot of couples shopping for wedding invitations find a design they like and don’t see any reason to make major changes. I totally get that – and semi custom invitations are perfect in this case!
If you’ve found something you like, why complicate a good thing?
How to Customize an Existing Design
Invitation Wording
All wording on invitations, RSVP cards, inserts, (all of the pieces) is 100% customizable. Maybe you like a design with traditional wording but want to go a little more informal or vice versa! You can learn more about wedding invitation wording right here.
Fonts
One way to customize the entire look of an existing design is to change fonts. Depending on the vibe you’re going for, I’m happy to recommend a font that would change the look and feel to fit. If we work together, I’ll send you a fun list of all my font choices.
Colors
Other than the floral artwork in some designs, all colors are customizable. This includes envelope colors as well – all orders include your choice of colored envelopes! Whether you’re using digital printing, thermography, foil stamping, or letterpress – ink and foil colors are customizable as well. Wondering which printing method is right for you? Take the quiz here!
Printing Method
Speaking of printing method, that’s customizable too. See a letterpress design but want it in gold foil? We can do that. Want to add a pop of texture and have your names printed in thermography? Totally doable and all included with semi custom designs.
Mix and Match Designs
In the past, there have been couples who liked elements from two different designs. Pulling from both to create their dream invitation is actually one of my favorite ways to customize and existing design! As long as there are no major layout changes, this falls under the semi custom design.
I’m super excited to announce that I’m now offering white ink printing in house! This means I can bring it to you at a lower cost and with a quicker turnaround (double YAY!)
I predicted white ink printing to be one of the major trends for 2020 wedding invitations. Other than calligraphy, having envelopes actually printed with white hasn’t been super accessible or affordable. The workaround for using white is now widely known and many designers are offering it as an option, which is why it’s currently #trending!
White ink addressing allows you to use a dark colored envelope for mailing your invitations – something I couldn’t offer previously! So bring on the moody wedding vibes, please!
You’ll have the option to do your invitation, insert cards, and/or envelope addressing in white ink. It looks great on black, navy, grey, burgundy, forest green, dusty rose, and dusty blue – just to name a few!
Interested in white ink printing for your wedding invitations? Complete this questionnaire here to get a customized quote!
When you start wedding planning and begin to shop for invitations, there are a lot of words you might come across you haven’t ever heard before. Consider this your wedding invitation glossary!
What is a wedding invitation suite?
A suite is the term used to refer to the wedding invitation “package”. It’s your invitation plus all the coordinating pieces that go with it. My standard suite includes the invitation, mailing envelope, RSVP card, and RSVP envelope. Rather than saying invitations, suite encompasses everything together!
Any add-ons that you put with your invitation become part of the suite. For example, embellishments like envelope liners and extra insert cards (for things like the rehearsal dinner!)
What is an invitation proof?
The proof is the beginning part of the design process – it’s the digital design of your invitation suite. A proof is sent so you can not only review things like spelling and information, but also to give you a concept of what the actual printed product will look like.
Although colors can appear much differently on a screen, the proof should give you a pretty good idea of what your invitation will look like IRL. In my process, I do three rounds of proofs: the original + two rounds to make any edits or changes before approving to print.
What are printing methods?
The printing method is the way your invitation will be printed. I currently offer options for digital printing, thermography, foil stamping, and letterpress. Each printing method gives a different look + feel and pricing can vary greatly between then.
When it comes to wedding invitations, I offer custom and semi custom designs. For custom designs, I work with a couple to create a moodboard and design their invitation based on a look and concept we discuss. You can learn more about my custom design process here.
With semi custom designs, a couple finds one of my existing invitation designs to make their own. There’s no charge for changing things like colors (other than artwork), envelopes, printing methods, fonts, and wording. If there are changes to the artwork itself or the overall layout is changed, semi custom designs can incur a design fee. Most of the couples I work with choose to order semi custom wedding invitations.
What are belly bands?
To be honest, the phrase belly band kinda makes me cringe a little. It’s not something I would associate with wedding invitations if I didn’t have the industry experience. However silly, it’s the words used to describe the band that goes around the invitation suite to keep everything organized.
Besides being functional, belly bands are also just really pretty! They add a decorative element to your invitations and can be a fun way to bring in another color or show off your wedding monogram.
What’s an inner envelope?
Traditionally, wedding invitations were mailed with double envelopes: the outer with the formal name and full address, the inner with the first names of the people invited. It’s been said this started way back when mail was delivered by horse and buggy. The outer envelopes would get dirty during mailing, thus inner envelopes were used to protect the pretty paper inside.
Now that we live in the times of the modern post office, the need for double envelopes has decreased. I recommend them for very formal and/or traditional weddings and for heavier invitation suites. When using double thick paper, adding an inner envelope or envelope liner helps protect the contents – just like what they were originally designed for!
Inner envelopes are also helpful to be very clear and specific with who is and who isn’t invited to the wedding. It allows you to be explicit by addressing the invitation only to the intended guests.
What’s an envelope liner?
Envelope liners are one of my favorite invitation details! It’s a piece of paper (or other light + flexible material) that goes inside your envelope. They’re a fun way to surprise your guests, add a unique design element, and can be helpful to give protection when mailing.
I think the term finishing might be unique to my process – other stationer’s could include it with “assembly”. For my orders, finishing includes your RSVP envelope printing, RSVP postage, and full assembly (including envelope stuffing) if you also add mailing envelope printing. Basically it’s the option to have everything done for you – or to do it yourself!
The couples I work with are split on adding full finishing – it’s totally preference! I do recommend finishing for suites that have in-depth layers so that I can fully assembly everything. Otherwise, you’re responsible for tying twine, adding belly bands, or putting together pockets – and since I know it takes some practice, I’m happy to handle that for you. Well, there you have it! You’re pretty much a wedding invitation professional now. Questions? Interested in working together? I’d love to hear from you!
I’m not sure if it’s because I’m getting older or if 2019 was a fluke – but this year flew by! In wedding time, we’re well into next year as couples order invitations 4-6 months before the big day.
Every year, styles, tastes, and preferences change and evolve a bit. I’m excited to share wedding invitation trends for 2020. Based not only on what the couples I work with tend to start choosing, but fashion, lifestyle, and even interior design.
Trends that are Sticking Around
Wedding Monograms
Wedding invitations and monograms go together like coffee and creamer. (Writing this in the morning, can you tell? I’m just sayin – they’re a great pair!) Monograms are the perfect detail to use as a design and great because you can reuse them throughout your entire wedding suite – stamps, programs, menus, thank you cards, and more!
Monogram wedding invitations were super popular in 2019 and this design has already been my most requested for weddings next year. I also see couples choosing simple letter monograms for modern weddings.
Blues and Greens
This year, blue and green tones made up a huge portion of my couple’s wedding color palettes. There are so many shades that can apply to every season and it’s a color that looks great on most people when considering bridesmaid’s dresses.
Along with pink, wedding invitations with blue and green are sticking around for 2020 weddings. My favorite way to bring these in is by choosing a colored envelope – included with all wedding invitation suites!
Update: Pantone has announced Classic Blue as the color of the year for 2020! I’m not surprised since blue has been a strong color in wedding palettes recently – and am happy to know it’s sticking around for a little longer.
Envelope Liners
I began designing wedding invitations in 2014, where couples were using envelope liners in colorful floral patterns (Rifle Paper Co was a fave!). Although the designs have changed, the concept of envelope liners is here to stay – and growing in popularity.
Not only are liners a fun detail and way to bring in another color, but also protect your invitations during mailing. There are a few packages where I really recommend envelope liners, like when using double thick cardstock. Read this post on determining whether you need envelope liners – or just want them!
What’s In: Wedding Invitation Trends for 2020
Minimalist, Modern Design
Less artwork, more white space! I’m excited to see couples opt for more minimalist and modern designs for 2020 weddings. Although there are a few floral designs that remain popular, the requests for overall “simpler” invitations is growing.
Brides and grooms want to make a statement without going overboard on design. They’re choosing to invest in details like upgraded printing methods, textured paper, vellum jackets, and wax seals — keeping the design itself minimalist for an effortless feel.
Foil Printing, Rose Gold
Pink, blush, dusty rose, mauve, whatever you want to call it has always had a place in wedding invitations. Especially for the couples I work with, ‘cause it’s a personal favorite of mine.
As a unique way to bring in pink, rose gold foil printing is going to be super popular for wedding invitations in 2020. Whether you want to go full-on romantic with rose gold floral artwork and pink envelopes, or just use the foil for emphasis on your names, I know we’ll be seeing an appearance of it in many wedding suites this year!
Letterpress and Thick Paper
Letterpress is great for minimalist designs due to the limited number of ink colors that can be used. I think the overall aesthetic of letterpress is both modern and classic (it is printed with a centuries old machine after all!) which couples appreciate. Invitations with letterpress are printed on 220# double thick, luxe cotton cardstock – who can resist?
I’m torn between calling the trend of “dark envelopes” or “white ink printing”. Is it dark envelopes because people love white ink or is it white ink because people love dark envelopes? We may never know, but I’m here for it!
This year, I am looking forward to working with couples who want to bring in white ink printing on their envelopes. It will really add a pop to black, dark green, and burgundy envelopes. I’m excited to announce that I’m now offering white ink printing in house! Read more about it right here.
My favorite wedding invitation trend for 2020 is the mismatched wedding suites! Using different printing methods and different papers is such a fun way to bring in unique details. This suite is the ultimate mix and match: an invitation with rose gold, insert card using thermography on recycled kraft paper, and mismatched envelopes. Give your paper some personality!
Mixing printing methods can also be effective for couples on a budget. Want to use foil on your invitations, but keep some dollars for honeymoon spending? Opt for an invitation with foil and print the insert cards digitally. Since only one piece is using upgraded printing method, your overall cost will be significantly less!
At the end of the {wedding} day, it’s all about what you love. Trending or not, your invitation design should represent you as a couple and set the tone for the entire event. These aren’t rules or absolutes and I encourage every couple to have fun with their paper, so you do you, girl!
Are you getting married this year? I’d love to work together to create your dream wedding invitations! Start by ordering a sample or downloading my Information + Pricing Guide.
You’ve probably never ordered wedding invitations before. You might have some preconceived notions or ideas and not knowing what to expect is ok. I’m just breaking down some of the bad stereotypes associated with your wedding stationery.
Have you heard these wedding invitation myths?
They’re Just a Piece of Paper
I cringed when a potential client at a consultation mentioned not really caring much about wedding invitations because “they’re just a piece of paper” and “everyone just throws them away”. Yikes! Like a dagger straight into my paper lovin’ heart.
Yes, they’re paper. Yes, a lot of people will throw them away. But I’m here to let you know – it’s so much more than that.
Invitations are the first impression of your entire wedding! I know you’ve picked out your venue, dress, flowers, cake, and music with care – your paper is the preview of all the other details to come. Your wedding invitation sets the tone — and can even subconsciously tell guests what to wear.
Your guests will be excited open your invitation – just imagine they look on their faces as they realize what they’ve gotten in the mail. Sure, many will toss it out once the big day has come and gone. And that’s ok! But for you, your parents, and the other special people in your lives, your invitation is one of the only things you keep after the wedding is over. It’s an heirloom, and much more than just a piece of paper.
They’re Boring
Long gone are the days of traditional wedding invitations – for most. Of course, if going traditional fits your personality and style, then by all means go for it!
Even just fifteen years ago, the choices for wedding invitation designs were pretty limited. With creative ideas and design flourishing, along with people finding their unique styles, we now have endless options to choose from!
It’s almost 2020 and wedding invitations are a fun way to incorporate your personality and style into the big day. Rules are made to be broken and invitations can be as extra as you want, without judgement.
First things first, “expensive” is a subjective term. What’s expensive to one person could be a total steal for another. It’s possible custom wedding invitations will run the budget a bit more than your standard but there’s a reason for it – and you can always adjust to get pricing exactly where you’re comfortable.
Before you skip out on custom wedding invitations and go straight for the online discount stores with all the coupon codes (you know what I’m talking about), take the time to reach out and get a quote! You might be surprised that an upgraded experience doesn’t break the bank.
When you’re having something made especially for you, there will absolutely be additional costs associated. It takes time, expertise, and creativity to design but because these are such an important detail of your big day – don’t skip out!
There are so many ways to work with a designer and bring the cost down – choosing a semi custom design (rather than a custom, from scratch design), opting for a more budget-friendly printing method, DIY-ing your envelope addressing, and more. Take the time to get a quote before you dismiss the idea of boutique invitations (that come with an invitation fairy godmother).
You probably haven’t hired a wedding invitation designer before and likely have no idea what to expect. I totally get that – it can be overwhelming in the beginning. There are endless options, questions you might feel like you can’t ask, and just general confusion around the whole process. What are the differences in printing methods? Why can’t I use a metallic envelope? Which colors would go best with my theme?
My goal is to make the process as easy as possible – and hopefully even a little fun. I call myself your Invitation Fairy Godmother because I’m taking any stress from this part of your wedding planning away with a flick of my magic wand (aka my trusty Macbook). Don’t just take my word for it, read reviews here from past couples!
So if you’re wondering what the whole process looks like, I’m sharing what it’s like to work one-on-one with me to create your invitations.
You can expect lots of exclamation points
‘Cause I’m super excited to work with you! Yes, really. I truly love my job and have so much gratitude that you’ve chosen ME to create your invitations. I’m super excited I could do cartwheels – but my office is pretty small, so joyful emails with have to suffice.
I’m hoping you’re just as excited and my over use of “yay!” will rub off on you. If that’s not your style, that’s totally fine – just accept me for who I am and I’ll do the same.
I’ll give you my opinion
You’re working with me, instead of ordering from a website, because you want a human’s touch. My promise to you is that you’ll get my professional opinion, suggestions, and advice.
Need help with wording etiquette? I can send you examples and get creative with new ways to word things.
Wondering which color envelopes will work best? Since I have hundreds of options, I’ll narrow down a few based on your color palette and vibe, present you with choices, and let you know which I think would be perfect!
Have no clue about printing methods? You can read this post to learn more – or just ask! A lot of the printing method will be determined by your budget and I will point you in the right direction so you can get your dream design without breakin’ the bank. (and have more dollars for your honeymoon, right?!)
Whatever the question, I’ll give you not only the options, but my opinion. I always encourage couples to choose and do whatever they feel is best, but want you to have all the facts to make a decision!
Professional
As much as I’m all about the YAY! and the fun, I also know the importance of being a professional. I’ve been designing invitations and working with couples for over five years and have learned a few things along the way. I want to be your friend just as much as a professionally respected vendor to help you with your wedding details.
As a business owner who prioritizes customer service, I guarantee a few things. You’ll always get a response from me within two business days. Whether you’re asking questions before booking, making edits to a proof, or checking on your order during production – I will have an answer for you. Communicating well and setting expectations leads to 100% satisfaction and I am here for that!
I take on a limited number of clients so you get the attention and focus you deserve. Each couple is a priority during both the design and production process. It’s possible you’ll feel like you’re the only client, because I really do give you my full energy!
Quality Product
Behind the scenes, there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to production. I source top quality materials and use high quality printers to bring my designs to life. A lot of research, mistakes, money, and time has gone into providing clients with the best product that I possibly can.
I know how important a wedding invitation is and if it’s not perfect, I go back to my vendors to find a solution. You can rest your head at night knowing I’m handling this detail for you!
Reviews and Testimonials
It feels a little strange to talk so highly of myself, but I’ve got the reviews to back it up! I’ve worked with so many amazing couples and it brings me so much joy to know how happy they’ve been with choosing me as their invitation designer.
Ready to chat about your dream invitations? Start by filling out my questionnaire, I can’t wait to hear from you! If you’re in San Diego and need wedding invitations, we can set up a consultation to chat in person.
