Guide to Wedding Invitation Design

If you are like me, and in that phase of life where all of your siblings, cousins, friends, acquaintances, sorority sisters, neighbors, etc. are all getting married, then your fridge probably like this:

 
guide to make wedding invitations stand out
 

A collection of invitations ranging from save the dates, wedding showers, engagement parties, bridal showers, etc! You don’t want your carefully curated and expensive wedding invitations to become lost in your friend’s fridge collage, or even worse, tossed in the trash! Here are some tips on customizing invitations that will impress every guest and take the coveted center stage spot on the fridge!

First, you need to think about your overall wedding design!

Wedding invitations are the first impression your guests will have of your wedding, so you want to make sure you are preparing them properly for the amazing wedding they are so lucky to get an invite to! Cohesiveness is so important to setting the tone for your wedding. I feel like this goes without saying… but please do not design an invitation with palm leaves and hibiscus flowers for your downtown ballroom wedding. (unless you want your guests to show up in a Tommy Bahama and Lilly Pulitzer!) Make sure your wedding invitation properly reflects the overall design and feel of your wedding reception! Here are some common wedding design categories so you can see which ones your wedding falls in to:

Next, you should consider what type of printing method you want!

If you have no clue what I’m talking about when I say ‘printing methods,’ you’re not alone! Most people can only name about one or two printing methods, when there are actually 3 popular methods used for invitations- flat print, letterpress, and foil press. There are two factors that typically play into what type of printing method you choose when designing invitations. The first is budget- obviously each method has price differences and you will find that foil press invitations are typically the most expensive. Letterpress invitations are your second most expensive, while flat print will be your most budget friendly option! (unless you go for an online invitation- in which case, I recommend Paperless Post!) The second factor that will help you decide on a printing method is your wedding style. Just like I mentioned above, your wedding invitations need to be cohesive with your overall wedding design. Foil press invitations are typically seen with more formal and ballroom style weddings, while digital print allows to you experiment with more colors and patterns! But it is important to remember that the options are truly limitless when it comes to invitations, so don’t feel like you have to put yourself in a box when designing invitations.

Lastly, remember that it is all in the details!

There are many little details you can add to your invitations that will help to personalize them and stand out amongst the rest! Small details can include things like a custom monogram, belly band, wax seal, envelope liner, venue sketch, pet sketch, custom map, etc! Finding details that are special to you and your fiance and incorporating those into your invitations is a surefire way to help your invitations stand out!

Check out my Pinterest Page full of wedding invitation inspiration and follow the Wedding Tip Tuesday series on my instagram!


If you are still on the hunt for your prefect custom wedding invitations, check out the following vendors who are sure to take your invitations to the next level!

Pink Champagne Designs

Brown Fox Creative

Cleggraphy Designs

Words Made Semple

Sugared Fig Paperie