Wedding invitation trends that are sure to inspire
Planning a wedding in the next 12 months? we have spoken to experts in wedding invitations Paperlust about their top trends in wedding stationery including save the dates, wedding invites and wedding seating charts.
James Boston, co-founder of Paperlust, says that there are some clear trends in wedding stationery in Canada for 2020, here are his top picks for wedding invitations, save the dates and wedding signage.
Wedding Invitations
Calligraphy
The art of calligraphy dates back to before the Dark Ages, and still holds relevance today as a style technique. Calligraphy has evolved and is a lot more legible today (especially as it’s no longer in Latin) but the point of it remains the same: to emphasize important information. For wedding invitations, this important information is usually the names of the couple getting married, or even guest names.
Real Foliage
Foliage and Flowers have long been a staple in wedding invitations. But as long as there are creatives, there will be evolution, and the emerging nature trend for 2020 is photographing real foliage. Adding that dynamic of reality and true beauty, real foliage invitations have a beautiful organic feel that sets the tone for a fairytale outdoor or garden wedding.
White Ink
While gold foil stamping isn’t going anywhere, white ink has popped up its head to as a premium alternative. If you’ve seen it all and are looking for something different that will really wow your guests, white ink will do the job. It works best on coloured paper stock, allowing you to establish a strong colour theme at the start of your wedding season.
When using white ink, make sure that your RSVP cards have the inverse colour scheme (i.e. maroon on white paper instead of white on maroon), otherwise your guests will need special pens to fill them out.
Trending Colors: Green, Burgundy and ‘something blue’
We’ve all seen “The devil wears Prada” and remember the famous “blue sweater monologue”. Colors for every facet in life whether it be homewares or car paint start their life on the catwalk. This year we are seeing natural greens, deep and smooth burgundies and a range of blue tones that have been taken from apparel appearing on our stationery. All of these hues have their roots in nature and can be used for both formal and casual weddings.
Vibrant greens reflect an affinity with nature and would be perfect for a couple who are hosting an organic or outdoor wedding. Burgundy is a winter color that would be ideal for a fall or winery wedding featuring a bride with a long-sleeved wedding dress. If you are planning a beachside or destination wedding, an ocean-toned invite could be your something blue!
Foliage and floral borders
As we’ve mentioned, flowers and weddings have long been inseparable but the current trend is using flowers and foliage as borders, especially combined with gold foiling. Diamond and portrait-style hexagons are popular shapes for borders, replacing the ovals of last year with a more modern edge.
Whether it’s just one eucalyptus branch running down the side, a gold leaf in each corner or a layered effect with greenery in the background of a defined border, foliage is the ideal way to frame your most important piece of stationery ever.
Save the dates
Photo cards
With the emergence of modern digital printing techniques, and some great save the date templates, it is now easier than ever to get high quality save the dates printed with a photo of you the couple. Mix it up with some modern script fonts and you have a really easy modern look which will make a great keepsake for your quests, with pride of place on the refrigerator, until the formal invitation arrives.
Vellum
Vellum, also referred to as translucent paper, is popping up everywhere in the suite right now. Initially it appeared as an accessory card like a wishing well or information card, it is now being used for everything including the main wedding invitation. Vellum is popular as an overlay for save the dates and wedding invitation but can also be used as a stand alone save the date. We avoid recommending it for the main invitation as in order to remain translucent, vellum is usually about 2/3rds the weight of a traditional wedding invitation stock.
Calendar
These are cute save the date cards made to look like a mini calendar month, with the date you have chosen circled. They can be digital print only, done in all foil or a mixture of digital and foil print.
Boarding pass
Perfect if your guests are coming from far away, or you are having a destination wedding. Boarding pass save the dates, and their cousin passport save the dates can communicate exactly the type of fun ceremony you are planning.
Wedding signage
Gold foil accents
Traditional chalkboard welcome signs are fine for a rustic style wedding, but modern weddings call for something sleeker. What better way than incorporating gold foil text to match your wedding invitations. Paperlust has a wide range of wedding welcome signs and wedding seating charts with gold foil text for the couple’s name.
Mirrors
Traditionally hand drawn onto a real mirror, mirror welcome signs, and more recently seating charts now come in a large range of tinted finishes. Traditional silver finishes have been added to with gold and rose gold now trending. UV printing means that handwriting is out the door and printing dozens of names uniformly is no impossible task.
Arches and circles
Art decor is trending in interiors and this is pushing through into signage, particularly in weddings. The art deco arch is great for weddings in either foamboard or acylic and circles can make great welcome signs. A small tip on the arch signs, go large. Small arch signs can have a real tombstone appearance about them!
Black acrylic
The sexiest colour in acrylic. Paired with white ink printing and gold foil accents black acrylic can’t be beaten for a formal or black tie wedding. They also look amazing in any venue whether outdoors or indoors.
Paperlust have been supplying online wedding invitations globally since 2015 and also have a great range of birthday invitations, bridal shower invitations, graduation announcements and baby shower invitations.
