WEDDING IDEAS

Trend: Perforated Reply CardsA clever way to avoid lost reply cards -- and no excuses from guests! Have your invite design printed across a perforated line, making both a beautiful invite and reply card in one easy swipe.
Make it Your Own: This innovative technique is hip enough for any style. Our advice? Stick to oversized, horizontal images to create the illusion of one piece of card stock, and get creative with color to make the picture pop.
Paper Pointer: Don‘t let the design hide the perforation -- you want guests to comprehend the concept. And make sure your paper is heavy enough for easy tearing.

Trend: Unique MaterialsHelp to save a tree one invite at a time. We‘ve seen everything, from imprinted wood to acrylic engraving.
Make it Your Own: Your guests will see (and feel) the difference with invitations embroid-ered on fabric reminiscent of your table linens. We love the look of twine actually sewn onto a piece of thick card stock.
Paper Pointer: Keep costs low by printing response cards, maps, and other inside information on matching color card stock.

Trend: 3-D EmbellishmentsAdd dimension to your invitation, literally, with charms, glitter detail, appliqués, and more.
Make it Your Own: Decorate your invite
with your signature bloom an or embellishment from your gown. If glitz and glamour is your calling, try a border of jewels, beads, or shiny rhinestones. For a garden wedding, use a silk bloom tied to thinly-wrapped ribbon. Other fun flourishes that will get your guests talking: berries, pearls, feathers, and leaves.
Paper Pointer: Don‘t go overboard. If you distract your guests with too much bling, they may miss the important stuff, like when and where the wedding will be held.

Trend: Bold BellybandsThick or thin, paper or ribbon, a bellyband‘s purpose is to wrap around the invite set. Dressing up even the simplest invite, a bellyband essentially takes the place of the inner envelope.
Make it Your Own: Go traditional with a rich velvet strip adorned with an antique brooch. Patterned grosgrain ribbon can give your invites a preppy charm, or keep it simple with a strip of letterpress paper. For a country chic ceremony, lasso your invitations with twine or ribbon with a sprig of thistle. Just be sure to strike an elegant harmony. Busy-looking invitations look nicer with a simple bellyband, and vice versa.
Paper Pointer: Bring a sample invite to the post office to calculate proper postage. Anything that causes an uneven surface (such as a brooch accent) will tack on an additional cost.

Chocolate BrownBrown is the new ecru. Used as a border or background color, this neutral shade acts as a grounding tone, which is a great way to introduce brighter shades into your invites. If it‘s too dark for you (or your wedding style) just use it as your signature font color, in lieu of stark black.
Make it Your Own: Chocolate brown works with almost every color on the wheel, from
stylish chartreuse to candy apple red. Switch it up by reversing the combo on your envelopes.
Paper Pointer: Unless you‘re printing offset (where you pick your invitation‘s paper color based on a Pantone chip), you‘ll need to find the perfect shade of chocolate-brown paper. Ask your stationer for a sample of how the accent color will look printed on brown.>> See more features from this issue!

The Envelope Please

And the awards for best invitation trends go to: boxes, bellybands, and more.

Photos By: Alex Cao

Trend: Silk Boxes
No more lick and stick envelopes: Stow your invitations, reply cards, and maps in a neatly packaged miniature box. These new creations beautifully show off your wedding day plan.

Make it Your Own: Customize the contents according to your wedding season. A collection of starfish will warm guests up to a summer wedding. Think straw willows for an autumn affair; paper snowflakes for a winter event; or tiny silk flower petals for your spring soiree.

Paper Pointer: Love the idea but hate what they'll do to your budget? Try paper boxes. These non-fabric models pack the same punch. Also, know that the bigger the box, the bigger the bill. Save this style for smaller, more intimate affairs.

invitation by Rock Paper Scissors Design

-- Heather Levine