Making Your Own Classic Wedding Invitations with the Experts at Bliss & Bone
As the age-old saying goes, you can’t go wrong with a classic. And with so many decisions to make about your wedding plans, sticking with classic, timelessly elegant ideas is the best route—especially if you are feeling overwhelmed. One of our favorite and most popular items to make are classic wedding invitations.
Always dreamy and beautiful, a classic wedding invitation provides everything you and your guests need. By choosing one of the many simple classic wedding invitations available on our site, you can get one step closer to your one-of-a-kind celebration. In this guide, we will go over all of the major stationery items you will need, with a particular focus on those classic wedding invitations.
What Are Classic Wedding Invitations?
Classic wedding invitations are striking, simple and perfect for practically any event style. There is not an exact formula, but you know when you see a classic wedding invitation. It may have a formal appearance, and many feature florals and popular wedding color combinations like black and white or gray and blue.
As for formatting and materials, there is no limit there either. Go for the more modern online cards, or stick with printed classic wedding invitations. While the former is a more etiquette-approved option, classic wedding invitations online are increasing in popularity every day. We will go over the pros of each style later in this guide.
To better understand classic wedding invitations, we can also look at the wedding style as a whole. Classic wedding ideas include all white florals, tents, neutral color palettes and a clean design. It reflects a tasteful, simple and sophisticated event that is all about the love you and your partner share.
When Should You Send Your Classic Wedding Invitations?
In most cases, classic wedding invitations follow formal event guidelines. With that in mind, consider the expert suggestion that couples should send out their wedding invitations as early as eight weeks prior to the big day. You will most likely want to send out classic Save the Date invitations even earlier, so guests can start making preparations to attend your celebration.
Here are a few other wedding timeline reminders to keep you on track and organized during your planning process:
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Make your budget conversations a priority. This is a simple, but important thing to understand: You need to make sure you can afford the wedding you are planning. To do this, we recommend getting together with your partner and any other family or friends who have offered to help contribute financially. If you are all on the same page, you can move forward and start the vendor hiring process.
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Consult with a pro. Wedding planners come with a lot of benefits, including organization and plenty of connections to the industry. Not quite sure about the best florist in your area? No problem. Your wedding planner can provide suggestions for this and many other categories, so you can feel confident and excited (and far less overwhelmed) about the time leading up to your wedding.
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Finalize your guest list. Before you can review different venues and book your favorite one, you need to know what your approximate number of guests will be. On average, 70 to 85 percent of invited guests attend a wedding. Take that figure into consideration as you factor in your budget, venue options and the people you need to have at your wedding.
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Find and book where you are getting married. Accounting for a massive part of your budget (about 40 percent), the venue is where the magic happens. You should schedule visits to the venues you are most interested in, and then do a walk-through with your partner and planner. This will allow you to get a feel for the space and see if you can picture yourself saying, “I do” there. If it is within your budget, has your desired date and matches your dream aesthetic, book your venue as soon as possible.
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Customize your wedding website and classic Save the Date invitations. At this stage in your wedding timeline, the stationery building begins. You should kick it off by customizing your own wedding website template, and many can perfectly match your classic wedding invitations. In addition to this, you should also make your classic Save the Date invitations, which are sent out about six to eight months before your celebration (or even earlier, if you are hosting a destination wedding). These can be sent online via email or through the mail in printed form.
If you have checked off all of these items, you are ready to make those classic wedding invitations. Review the many options available, see which ones coordinate with your chosen Save the Date and wedding website templates and pick the best one for you and your partner.
The Best Classic Wedding Invitation Ideas
We are constantly inspired by the creative minds that craft the most magical personalized wedding invitations. To get started, review our go-to ideas for classic wedding invitations online and then imagine what your ultimate stationery would look like.
These are the top examples and ideas for classic wedding invitations:
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Simple classic wedding invitations examples: You do not have to go over the top to make a massive impact with your invites. Simple classic wedding invitations often feature neutral colors or even an all-white format. For instance, the Calvin classic wedding invitation has a textured white background with a virtual white card, gray script and serif fonts and delicate flower petals.
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Black and white classic wedding invitation examples: Another idea for simple classic wedding invitations? The one and only black and white color combination. It is a beautiful, special and timeless option for a reason (or several). If you are interested in this type of classic wedding invitation, check out the Blair design. Though it is an online template, the three-dimensional background looks like silk, and the white and black design with a champagne-colored ribbon is the most perfect style for a formal celebration.
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Floral classic wedding invitation ideas: What do most classic weddings come with? Lots of flowers, of course! Stay on theme with a floral classic wedding invitation, like the Alyiah design. These classic wedding invitations feature a forest green background and a long-stemmed orange flower to the left of the screen. Another option for this category is the Austen classic wedding invitation template, which has a combination of gold, blue and gray. The delicate blue flowers are the perfect addition to these classic wedding invitations online. And for a moodier option, try the Serena wedding invitation, which boasts a wide selection of flowers with a grayscale color palette.
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Modern classic wedding invitation ideas: While there are some examples of vintage-inspired, simple classic wedding invitations, modern-minimalism has its place in this category as well. The Santana classic wedding invitation, for example, has an on-trend forest green color and uses an all-caps serif font and geometric shapes to give a modern edge.
This should serve as a starting point for your own customization process. If you want to personalize your classic wedding invitations even more, you can also use our “Start From Scratch” feature to mold your own special creation. This gives you a blank slate and all of the freedom to put together the best classic wedding invitations.
How Much Do Classic Wedding Invitations Cost?
When you have your budget figured out, you need to know that stationery typically makes up about 3 percent of your overall wedding cost. With that in mind, you can better determine whether an online or printed classic wedding invitation is the top choice for your event. Assess your budget and your personal preferences as you weigh your options. To give you a clearer understanding of invitation costs, keep in mind that digital printing runs around $700 to $1,200 for 100 invites. Costs go up with premium add-ons like metallic foil and letterpress, for instance. Meanwhile, you can expect the average online invite to cost about $1 each.
If you and your partner want to compare these prices to the Bliss & Bone’s classic wedding invitations, printed prices start at $257.50 for 25 A7 (5 x 7-inch), one-ply cards. Similarly, the cost goes up if you choose metallic foil or letterpress. Plus, you can see prices in real time in the printed classic wedding invitation builder. And if you choose online invites, those will be $1.20 each for one to nine recipients or $0.90 for 10 or more.
With knowledge of these pricing breakdowns, we hope you feel more empowered and prepared to get started on your dream classic wedding invitations. Once you have a handle on the financial aspect, you can get excited about the creative aspect of designing your wedding stationery.
Deciding Between Classic Wedding Invitations Online and Printed
Cost is not the factor to take into consideration as you choose which type of classic wedding invitation you want to create. Though you make both of these classic wedding invitations online, the overall experience is quite different. You are not alone in feeling unsure about your choice, and to provide some assistance, we are sharing the best parts about each style.
These are the main “pros” for both digital and printed wedding invitations:
The Benefits of Digital Classic Wedding Invitations
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Good for the environment. Since these invitations are online-only, guests receive them in their email inbox. So, with no paper used from start to finish, this is an eco-friendly choice for wedding couples. If you are interested in reducing your carbon footprint, this is one easy (not to mention, beautiful) way to do that.
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Faster turnaround. If you are in a time crunch or simply want to get these classic wedding invitations completed as soon as possible, you can theoretically customize and send these online invitations out on the same day. It is easier than ever to find the template you love most, add in your specific wedding details and then send them out to your loved ones. Printed wedding invitations involve working with a talented designer, reviewing proofs and waiting for your stationery to arrive in the mail before sending them out to your friends and family.
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Lower costs. As we mentioned previously, digital wedding invitations typically cost significantly less than printed options. Of course, everything stays on line, so paper, ink, foil or anything else is used in the process. By making these online only, you can immediately cut costs on your stationery.
The Benefits of Printed Classic Wedding Invitations
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Designer-driven. You are never alone while creating your classic wedding invitations, but designing physical invites allows you to work directly with a designer. This pro will take in all of your priorities and preferences and take a few days (two to three business days, on average) to send over proofs. You can get two free rounds of proofs with your order before you will need to pay an additional fee. And when you are happy with your design, you can move forward and wait for your finalized invitations to come in through the mail.
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One-of-a-kind keepsake. Many wedding couples love the idea of holding onto pieces from their special day. If you align with this, you cannot go wrong with a printed classic wedding invitation. By having a full stationery set that arrives in the mail, you can hold an extra copy in a keepsake box for years to come. Your loved ones will likely also want to treasure this item.
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Formal and etiquette-approved. While etiquette experts now say it is perfectly acceptable to create digital wedding invitations, printed versions are the more traditional route to go for many couples. These are the most classic wedding invitations because they are formal, elegant and physical notification of your upcoming event. Your friends or family who are contributing to your wedding might have opinions on this topic, so get their opinions if necessary.
If you are still undecided, mull over these differences until you feel good about your choice. Talk it through with your partner, friends and family too, as they can provide more assistance with your planning process. The most important part of this is that you and your partner are thrilled with the design and style, and you can find “the one” in digital or printed form.
Matching Your Classic Wedding Invitations to the Rest of Your Stationery Suite
Your classic wedding invitation is not the only stationery item you need to personalize before your big day. And at Bliss & Bone, you have the flexibility to mix and match them to your liking. You will also need the following paper or digital goods, all of which you can find matching options for:
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Save the Date: This is technically optional, but we highly recommend designing one that includes only the basic details prior to your celebration. Let your guests know ASAP so they can make arrangements to attend.
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Wedding website: You can link your wedding website to your online Save the Date, and you can even allow guests to RSVP through it.
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Rehearsal dinner invitations: These are sent out a few weeks before your rehearsal, which is generally held the night before your big day.
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Wedding menu: These, of course, will be displayed on the tables at your wedding reception. You should detail the name of the course, menu item and key information about the dish.
These are the major players in your wedding stationery. If you shop by collection, you can see the coordinating sets available to choose from. From bold spring flowers to modern-minimalist templates, there is so much variety in our templates and the collections they are part of on our site.
In addition to these items, you can also design your own wedding logo or monogram. This is a custom design that features your and your partner’s initials or names, your wedding date, venue name—really anything you would like. You can have your logo used on any Bliss & Bone product, or you can also pay extra to use it on other items (think your cocktail napkins at the reception). This is a seamless way to add consistency and uniformity to your classic wedding invitations and the rest of your stationery set. To use with Bliss & Bone products only, logos and monograms cost $40 each. You can also pay $80 to use them elsewhere, or $120 to use both on the Bliss & Bone site and beyond.
Get Started on Your Classic Wedding Invitations Now
By now, you are probably starting to imagine your classic wedding invitations. Whether you are picturing a black and white style or a classic wedding invitation with bold colors, you will have our team at Bliss & Bone’s support all throughout your experience. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. Get in touch by contacting us online or sending us an email to hello@blissandbone.com. We look forward to being a part of your celebration and helping you create the best classic wedding invitations.
