Making Your Own Creative Wedding Invitations With the Experts at Bliss & Bone
If you are a person who is constantly innovating and dreaming up special scenarios, you are most definitely using your creativity for all aspects of your wedding. With that, you are probably coming up with the most beautiful, creative wedding invitations that reflect you and your partner, your love and your chosen wedding theme. However, even the most inventive and brilliant people can feel quite overwhelmed by the never-ending list of “requirements” and essentials for a wedding. And thanks to professional designers, you do not have to be the most artistic or creative person to find the best wedding invite options for your special day.
In this guide, we will walk you through everything you need to know about designing creative wedding invitations. From what they are to the original ideas that inspire them, this is your go-to guide for all things related to creative wedding invitation brainstorming. Read on for our expert advice about building this key piece in your wedding stationery suite.
What Are Creative Wedding Invitations?
For starters, we need to define a creative wedding invitation. Put simply, creative wedding invitations go above and beyond the traditional, expected design that are typically chosen by couples. Whether it is a bold color or thoughtful element that is rarely used, there are so many interpretations and examples of creative wedding invitations. In order to define them, we will provide examples of ideas and templates that are popular among wedding couples today. With this knowledge, you and your partner can then reflect on your own celebration and decide on the aspects that would best fit your personalized set of stationery.
Most wedding invitations share the following with guests, expanding upon the details shared in the Save the Dates: The name of the hosts (traditionally the bride’s parents), the name of the couple, the name and address of the venue (or venues, if you are relocating for the reception and/or after party), the exact time of the ceremony, recommended attire and information about how to RSVP. Once all of those details are made clear on the invitation, you can get creative with the rest of the elements involved.
Creative Wedding Invitation Ideas for Couples
If you and your partner are creatives, you are likely already dreaming up what the “perfect” wedding invitations look like. And if you are seeking even more inspiration, we love any opportunity to share our favorite things about creative wedding invitations. For starters, even deciding on digital invites is a “creative” twist on the classic stationery items. Plus, digital invites allow couples to save money and paper (an eco-friendly move!) that opens them up to a world of virtual elements that will wow your guests.
These are our top creative wedding invitation ideas to inspire your own original design:
- Shadow overlays: There is a common misconception that digital invites are one-dimensional and do not have the same effect as their printed counterparts. Of course, if you design a digital invite, it will not be a three-dimensional piece that your guests will receive in the mail. However, you can create dimension with help from special features like shadow overlays. These cast a shadow that hovers over the page, giving the appearance of leaves, florals or other shapes that “hang” across your creative wedding invitation.
- Three-dimensional objects and designs: The most creative wedding invitations also have thoughtful touches that reflect the theme or feel of the celebration. If you are hosting your wedding in the mountains, for instance, you can find rustic three-dimensional objects like leaves or branches that look like they were picked directly from your venue.
- Textured backgrounds: Deciding on digital invites also opens up your imagination to texture and fabrics—or at least the look of them. While most printed wedding invites are made from card stock, digital versions can explore virtual fabrics that up the creativity factor for your design.
- Letterpress or blind debossing effect: Letterpress and blind debossing are among the more luxurious and expensive ways to design your creative wedding invitations. However, you do not need to spend thousands of dollars for letterpress or blind debossing when you find digital templates that have that look. You can browse through a variety of templates and find the dimensional quality of the text.
- Creative wedding invitation wording: One of the most simple yet time-consuming creative invitation ideas is all about the copy you write on your invites. You can go bold and romantic with creative wedding invitation wording and say something like, “We are in love. Let’s celebrate.” Other options for creative wedding invitation wording deals with the venue or location of your event. For example, “Meet us in paradise” is perfect for a tropical destination wedding, or “See you on the slopes” could work for a winter celebration on a mountain. For more creative wedding invitation wording ideas, you can also feature your favorite love song lyrics, a short poem, an on-theme quote and much more. Your wedding is an opportunity to share who you are as individuals and as a couple, and your wording in the invite can set the tone for the special celebration coming up.
From out-of-the-box design ideas to creative wedding invitation wording samples, there is almost no limit to what you, your partner and your stationer can accomplish together. We recommend seeking out a service that fits all of your design preferences and makes it easy to edit and personalize your stationery suite. Communication is important too, so it is important that you feel comfortable voicing your opinions and asking questions during the entire process with your stationer.
Examples of Creative Wedding Invitations
It is always helpful to see what the most creative wedding invitations actually look like. For those interested in learning more about the themes, times of year and colors that fit well with these creative wedding invitations, we have narrowed down a few of our favorites created by the designers at Bliss & Bone. The best part? These are all customizable, so you can put your own spin on any of these designs.
These are our go-to examples of creative wedding invitations:
- Creative wedding invitations with fresh fruit slices: Fresh fruit is a welcome feature on any wedding invitation, particularly when it comes to spring or summer celebrations. It is an unexpected, colorful and beautiful way to welcome guests to your wedding theme and decor elements. One example of this type of creative wedding invitation is the Adrian template, which includes a botanical accent and a fresh orange slice for added color and texture.
- Creative wedding invitations with botanical elements: While there are several wedding invitation templates out there that feature greenery and other botanicals, if you want a more unique approach, look at the Aiden creative wedding invitation. This is a digital design, but you can see how the greenery is almost giving a three-dimensional effect. So, when guests open a design like this, they will be wowed by the creativity of the presentation.
- Creative wedding invitations with textured fabrics: Even the most simple, classic wedding invitations are incredibly special and romantic. For a creative wedding invitation for a traditional, ultra chic affair, consider a design like the Blair template. The textured background almost looks like velvet with lots of movement, and the bow wrapped around the creative wedding invitation appears to have a satin effect.
- Creative wedding invitations for tropical festivities: You can play with a variety of creative wedding invitation ideas to develop a truly one-of-a-kind design, and our tropical-inspired templates are the perfect examples of this. For instance, the Brando creative wedding invitation does it all without overdoing it. There is a slightly transparent background full of tropical leaves, a white wedding invitation with Monstera leaves in the top right corner and even a tropical leaf shadow overlay that hovers over your guests’ screens.
- Creative wedding invitations with bright flowers and colors: Flowers and pops of color can elevate your invites into the most creative wedding invitations possible. If you look at the Luna creative wedding invitation, for example, you can see how bold colors like lavender and hot pink are the ultimate power color combination for a spring or summer celebration. There are plenty of other creative wedding invitations that can work for the fall or winter months as well.
- Creative wedding invitations for winter and other seasonal events: There are even ways to fit the seasonal aesthetic of the area where you are getting married. And while pinks, oranges and yellows are often associated with summer, deeper tones like navy and forest green are best fit for fall or winter weddings. If you are planning a winter wedding in the mountains, for instance, you can see that the Annabeth template has the appearance of snow, branches and pine cones that you would likely see around your venue.
- Creative wedding invitations for black and white weddings: Black and white weddings are among the most classic and popular styles for big-day celebrations, and many come with a dress code for a black tie affair. Because of this, you will want a classic wedding invitation that still has creative characteristics. As an example, take a look at the Remy wedding invitation template, which has a delicate, botanical-inspired shadow overlay that creates a major impact on the overall look of the design. Combining the tropical overlay with a black and white invite provides contrast while also coordinating with a black tie wedding hosted on an island or other paradise-esque place.
- Creative wedding invitations with vintage-inspired motifs: You can find accents that will contribute to a vintage wedding theme, even if you are editing digital invites for your event. Deckle edges, which give a worn and beautiful look, are one of the many styles that contribute to the effect of this particular theme. You can see it come to life in the Serena wedding invitation template, which has the deckle edges and other accoutrements that fit with the vintage theme and aesthetic. We also love adding objects like vintage stamps and romantic flowers to keep this whimsical vibe going throughout your stationery suite.
- Creative wedding invitations with modern accents: Artistic couples want to celebrate in their own special—and yes, creative—ways. To do so, we recommend elements like paint splatter, highlighter-bright colors and a bold serif font. One creative wedding invitation example that shows this is the Quinn template, which would coordinate well for a wedding at an art museum or an industrial wedding venue.
- Creative wedding invitations with blind debossing illusion: Love the idea of blind debossing, but don’t have the budget for printed wedding invitations? If you want to achieve a similar look, consider a design like the Sofia creative wedding invitation. It has classic elements like greenery, but the creative side of it comes from the three-dimensional appearance of the objects and text that will quite literally bounce off of your guests’ screens when they open up their email. There are plenty of other digital invites that also show letterpress-like text and more that can easily make your design stand out.
To figure out the creative wedding invitation that is best for you, your partner and your specific event, consider the following factors: when you are getting married, where you are getting married and other decor accents that you will want to coordinate with your stationery suite. From there, you can get started on designing and ultimately ordering your dream wedding invites.
How Much Do Creative Wedding Invitations Cost?
Budgeting is an incredibly important part of the wedding planning process. While it is not the most fun, it is crucial that you, your partner and anyone else who has offered to contribute financially are all on the same page. Prior to booking your venue and hiring your vendor team, you should have a conversation about how much you intend to spend on everything—and that “everything” includes your creative wedding invitations. One major decision for stationery is digital versus printed: digital is the more modern and tech-savvy option, while printed in the more traditional and expensive format. Both styles can be considered creative wedding invitations, but you and your partner need to decide which one you prefer that will also work with your budget.
To give you a frame of reference, printed wedding invites cost more because they require lots of paper or card stock. Depending on size, thickness, the printing process and other events you may host, prices can hike up quickly. As you work through this with your stationer, keep an eye on the pricing and how it jumps, and let your pro know if you need some cost-saving wedding tips. One of those suggestions could even be to switch over to digital invites, which will cut costs and paper. Many couples focused on reducing their carbon footprint also like the environmentally consciousness of virtual invites, since everything is displayed online.
For both styles, there is a wide range of pricing available. Printing your invites, for example, could start in the $700 to $1,200 range for 100 cards with the most basic process (known as flat or digital printing). But when you choose more luxe printing options like letterpress or engraving, you can expect to pay well over $2,000 for 100 wedding invites. On top of that, insert cards with details about a welcome party or post-wedding brunch, or reply cards and envelopes will also factor into the total cost of your creative wedding invitations. Meanwhile, most digital invites are about $1 per wedding invitation. At the time that you order your creative wedding invitations, you will need to know exactly how many people you are inviting. And don’t forget: You do not necessarily have to send one invitation per guest. If there are couples or families who live together, you can send one invitation per household.
As you can see, there are a lot of cost-related decisions you will need to make when you design your creative wedding invitations. And depending on how “creative” you get with them, prices can increase even more. At Bliss & Bone, you even have the opportunity to experience a consultation with one of our designers. For an extra fee, you can work directly with a designer to modify and personalize almost any printed design on our site. This gives you the freedom to go even more outside of the box to create the most original design imaginable.
When Should You Send Out Creative Wedding Invitations?
The turnaround time for creative wedding invitations is dependent upon the style that you choose between: digital or printed. And with that, you can better determine when you should send them out once you know how long it will take to make them. Your wedding planning timeline kicks off with your aforementioned budgeting discussion with your partner and any other key “stakeholders” for your event, and from there you should start seeking out a venue and then a vendor team.
After reviewing your options and comparing the different stationers, you can start exploring the templates for Save the Dates, which are sent out before your creative wedding invitations (about six to nine months before the wedding day). If you are hosting a destination wedding, you want to send them out even earlier—the general rule is as soon as you book your venue, or about a year in advance. This will give your guests plenty of time to make plans to travel to celebrate you and your partner. There are fewer limitations when it comes to sending your wedding invites, since your guests will already know the time and general location. The main function of your wedding invites is to share the important details, like the name of the venue, whether guests will need to relocate for the reception and the requested attire for your event. Even for destination celebrations, these are sent out about six to eight weeks prior to your wedding day.
Other considerations for your wedding stationery plan should include the following items:
- Wedding websites: This is your information center that guests can navigate to directly from your creative wedding invitation. You can upload photos from your engagement session, create a FAQ page that explains more specifics about the event, and there is even an opportunity for guests to submit RSVPs.
- Rehearsal dinner invitations: These are sent out about six to eight weeks before your rehearsal dinner, which is typically hosted by the groom’s parents the evening before the big day. These can be printed or in digital form.
- Wedding menus: These are often displayed at the center of each table setting, and you will want to have one for all of your guests. It can include the courses that will be served at the reception, and many couples feature their names and wedding date at the top.
With so much going on, it can be difficult to stay organized with your wedding plans. But thanks to trusted professionals in the industry, you can work through the to-do list as efficiently as possible. And by remembering the key aspects of your stationery above, you can stay on track with everything involved with your chosen stationer.
Starting Your Creative Wedding Invitation Design Process at Bliss & Bone
Every couple is so different, and your creative wedding invitations should reflect that. At Bliss & Bone, you can also look through our curated collections of stationery, which includes the following: wedding websites, Save the Dates, rehearsal dinner invitations, wedding menus and much more. Plus, you can even work with an expert to design your own unique logo or monogram, which you can use on your stationery and other decor throughout your wedding day. And we are always available to discuss your design with you and answer any questions you have about your creative wedding invitations. To get in touch with us, feel free to contact us online or send an email to hello@blissandbone.com. We are ready and excited to help you map out the best stationery for your epic celebration.
