Customizing Your Own Garden Wedding Invitations with the Experts at Bliss & Bone
Gardening is a hobby shared by many, but it has also inspired one of the most gorgeous, on-trend wedding themes. Garden weddings are all about taking your love outdoors and embracing nature in a beautifully manicured environment. With blooming flowers and luscious greenery, you simply cannot go wrong with this event style.
Throughout this guide, you can learn more about designing your own garden wedding invitations. We will also walk you through garden wedding invitation wording and etiquette, and cover other topics like what couples should know about Save the Dates and wedding websites.
What Are Garden Wedding Invitations?
Garden wedding invitations revolve around the floral and greenery accents, of course. There is not one particular style, but any template that features lots of flowers and greenery are a must in this category. On top of that, garden weddings are typically associated with the spring and summer seasons, so warm and bright colors are another thing to look out for in your search.
It is also important to remember that you do not need to get married in a literal garden to create these invites. Your garden wedding invitations ideas can coordinate with your space without implying that you are getting married in one of the gardens featured on the hit Netflix show Bridgerton. (You can, however, easily find secret garden wedding invitations that would be perfect for a Bridgerton-inspired fête). You can simply find colors and flowers that remind you of your desired aesthetic, and then pick one of the garden wedding invitations templates that works with your design plans.
Garden Wedding Invitation Wording and Etiquette
What you say in your garden wedding invitation matters. You not only want to convey your theme and style, but you also want to give your guests all of the information you need. For many couples, following classic invitation etiquette guidelines is helpful and takes the guesswork out of the sometimes-challenging writing process.
We will cover the garden wedding invitation wording guidelines from etiquette experts and suggest more creativity in your designing journey as well. For starters, here are the key pieces of etiquette rules for your garden wedding invitation text:
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The host’ names. Traditionally, most wedding invitations start with the names of the people who are inviting everyone to the big celebration. By classic etiquette standards, the bride’s family hosts the wedding and is responsible for sending out the invitations. You should also use the parents’ full names and titles.
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Request “the pleasure of your company” or “the honor of your presence.” The next part of your garden wedding invitation should feature what the hosts are requesting from each guest. “The pleasure of your company” is great for any venue, but “the honor of your presence” is best for ceremonies in places of worship.
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The guest of honors’ names. Now, this is where the couple of the weekend get to shine. For formal wording advice, use only the bride’s first and middle name if she shares the same name as her parents (who have been mentioned as the hosts). From there, you should add “to” followed by the groom’s full name and title.
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The date, time and location. This is where it gets good. Your Save the Dates, sent earlier in the process, likely highlighted the day of the wedding and the name of the venue or city where the event will take place. But in your garden wedding invitations, you need to make sure you are as specific as possible. You should feature the time when the ceremony starts and the exact name of the venue. You can then say “Reception to follow” if the reception is held in the same place, or add the secondary venue information below that. For etiquette in this particular section, you should write everything out and capitalize the day and month—but not the year.
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RSVP details. If you are sending out printed wedding invitations, you will likely want to add reply cards and envelopes to your stationery set. With these, you only need to write “RSVP” and this will signal to your guests that they need to review and fill out your reply card. However, if you want your guests to reply via email or through an RSVP wedding website, you need to detail that in some way on your invitation.
These are the “meat and potatoes” of your garden wedding invitations, but they should not limit your creativity. Etiquette guidelines may be helpful, but they can also feel inauthentic to you, your partner and your relationship. If that is the case, you are more than welcome to choose the wording that you align with most.
When Should You Send Out Garden Wedding Invitations?
You need to give yourself and your guests enough time to fully prepare for your big day. In order to do that, it is recommended that couples send out their garden wedding invitations about six to eight weeks prior to your celebration. But these are not the only items on your to-do list that come with a suggested deadline.
For more guidance on when to accomplish particular tasks, here is our recommended wedding planning timeline:
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Talk about your wedding budget. While you are in the middle of the post-engagement bliss, some serious topics should come up. Namely, your finances and how much you plan to spend on your wedding venue and vendors (including your stationer for those garden wedding invitations). Sit down with your partner and any other loved ones who have offered to contribute and discuss what is feasible for everyone involved.
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Think about where you want to say, “I do.” Your wedding venue is one of the most crucial—and most expensive—items to check off of your list. You and your partner should narrow down the city where you want to get married. Whether it is your current city or a destination locale, you should make that choice and then do your research on venues in your desired area. Try your best to visit your top spots, and then see if your absolute favorite meets your budget and has your desired date. If so, put down your deposit at your earliest convenience. At this point in the process, you should also know a rough estimate of how many guests you plan to invite to your wedding.
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Customize your Save the Date and wedding website. Approximately four months before you send out your garden wedding invitations, you should design your own wedding website and Save the Dates. These can all coordinate to create an ultra-cohesive set.
With these important steps behind you, it is time to design your garden wedding invitation. You also need to detail that guests should reply to your wedding by two to three weeks before you make your way down the aisle. The month leading up to your wedding can be hectic, so getting organized and finalizing your guest list ASAP will help you de-stress.
The Best Garden Wedding Invitations Ideas for Couples
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Classic garden wedding invitations templates: The most elegant garden wedding invitations showcase flowers and greenery only. These design elements do all of the talking for you, and convey the exact style you want. One dreamy example of this is the Samantha garden wedding invitation, which shows off pressed flowers across the design.
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Secret garden wedding invitations templates: If you want an escape from reality—and the typical stationery—go for secret garden wedding invitations. These thoughtful designs have lots of flowers and just a hint of mystery. The Serena garden wedding invitations, for instance, have a moody floral background and a vintage vibe with deckle edges. The delicate script font with the wedding couple’s names and embossed logo at the top are other perfect characteristics of secret garden wedding invitations.
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Neutral garden wedding invitations templates: While bright and beautiful colors are common with garden wedding invitations, you can also find more neutral, muted options with a grayscale color palette. For example, the Smith garden wedding invitation has a black and white image of flowers across the design.
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Modern garden wedding invitations templates: A modern garden wedding invitation highlights simplicity and pops of color. The Liam garden wedding invitation, for instance, has a unique cutout design that reveals a beautiful blush pink rose.
These are some of the most popular garden wedding invitations ideas. From classic to secret garden wedding invitations, you can interpret this theme in near-countless ways. Talk it through with your partner, review the available templates and start imagining what you want your own to look like.
Learn More About Designing Garden Wedding Invitations
Your garden wedding invitations can be bold, neutral or even a combination of both. It should serve as the starting point for your epic event and life with your partner, so it makes sense that coming to a decision feels overwhelming at times. Our team is here to help navigate you through it all, and we are available to lend a hand. Contact us online or send us an email at hello@blissandbone.com, and we will be ready to support you and your garden wedding invitations project.
