Creating the Perfect Vintage Wedding Invitations With Help From the Experts at Bliss & Bone
When you get engaged, there are two thoughts that you will likely have: 1. Yay! We’re getting married! And 2. How are we going to plan a wedding? While there are challenges and overwhelming moments, planning your wedding should be fun and straightforward—especially when it comes to your stationery suite. At Bliss & Bone, our selection of everything from modern to vintage wedding invitations will provide you with an easy-to-follow, design-focused process to take the guesswork out of this part of the planning experience.
For couples planning a vintage-themed wedding, there are a few design elements to go over. We will cover that, plus dive into examples, how to create your own vintage wedding invitations and other relevant products you will love. There are so many different ways to interpret this theme, from a Gatsby-esque, metallic design to cozy and nostalgic rustic vintage wedding invitations. No matter your style and preferences, you are sure to find your dream vintage wedding invitation at Bliss & Bone.
Understanding the Characteristics of a Vintage Wedding Theme
Before we go into selecting and customizing our vintage wedding invitations templates, we need to go back to the basics. The word “vintage” literally means “of age,” and vintage items are classified as mid-century modern or harken back to some part of past popular culture and trends. A vintage wedding can bring in elements from, well, any time in the past. From roaring 20s-inspired veils to a retro car from the 60s to 80s love songs at the reception, there are so many amazing, on-point options that will suit this specific theme. Of course, some are more popular than others, and we often find that the classic novel The Great Gatsby has drawn many to the idea of a gorgeous, art deco-style champagne tower. There is something so vintage and glamorous about it, and they provide an unbelievably stunning backdrop for any and all reception photos.
Even though this theme might come with clear features, you should make it all your own. Rustic vintage wedding invitations and other design decisions do not need to be gimmicky. Instead, you can interpret these ideas as a way to incorporate heirlooms from your family (you need something old, after all!) and simply show off your personal style and preferences.
However you want to spin it, a vintage wedding invitation will feel personal, special and get your guests excited about your upcoming celebration. Think through your own vision and then start pulling the proper pieces to fit your dream wedding ideas.
Examples of Modern and Rustic Vintage Wedding Invitations
As we have discussed, there is no singular type of rustic wedding invitations. In fact, even the most contradictory-sounding combos—for example, modern vintage wedding invitations—may be perfect for your future event. Below, we will outline a few specific ideas for rustic wedding invitations and explain the characteristics couples gravitate toward with each one.
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Rustic vintage wedding invitations: A perennial favorite among couples, rustic vintage wedding invitations might feature florals and other pieces that feel like they are from a different time in history. For example, the Marco vintage wedding invitation showcases a floral design with a porcelain plate and stamps as decor on the screen. Other rustic vintage wedding invitations could also feature background templates with a more retro aesthetic, like the Tara design.
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Modern vintage wedding invitations: While the two aesthetics might feel dissimilar, modern vintage wedding invitations provide the best of both worlds—and this may reflect the dynamic relationship between you and your partner. These vintage wedding invitations templates might include background designs showing fruit, like the Adrian or Emmy design, or it could come down to the font. A minimalist template with a bold serif font will give you everything you need for the ultimate modern vintage wedding invitations.
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Vintage wedding invitations with a focus on nature: Though you might have retro-chic Gatsby affairs on the brain, vintage can also translate to a cozier vibe. For an intimate feel, the Evelyn vintage wedding invitation has an asymmetrical branch with deckle edges and a romantic shadow looming across the design. There are plenty of other designs that also include dried or fresh florals that are cohesive for practically any vintage wedding. Plus, a foliage-focused vintage wedding invitation could inspire your overall greenery and floral design too.
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Vintage wedding invitations with metallic: Even more modern-looking designs can give off a vintage feel, and we think the Avery invite does just that. For a vintage glam aesthetic, there is nothing better than incorporating metallics, especially gold. This one pops with an art deco appeal wedding couples will love. All that is missing is a high-reaching champagne tower!
Both modern and rustic vintage wedding invitations—and everything in between—offer a whimsical and super romantic approach to your stationery suite. These are just a few of the many examples you will love checking out at Bliss & Bone. And if you find yourself gravitating toward this category, we also recommend exploring floral and boho wedding invitations. These curations feature similar concepts that we think you will love, and reviewing them will help your research and decision-making process as well. No matter what, you have to remember that these will make for a complete and well-crafted stationery suite you, your partner and your guests will appreciate and look back on for years to come.
Everything You Need to Do (and Know!) Before Designing Your Own Vintage Wedding Invitations
There are quite a few steps involved in the planning process that need to be accomplished prior to sending out your vintage wedding invitations. Some of it involves tackling the major points, like nailing down a venue, while others might include more research and outreach. Having all of this legwork done before you send out your wedding invitations will make everything go smoothly in the long run (Trust us, future you will thank you!). We will break down the must-have information and steps to take in order to get there below.
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Have an honest conversation about your budget. This is key, and we recommend making this happen as early as possible in your wedding planning journey. You and your partner might be the only two paying for your wedding, but some loved ones could offer to contribute as well. Make those decisions and then talk with those “stakeholders” candidly about your overall budget and the individual vendor rates you would ideally like to pay. During this conversation, you might want to discuss general rates for things like vintage wedding invitations, plus other key vendors and event-related elements.
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Consult with a wedding planner. Are you already a bit overwhelmed by all that comes with planning a wedding? Lucky for you, there are industry professionals who can help manage all of these tasks, recommend vendors and give you advice on everything from your venue to, of course, those vintage wedding invitations.
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Finalize your guest list: While this might feel out of place, you should have a good idea of how many people you think will attend your event. In most cases, if you invite 200 guests or fewer, 85 percent will generally be able to attend; and if you invite more than 200, about 75% will likely attend. With this in mind, finalizing your guest list will give you a clear answer to which venues can accommodate you, your partner and all of your friends and family members. Pro tip: Once this list is finalized, we highly recommend making sure you have their contact information (email or home addresses) for when you send out Save the Dates and vintage wedding invitations.
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Research and visit wedding venues: With your guest count confirmed, the research process begins. Your wedding planner can assist you with recommendations in your area or in destination locales, and then you should plan a visit. Due to a record-high number of weddings, venues are becoming more and more difficult to book. Some might not have availability for another year or even two, so landing your venue is of the utmost importance in the process.
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Book your venue and date: Ready to say, “I do” to your venue? Go, go, go! Make sure you are happy with your date and venue, and then submit your deposit to lock it in.
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Customize your own vintage wedding website: We highly suggest building out your vintage wedding website before anything else. You do not need to have it completely finished, but customizing vintage wedding websites offers a fun opportunity to add photos, include information about your wedding party and provide extra logistics that might not appear in your Save the Date or invite. Our vintage wedding website template options are as special as they are customizable. Plus, most vintage wedding websites come with coordinating Save the Date and invitation designs. In your vintage wedding website template, you can also add info about where guests should visit—these could be restaurants, bars, museums and other hot spots. One of our favorite examples of these vintage wedding website template ideas is the Serena design, which has dark and moody florals that will set the tone for your event.
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Select and personalize your vintage Save the Date templates: If you are interested in vintage wedding invitations and websites, prepare to obsess over our vintage Save the Date designs. As you look through the options at Bliss & Bone, remember that your vintage Save the Date needs to include your names, the date or dates (if you are hosting multiple events in one week or weekend) and the venue or city. Some couples may want to leave the actual venue as a surprise, so simply writing the general area (think Los Angeles or Charleston) is enough to help people start making plans. Guests should receive this vintage Save the Date about six to 12 months before your wedding, so they can take time off, save up and map out their travel plans. And if you are planning a destination wedding, make sure to get your vintage Save the Date out as soon as possible. Expert tip: If you have already customized one of our vintage wedding websites, add a link to the Save the Date.
Done with all of these items and ready to officially design your vintage wedding invitations? Fortunately, our curated vintage wedding website and Save the Date templates coordinate with many of our invitations. For example, the Charlotte vintage wedding invitation also has cohesive options for a website, Save the Date, rehearsal dinner invite and more. Browse our site and determine which template, or set of templates, will work best for your venue and theme.
How to Customize Online Vintage Wedding Invitations Templates
Now, if you have personalized your vintage wedding website and sent out your Save the Dates, your next stationery need is the all-important invitation. This is the formal announcement that you are getting married, and it also involves an RSVP (aka, how many people are actually attending your event). We want to help walk you through our easy-to-use online interface, so follow along and feel more confident about the customization aspect of this journey.
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Find your vintage wedding invitation design: With so many vintage wedding invitations templates at Bliss & Bone, you and your partner need to sift through them and pick your absolute favorite. Look through all of the options featured on this page and check out the other pieces in the collection. For instance, if you have already sent out the Avery Save the Date, you can scroll down to the “More From this Collection” tab and see all of the other stationery pieces available for customization. When you find “the one,” click “Customize” and you will be taken to our online invite builder.
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Choose all of the customizations: This vintage wedding invitation builder is incredibly easy to use, and you have clear buttons showing how to add these personalizations. You can leave the background, fonts and more as-is, or you can test out any other options provided. To make it even easier, you will love how the large preview part of the screen makes these changes in real time. This way, you can seamlessly figure out whether you like your changes or want to go another route. There is even an option to upload your own design, which is a feature creatives are particularly interested in testing out. We also love how our online designs are compatible with three-dimensional objects, shadows and more that will truly bounce off of your guests’ screens. Then, click “Next.”
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Edit and preview the email component: If you are customizing online vintage wedding invitations, it will arrive in your friends’ and family members’ email inboxes. That is why it is so important to have their contact information before you design, so this process is as smooth and efficient as possible. In the “Email” section, you have the opportunity to add the event name, date, venue and time. You can also add a note to your guests to personalize their experience even further. Then, click “Next.”
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Confirm your event page preferences: By sending out these online vintage wedding invitations, you have the chance to collect RSVPs (a must, of course!) and you can toggle the slider to collect guests’ addresses, add a note and provide any extra details. You can also opt in to have a comment wall, where guests can tell you how excited they are and how much they love you. Then, click “Next.”
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Add in your loved ones’ names and emails: In the “Recipients” section, you will upload the information for your friends and family members. Make sure all of the spelling, plus ones or in-house relatives and email addresses are accurate before you are ready to send your vintage wedding invitations.
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Send your vintage wedding invitations: Hooray! Everything has been double-checked and you are ready to inform your guests. By simply pressing “Send,” it will take just a few seconds for those vintage wedding invitations to land in your loved ones’ inboxes. From there, you can start seeing the RSVPs roll in.
Our vintage wedding invitations templates are made for you to love and then totally personalize. These should feel authentic to you, your partner and your relationship, making it a significant part of your planning experience. For many, it is also crucial that your modern or rustic vintage wedding invitations showcase the decor and theme to expect on the actual day of the wedding.
In this explainer, we went over the steps to create your own online vintage wedding invitations. If you are interested in learning more about our print offerings, the customizing process is slightly more involved. The print invite builder is just as easy to use, but you have a few more decisions to make about the paper, orientation and more. You will also have the opportunity to work with a Bliss & Bone designer, who sends you a proof of your vintage wedding invitations before they are sent over.
You can expect your first proof to arrive within three business days, and you can have two rounds of revisions with your purchase (note that each additional revision will cost $35). If you send over your approval, production times range from 12 to 18 days, depending on whether you opt for add-ons like hand calligraphy. However, if you need it rush ordered, there is a 25 percent add-on fee.
How Much Do Vintage Wedding Invitations Cost?
To better understand and compare our prices, let’s look at the averages: Digital wedding invitations should cost about $100, per Brides.com, and print invitations generally cost more than $1,000—and prices go up when you tack on extra invites, cards for a welcome party or post-wedding brunch and more. Of course, you also need to add in the price of stamps for those physical invites.
At Bliss & Bone, online wedding invitations are $1.20 each for parties with one to nine recipients and $0.90 each for guest counts of 10 or more. If you need more than 500, please reach out to us directly so we can provide further assistance and pricing information. And with our printed wedding invites, costs start at $387.50 for a pack of 50 and the prices go up depending on the paper, ply and other factors. Our paper builder will show you the price as it goes up or down in real time, depending on your preferences, making it easier than ever to see how much you will pay for your vintage wedding invitations.
Before you commit to one invitation template or the other, think about what you can comfortably afford and consider your general preferences. There are pros for both online and printed wedding invitations, and rest assured that you truly cannot go wrong here. Online Save the Dates and wedding invitations are becoming increasingly popular, especially with increased prices for all vendors lately, but printed invites continue to have their place in the industry. If you and your partner want a physical keepsake, a printed option might be the way to go. But if you and your significant other have set out to reduce your carbon footprint and use less paper, an online option would work best for your particular needs. Or you can split it up and go with an electronic Save the Date and printed formal invitation. Now, that is what we call the best of both worlds!
Get Started on Customizing Your Own Vintage Wedding Invitations at Bliss & Bone
Your wedding planning is underway and it is almost time to celebrate this incredibly momentous occasion in your and your partner’s life. Your wedding invitation will serve as an indication that you are eager to celebrate with your nearest and dearest, and making that happen requires just a few clicks at Bliss & Bone. We encourage you to contact us online or email us at hello@blissandbone.com to learn more and chat with us about your ideas. We look forward to working with you and assisting you with creating the most beautiful wedding invitations imaginable.
