Invitation Maven has been designing custom wedding invitations for more than 20 years. Many of our clients are concerned about the “right” way to do things. Sometimes that’s because they’ve never planned a large event before and they don’t want to “make a mistake.” Other times it’s because they’re getting pressure from family members that things have to be done a certain way. When our clients ask us what they should do, the short answer we always give is, “there is the traditional way to do things and then there’s your way.”
Here at Invitation Maven, our goal is to create the perfect wedding invitation for you. Sometimes that means creating something that may be unconventional and out-of-the-box. We can also create a very traditional wedding invitation suite, if that’s what you want. So long as your invitation reflects your personality and your design sense, then it’s right for you.
So this got us thinking. There are some misconceptions floating around, so we thought we’d address the 5 common myths about custom wedding invitations to put you at ease.
MYTH ABOUT CUSTOM WEDDING INVITATIONS #1: All the pieces of the invitation suite have to be on the same paper and printed with the same technique.
It’s nice when all of the papers and printing techniques match, but this is not a requirement for a beautiful wedding invitation suite. In fact, some of our favorite invitation designs are ones that mix and match papers and printing techniques.
Earlier this year, we had a client who wanted to design a letterpress invitation for her wedding. But the cost of letterpress printing everything put the total cost outside of her budget. We letterpressed the main invitation, then printed the response cards and inserts digitally. As we explained to our client, the response cards are returned to you and do not remain with your guests as part of the invitation suite, so it’s not as important to spend the extra money on those. The inserts had a consistent design, with matching fonts and complementary ink colors, so the overall design was consistent with the letterpress piece.
We sometimes also mix papers. This help makes the main invitation pieces stand out from the ancillary inserts. It also helps add visual interest to the wedding invitation suite.
For a wedding client last year, we designed an invitation suite with five different “main” colors: white, gold, black, blue and burgundy. We even mixed in a fun modern pattern on the back of the main invitation, and included a laser cut belly band to pull it all together. This invitation suite was a bit of a design challenge: we had to make sure the fonts, colors and patterns complemented each other. But it worked, and the client had a unique and stunning custom invitation that suited her and her fiancée’s personalities.
MYTH ABOUT CUSTOM WEDDING INVITATIONS #2: You must use proper grammar.
We often remind our clients to view their custom invitation as an art piece rather than as a term paper. As such, it does not have to follow all the rules of conventional grammar. We of course do our best to make sure names, dates, and locations are spelled correctly, that certain basic rules are followed, and that the invitation clearly conveys the date, time, location and reason for the event.
But this is your invitation and you can, and should, get creative! You can leave out commas, or you can typeset the entire design in lower case letters if you want to. Want to start a sentence with the word “and” or use passive voice? Go for it! The invitation should reflect your personality. Have fun!
MYTH ABOUT CUSTOM WEDDING INVITATIONS #3: You must use proper etiquette to address your invitations to your guests.
As with grammar, there are “rules of thumb,” and then there are “rules for fun.” You do not have to address your invitations formally with honorifics and titles if that’s not your personality or if your event is not formal enough to warrant that style. We of course always suggest keeping your guests in mind when addressing envelopes to certain individuals. That’s because you don’t want to offend grandma on purpose if you know she’ll get upset if her envelope isn’t addressed with the appropriate formality, and you don’t want to forget a title when you know someone worked hard to earn it.
But other than that, you’re free to address your envelopes however you wish. Of course, it’s also fun to include honorifics and titles on invitations to formal events because people like to receive mail addressed that way. Regardless of how you decide to address your invitations, Invitation Maven can answer your questions and help you figure out what works best for you.
MYTH ABOUT CUSTOM WEDDING INVITATIONS #4: Digital printing isn’t formal enough for formal weddings.
This is perhaps the best myth we here at Invitation Maven like to dispel. While we do our fair share of letterpress, foil imprinting, thermography and other higher-end printing techniques, the majority of Invitation Maven designs are printed on high-quality digital presses. In fact, some of our most formal designs are printed digitally.
The primary benefit of digital printing is that it allows us to create full color invitations in smaller runs (under 500 sets) at affordable prices. And we work hard with our printing partners to ensure that the finished prints are consistent and blemish free.
MYTH ABOUT CUSTOM WEDDING INVITATIONS #5: Wedding invitation wording should be formal.
If you’re a silly, fun-loving couple, there’s no reason why your invitation can’t reflect your playful personalities. In fact, your guests will love receiving an out-of-the box, amusing invitation. It will set the tone for your event and will get your guests excited about celebrating your special day with you. That’s not to say that the invitation wording can’t be formal if that’s what you want. It’s just that it doesn’t have to be.
We hope we’ve dispelled some of the common myths about custom wedding invitations you may have heard. You can follow the many “rules of thumb,” or you can make up your own “rules for fun.” We give you permission to break the rules and design a wedding invitation suite that fits your and your fiancé’s personalities.
Whatever you decide, Invitation Maven is here to answer your questions. We would love to help you design your custom wedding invitation suite, too! Let us know how we can help! Contact us online through our website, or call us at 424-666-1796.
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