With such as wide variety of choice available for wedding stationery these days it can be difficult to decide which is right for your wedding. Whilst the choice should be a personal one, there are also a number of factors relating to the style of your wedding that you need to consider.
Formal Weddings
If you are having a formal wedding then you are very likely to be having a religious ceremony and will be adhering to wedding etiquette wherever possible.
For a formal wedding simplicity is usually traditional. Your wedding invitations should be elegant flat cards or folded versions but with a minimal amount of detail in terms of fancy graphic design and colored fonts. A typical formal invitation would be a flat card perhaps with gold edging and the invitation wording printed in the center.
According to wedding etiquette you should not enclose anything else with your wedding invitations, including RSVP cards, however, many brides choose to enclose a simple small RSVP card and envelope anyway.
The rest of your wedding stationery will follow the same, simple, elegant format. Colors will typically be white, cream or ivory, although you can use some variations in finish on these colors such as pearl finishes which add a nice sheen to the paper and card. Graphical elements will be very traditional such as wedding bells, doves, hearts and a bride and groom.
Informal Weddings
Not to be confused with casual weddings. An informal wedding can be a religious or civil one, but one where wedding etiquette will not play such a big role. Here invitations take one a whole new look, with stylish pocket styles, gate folds and the envelopment style which allows for the inclusion of various enclosures such as maps, accommodation details and RSVP cards.
With this style of wedding, invitations and indeed the rest of the wedding stationery, graphic design will play a major role with stylish modern or contemporary graphics, monograms and fancy fonts. Color will also be important with the chosen wedding colors being incorporated wherever possible.
