Lynchburg Living

2011 Hitched

By Kimberly Feldkamp

You’ve got the groom.

You’ve got the ring.

You’ve got the date.

Now you’re ready to tell the world and invite all your friends and family to share in your happily ever after.

But where do you begin?

The options for wedding invitations are almost limitless today–they run the gamut of everything from luxurious and elegant to whimsical and eclectic–and can be purchased or designed to match the uniqueness of each bride and groom and their wedding style.

Invitations are a vital part of your Big Day–it’s the first thing any of your guests will see and sets the tone for your wedding, so you’ll want them to be special–a reflection of who you are as a couple. But, picking out your wedding invitations isn’t as simple as picking out a piece of paper and putting a fancy font on it.

“Think of it as a piece of artwork you can someday display,” Lauren Bennion, an invitation designer for the Farm Basket’s Paper Shop, said.

Getting Started

The old adage “the sooner, the better” definitely applies when it comes to planning your wedding invitations, especially because there are so many different styles and options today. To help narrow down the search and to give yourself an idea of where to start, scour the internet, bridal magazines and perhaps even the stack of wedding invitations that you’ve collected over the years from family and friends’ weddings, to get a sense of what you do and don’t like.

“The hardest brides to work with are the ones that come in and don’t have any idea of what they want,” Tess Craddock, a sales associate at the Paper Shop, said.

Craddock can often be found sitting at a large table in the center of the bright Paper Shop store, surrounded by stacks of albums and binders that contain sample wedding invites. The Farm Basket is certainly a local hub for invitations–the Paper Shop’s large bookcase alone holds more than 20 albums, all full of different designs and paper types, colors and fonts, which can be combined and crafted to create a perfectly beautiful, perfectly unique invite.

“We have such a wide variety because we really want to help brides personalize their invitations, and find a design that works for them,” Craddock said. “It can be overwhelming, but that’s why we’re here.”

As Craddock points out, having that personal contact can be so important as you go through the whole design process.

“I always say wedding invites are the most important piece of paper you’ll ever choose, and it’s good to be a part of that,” she said.

Sifting through their samples, there are soft and shiny papers, embossed texts and embellishments, classic and simple designs on heavy, creamy paper.

“We can help answer any questions about wording and etiquette that brides–or their mothers–might have,” Craddock explained. “And for most brides, it’s helpful to see the invitation and feel it, and that’s hard to do if you’re purchasing your invites online.”

Types and Trends

Although almost anything goes when it comes to weddings today, Craddock and Bennion say there are some trends they’ve seen emerging. For example, most brides want to incorporate their wedding colors into the invitation, whether through a motif, ink color or monogram. Bennion says that often, the colors will reflect the wedding colors.

“I think there’s really been a push to be creative and to capture the couple,” Bennion said. “I think weddings have become more eclectic and ‘do-it-yourself’ and I think the invites are reflecting that.”

She added that she has seen a trend towards more simplistic and minimalistic designs, with a lot of the focus on the wording of the invites and the fonts.

“The wording of the invite says a lot about what guests can expect at the wedding,” Craddock explained. “If the wedding will be in the church, the wording should be ‘request the honor of your presence.’ If it’s an outside venue, the invite should read ‘request the pleasure of your company.’”

Craddock said here in Lynchburg, most of the brides she works with tend to be more traditional, but even here brides are opting for ink color, the combination of fonts and/or incorporating motifs. Square invitations, along with slate grey and lots of shades of blue, are also popular.

“Embellishments, like jewels or rhinestones or ribbons, are really a big trend right now,” Craddock said.

She also added that more brides today want letter-press printing on their invite or want to send large, square invitations, which she points out, require extra postage.

Choosing to send response cards and/or reception cards is another trend. Craddock says that response cards are actually relatively new–in the past, guests would automatically RSVP on their own–but now some brides are opting out of using either.

“A lot of brides are just working to include the reception details on the invitation, and some mothers, especially if they’ve been through a wedding before, don’t think the response cards are necessary, since they never get returned,” Craddock explained.

Bennion agrees, saying more and more brides are asking for RSVPs via email. The response cards have also taken on a different design–some are small and simple like business cards, others are exact mini-replicas of the invitation design.

“It’s really about what the couple wants,” Craddock explained. “Anything goes.”

For Brides on a Budget

“Know your budget,” said Craddock. “If you have that set before you set foot in our store, it can be so helpful. And we can look at the invites that fall within your price range, so you don’t fall in love with something you can’t afford.”

Just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the style of your invitations. Instead of incorporating two ink colors, just use one. Don’t use lined envelopes, or any size or shape that would require extra postage. You can also keep costs down by not sending response cards and having a friend help address the envelopes instead of paying for them to be printed.

“You can still get a nice, quality look. Just take your time to look at all the options at the price level that works for your budget,” Craddock said.

It’s your day

No matter what type of wedding you’re having, something formal and elegant, or intimate and eclectic, make it your own … and make sure your invitations reflect that. As both Craddock and Bennion point out, have fun with it. After all, it’s the first piece of paper to your happily ever after.