Most Popular Wedding Invitation Styles

Your wedding invitation is your guest’s first glimpse of the theme of your wedding. Is it going to be a casual gathering, a formal affair, or a combination of both? By choosing the right papers, inks, and envelopes, you can ensure that your guests know what to expect, while showing off your creativity and style! Below are the 10 most popular wedding invitation styles that will help you get started with your own! Check out BridalPartyTees.com for any other customizable wedding gift, accessory, or apparel needs!

1. Eco-Friendly Invitations: Environment-conscious couples everywhere are opting to send out their wedding invitations on eco-friendly paper! There are tons of different options including 100 per-cent cotton papers, recycled seed embedded paper, wood veneers, and soy-based ink.

2. Traditional Patterns in Unexpected Colors: Put a new spin on classic patterns by using bright, vibrant colors! If your invitations feature a damask or brocade-inspired print, you could color them in fuchsia, light blue, or black.

3. Vellum: Adding a vellum overlay is an elegant touch that instantly adds color and style to your invitation.

4. Fabriano-Deckled Edge Paper: Fabriano-deckled edge paper is great for weddings that are formal, but still a bit laid-back.

5. Metallic: Metallics have made a come-back in fashion, and is now popping up in stationary too! Gold is an especially great color to use. You can use gold paper, gold engraving, and gold-lined envelopes!

6. Vintage: Vintage style is also an incredibly popular fashion trend that has made its way to the wedding world. Invitations inspired by Parisian soap label art, Givenchy couture, and swirl or damask patterns.

7. Monograms: Monograms were a big trend in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and now they’re getting a make-over! Monograms are becoming more thematic, with stylistic elements like elaborate ampersands. You could even consider using intertwined initials instead of a simple font to make your invitations pop.

8. Couture Envelopes: The envelope is the guest’s first glimpse at your invitation’s style! Beautiful liners in coordinating colors and patterns make your invitations a really cool keepsake to go with the actual invitation.

9. Material Add-ons: For additional flair, you can add fabrics like silk, velvet, and various ribbons to your invitations.

10. Beyond Paper: Nowadays its possible for wedding invitations to be printed on almost anything. You can now opt to do a creative wedding invitation on plexi-glass and custom-mold stones, wood veneer, glass, or even chocolate.

Wedding Invitation Etiquette

The ring is on your finger and plans are under way! Now you just need to get your guest list finalized and start inviting them to your wedding. Below are just a few wedding invitation tips to get you started as you begin to officially invite your loved ones to celebrate your wedding! Check out BridalPartyTees.com for all your other wedding preparation needs! We have a HUGE selection of customizable gifts for your bridal party, bachelorette party tees, and more!

Save-the-Dates: Sending out a “save-the-date” about six months before the wedding has become an expected courtesy. With travel arrangements and busy schedules, giving your guests a heads-up on your wedding plans increases the chances that they will attend your wedding. Save-the-date invitations can also be a little more fun and casual than your actual wedding invitations! We have adorable customizable magnets that are perfect for you to upload a photo of you and your fiancé to act as a save-the-date and a keepsake!

How to Assemble Invitations: Sometimes wedding invitations already come folded, but if not, you should fold them like a book. If the cards are flat, then no worries! The fold should be on the left with the invitation text on top and the inside page blank. Enclosures such as maps are usually placed beneath the response card if the card is placed on top of the invite, or they can be tucked inside the invitation if it’s a folded card.

Include Reception Entrée Options: More and more caterers are requesting entrée preferences beforehand so that they know how much of a dish to prepare (chicken, fish, meat, vegetarian). You can have this information printed on the response card itself, or on a separate sheet that matches your invitations.

Hand-written Invitations: If you’re having a small, laid-back wedding with fewer than 50 guests it is perfectly acceptable to hand-write invitations. It doesn’t have to be written in calligraphy, just neat handwriting will do! You will save some cash by handwriting your invites, but you might not want to do that if your wedding is larger and more up-scale because it won’t match the style.

Including a Dress Code: If you want your guests to dress more formally, instead of writing “black-tie” on the invitations, write something along the lines of “black-tie invited” or “black-tie optional” so that your guests know that the wedding will be formal, and that they should dress appropriately-tux or no tux.

How to State the Time: If you will be getting married at 2:30 pm the traditional wording would be “Half after two o’clock”. However, if you think this sounds too stuffy and formal, you can certainly use “two-thirty in the afternoon” or “in the evening” if the wedding is later.

Reception-Only Invites: If you and your fiancé opt for a destination wedding and would like to host a reception after the wedding day your invitations would read :

Ann and Vincent Smith request the honor of your presence at a celebration of their marriage Saturday, the ninth of November at seven o’ clock Rob Roy Country Club Mount Prospect, Illinois

This way, guests will know that the wedding has already taken place.

Wedding Budget Tips

Planning a wedding is an incredibly fun and exciting task that most brides thoroughly enjoy and look forward to! However, as most women know, weddings can also be very pricey. Below are several tips to help you stick to your wedding budget!

1. Start saving now! As soon as you’re engaged start putting aside as much of your income as you can for the wedding. TheKnot.com recommends saving 20% of your monthly income. The longer you are engaged, the more you’ll be able to stock away.

2. Get single page invites to save on postage.

3. Give out one favor per couple. We have a great selection of wedding favors that are adorable and affordable!

4. Use more greenery than flowers.

5. Instead of booking an expensive venue, try to look for a friend that has a beautiful house with a big compound or yard. Ask them if you can have your wedding there. Having your wedding on private property can save you a lot of money.

6. Have a friend do your hair and make-up instead of going to the salon. The cost of wedding day beautifications (hair, make-up, manicures and pedicures) can really add up! Make your own spa at home with mimosas, manicures, and brunch with your bridal party! Make it a perfect photo-op by wearing matching zip-ups, tee shirts, and tanks! Bridal Party Tees makes customizing your group designs super easy and fun!

7. Shop the off-season for extra décor. Get pretty pink vases after Valentine’s Day, and rustic brown and burnt orange ones after Thanksgiving.

8. Have bigger tables at the reception so you need fewer table clothes and center pieces.

9. Order a small one or two-tiered cake then supplement with a larger sheet cake hidden back in the kitchen.

10. If you have a photographer that you love but cannot afford, ask if they have an associate shooter who will do your wedding for less!

Wedding Day Make-Up Tips

With the immense preparation and care you take in selecting the perfect dress, hair, shoes, flowers, and accessories, sometimes your make-up takes a backseat. However, what’s on your face should certainly be a priority on your big day! Really take the time to decide what works for you and what doesn’t. Here are some really helpful tips that will help you avoid a wedding makeup catastrophe.

Getting all your bridesmaids together to go to the salon for your wedding up-dos and make-up has become a traditional part of the wedding day! A lot of times, salons will seat you all in the same room or row so you can chat and see the finial product of each other’s looks! Make it even more fun by customizing matching zip-ups! Be sure to check out all of our bridal party gear at Bridal Party Tees.com!

Here are some helpful tips if you’re having your make-up done professionally:

1. Bring a “visual”: Take the time to go through magazines and tear out pages that illustrate makeup styles that you really like, as well as the ones you really hate. This will save you time trying to describe (endlessly) what you want or don’t want, and will really help the makeup artist visualize what she needs to do.

2. Try it on first: Schedule a consultation with your makeup artist, or schedule a full makeup application well in advance. This will help you decide whether or not you like their style, and it will give you a good idea of how long it stays on, how it feels, etc.

3. Show her the gown: Bring a picture of your wedding gown with you to your consultation/application! Having a visual of the dress gives the artist an idea of the style of the dress and the wedding. Is it dramatic? Romantic? Elegant? This will also give the artist a glimpse of your style as a whole.

Remember, makeup goes on and comes off easily, so don’t be afraid to say something if you don’t like what the artist has done. It should be fun, and be a time to play with new colors and ideas to find your perfect wedding look! Once you have a look set that you like, have the artist write down everything that he/she used and makes note of items that you may not have that you’ll need that day.

Tips For Doing Your Own Make-Up:

If you have a bridesmaid or friend that loves to do hair and make-up for fun, (and is good at it!) why not save some money and have her do your hair and make-up for the big day at home? Make it fun with brunch, coffee and mimosas! We have a great selection of customizable mugs, wine bags, and bridal party tees for you to wear while you get glamorous!

Here are some tips for you if you’re doing your make-up yourself, or for you to pass along to whoever is doing it for you!

1. Always use sunscreen: Use a moisturizer with an SPF of at least 30, especially if your wedding is outdoors. Chances are, you’re probably getting more sun than you think, and you don’t want to look too pink in your wedding pictures.

2. Two words: Waterproof Mascara: Even if you don’t like to wear waterproof mascara every day, you can apply a layer of your regular mascara followed by a light coat of waterproof mascara. That way if there are any (happy) tears on the big day, you won’t have any watery black streaks!

3. Breakout Emergency: If you have a sudden breakout or blemish just before your wedding day, don’t panic, and don’t touch it. It may be tempting, but squeezing and touching will make it worse, whereas if you leave it alone, it will heal more neatly. If a sudden monstrous blemish appears that you just cannot deal with, see your dermatologist and ask if they can give you a cortisone injection which will shrink it right away.

4. Shine-Free Day: To keep your powder and concealer on all day, fold a tissue into squares and lightly press foundation before you’ve powdered to remove excess oils and leave only pure pigment. Then, apply a little more powder than you’d think you need, and press again with a tissue. The foundation will stay on hours longer this way.

5. Bold Lips: Go brighter with your lip color. Pale nude or brown lip colors can make you look a little washed out in photos, especially since you’ll be wearing white.

6. Soft Eyes: When applying makeup to the eyes, it’s usually best to go with neutral colors, and play up colors with cheeks and lips. Make the most dramatic part of your eyes be your lashes and eyeliner (this will look best in pictures). Do this by applying black or brown eyeliner to the outer ½ or ¼ part of the eye and blend with a q-tip. Then, take your mascara and eyeliner brush and lightly line the eye with your mascara. Let dry and smudge again. It will stay on for hours! Don’t forget to curl your lashes before applying mascara, not after!

7. Finished Product: When you’re finished with your look, you may want to apply a little more blush, then a light layer of loose powder, then lightly mist with a soft spray of water to set. It will take away the look of makeup while helping to set the makeup.

Personalize Your Soda!

 

soda

As you know, I am a big fan of personalizing the small details of your wedding. That is why I love how Jones Soda allows you to personalize your pop labels. These would make for great wedding favors or as drinks for your guests. They would be absolutely perfect for a casual outside wedding. However, I think I would really like them for a soda bar. You can get a variety of flavors all personalized with different pictures of the couple or images that play off the theme of the wedding. Then arrange them into an old fashioned soda bar with a unique modern twist. I love it! You can personalize your soda on the Jones Soda website. The soda is about $29 for a 12 pack. Start Designing!

Icebox Cookie Favors

 

ice box cookies

 Looking for a great favor idea? Then look no more! Here is a great recipe I found on  Epicurious. Originally from Michele Adams’s and Gia Russo’s book Wedding Showers: Ideas & Recipes for the Perfect Part, this is one recipe that is sure to make an impression. The best part is that these cookies are made with ingredients that most of you will have already in your kitchen. They also give you the directions for creating this adorible packaging as well. Also, this recipe makes about 3 dozen cookie, so keep that in mind while you are preparing. Get the recipe and favor box directions!

Thank You Card Idea~Thank You Tees

thanks

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Here is a super cute idea for your thank you cards! Instead of the traditional thank you cards, get shirts made that say it. You could make the shirts as pictured above or have the grooms shirt say “thank” and the brides say “you”. You can design your shirts here. After your receive your shirts, have a friend take digital pictures of you and the groom in them. Upload your favorite to a computer and print onto photo paper.Then you can put the picture through a sticker machine and adhere to a blank size-A6 postcard. You could also have the pictures printed on sticker paper to skip the sticker maker step. Another option is to go through a photo printing company and have the picture printed directly onto postcards. Keep in mind this will save you a ton of time, but will also cost a lot more money. Start making you shirts!

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Guest Book Alternative ~ Storyline

Here is a wonderful wedding idea from Project Wedding. In lue of a guestbook you can create a storyline. I love this idea because instead of collecting a list of names this allows your guests to share a story about the couple. This makes the process more intimate and wonderful for the bride and groom. They can look back on the stories and read the memories that their guests hold dear. It is also a fun way for guests to really get to know the couple. They are sure to have fun reading all of the stories that people remember. For more pics and directions click here!

 storyline

Wedding Fan Template

 

fan

fan template

Here is an easy DIY favor that will keep your guests cool on a hot summer day. Plus, it is a great way to just say thank you in a simply and fun way. To create this fan you will need heavy cardstock (two pieces for each fan), large craft sticks, spray adhesive, scissors, fan template and a color printer. Simply click on the fan template and print on cardstock. You will need to print the template twice. So, there is one on the front and one on the back. Make sure your printer is set on high quality printing. Cut out the designs. Next, lay one piece of cardstock facedown and glue the craft stick to the paper. Make sure the craft stick is almost to the middle, but has an enough room for someone to hold at the bottom. This will allow for extra support. After, the craft stick is in place glue the other fan design on top. Now you have a beautiful fan! So easy and fun. Enjoy!