Most Popular Wedding Invitation Styles

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Most Popular Bridal Party Gifts

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Your bridesmaids and groomsmen are a huge part of your wedding. They attend your showers, buy their own dresses and tuxes, go to rehearsal dinners and bachelor/bachelorette parties. Since they are your closest friends and family, there’s no doubt that they love doing all of those things for your special day, but it’s still nice to show them your appreciation with a gift! Bridal Party Tees has a huge selection of gifts that are perfect for bridesmaids and groomsmen! Check out our list below and here for even more bridal party gift ideas!

For the Ladies

Personalized Totes: Personalized beach bags or canvas totes make great gifts for bridesmaids and wedding attendants! Fill them up with each girl’s favorite candy and goodies and maybe even a personalized wedding tee shirt for an amazing gift she will love!

Personalized Magnets: Magnets make perfect “Save the Date” gifts and can also be used as gifts for your bridal party goody bag! Customize them with names, dates, quotes, or upload your favorite photo and stick it on the fridge to be remembered every morning of the special day!

Wedding/Bachelorette Party tees: Customize each of your girls a tee shirt, tank top, or zip-up to commemorate the big day, or to wear out to the bachelorette party!

Shot Glasses: Customized shot glasses are a super fun and easy option for gifts for your bridesmaids! Personalize each one with the girl’s names, quotes or wedding date.

Coffee Mugs: Upload a photo of the lucky couple or put a date of a memorable event on one of our mugs and start your mornings off right! Makes a great keepsake or bridesmaid gift!

For the Fellas

Customized Beer Mugs: A personalized frosted mug or ceramic stein filled with goodies inside makes a perfect gift for your groomsmen or father-in-law!

Wedding/Bachelor Party Tees: So the guys want to take you out on the town for your last night as a free man? Why not provide the uniform tees as your gift to the guys for the night of fun they have prepared for you! Or throw a customized t-shirt in the gift set of goodies you already have prepared for them!

Shot Glasses: Customized shot glasses are a fun addition to any bridal party gift set or memorable bachelor party gift!

Sports Bag: Customize a sports bag and use it as a carry for all your other groomsmen gifts to the guys! It’s a great way to commemorate the day, and your friends will love having another gym bag!

Travel Mugs: Travel mugs make great groomsmen gifts because they can use them in the car, at work or at home! Personalize it with the date and location of the wedding accented by some fun art.