In my nearly 20 years as a wedding stationer, I’ve been beyond blessed to worth with so many wonderful and amazing couples with such unique styles. I absolutely love working with each couple to create their one-of-a-kind wedding suite and incorporating elements that are so fitting for them and their story. Even with our studio invitations, no two suites are exactly the same; there are endless combinations of colors and elements that make each perfect suite. With so many years and projects under my belt, I thought I’d share my top 5 favorite invitation details that make any invitation suite so much sweeter!
Envelope Liners
Let’s get right to my favorite invitation detail – envelope liners. I find that envelope liners are sometimes overlooked or misunderstood to some degree. Many couples don’t really think about them unless you point them out and more often than not, they assume that what we show in our product photos is what you get.
Couples either think the envelopes just come that way or don’t see the point in spending more for this detail that they don’t see as that important.
Envelope liners are my favorite detail of a wedding invitation suite because there are endless ways that you can completely customize through subtle or bold colors and patterns that complement the invitation. You can add your monogram, a photo, a piece of art or specialty paper. It’s the detail that brings together all the pieces of your invitation suite and makes it all look cohesive. Plus, I always think that an envelope liner, regardless of style, makes any invitation suite look more complete.
Colored Envelopes
A close second favorite wedding detail is colored envelopes. Incorporating colored envelopes can take an invitation from beautiful to a full on show stopper and can make even a studio suite look more elevated and custom. It’s also like the beautiful gift wrap that your guests will be excited to tear into and when they see a deep blue envelope with white ink or a rose pink envelope with calligraphy, it’s just stunning!
With colored envelopes, you can even mix and mix colors within the same suite for an even more custom look. You can do two coordinating colors for the main and RSVP envelopes, play around with different tones or go with a color for one and keep it more traditional with white or ivory for the other. There are so many ways to mix and match, how can this not be one of my favorite details?
Wax Seals
Wax seals have been around forever and even in my early years as a wedding stationer, I worked with couples that used them on their envelopes or as an invitation detail. These little beauties have really been on the rise in recent years and the options for color and design have really improved. They lend a vintage touch but can be used in so many different ways, they also feel fresh and modern at the same time.
Wax seals can be added to the flap of your mailing envelopes or they can be used to close a vellum jacket or on a belly band of ribbon or paper that wraps around the invitation suite. They can also be used as a design detail on the invitation itself or on one of the enclosure cards.
Wax seals can be completely customized now as well. All of our semi-custom and custom packages include a custom wax seal design for those including wax seals in their package and we offer 36 different colors as well as five different shapes and sizes. That provides so many ways you can personalize your wax seals to fit your invitation style perfectly.
While we do limit the design and color options in our Etsy shop, in this new era of wax seals, our customers can even order wax seals that can be adhered with sticker adhesive making their DIY assembly super easy and stress-free!
Ribbon
Ribbon was maybe the first embellishment I ever offered with my stationery way back in the early days of Raspberry Creative. Like everything else, ribbon has evolved and now there are so many more colors and luxurious materials available from silk to velvet and beyond. Ribbon is a great way to tie all your stationery pieces together when used like a belly band and what can be more classic than a pretty bow wrapping your suite like a lovely little package?
I even love hanging a tag from ribbon that includes additional details, a photo of the couple or their monogram for a little added detail. The options are virtually endless!
Specialty Printing
I have always loved letterpress printing. It’s an art in itself and adds such a luxurious and tactile element to any suite. In RC’s early days, I only offered digital (flat printing) because that is really all I felt I knew enough about. As RC grew and reached even more new clients from across the country, I found that their expectations were becoming greater and greater as well and I took a deep dive into educating myself all about letterpress and eventually invested in three antique presses with my husband as my unofficial pressman on my beloved Heidelberg I’ve lovingly named “Edith”.
Letterpress expanded into thermography (raised printing) and foil press. While I think letterpress will forever hold a very special place in my heart, all three of these beautiful printing options are both classic and beautiful and can be mixed and matched including with digital printing. You really can’t go wrong with any of these options!
When you are planning your own wedding invitation suite, don’t assume that what you see is what you get. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Consider all the amazing options and find ways to mix and match them to create a one-of-a-kind work or art for your wedding invitations.
