Help! How should my wedding invitation look like?
- adrienne koehazi
- Apr 28
- 7 min read
Updated: May 1
Designing your wedding invitation
I've written this blog post to make the process of designing your wedding invitation easier. In this new blog post, you'll also learn what you need to consider when designing your wedding invitation. Whether you're designing the invitation yourself using Canva or hiring a graphic designer, you'll find this information useful!
If you think about all the things discussed here and try to answer the questions thoroughly, it will be much easier to decide on the style, colours and theme of your invitation, as well as the text you want to use!
At the end of this blog post you will find a questionnaire. Fill it in, get inspired and dream up your wedding invitation!
If you're wondering why wedding invitations are important and what options are available for invitation design, read this blog post first!
The choice of style
This is step number zero when designing your wedding invitation. When designing your wedding invitation, this is the first step. Defining and capturing the style and vibe of your wedding is crucial to setting the theme of your invitation.
Helpful questions:
What is your wedding theme? Will it be an outdoor ceremony in front of a clean, white pagoda by a lake?
What colours will be used for the decorations?
What time of year will the wedding be? The mood of a season can be incorporated into the invitation design.
What are the other elements that characterise you? I've had couples who really like to travel and have specifically requested a page in the invitation where I highlight the countries and cities they've been to.
Is there anything that you would like to highlight or that plays a big role in your relationship? For example, a photo with your child, or a holiday memory.
Of course, it's OK if you don't have an answer to these questions yet. In fact, I'll go further, it's not a problem if your invitation is not style-related to your wedding. The point is to choose the theme, colours and other elements that best describe you and your relationship!
Before you start planning, I encourage you to gather this information in the form of written text, and then in the form of inspirational images! On Pinterest, for example, you can browse a huge variety of invitation styles! By all means, it's worth collecting the images you like.
On my Pinterest page, you'll find a good selection of wedding-themed images, be it invitations, props, style or colours. You can reach my wedding board here! Have fun browsing.
Drafting the text of your wedding invitation invitation
One of the primary points of designing your wedding invitation is to put together the text. It's always a good idea to include something that's uniquely you. If you have a favourite quote or even a common saying, it can make your invitation very unique.
The following questions will help you find out what to include in your wedding invitation:
When and where is your wedding?
When can guests arrive?
Should they be prepared for both ceremony and dinner, or just a nice small family gathering?
How long do guests have to give an answer as to whether they will be there or not?
What events should they prepare for and at what time will these programs take place?
Will there be an outdoor or indoor ceremony?
Will there be a church service?
Do you have any requests regarding the dress code or wedding gifts?
Would you like a quote? If so, what kind?
And of course don't forget the most important thing, your name😊
Of course, you do not need to know the answers to all the questions. The length of the wording will also determine how many pages you want the invitation to be. If you're thinking of a two-page A6 invitation, it's best to be as concise and to the point as possible. However, don't be afraid to add a nice quote or a photo to make your two-page invitations extra special!
Shapes and folds for wedding invitations: quality meets style
After thinking about the style and wording of your invitation, check out what formats are available. Do you feel an elegant, double-sided, square invitation is your style? Or perhaps you want something more unique, like a fold-out version?
If you're working with a graphic designer, this is the point where the graphic designer will make some sketches based on your ideas. That's how it works with me, you'll have to choose from these directions and we'll go with the invitation that you like best.
If you're choosing from ready-made collections or templates, I'm pretty sure you've already found a wide variety of options. Which one appeals to you the most?
And what about printing? How about printing the invitation on a nice, textured paper? Or should we choose a thicker, glossy paper instead? Or would you like to see your name in shiny gold on the front of the invitation?
The complexity of the invitation will depend largely on the budget you have set yourself for the big day. For a more extravagant edition, the printing costs can go way up.
It's important to note that I work closely with a printing company when designing your invitation, so paper prices, printing prices, possible emergency surcharges are not up to me, they are up to the printing company. If you are designing the invitation yourself, it is always best to check with a printer. This way you can find out a lot about the delivery parameters and the printers can also help you a lot with the design.
Wedding stationery and other accessories
Besides designing the wedding invitation, you also have the possibility to design the wedding stationery with me. I still stand by what I started this post with: your wedding invitations and other decorations don't necessarily have to match.
Your wedding invitations will be distributed several months before the wedding. If you're not clear at that point about what kind of seating cards or menu cards you want, no problem. Thinking about the style of your wedding is a lengthy process and you don't need to know everything right away.
What are the wedding stationery items in addition to the invitation?
envelope
seating card
seating chart
menu card
table number
guest book
welcome sign
thank you cards
best man or bridesmaid/maid of honour invitation card
other stationery, for example for wedding games
Save The Date card (as in “Don't forget our wedding day!” This is a card that you can send before the invitation is sent out to ensure that no one has plans for that day)
RSVP card (RSVP is short for “Répondez s'il vous plaît” and means “Please respond!”)
Questionnaire for wedding invitation design
Here's a summary of the design of your wedding invitation:
what style of invitation do you want? Please gather attributes and descriptions, and it's no problem if you already own an extensive Pinterest image collection! In any case, it's worth saving the invitations you like in a folder and then putting them together by style! That way you can quickly find the mood that's closest to your vision!
Do you have any specific style requests? For example, a more extreme invitation format or fold, gold text, etc. Collect pictures of this as well, as many as you can!
Is there a graphic element you would like to see again in your invitations? For example, joint initials, fingerprints, a photo, etc.
Important information: your names, wedding date and location
What should the wording of the invitation be? Do you want to include a quote or a schedule, for example? If you don't have any ideas for this, you can find inspiration through my Pinterest boards!
What is the deadline for the invitation? If it's very urgent, the graphic designer and printer can charge an emergency surcharge. For this reason, it's important not to leave the invitation to the last minute!
Do you also need wedding stationery in addition to the invitation? What style should they be? What should the text be on them?
Are there any other requests you think are important to mention before you start planning?
How many pieces of invitations do you want?
In what other languages should the invitation be available?
Where can I get my wedding invitation?
There are several ways to get your wedding invitation. If you're feeling creative, you could even make your own. You can find lots of DIY ideas on Pinterest.
But if you've heard of Canva, you can make designing even more exciting. Canva is a graphic design software you can use for free. It's also very easy to use, you can put together your own invitation in no time. In addition, Canva provides you with lots of design elements and templates for wedding invitations.
But if you feel that your creative energies are not strong enough, you can have a professional to design your invitation for you. Wedding invitations are usually designed by graphic designers.
If you don't have a specific idea, it's probably easier to choose from pre-made collections. Print shops and some paper shops also make wedding invitations. You can also find plenty of wedding invitation in online webshops. These companies usually have an album of invitations to choose from. All you have to do is provide the text on the invitation and the company's graphic designer will rewrite it for you. The format and design elements in these collections are usually fixed and you cannot change them.
However, if you really want something unique and you have a specific idea for your invitation, it is worth contacting a graphic designer to create a personalised invitation for you. Of course, the latter is the most expensive option of all.
As a graphic designer and illustrator, I can help you dream and create your unique wedding invitation. You can see my designs here, and find more information on how to work with me.
If you feel like jumping right in for your first (free of charge, of course) consulting, drop me an email and let's set up an online appointment!
Képek forrása: Unsplash
