Gold & Champagne Wedding Invitations – How to dress up your wedding invitations
If you want to take your wedding invitations up a notch it’s time to start getting crafty! Your wedding invitations are the first glimpse your guests get at what to expect from your big day. The invitations set the tone for the event; some weddings are a bit more rustic so your invitations might follow that style, perhaps your having a backyard garden wedding so your invitations might be bright and floral. Wedding invitations can range in price as well from $100 up to $3000 depending on the paper you use, style of type and number of elements in the suite. No matter what your budget is you can make your invitations look beautiful with a few extra touches.
Choosing the paper for your wedding invitations
The quality of the paper that you use for your invitations is important. The best way to understand the quality of paper is to order a few samples. Once you touch the paper in your hands you will be able to see the difference between very thin/light paper and thicker and more premier paper. Paper is important since touching the invitations is the first thing people will notice when they open your invitations, aside from the front when they pull the invitations out of their envelopes. Hold the samples in your hands and decide what paper stock you like the best. I ordered samples for my invitations from Wedding Paper Divas,Minted and a few on Etsy as well. In the end I went with this suite from Wedding Paper Divas since me and my fiance both loved the classic, elegant design so much (Click Here).
Choosing shape: square, vertical or horizontal invitations
Invitations now come in a variety of shapes and sizes besides the traditional vertical 5×7. I personally loved the look of a square invitation so when I was looking for my invitations I went with a square design. Something to keep in mind, the non-traditional invitations will cost more when it comes to postage. My square invitations cost an additional .20 cents just due to their unique shape. Most traditional and classic invitations will stick to the vertical design but horizontal is also starting to become popular for more modern weddings. Whichever shape you decide on there are cards and pockets to match any of those layouts as well.
Choosing colors: making sure to pull your wedding colors through to your invitations
When it comes to choosing colors for your invitations most websites have the option to choose your colors. I wanted my colors to be gold, champagne and blush pink. As I started to look online a lot of the invitations did not offer a lot in the pink color palette so I went with something that was ecru, gold and cream. You don’t have to pull all of your wedding colors into your invitations suite, maybe one or two to tie it all together. Also when ordering your invitations you may want to get some samples of colors as well of the paper stock which can let you see how they look in person under different light.
Choosing what elements are needed inside your wedding envelope
Wedding invitations usually always include: the actual invitation with the announcement of the event, the name or names of those hosting the event (parents of the bride, parents of the groom, both parents and also more commonly now also the couple themselves), information about the church ceremony and date/time. It will also include an RSVP card and return envelope, it is also a good idea to get your return RSVP envelopes stamped with your address so you don’t have to write this out over and over again. You should also make sure to put a stamp on your RSVP return envelope to save your guests on having to get a stamp to return. You want the RSVP to be as easy as possible for your guests so that they make sure to send it back so you have an accurate count of guests. You will also want to include an enclosure card with information about the reception location and time. You may want to include an additional enclosure card to provide information about hotel accommodations, directions or any additional information for your guests.
Adding to your envelopes: Using Cards and Pockets and Belly Bands
Once you have your invitations you may want to make them extra special by using pocket envelopes. I originally ordered my suite of invitations from Wedding Paper Divas (click here) and was going to just use the regular invitations the suite came with. When they arrived I just felt like they were missing something. I searched online and decided I wanted to get pocket envelopes instead so I went with a site called www.CardsandPockets.com and ordered a few sample colors. It took a few colors to decide on the one I final picked which was called Opal (click here), a champagne shimmer square pocket with room to attach my main invitation with some glue dots (click here) and then put my RSVP card and envelope and enclosure card in the pocket on the right. This presentation looked so much better once someone opens the envelope.
These cost me an addition $150 total for the pocket and the new outer envelopes. The color matched perfectly and it added that touch I was missing. The next thing I needed though was a way to decorate the pocket so I ordered Leaf Gold belly bands from the same website (link here). I then ordered some square backing paper in the same color to attach a sticker too. In my original invitation suite I had ordered matching gift tag stickers, which were perfect to use on my belly bands! These I got from Wedding Paper Divas as well (click here). The belly band tied the entire look together perfectly, I couldn’t be happier with how these came out. The belly band goes around the entire pocket and I used a glue adhesive tape all around to make sure these would stay in place. I recommend using either of these two options:
Glue Dots click here OR Adhesive Glue Tape click here
In an upcoming post I will go over some tips to doing your wedding invitations: how to manage your list, tips and etiquette for your envelopes, RSVP tricks, stamps and more!