Congratulations, you’re getting married! And what a way to start the year, hey?
Being engaged is an exciting and nerve-wracking experience for all new brides, and feeling overwhelmed by planning such a big occasion is only natural. To embrace that sense of things ‘getting real’, one of the first important decisions to make concerns your wedding invitations.
Whether you’re looking for wedding invitations, save-the-dates, or thank you cards, knowing which style and theme you’ll choose to announce your wedding takes time to decide. The amazing and unique styles in the wedding stationery market are exciting and wide-ranging, and can dictate the stylistic concerns of your Big Day. As such, it’s certainly not a decision to be taken lightly.
We’re here to help with that; here’s our IDEAL guide to 2023’s biggest trends in wedding invitations and stationery.
Invitation Style Advice
First things first; your wedding invitations. They are your chance to make a great first impression on your guests and indicate what’s to come, thematically. Whatever theme and style you choose here will suggest to them the feel and vibe of your wedding, so this is an important choice, make no mistake.
Along with setting the tone for your wedding day, your wedding guests will no doubt save them as special keepsakes to remember your wedding day for years to come.
No pressure, then. Despite the momentous weight sitting on the shoulders of your invitations, this process should be a fun experience, and the first of its kind with your and your future spouse.
Here we have broken down some pros and cons for a few of 2023’s key invitation styles to help you narrow down your options and discover your perfect wedding invitations.
Gatefold Invitations
Positive: This invitation style provides an instant wow factor with its dramatic open-gate reveal. The unique and intriguing shape will give you lots of room to play with and allow you to include plenty of detail about your big day in one piece of stationery.
Consider: However, with the popularity of this style and that aforementioned abundance of space comes a higher price point. Therefore, this style may not suit those with a tighter stationery budget.
Postcard Invitations
Positive: Postcard invites are a simple, chic choice for those who don’t wish to use much of their wedding budget on stationery. As well as a cost-effective option, a postcard-style invitation is ideal for couples with a more intimate guest list and only simple information to share.
Consider: If you have a more extensive guest list and wish to relay more detail to your wedding party, you may struggle to fit everything into this format.
Paperless Invites
Positive: Sending invites over email is not only kinder to the environment, but better for your wallet, too. You also have more creative control over how the invitation looks.
Consider: Family, friends and relatives might want a keepsake of your Big Day. An email may not feel quite as special in this respect.
IDEAL Tip: Go further than having paperless invites; take the whole Big Day build-up online. If you have a tighter budget but are conflicted by the amount of information you’d like to give your guests, a wedding website could be the perfect answer.
Create a wedding day hub for you and your guests, and use this as a go-to for all the information and details they may need about your special day. You can include RSVPs, colour schemes and countdowns, so your guests are entirely in the know.
Read: How to have your dream wedding on a budget in 2023
Wedding Stationery Theme Advice
When it comes to shaping the overall theme of your wedding day and its adjacent stationery, it’s sensible to start with the wedding venue as an anchor, foundation and inspiration. Knowing where you would like to host your ceremony can help focus minds on the vibe and aesthetic that would suit your surroundings.
This decision will help you in choosing colour palettes, fonts and styles so that your wedding day feels right for where you are. For example, an outdoor countryside wedding might call for stationery with a more rustic, botanical vibe paired with a more delicate font style. On the flip side, a fabulous modern hotel ceremony might warrant more chic, glossy invites and matching dramatic font.
Some Stationery Themes That Are Looking Big For 2023
Metallics: This futuristic feel will be popular among Brides in 2023. Think chic, expensive-looking metallics in beautiful shades of Gold, Silver and Rose Gold.
Get Personal: Immerse your guests into the day’s beauty by using personal images throughout your invitations, save the dates or thank you cards. The photos can include photos of yourselves or even illustrations of your venue.
Rustic & Simple: Sometimes, less is more when it comes to wedding stationery. Take a step back with a rustic theme composed of natural browns, beautiful florals, and lace for a simple and romantic feel.
Floral: A classic and timeless theme that resonates perfectly with a romantic wedding. Mix and match different varieties for a bespoke floral bouquet that suits you and your wedding vibe.
Other Wedding Trends To Look Out For
New brides-to-be are taking on new directions regarding popularity and trends. The world’s current financial climate is a factor that massively influences their decisions. Add to that various post-pandemic wedding considerations, and many brides are now looking to keep their weddings streamlined and smaller, amongst other preferences. Here are some trends that will be seen more frequently in the wedding market.
Pantone Colour Palettes
The colour of the year is Viva Magenta. With this, we expect to see a rise in the popularity of bold, moodier colours to complement this pink-red tone and overtake in popularity of neutrals.
Eco-Friendly: Just as fully recyclable stationery now comes as standard, many brides will also make an extra effort to seek out eco-friendly options in other areas. This preference includes locally sourced food and flowers and rented/second-hand dresses.
The Rise Of Pinterest: Although this has long been a popular platform for inspiration and ideas, many modern Brides favour seeking inspiration from Pinterest or other digital mood boards over traditional wedding magazines and wedding fayres.
It’s an inclusive, communal experience; brides gather their ideas and wedding visions from social media platforms and other brides and then attempt to recreate this look themselves. What’s not to love?
Financial Contributions Over Gifts: It’s becoming more popular for couples to request a cash gift over a traditional one. This gift most often takes the form of a contribution to the honeymoon fund.
A trend we expect to see more of in 2023 is the giving of this gift being facilitated by QR codes on wedding invitations. Guests can easily scan these codes with their smartphones and send their contributions straight to the happy couple. Modern life is pretty marvellous sometimes, don’t you think?
The Bottom Line
Hopefully, you are well on your way to conceptualising your perfect wedding day with the help of this insight into trends, styles and ideas. We’re sure it will be the most memorable and beautiful day for you and your partner!