The first piece of advise I give to a couple I'm meeting with is to choose a design and papers that represent them, and the wedding they are hosting. You wedding invitation is the first piece of communication you have with your guests, and tells your wedding story.
Guests should know exactly what type of event you are hosting the moment they open up the envelope (or even the moment they take the envelope out of the mailbox). If your invite has glitter and bling and fine metallic papers, your guests will know to expect a very formal and elegant affair, if your invite was printed on regular printer paper (don't worry, we don't print on printer paper!) they will likely expect a non-formal less put together event. The design of your invites, and the papers you choose, say more than just "You're Invited!".
I recently chatted to a lady that was a guest at a wedding. When she opened the invite she assumed that the wedding would be very formal and fancy, so she went out and bought an outfit as her wardrobe just didn't have anything in it that would work. When she arrived at the wedding she was a bit confused. She was dressed formally, but the wedding wasn't the extravagant event that she thought she'd be attending. The invite was more extravagant then the wedding. She was disappointed.
If you want a grande invitation (who doesn't?! Beautiful paper rocks!), it's easy to get a stunning invite, that matches your wedding without adding elements that just don't fit. Having a rustic wedding? Choose rustic type papers mixed with modern elegant fonts and imagery. Having a black tie wedding? Choose elegant and crisp papers with modern fonts with a pocketfold or satin band. Planning a wedding that's semi-formal, elegant but not over the top? Choose papers with your colours, no pocketfold, simply styled.
Working with a professional stationer will help direct your vision and have it be translated into an invite that represents your wedding and the day you are planning, and your guests will appreciate that.
Your wedding day is about your love as a couple, your commitment to each other, and the important people you want to share that with. Help give them the best experience by starting it all off right.
Top photo by Eternal Reflections Photography
Photo of Wood invite by Kristyn Harder Photography
Each of the above invite sets were designed to represent the couple, the wedding they were planning and the guests in mind. The last photo, the couple planned their wedding for over 2 years, and wanted their guests to know it was going to be a fun, eclectic event, but that it was also a formal style wedding. They had a fraggle rock cake! The wedding was at very nice venue in Banff. The invite is a great mix of fun and elegant, their guests should have opened this up and known exactly what kind of day to expect.