Traditionally wedding invitations were handwritten, an undertaking that the majority of people these days would run screaming for the hills from. Later, technology brought us a printing method called engraving, which still exists today, but is rarely used due to high cost. Today, you will find most cookie-cutter stationers as I call them, they offer little or no customization, will use a print method called thermography which uses heat to raise the ink above the page. This method is quickly running its course (no longer “in vogue”) and couples are moving toward letterpress, where the text and images are pressed directly into the paper, or for the budget conscious, laser (flat).

Traditionally wedding invitations were virtually void of any colour and personality. Today, with advances in printing capabilities and a vast array of paper styles and colours to choose from, there are an infinite number of choices. Do not be afraid of colour but use it wisely; less is always more. Don’t try to put too much into your invitation and bog it down with bells and whistles that it doesn’t need. Keep it clean and simple and elegance will follow.

Calligraphy is always the way to go if you can afford it. For your time to hand-write each one, the cost to pay someone else to do it, more times than not, is more than worth it. If you can’t afford a calligrapher, a close second is having the envelopes printed by stationer. Again, for the cost, it will be well worth it. Labels, even clear, should never be used under any circumstance on wedding invitations – save them for your holiday cards.