The Fashion and Style of Wedding Invitations

Although wedding traditions may not change much from year to year, each new year ushers in a whole new round of trends that couples will be looking to incorporate into every aspect of their wedding planning, including choosing or designing their invitations. Let's look at some of what's on that list for 2007.

Environmentally-Friendly Invitations

With the focus on global warming and other environmental concerns growing, more couples are trying to do their part. In 2007, you'll see more couples opting for recycled paper invitations. While recycled paper tends to have a strange dark tint to it, when the paper is colored it still looks very nice and elegant.

Unusual-Shaped Invitations

The standard invitation was just a plain rectangle a few years ago, but more couples are looking for something unique today even with their formal invitations. Round, tri-fold, or tea length cards are all going to be popular choices among brides and grooms this year. Look for more oversized cards, as well, even though they usually cost more in postage.

Pouchettes

Pouchettes are basically wraps that go around your invitation. For example, some pouchettes wrap around the invitation so that they open to resemble a blooming flower. The pouchettes can be clear or colored and can be decorated with images, such as flowers or snowflakes, for a more elegant appearance.

Bright Colors

Althoughtraditional whites and off-whites will still be common with invitations, more couples are going to jazz things up with dashes of vibrant colors such as rich browns, deep greens, and dark blues. However, orange might be the biggest wedding color of the year. Not only will orange be found on bridesmaids' dresses, on napkins and table cloths, and in decorations, it will also be making itself known on invitations. Couples might opt for orange envelopes or orange embellishments on their traditional invitations, for example. Of course, if they're having a less formal wedding or making their own invitations, they might opt for using orange paper.

Pocket/Portfolios

Another hot trend right now are pocket and portfolio invitations. With this style of invitation, all of the different elements – the response card, the reception card, etc. - all fit neatly into a pocket portion of the invitation. This looks elegant, plus it makes it less likely for any of the pieces to be lost when the invitation is removed.

Invitation Embellishments

Whether you choose formal or casual invitations this year, another trend is for finding creative ways to accent them. Couples used to be limited to decorating the invitations with ribbon, but today they can choose from pieces of lace, silver charms, decorative beads, feathers, and more. You can really be as creative as you want to be this year when it comes to making your invitations stand out.

URLs on Invitations

One fast growing trend is the idea of personal wedding websites. The couple puts together their own page including pictures of themselves, details about their wedding, ways to RSVP online, and more. Some couples have also included blogs to their wedding pages. When the couples send out their invitations, they include the URL to their wedding page so guests can easily find it.

Destination Wedding Invitations

Over the years, destination weddings have continually becoming more popular. This year, spurned on by the big news of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' destination wedding in Italy, even more couples are going to be tying the knot in exotic locations. That means they'll probably be sending fewer invitations and more wedding announcements. However, it also means that most of those wedding invitations will be reflecting their destination: an Eiffel Tower for a Paris wedding, a slot machine for a Vegas wedding, a sandy beach for a tropical wedding, etc.

A Return to Glamour

While a few short years ago, the casual wedding was the way to go for couples, this year more couples are looking to capture the feel of glamour and elegance in their weddings. One way to do that is by having their invitations engraved – although it's expensive, it creates a distinct look that used to be reserved for just the very wealthy. Couples who can't afford engraving will be opting for thermography.

Rain Cards

More and more couples continue to abandon traditional indoor locations, such as churches, in lieu of more interesting outdoor settings, such as zoos and botanical gardens, for their weddings. Of course, no outdoor setting is immune from the risk of rain and that's why it's important to have a Plan B. To deal with that reality, another invitation trend is to send along rain cards that tell guests where the wedding and/or reception will be held in case of bad weather. The rain card should also include a phone number guests can call to determine whether or not the wedding has been moved to the alternative location.