Discover your style and start planning your big day today!
In honour of our brand-new arrival at The Kent Wedding Centre, ByBlossom wedding stationery. We thought we’d share their advice on how to find your big day stationery style. Because deciding early on will make your decisions over table plan design, menus and place names etc that bit easier.
With time being of the essence, our advice when choosing save-the-date cards is this: choose something simple, something you love… but don’t get too bogged down with colour schemes or themes at this stage. Most couples send their save-the-date cards out before they get down to researching and planning the look for their day, so keeping designs simple will ensure that whatever comes later isn’t too mismatched.
Next on the stationery to-do list is the all-important invitations themselves, along with RSVP cards, direction/menu cards and any other information you want to give your guests in advance. These set the tone for your wedding and will offer your guests that first glimpse of your wedding style. As you’ll probably be posting these 3-6 months before your wedding day you’ll have plenty of time to do your research and find stationery to match your vision.
But what if you’ve seen so many things, you just can’t choose?
1. Let your venue guide you.
On the day itself, other stationery items come into play – table plans, order of service, menus and more, and it’s great to have these matching the style of your invitations. However, for maximum impact they should also complement their surroundings, particularly if your venue has a strong style of its own. Such a venue is Eltham Palace, an English Heritage property built in the 1930s in Art Deco style. This stunning venue is perfect for strong graphic styles, in particular Art Deco styles but also bold contemporary designs. Gold and silver metallics suit this venue well, and heritage colours such as grape, navy and berry shades.
Another is Leeds Castle in Kent, famous not only for the fabulous castle, but also for its swans. Swans could be incorporated into a design in any number of ways… watercolour illustrations, or as part of a motif or monogram.
Or for a more rustic barn or outdoor wedding, such as Winter’s Barns or Cooling Castle Barns, kraft papers and more relaxed styles work well, along with floral and foliage designs.
And don’t forget the venue itself – some are so iconic that they deserve a place on your stationery so consider featuring an image of the venue, or it’s logo – with the venue’s permission, of course.
For those of you getting married abroad, there is so much inspiration! From ticket or passport style designs with tear off RSVP cards, to beach themed styles with beautiful shells, or footprints in the sand, there is so much that your location has to offer the design of your stationery. For stylish city weddings, skylines create iconic imagery and can be simple, but very cool – think New York or, closer to home, London skylines in metallic foil on beautiful bright white card.
2. Your heritage
Weddings are a time for reflection and a time for family. A wedding stationery design that incorporates elements of your family history are wonderfully personal and always appreciated by close family members. Think national flowers, or emblems comprising national symbols that represent you and your partner. Some of our previous designs include a cheetah and kangaroo representing the nationalities of the bride and groom.
3. The season
Weddings are certainly not just reserved for the summer months any more, but if your wedding is at this amazing time of year, your wedding stationery style can be inspired by a wonderful palette of bright colours, flowers, lanterns, and so much more.
Winter weddings also offer all sorts of design inspiration. Stunning outdoor landscapes… delicate frosty mornings, the sun glinting through the trees and shimmering snow drifts. Monotone images of snowy vistas or graphic patterns made from winter icons such as snowflakes and deer work so well – use black and white for truly striking invitations with understated luxury, or for a splash of colour think frosty blues and bright purples. Print on iridescent white paper for the ultimate touch of winter wonder. Winter is also the season of sparkle, glitter and gold! Think luxury, glamour and extravagance – the black tie ball – for the ultimate in stationery sophistication.
Spring is the season of new beginnings; green shoots, gardening, fresh air and sunny days. Spring flowers make for beautiful stationery designs but for a modern twist take inspiration from your garden – exquisite foliage, from tiny delicate stems to big bold leaves, all with an array of amazing colours. Think greens, grape and ivory paired with silver foils. We also love blossom which is really on trend… delicate Japanese inspired cherry blossoms are super-stylish and work so well with blush and hot pinks, pale greens and greys.
And let’s not forget Autumn… the tail end of summer evokes images of fairly light and balmy romantic evenings, or further into the season then the wonderful colours of autumn leaves work so well on stationery items… we’re currently loving winter squash!
So many ways to choose a style for your day… your guests will love whatever style you go for, simply because it reflects your choices and you as a couple. Happy stationery planning!
Find out more about ByBlossom and book a free wedding stationery consultation with them via their website, or by visiting us in-store.