Custom wedding invitations, accessories and printables are often an underestimated part of wedding planning. These signature features set the mood for your destination wedding weekend. Opening a unique, personalized wedding invitation gets your guests excited about what’s in store for them over the wedding weekend.
The wedding invitations and accessories are worth focusing on from the initial planning stages. They tell a story; living on in a photo frame, scrapbook, and of course that coveted wedding accessory photo. This small detail leaves a big impact on your wedding and your love story.
Personalizing your wedding invitation and accessories is a great way to set the tone for your wedding. Every customized detail helps to carry a cohesive design throughout all planning phases including your actual wedding day.
CREATING YOUR DREAM WEDDING WEEKEND
Don’t let the thought of designing your wedding invitation and accessories overwhelm you. Start by creating your guest list and mapping out the overall flow of your wedding weekend. This determines which events are going to need additional information such as arrival times, dress code or celebratory theme.
Have your wedding planner help you create a list for all of your paper items, including but not limited to:
- Save The Dates
- Invitation Suite
- Menus
- Escort Cards
- Place Cards
Digital printing is an excellent option for smaller budgets. Custom wedding invitation methods such as engraving, and letterpress will naturally be a larger investment. You can highlight custom wedding accessories in high-impact places such as the menus, as they will become an intricate part of the table decor. Don’t be afraid to have fun with this; those details matter!
INSPIRATION FOR CUSTOM WEDDING INVITATIONS & ACCESSORIES
Let your fingers do the walking by exploring vendor options and styles on Instagram. Start looking at details such as personalized wax seals, paper layering, and unique shapes. It’s ok to like it all! Save your favorites and you’ll start to see a pattern for what style your eye gravitates towards.
Once you’ve identified a vendor (or two) for your wedding invitations and accessories, make an appointment to get the process started. Talk to them about timelines and turnaround times. Creative solutions can always be found to help you with the initial invitation design. Be aware that logistics can become sticky if you’re on a tight timeline.
DETAILS & DEADLINES
During your conversation with the vendor, it’s important to confirm details regarding how quickly they need the content. Make sure that you understand the proof & review process. The deadline for final approval must be confirmed to avoid stressful situations. Also, have your vendor confirm how many revisions are allowed before incurring additional costs.
Before meeting with your stationer, think about the overall design and aesthetic for your wedding day and how you want things to look. The wedding invitations and Save The Date cards can set the tone of your design for the entire weekend.
You can also utilize a website to design all of your printed materials. Some great options for this include Artifact Uprising, Zola, and Zazzle. In addition to its design capabilities, Minted is a hosting platform for your wedding website which seamlessly carries your design from online to social media through your custom wedding invitations and accessories.
CREATING A WEDDING LOGO
A wedding logo is a great way to “brand” your wedding weekend. It’s a way to customize your wedding from the very beginning. Choose anything from modern and minimalist, or whimsical and creative.
A custom logo can be used in a million different ways and applications. Your logo can be included on all printed materials and signage. It’s an amazing way to have something special from your wedding day that you can use moving forward.
SAVE THE DATE
A Save The Date notice for destination weddings is a great way to get your guests excited for your wedding, and ready to travel. Before sending out your Save The Date you’ll need to have some details in place. Your first project is getting your guest list finalized and contact details organized. This might involve several rounds of editing and family input. Make a fun weekend out of it: turn on some good music and open a bottle of bubbly.
While you’re getting your list perfected, work out the other wedding details. Solidify the wedding venue with your planner, sign the room block contract to secure your accommodations, and most importantly solidify the wedding date. We’ll of course add your wedding date and venue to your Save The Date once the room block contract is in place. You’ll be able to provide a booking link to your guests.
THE INVITATION SUITE
The Invitation Suite includes multiple elements, and this is the perfect place to show off your color palette and design concept. Include your logo and small customized design details that tie in all of your creativity. We all know that the devil is in the details and in creating a truly unique wedding you’ll want all the fabulous details you can get.
Elements of an Invitation Suite: Outer Envelope, Inner Envelope, Wedding Invitation, Itinerary, Accommodations Card, Response Card, and postage.
THE WEDDING INVITATIONS
The Wedding Invitation is the formative element of the Invitation Suite, but what information should it contain? Although it might seem obvious what to include, it’s easy to overlook including some important information.
Make sure your guests know the time of the ceremony, wedding date, ceremony location, and reception location. A great place for quick bites of information is corner copy. Information that you might put in the corner copy is ‘no gifts please’ or ‘leave your heels at home for a toes-in-the-sand ceremony.’
If applicable, your wedding website should also be displayed on your invitation.
For example:
“For more information and details about our wedding, please see the link or QR Code to our website.”
Important Details
Your destination wedding invitation should go out 9 –12 weeks prior to the wedding and the RSVP should be six weeks before. Ideally, a Save The Date will have been sent out 4 to 7 months prior to the invitation.
The itinerary for your destination wedding weekend should be situated at the guests’ Information Station. This is the best way to ensure that everyone is in the right place at the right time. Details for all hosted event(s) should be disclosed along with dates, times, and locations.
Display transportation details if an event is taking place outside of the resort and convey to your guests what attire is appropriate. You can also include information about your destination city, activities to do during downtime, and local restaurant suggestions.
If you’re utilizing your wedding website to communicate with guests, you can send an electronic version of your itinerary to your guests the week of the wedding. This keeps the information fresh in their heads and they can save it directly to their devices to make it handy everywhere they go.
TIPS!
Make sure that any revisions made on your overall timeline are reflected on your website as well.
Email Reminders: Don’t be shy about giving your guests a little reminder(s) if needed. Today’s guests are busy and sometimes they need reminders. Your planner can assist with that.
RESPONSE CARDS ARE A MUST
Response cards are key to the success of your wedding weekend! You’ll want a confirmed headcount for each event you are hosting. This will help you and your coordination team finalize quotes for food, beverage, décor, and printed items.
Request that RSVPS are returned 45 days (or more) ahead of time. You’ll need to submit the final headcount to venues and vendors 30 days prior to events for final payments. This is also the time and place where you’ll capture meal selection along with food allergies & restrictions. You can also enlist your guests to RSVP online.
Here’s an example of RSVP wording:
Kindly Respond On Or Before November 1, 2024
Name(s)
__ I would not miss it for the world
__ I will be there in spirit
__ Steak
__ Fish
Dietary Restrictions ______________
ESCORT CARDS OR PLACE CARDS?
Escort Cards and Place Cards have different jobs. The purpose of an Escort Card or Seating Chart is to show guests and loved ones what table they are to be seated at. The Place Card shows them which seat at the table is reserved for each guest.
Depending on your meal service, you may not need to assign a particular seat to each guest. For example, if your guest is choosing between 3 meal options, you will want to assign a seat so that the seating chart can be used as a reference for the service staff. Assigned seating is optional if dinner service is either un-plated or served family-style.
As a coordinator, I suggest always assigning seats for the key players such as the bride and groom, parents of the bride and groom, and the wedding party. With these key assignments, you could leave a special takeaway (gift) in lieu of the place card.
CUSTOM MENU
A custom-printed menu can add so much to the table décor. It can tie in color, design, or details such as ribbon, fringe, or a special tassel. Personalize assigned seats for a selected meal with the guest’s name and include the meal details they selected. This serves as a special takeaway for the bride and groom so they can remember those little details of the day that made it so special. Hand Painted Menus are also excellent ways to enhance your décor.
As you can see, there are so many ways to add customization to your wedding invitations and celebratory accessories. Each one helps to serve as a reflection of your dream event. Happy creating!
Cheers to you!
The Luxe Bride Experience Recommendations
Custom Vendors for Printed Items:
- Bells & Whistles (Local Cabo Vendor)
- Lavanda y Tinta (Local Cabo Vendor)
- Serendipity Cabo (Local Cabo Vendor)
- Swell Press
- Katherine Jezek Design
- K.Laine Design
- Papellerie
- Rowan Willigan – Beautiful Painted Artwork
- Ruthie and Oliver Letterpress
Couture Paper Selections:
- Paradise Design Co.
- Ceci New York– Please explore Ceci’s beautiful customizable Collections Line
Pinterest
/
Share on
facebook