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Brides embrace form and function with unique wedding invitations
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In this day of 140 character communiques, it’s refreshing to know that formal wedding invitations have not gone the way of Twitter, text messaging or even e-vites. Printed on luxurious papers, embossed in elegant fonts, the spelling is checked, punctuation is added and form does matter. As in days gone by, the contemporary wedding invitation is sent through the mail. Just don’t confuse today’s wedding invitation with that of your grandmother. They are worlds apart in terms of choices available for brides.
Trained graphic artists
The upper end invitation shops in the Houston area, such as Invitation Solutions have embraced all the options that technology puts at their disposal. Just a decade ago, proprietors who knew paper, etiquette and calligraphy could have a thriving business supplying embossed wedding invitations in the customer’s choice of white or ivory paper. Today’s successful stationer must be more creative, socially aware and trained in the graphic arts.
At Invitation Solutions, Kristen Rubin Adcock is not just the owner, but also a degreed graphic designer, earning her credentials from the University of Houston. In fact, all three of Invitation Solutions’ consultants are formally trained graphic artists. Bradie Fisher does much of the custom work for the firm. Kate Kainer uses her graphic arts skills to assist clients in selecting their invitations. The three women make a strong, creative team.
Standard or custom
When a bride is ready to begin making her selections a consultant from Invitation Solutions meets with her one on one in the studio. The objective is to allow the client to make choices that reflect her personal style. Invitation Solutions consultants usually start the bride with the invitation catalogs to browse the hundreds of standard options available. The term standard can be misleading as it is simply a starting point for brides to add some personal touches to the invitations. The bride will develop an invitation style that reflects her preferences, her circumstances and her wedding. This search for the right style invitation should be a very interactive process. Typically the consultant and the bride have a lively dialog about likes and dislikes as the bride makes her way through the standard samples.
If the bride does not find exactly what she’s looking for in the standard catalogs or if she walks in the door knowing she wants custom work, that’s when the real creativity begins. Taken from the many, many custom invitations previously developed by Invitation Solutions, the bride and her consultant look through the sample books together. These samples are only to get the creative juices going as the bride takes an idea from this sample and marries it to the paper of that invitation and accessories it like a third example.
A word to the wise: Creativity gone awry may be a more grievous sin than a flat, forgettable invitation. Knowing when to say ‘when’ is one of the valuable services that an experienced graphic artist can bring to the design process. Paper colors and textures, ink colors, fonts, size, shape, patterns, layout and even the wording are all fair game for the bride who wishes to truly present herself in a unique way through her invitations.
Hot trends
According to Adcock, pocket invitations are currently very popular. An outer folder is used to hold the contents of several related insert cards, keeping everything tidy and introducing the bride’s color palette. The pocket will contain the wedding invitation, typically placed by itself on the left side. The wedding invitation should be the primary focus when the folder is opened. On the right will be a response card, a reception card, a map card, an accommodations card and perhaps other cards as the occasion calls for more. Each pocket is personalized for the recipient based on which events he will be invited to attend or which services she needs.
Invitation accessories are au currant. Just as we like rhinestones, bows, buckles and ribbons in our clothing, brides and top notch graphic designers have found new and creative ways of incorporating these accents into wedding invitations. What a nice surprise to open an envelope and find a little bit of bling.
Invitation selection time-line
Invitation Solutions offers some advice about the timing for purchasing your invitation ensemble. For brides to make all their selections in one sitting is rare because it can be a very daunting task. Rather brides should spread their invitation and stationery selections out over a few months to allow their ideas to mature and solidify as other items such as the cake, linens and florals are chosen.
The following schedule will keep the selection process manageable:
- 12 months before the wedding select the engagement party invitation
- 6-8 months before the wedding choose the Save the Date card
- 4-6 months before the wedding start on the invitation ensemble
- 3 months before the wedding design the ceremony program, reception menu and place cards, and customized guest favors
- 2 months before the wedding order the thank you cards and engraved stationery
So if you find yourself in an invitation quandary of form over function - or the reverse - look no further than the creative staff at Invitation Solutions to guide you to the perfect marriage of both.
Invitation Solutions is located at 373-1/2 West 19th Street in the Houston Heights. They can be reached by phone at 713-864-5573 or visit their website at www.invitationsolutions.com. Be sure to view the attached slide show for eight more examples of creative invitation solutions.
Photos courtesy of Invitation Solutions.
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