how to style your wedding invitations with luxury finishing touches
Your wedding stationery is the first chance you have to bring those you love into your wedding, giving them a glimpse of what to expect and starting to build the excitement about what you’ve got in store. Your invitations are so much more than functional pieces of paper – they’re also a chance for self-expression, and for the creation of something artistic and beautiful that will become a memento of your wedding day for those most important to you.
This is why it was really important to me when designing my custom collection to create a range of pick and mix finishing touches, so that you can really make them your own. But, when it comes to choosing these extras and embellishments, I know the process can be overwhelming and there’s lots of fancy new terminology to get to grips with. So, I’ve put together a little guide to help you choose, style, and mix and match your finishing touches - giving you all the joy of being involved in the creative process, while leaving the technical bits to me.
The WANDER suite styled with printed vellum wraps and plain gold wax seals
wraps and ties
When deciding on your finishing touches, the best place to start is something to hold the loose pieces of your lovely invitation suite together as it emerges from its envelope like a little delicately wrapped present. There are quite a few options here, so let’s go through them one by one:
vellum wraps | layer up different paper types by using a translucent vellum wrap around the entire invitation suite for a simple and classic look. The wrap can be plain or printed with an element of the suite design, your names, or a venue illustration.
printed bands | a strip of paper that wraps horizontally around the full suite - sealed either at the front with a wax seal or at the back with a little bit of adhesive. The design usually introduces some wedding details such as your names or wedding date, or you can add more creative touches like a venue illustration, or your wedding website if you have one.
silk ribbon | for an organic boho look, silk ribbon (hand dyed by independent makers and small businesses) can be tied around the invitation suite directly or around a vellum wrap. With naturally feathered edges, this is a great way to add texture and softness to your suite.
thread | a modern and simple way to keep everything together, thread works beautifully against a plain vellum wrap or tied directly around the suite. Add a tag or wax seal to complete the look.
tags | a gorgeous luxury tag which can attach to thread or ribbon and is a good way of adding your wedding website if you have one, or adding your individual guest names in calligraphy.
a note on wax seals
Wax seals are an undeniable way to add elegance and grace to your wedding invitations - with a world of colours and designs to choose from. Traditionally they have been used on the outside of envelopes to seal the flap shut for postage. However, in my experience I have found that wax seals on the outside of the envelope can mean they get a little scuffed or pick up dirt on the journey, and can arrive looking worse for wear. So, my personal preference is to use the wax seal within the suite in some way, for example to seal a printed belly band or vellum wrap at the front of the invitation. This way, the seals are protected during their journey to your guests, and arrive in flawless condition exactly as they were intended.
connect a playlist
Get your guests in a party mood by giving them a unique Spotify code which links to your very own playlist.
You can create the playlist with all your favourite tunes (or just a small but special selection) and generate a unique Spotify code which works a bit like a QR code. Guests are invited to open up the Spotify search bar, click the camera, and scan the code to listen - try it out on the photo here!
Shown here within the INK suite, this fun and playful touch sits just smaller than your RSVP card, and can be added to any design in the collection and styled to match the rest of the suite.
envelope magic
An envelope liner is an extra piece of paper which is cut to the exact size of your envelope, and folds down with the flap. It is kept in place with a light adhesive. It’s the first thing you see as you open the invite, so it set the tone of the wedding and is a great way to add a unique touch of luxury to an invitation suite. In my custom collection, all eight designs have the option to add a co-ordinating liner, each one taking an element of the detail in the design, such as an illustration or pattern, and the option to adjust the colours to tie in with your chosen colour palette and envelope colour. You can use the pre-designed liner, or come up with something completely personal to you such as a wedding venue illustration, or your initials and wedding date.
For each of the eight designs in my custom collection, I have created a sample suite, and suggested a combination of finishing touches to show how they can be layered in different ways. However, each design in the collection can be styled with any of the finishing touches mentioned here, so that you can enjoy the creative process of building your dream suite. If you’re looking for artistic, modern and relaxed wedding invitations with luxurious extras and embellishments, you can find out more about the collection here, or by getting in touch with any questions. click here to download your step-by-step wedding stationery planner
timeline | templates | budgets + a whole heap of honest advice
The WILD suite styled with burgundy organic silk ribbon