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Common Sense Do's & Don't for your Wedding Invitations

Like many parts of wedding planning, sending your wedding invitations can be incredibly stressful. With so much wedding invitation etiquette to remember, many couples lose track of what's really important when sending out wedding invitations—making sure that all of your family and friends know when and where the ceremony is, and that this vital information is delivered in a stylish and elegant way.

When you sit down to send wedding invitations to all your loved ones, make sure you follow these simple, commonsense tips for wedding invitations first and foremost:

-DO send your wedding invitations early. The sooner your guests receive their wedding invitations, the sooner they can RSVP!

-DON'T send wedding invitations to anyone and then assume they won't be able to make it. You might have to be accountable for every single person on your guest list, so make sure you plan accordingly and only send wedding invitations to the number of people you can comfortably accommodate.

-DO send response or RSVP cards along with your wedding invitations. These sleek little stationery inventions will help inspire a perfect headcount in a stylish way.

-DON'T forget to proofread your wedding invitations. Read over the information at least three times, and then hand it off to your wedding planner to do the same!

-DO remember that this celebration is all about fun and family. Make sure your wedding invitations reflect your cheerful spirit along with your sleek and sophisticated

Personal Style & Seasonal Flavor

Today's wedding trends provide extensive inspiration for wedding invitation designers. From the colors of the season to the wide variety of current wedding themes, good invitation designers will match the latest wedding trends with the personal style of the couple. "Designing an invitation that emulates a couple's personal style will help set the tone of a wedding and make a memorable statement about the events to follow," says Le Papier Boutique's Stacy Amoo-Mensah.

Seasons Equal Color :

Since summer and outdoor weddings continue to be the hottest season and theme for weddings, Amoo-Mensah, whose creations are featured at online retailers, designs invitations that incorporate the color palettes and picturesque outdoor landscapes that these sizzling months offer. Amoo-Mensah recently designed an invitation for an elegant, yet modern outdoor ceremony and reception that took place in Chicago in June.

"The couple was able to take advantage of the groom's family home that was located on acres of meticulously landscaped grounds," she says. "With blush pink peonies and fuchsia roses in bloom surrounded by an endless sea of apple green grass, the bride drew upon the colors of the season for her wedding invitation and overall color scheme." It is easy for an experienced designer such as Amoo-Mensah to gather motivation from the natural colors of the landscape and the season. But she also looks at the fashion, interior design and other natural elements. As fall approaches and the citrus orange, apple green, turquoise blue and hot pink fade from Amoo-Mensah's color palette, the orange leaves of fall creep into her designs. "I start to incorporate the rich colors of nature into my designs such as chocolate brown, bamboo yellow, plum, emerald green and burgundy."

As the snowy winter months kick in, this Chicago designer adds elements of dramatic colors such as cherry red, black and ice blue to her invitation designs. Then, spring converts her palette to shades of purple, lavender, coral and latte.

Trends Beyond the Seasons:
There are several trends that transcend an individual season. Themes such as the use of chic custom "couples" monograms and the use of flowers as the main design element for the entire wedding all carry over every season. For example, the use of invitation wraps now range from simple ribbon to ornate fabrics, bright and bold color patterns and destination accents. "Whether your mood calls for a fleur-de-lis for a romantic, candlelight ceremony or fun stripes for a summer soiree," Amoo-Mensah says, "keeping to one color palette and intermixing the design elements onto all of your wedding correspondence will help to create a sophisticated, unified look."

Thank you to Wedding Paper Divas for the interview