Hottest Wedding Invitation Trends of 2017

The hardest person to design for is always yourself—and choosing a wedding invitation design to express who you are as a couple is no exception! If you’re looking for a little inspiration, or maybe just a peak into the wedding invitation styles you’re most likely to find on the market this year, read on.

Add a Little Shine

Metallic accents are popping up in weddings all over the place—from glistening cake toppers, to invitation liners. On wedding invitations, foil can be used to highlight your names, or to provide a hint of glamour to a simple design. But before you start searching through shimmering invitations, be aware that foil will always bump up the cost.

invitation by Glamyland

invitation by InvitingMoments

Be Unique

More and more, couples are embracing unique wedding invitation styles. Some couples make their invitations stand out by opting for a unique shape—such as a circular or square invitation. Others opt for elegant or playful pockets to spice things up. Some take “standing out” a step further by having wedding invitations printed on fabric or wood.

As you choose ways to make your wedding invitations unique, here are a few notes to help you avoid unanticipated costs:

• Unique envelope shapes are going to cost you extra. The U.S. Postal Service has to manually sort any envelopes that don’t fit the typical “wide and short” shape of standard letters and will charge you an addition $.21 per envelope in postage.
• Weight is a factor. Be aware that a 1 oz letter costs $.49 in postage—each additional oz is going to cost you an additional $.21.
• Rigid contents make a difference. Like square envelopes, letters with rigid contents (such as wood) can’t be mechanically sorted and will cost an additional $.21 in postage.

invitation by UniqueEngravedGifts

invitation by Designed with Amore

invitation by envymarketing

Typography.

A minimalist design that focus on typography is another hot wedding invitation trend this year. Less expensive than distinctive paper shapes, or unorthodox materials, these font-centric designs set themselves apart through the use of unique typography. From calligraphy and elegant script fronts, to hand-written and futuristic fonts, typography becomes the only embellishment necessary. When selecting one of these invitations, beware of some of these common typography pitfalls:

• Think about readability. Your guests want to be able to read the important when and where details of your big day. That can become difficult if the entire invitation is written without any distinctions in font or font size, or if the font size is too small or ornate to read.
• Less is more. As a lover of typography, choosing the right fonts is one of my biggest design challenges—sometimes you can’t settle on just one! But before you go with a design with four different fonts, take it from a designer: the more fonts that share the page, the quicker the design becomes overwhelming and garish.
• Make sure it fits. Each font has a “personality”—make sure that the fonts you include in your invitation fit the feel you want for your wedding.

invitation by coprinted

Pantone’s Greenery

The Pantone Color Institute recently presented “Greenery” as the Color of the Year—“a color snapshot of what [The Pantone Color Institute sees] taking place in our global culture that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude.” As Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute Leatrice Eiseman stated, “Greenery symbolizes the reconnection we seek with nature.” Not only has the vibrant green begun to make appearances on wedding paper, but in the realm of wedding invitation styles, it has also translated into a burst of nature-inspired invitations—from floral-bedecked invites, to invitations alive with foliage. Additionally, the vibrant Color of the Year has inspired a wave of wedding invitations sporting strong colors, leaving the realm of neutrals and whites far behind.

invitation by LittleSparkCreations

invitation by MintedMemories

invitation by DesignYourLove

Organic Watercolor

Perhaps inspired by the back-to-basics and nature-centered mood expressed by Greenery, there has been a major wedding invitation trend towards the use of watercolors. Whether you’re embracing pastels, or adding a wave of powerful magenta, watercolors have a way of looking approachable and organic.

invitation by LMNDesignStudio

invitation by curatedenver

invitation by Avian by Design

Geometric is the New Black

One final wedding invitation trend that has popped up this year is the use of geometric shapes. Hexagons, diamonds, and repeating patterns are making appearances in many wedding invitation styles, especially in a minimalistic fashion.

invitation by nhlcards

Bottom Line

Whether you decide to embrace a few of the wedding invitation trends of 2017 or not, remember that your wedding is all about you and the person you’re about to spend the rest of your life with. At the end of that wonderful day, who cares about trends?