What wedding stationery trends are going to be big for the year ahead? Our stationery experts Alternative Wedding Invitations, Paper & Lace Design, The Parlour Press and Donna Gormley Design share their top wedding stationery trends for 2018!
Alternative Wedding Invitations – View Profile
Custom – I have seen a trend towards customised wedding stationery, couples are looking for designs that are on trend but with a personal touch. For this year, they will be looking for small changes that make well-established stationery their own.
Hobbies and Pets – Couples want to incorporate their hobbies and interests, be it sports teams, film or music and I see this being big in 2018. Some will want this done in a subtle way by hiding elements within the design that can be quite hard to spot unless pointed out. Others will want everybody to know that they follow Manchester United or that they love their pet, Springer Spaniel.
The Wedding Venue – Invitations that have the look and feel of the wedding venue or even have an image or illustration of the venue building itself look to be trending for this year. I have seen more and more couples look for this as last year went by.
Flowers and Leaves (but more minimal designs) – The good old reliable flowers and leaves will not leave us but will be more minimal for this year and minimal stationery, in general, will be in demand.
Purple, Navy and Yellow – Obviously, it is hard to pick out colours that will trend but I see couples moving towards purple and navy with yellow being quite popular as well. Last year’s colour seemed to be green and I feel people will go slightly darker and more minimal with the use of colour for this year.
Paper & Lace Design – View Profile
Geometric Shapes – Hexagons, diamonds, oblongs and cubes will all make an appearance in various invitation suites this year. These can be easily combined with some of the other trends for the year ahead without being too overpowering.
Metallic and Marble – Gold, silver, rose gold and bronze are going to be popular colours in 2018. All classic colours, these can be used as backings, either in shimmer cards, glitter card or shiny metallic cards. The metallic colours may also appear in fonts, design elements on the invitations, envelopes, ribbons and fasteners. Marble continues to be popular, such a strong feature should be used with a large serifed font or stand alone as a backing image.
Fun Calligraphy – Calligraphy is always popular but this year bolder and less structured fonts will take centre stage. Paired with simple san serif fonts, the hand drawn calligraphy will be super effective and can be used alone, without an illustration or image.
White Space – Not filling up every space with images or fonts will be another popular trend. Leaving room for white space will give a clean and stylish impact to an invitation.
Overall, invitations will become more streamlined, more structured and a lot simpler. Less fuss, more style. As always, trends will be popular but wedding invitations should ultimately reflect the couple as much as possible. Bespoke invitations will never go out of style, illustrations of the ceremony venue, reception venue and of the couple themselves will always be popular.
The Parlour Press Wedding Stationery – View Profile
Marble – One of the most popular home décor trends now, marble can be seen everywhere from iPhone cases to stationery – and it’s also one of the top wedding invitation trends for 2018! Colour schemes such as classic white, greys and blacks work great, or choose a more colorful marble swirl that reflects the wedding’s colour palette, venue and location.
Funky Fonts – Designers are mixing large handwritten fonts and pairing them with clean, sans serif fonts.
Metallics on Dark Colours – Metallic shades are very popular in wedding details, with muted shades of copper and rose gold popping up on bridesmaid dresses and wedding cakes – and it’s one of the hottest 2018 wedding invitation trends as well.
Watercolours – While 2017 was a big hit for watercolours, they’re here to stay! The soft and elegant look of watercolours can be quite romantic, making it an ideal look for a wedding invitation suite and one style of wedding invitations 2018 couples will love. Our Blush Peoney and Summer Rose mix whimsical fonts and classic calligraphy are perfect for the spring and summer wedding.
Monograms – Monograms have been a traditional wedding décor element on many items from wedding cakes to napkins but this year they have become more whimsical with the addition of green or colourful florals. The look can work for both a traditional wedding, as well as a more modern celebration. Check out our Bordeaux design which comes in a range of colours and styles.
Illustration – We will continue to see the ever popular custom illustration design as couples are opting for more informal celebrations in quirky venues. Illustrations of couples families (and pets) in their venue setting are all popular. See our big hit of 2017 – Bespoke Illustration.
Donna Gormley Design – View Profile
Bespoke Bespoke Bespoke! I’ve always said – there are no two couples the same, so why should their stationery be? I believe your invitations are the first glimpse of your wedding day that you give your guests, so it’s important that you set the right tone from the get-go. Whether you’ve got kids, pets, a favourite place, or film, all these little ideas can be incorporated into a mood board, and from that I design an invitation suite that’s as unique as you are. Definitely a trend that’s here to stay – why go generic when you can have one custom created.
In terms of colours, I’ve noticed a huge trend for purples and violets this year already. As they do every year, Pantone (the Colour Gods!) release their ‘Colour of the Year’, and 2018’s is a fabulous shade by the name of ‘Ultra Violet’. Now, this doesn’t mean that everything has to go purple – there are little elements being introduced subtly – through florals prints and even in the text. ‘Cherry Blossom’ (a soft pink) and ‘Peach Bud’ also feature, and I’m delighted, as I adore pinks and peaches myself!
In terms of pattern and prints, couples went mad for florals last year, more so the classic florals. This year, it’s all about the watercolours, abstract, loose and fun. Sweeping brushstrokes look fantastic when combined with simple fonts.
Themes are still as popular as ever – passports and boarding passes are still big, with couples travelling home (or heading abroad) to tie the knot. Rustic styles aren’t as popular – people seem to be switching their kraft card and twine for more elegant suites of stationery – I’ve done so many romantic grey invitations, with classic fonts and double satin ribbons.
Foils and glitters seem to be a trend that’s going nowhere! Whether you prefer an inexpensive foil or glitter effect, or want to spring a little extra cash for the real deal, foil really brings the invitations to another level. It’s perfect to tie in with glamorous themes, or Gatsby styles, or even to just add a little pop of bling to a classic invitation.
