You may not feel confident or you may just be pushed for time, but just because you didn’t make your wedding invitations, doesn’t mean you can’t add your own personalised touch. It may be that you have made your template and images on the computer, and are simply looking to make them look a bit more glamorous. Or, maybe you have had them made by someone else and would like to do a little something yourself. Here are few ideas of things you can do to make your invitations look a little bit more unique and special.
Ribbons
Just as it does on a Christmas or birthday present, adding a ribbon can make your wedding invitations look like a beautifully wrapped present. You can use material ribbon or the foil like ribbon that is used for wrapping birthday presents. If your invitations are more rustic looking, you can even use string or yarn. These days, you can get personalised material ribbon, where you could print the date of your wedding if you wish to or the names of the bride and groom. But if you want to keep things simple and cheap, an elegant piece of ribbon in your chosen colour tied in a bow at the centre will suffice. What’s nice about ribbon is if you have those RSVP slips, maps or information about accommodation as a separate little insert to your invitations, the ribbon will help keep it all neatly together.
Stamps
Not like children’s stamps, but stamps that can just add to the decor you already have. Like with the ribbon, you can get personalised stamps. Maybe use this for things like the return address to stamp on the back of your envelope or invitation. If you want stamps to decorate don’t be afraid to buy second hand, as often they are bought by those wishing to personalised invitations but of course once the wedding has been and gone, they no longer have a use for them. When using stamps, allow sufficient time to dry so you don’t ruin your invitations with great big smudges all over them.
The envelope
If you’ve bought wedding invitations, no doubt they will have come with envelopes. There are many things you can do to make your envelopes more interesting. For starters if possible and you are able, choose a nice colour or pattern. If you do have plain envelopes, you can give the envelopes a lining by measuring the opening part of your envelope then create a template which is slightly smaller. You can use patterned wrapping paper or print your own patterns. Use a template of the size you want that you can draw each one round then glue with a glue stick.
Watercolour
This looks really impressive, particularly if you have white or light colours invitations. You don’t have to paint the whole invitation but just a small part, maybe the names of the bride and groom. You can fade the colour out, which looks really impressive and they don’t have to be straight lines. Just don’t let the paint get too runny and ensure it is left flat to dry!
Flowers
Flowers make amazing prints, and can be stamped onto paper, leaving a beautiful stamp of the flower. If you happen to have quite a flower filled garden, it is also a very cheap way of adding to your invitations without breaking the bank. All you need to do is press the flower where you wish the print to come out on your invitations, cover with a piece of material then hammer or close in a book and add pressure to allow the print to transfer.
Borders/gilding
Adding a border to your invitations can make them stand out a little bit more. You can back them onto plain coloured card or patterned paper. You could go one stage further and gild your edges. It’s a little bit fiddly but looks super impressive. You can buy kits to do it with instructions.
Embossing/wax seal
You can emboss the seal of the envelopes with a personalised embosser, writing your names or the wedding date. You could even get embossed patterns to add to the invite or envelope. Another option is that you could seal the envelopes with a wax seal. Simply light a candle stick and stamp it carefully onto the seal (be careful not to burn yourself on wax) and then print onto the wax before it dries, or you can just leave it as a wax seal. You can of course buy wax seals and adhere them according to the instructions, but where’s the fun in that? However, this option is probably much safer too!