This Season’s 8 Hottest Wedding Invitation Trends

You've spent months planning every last detail of your big day; finding the perfect venue, dress, photographer, and now it's time to start thinking about your wedding invitations!

You may not think this aspect of the wedding planning process is as important as the rest, it's actually one of the most important. This is going to be the first impression of your big day, and it gives your friends and family a preview of the incredible celebration you have planned. The presentation and style is key.

There are many important decisions that go into designing your wedding invitations. You want your invitations to be personal, elegant, and most importantly representative of the amazing day you and your S.O. have been planning. This is why finding the right custom wedding invitation designer is so important.

Like every other part of the wedding planning process, trends are constantly changing in the world of custom wedding invitation styles. We've partnered with local wedding invitation experts Gus & Ruby, TAG Design, and SKO Designs to bring you the season's hottest wedding invitation trends:

1) Inner/Outer Pocket Invitations

Featuring Custom Wedding Invitation Expert: TAG Design

Whether it's folded in or slid in, pocket invitations are the go-to choice for brides and can be found in just about any color and finish. Wedding invitation expert, TAG design, notes that while pocket invitations are very common, the inner/outer envelope style is gaining popularity this season because printed pieces can be placed directly into the envelope and displayed anywhere. Unlike regular pocket invitations that are often bulky and heavy, inner/outer pocket invites can be showcased anywhere from your grandmother's refrigerator to a framed photo!

Another benefit of an inner/outer design is that it allows you to get creative with your invitations without compromising the 'formal' feel of traditional wedding invitations. The outer envelope remains simple and formally addressed, while the inner envelope contains an amazing liner and is addressed much more casually. If you've started planning your wedding and are looking for an alternative to regular pocket invitation this style option is perfect.

"These throwbacks are becoming popular in 2016 and will likely continue for years to come,"says TAG Design owner Christine Tartaglia.

2) Envelope Liners

Featuring Custom Wedding Invitation Expert: Gus & Ruby

Speaking of unique liners - creative and custom envelope liners is another hot trend to consider when designing your wedding invitation this year! This season, local expert Gus & Ruby has seen the growing trend of envelope liners made with custom text and maps rather than just the traditional solid color or geometric pattern. This is the first thing your guests will see when they open your invite, so having a fun, eye-catching design is the perfect way to make your invitations your own and get your family and friends excited for the big day.

3) Moody Colors

Featuring Custom Wedding Invitation Expert: TAG Design

Bold and moody colors are taking over the traditional white/ecru wedding invitation. About 90% of SKO Design's clients have some shade of blue in their color scheme.

The most popular choice of the season? Navy! This deep bold shade of blue is extremely popular and great for wedding invitations because it pairs so well with almost any other color. Whether you want to include mint green, coral, yellow, fuchsia, gold glitter etc., navy blue perfectly accents all of them.

4) Watercolors

Featuring Custom Wedding Invitation Expert: Gus & Ruby

This season watercolor inspired invitations are a huge hit! The delicate and romantic feel of these pastel colors are perfect for wedding invitations, so it's no wonder local experts are seeing this trend continue to grow.

Designing your invitations with watercolor allows you to add color to your paper in a much softer, more subtle way. Floral wedding invitations, like the one featured above, are the season's most popular watercolor trend. However, we've also seen this style used to create a more bold, vibrant feel as well. Take advantage of the endless design possibilities by adding watercolor to your entire invitation suite or even just the reply card, envelope liner, or back of your invitation.

5) Glitter and Gold

Featuring Custom Wedding Invitation Expert: TAG Design

This year sparkles and glitter have made a comeback in a huge way - both for wedding planning and invitations. We know what you're thinking... but don't worry this isn't the kind of glitter that will get all over your fingers and clothes! The great thing about glitter is that it can be found in every color and used as a mat OR a band to tie all of your printed pieces together. Whether you incorporate it into the entire pocket invitation (see above) or just use it as an accent, glitter (especially gold) adds that something extra to your invitation with a little sparkle and shine.

6) Maps

Featuring Custom Wedding Invitation Expert: Gus & Ruby

Maps are another great way to give your wedding invitations your own personal touch, especially when you're having a destination wedding! This is such a fun way to get everyone excited for the big day. While the style of the map itself can vary, what really makes map designed invitations unique is the location depicted. Whether you have a real map of your wedding location incorporated into the rest of your invitation design (like the Lake Winnipesaukee destination wedding invitation Gus & Ruby designed above) or opt for a hand-drawn map, there are many different ways you can take advantage of this creative trend.

7) Monograms

Featuring Custom Wedding Invitation Expert: SKO Designs

It doesn't get more personal than monograms does it? This idea can be incorporated into every aspect of your wedding from invitations, to cocktail napkins, and even to your personal post-wedding stationary. This is an extremely special and unique way to preview not only your big day, but the rest of your lives as husband and wife. Gone are the days of traditional let-locked designs, custom monograms are taking on a whole new look with special elements that make them even more meaningful for the couple. SKO Designs find belly bands with custom monograms (like the one above) to be an extremely popular trend in pocket invitations this season because of the personal touch it adds to the beautiful ensemble.

8) Calligraphy and handwriting

Featuring Custom Wedding Invitation Expert: Gus & Ruby

When it comes to font, this season calligraphy and handwriting is everything! Calligraphers continue to create new modern hands that are providing invitations with a fresh and unique twist. At TAG Designs, modern calligraphy is by far the most popular, but it doesn't always sync well with the venue and style of the wedding on its own. Calligraphy and script styling can vary tremendously from invitation to invitation, so choosing one that represents you and your wedding is extremely important to custom wedding invitation design today.

Now that you've checked wedding invitations off your to-do list, have you thought about your wedding bands? Browse our online collection or visit us in store today to find your perfect match!