Our new ribbon gate-fold invitations will be launched soon but we are so excited about the range that we couldn’t wait to give you a sneak preview.  I quickly snapped these shots outside our studio before the professional photos are taken next week.  It will probably take a couple of weeks to get this range online because it will be available in a total of 37 different colours and, as with all our designs, we do our best to coordinate the whole range of products.  This means that with so many colours and so many coordinating items there will be a lot of photography to process.

The gentle floral pattern is another feature that coordinates on all the items in this range; its delicate emboss and pealescent reflection catches the light beautifully with understated sophistication.  The texture of the emboss is best seen in the flesh and you can do this by requesting a free sample when the range is online but this is one important element that we hope to capture with the photography.

I have a list of available colours to share with you and these will all be available to view online soon.

• Black
• Silver Grey
• Navy
• Dusky Blue
• Cornflower
• New Tuquoise
• Aqua
• Petrol
• Peacock
• Orchid
• Helio
• Dusky Pink
• Shocking Pink
• Pink Azalea
• Pale Pink
• Red
• Scarlet Berry
• Burgundy
• Plum
• Blackberry
• Purple
• Moss
• Khaki
• Hunter Green
• Jade
• Cuban
• Dark Brown
• Marigold
• Gold
• Yellow
• Lemon
• Orange Delight
• Rust
• Sable
• Honey Gold
• Cream
• White

August Moon

Classic Baroque style in rich colours with a hint of sparkle make this Versailles wedding invitation from August Moon a simply stunning way to invite your guests to your wedding.  There are four different styles of wedding invitation in this and all of the ranges, so choose from pocket fold, flat card, square folded or a wrap band wedding invitation.  The one we have featured here is the square folded style which costs £3.20 each and includes an envelope and there is a range of coordinating reception items available too.  There is also a choice of colours to choose from or you can request a bespoke colour match for a charge.

Crystal Heart

Scouring magazines and trawling the internet as I do, to bring you some of the best wedding stationery designs on the market can sometimes be, franlky dull.  I often see the same old styles copied over and over again, with the same old bits and bobs stuck on cards that anyone could make, so it’s a real treat to find some refreshing designs such as this Crystal Heart wedding stationery range from Especiallymade.  It features a crisp white card with cut out heart from which a sparkling heart shaped Swarovski crystal dangles for maximum sparkle, finished off with a sheer organza ribbon.  The Swarovski crystal hearts and organza ribbon are available in a myraid of colours and there is a fully coordinated range of wedding stationery available.  A bespoke service is also offered if you’re after something specific and on their gallery of recent work is one of the most unusual inivtations I’ve ever seen based on a Paris themed wedding, take a look.

Paris Theme

This wedding stationery range reminds me of a regal looking dinner service, pretty, yet classic and sophisticated at the same time.  The invitation card is a classic flat card, with silver foil detailing and a powder blue border which makes it perfect for a spring wedding, and for that added touch of elegance you can choose raised ink.  It is called the Empire Blue range from CCA, and is available from Olivia Samuel with a fantastic 20% discount, the cost for 50 cards is £106.40, with an additional cost of £15 if you choose to have raised ink.  If you spend over £150 on CCA wedding stationery you will also get a free keepsake box, perfect to keep all your mementos in!

The deep blue and silver stars complement each other beautifully on this Seeing Stars scroll invitation from The Whole Caboodle.  I think it would be perfect for an autumn wedding, especially if it’s around Bonfire Night when the nights are lit up by fireworks and stars.  Scrolls are always a novel invitation for your guests to receive and the sparkly stars and delicately twisted wire gives this invitation a very magical feel.  The Seeing Stars range of scroll invitations cost £8.50 and there is a range of coordinating items to make your venue sparkle. 

Its not such a crazy theme for a wedding stationery range.  If you tap a search for VW camper vans into Google you will be surprised at just how many fan sites, members clubs and forums there are that are dedicated to the funky retro vans of the 60′s and 70′s.  By the way, I am referring to the old style camper vans that you get stuck behind in the slow lane on the motorway and not the brand new variants that VW have recently been designing behind the scenes.  (the new camper vans look no different from your everyday modern commercial vehicle and I considered it inappropriate to include such an ugly image on this page.  Click here to see what I mean if you are that curious)

Anyway, since there are so many people with such a passion for these vehicles it did seem appropriate to bring you the Camper Van Hearts wedding invitation from Confetti Designs.  After visiting some of the aforementioned websites I can see that there must be some couples who have been brought together by their shared love of the camper van and will want to reflect this in their wedding stationery.  The camper van on this design is made from wood so there should be no rust to worry about like the real thing and how reassuring to know that this version emits love hearts instead of polluting clouds of Co2.

Confetti Designs is run by Victoria Lewis and her company has only been trading for little over a year.  There are some very original designs on her site so I am sure the business will continue from strength to strength.

This interesting watercolour design is available from Pink Wedding Stationery (dedicated to Gay and Lesbian Wedding invites) or Muse Wedding Stationery.  Both sites are owned by Muse design studio so I guess your pick depends on whether you are straight or gay.  The design is called ‘moon’ and featured a watercolour impression of the full moon and its reflection in a very striking blend of midnight blue and purple.  It reminds me of a silk watercolour card that I bought for my wife when we first courting.

I have to say after five minutes of writing that opening paragraph I am now of the view that it looks more like a lone sperm in search of the egg.  If you hadn’t spotted the similarities yourself then I hope I havent spoilt this design for you.  Perhaps it is better to know now than to have one of your guests comment on the fact that the image looks like it has been lifted from a school sex education manual.   There are lots of other beautiful watercolour design from Muse Design Studio and I recommend you take a look.  We will feature more designs in coming articles and I promise to let more imagination run its course before typing the next post.

Blossom from Olive Wedding Stationery

Japonica from The Letter Press of Cirencester

I actually have a sample of the Japonica design on my desk and the quality is superb.  The card is an impression board and the printing method is the traditional letterpress technique which means the print has a tactile feel from where the raised printing plate is literally hammered onto the card.  Now, since I do not have a sample of the Blossom design from Olive then I cannot make an informed decision as to which design I would choose but my better judgement would suggest that on this occasion you do get what you pay for.  If this style of card is to your liking then I’ll let you make your own decision as to which design represents best value for money or indeed whether the cost is even a deciding factor.

If you’re looking to make your own wedding stationery to save some money but don’t know where to begin, WeddingDIY has a whole host of ready made kits that include everything you need to get creative.  This blue Indian cotton booklet comes with lillies and raffia as well as textured card and tracing paper inside and an envelope, all for just £1.40.  This is a really eye-catching design and perfect for a summer wedding or beach wedding abroad.  All the kits tell you before you purchase what tools you need and what skills are required and full instructions are supplied, there are also templates for the inserts to download.  So all you need is some time and patience, that they don’t supply I’m afraid!

I really like this Ocean Menu from Anemone Island which would be perfect for a wedding abroad.  Apart from the fact that it is hand beaded and the menu costs £2.70 that is as much as I can tell you about this range of stationery.  The website only has two pages, a home page to tell you a bit about the designs and what’s available and a page that shows you one of each item in the range.  You will need to telephone them or e-mail to request a brochure and there is no online ordering available, which is what most people want these days.  I do hope the brochure gives much better detail as I think these designs are really innovative and could be very appealing to those looking for chic, understated stationery.