Envelopment wedding invitations.   They are all over the place but what are they you might ask ? Well,  there is nothing particularly clever about them.  Envelopments is the brand name behind an American company that churns out a huge range of innovative card blanks in an endless variety of colours and patterns all over the world.  There is nothing particularly clever about them.You might think I am not a big fan of envelopments….  on the contrary …. I do rather like many of the styles.  I am just a little jealous that I didnt think of such a painfully simple idea.

Envelopments hit our shores a few years ago and now there are quite a few licenced suppliers of the brand.  Many wedding stationers have tagged the designs on to their existing products as a quick and easy way of expanding their portfolio.  Because the novelty is in the card folds, shape and patterns there is usually not much more for the stationery designer to do other than maybe add a bit of ribbon,  a small embellishment and a personalised insert.  They have even devised some software (with Mountain Cow) to make printing inserts in the right shape and style (or recipe as they like to call it).  Easy peasy job done.  Needless to say they are ideal for diy wedding invitations too.To see what all the fuss is about we have hand selected some wedding stationery companies who have embraced the brand with gusto.  Either that or they have been indoctrinated by Envelopments inc who have brainwashed them in their quest to take over the word with cleverly folded patterned card blanks.  I might write to Russell T Davies because this would make a great Doctor Who episode.

Anyway….. on to the envelopment design nominees are (in no particular order) :

Wedding Paraphernalia- They certainly have a wide range of envelopment wedding stationery designs and they promise even more designs soon.  They also supply envelopment blanks for the DIY enthusiast and if you are in the North of England you can visit their shop in Northamptonshire.

XOXO - Some lovely striking Envelopment and Pocketfold designs (Pocketfold is just another brand by the Envelopment team… just another template style really).  There are some really funky designs in their portfolio and some beautiful wallpaper print wedding invites.

Purely Embelishments- This is more of a craft site but it does give you a good overview of the different envelopment card styles that are used to create wedding stationery such as Pocketfolds, Z Cards, Gate Cards, and dare we say plain old folded cards. 

There are plenty of others of course …. too many to list here but will no doubt be featured in future articles on this site because, for better or worse, it looks as though envelopments are here to stay.  Lets hope it doesn’t make our budding new wedding stationery designers too lazy in their creations.

Just like haute couture fashion since the 1980′s the corset style wedding invitation has experienced periodic revivals since its reign in victorian times.  The Moulin Rouge dancers popularised the corset in 2001 and simimar trends before and after have seen the corset style bodice make its way into the haute couture world of the catwalk.

A lace up bodice style is synonomous with wedding stationery designer Heather Marten and her popular Soho wedding invitation can often be found in the latest wedding magazines.  Just like a real corset there are a number of different styles to this two fold design from the Classic four cross design shown above to the Blanket Stitch which is laced up diagonally with a knot at either end.  If you wish to wish the ribbon to match your wedding dress well you should be in luck because there are literally hundreds to choose from.

Just like the groom on your wedding night your guests will not have to struggle to find their way into the beautiful dress because the invitation has an insert which slots behind the prelaced facade.  This is just as important for you as as well because you do not have to retie each card after writing your invitations.  You simply slide out the insert, write your guests names, and slide them back in again.  And, If your guest overlook this easy way in, then just like the Groom, they will have to take comfort in the fact that the struggle to undo the straps will be worth the wait in the end.

Similar styles can be found from designer Caroline Dunn from Utopia Weddings (shown left).  If you are looking to make a really bold statement then Carrington Cards have some very bold corset style invitations in Fuscia Pink or Regal Blue and nicely finished off with black Marabou feathers.  In fact, you can extend the theme further if you wish because they even do a corset style table plan.