Many important elements are planned for your wedding day, and the stationary is no exception. Some couples feel like they can save money by forgoing an invitation suite, but the truth is the stationary can be that one element that gives a polished, finishing touch to your wedding day, and is a great way to add that unique, personal touch that will set your wedding aside from the rest.

How To Use Stationary In Your Wedding

The term “stationary” extends farther than the invitations and response cards. It can include many elements for your reception and even extend into your ceremony:

• An invitation suite is an all-inclusive first impression your guests will have of your wedding day; it’s your chance to set the tone and theme
• Ceremony programs are a great way for your guests to keep up with what’s going on, especially if you have a longer ceremony planned or one that is unique where you can help clue your guests in so they can understand what’s happening
• Matching place cards on each place setting adds an air of sophistication and formality, in addition to keeping your guess organized
• Coordinating a printed menu to your stationary can keep color themes consistent while at the same time keeping your guests informed and excited for the reception
• Extend the stationary to your beverages but coordinating a cocktail menu or beverage list in keeping with your stationary theme and colors
• Ask your stationary designer to create thank you cards that match your suite, so your guests’ final impression of your wedding matches their first

Welcome signs, guest books, dessert table cards, labels, and more can all be used to great effect to not only keep the day very well organized, but also add that special touch to make your wedding day look cohesive and complete. It doesn’t have to be fancy or overly done; even the simplest stationary can make a statement. For couples who are eloping and don’t need the stationary, consider designing a custom announcement card you can send out to your friends and family.

There are so many areas where stationary can be incorporated into your wedding day — big or small — that will make all the difference.

Stationary Trends for 2018

We’re seeing a lot of really exciting trends for wedding stationary going into 2018. It should be a really great year with lots of inspiration and much to choose from. We’re excited at Waterlily Weddings to share with you now some of our favorites that we think would be perfect for a dream destination wedding in Ireland. Watercolor continues through into 2018 with a force, but this time with a few additions. Classic calligraphy gets an update, and monograms are back (but with a twist). Botancial is going and is most beautifully represented in stationary. A quirky detail some couples will be intrigued by is geography and travel. Finally, the pastels of 2014-16 are on the way out, making way for a darker and more sensual color palette including the use of (gasp!) black!

Very exciting stuff coming in for wedding trends in 2018. Let’s take a closer look!

Watercolor

The whimsical and airy appeal of watercolor has been a popular trend in weddings for a couple of years now, and not showing any sign of slowing down in 2018.  We’re seeing full watercolor designs, mixtures of colors, used as a base then accented with details like geometric shapes, bold calligraphy, metallic details, and more.

 

 

Love the balance and restraint depicted in this suite by Sugared Fig Paperie.  The watercolor effect is very subtle, it’s combined with exquisite calligraphy and font, and uses another trend for 2018 — black. It’s perfection. If you feel it’s too dark for your wedding in Ireland, the colors can be worked with to compliment your color scheme. Want to contrast that with a brighter, more traditional wedding palette as depicted by By Invitation Only. Here the balance comes from the metallic font and calligraphy-inspired style that really elevates the look. The colors can be coordinated to suite the season of your wedding. By Invitation Only also created this watercolor look for the couple looking for a more modern aesthetic. Again, the metallic detail is what hits this trend on the very subtle watercolor, the transparent paper adds an air of ethereal elegance that contrasts beautifully with the modern, bold font. For those looking for a more traditional look but who also want to incorporate the watercolor trend, we love this suite by Sugared Fig Paperie. The structure is very traditional, we love the traditional calligraphy style combined with the letter press style font. The monogram detail in metallic makes it modern and the watercolor gives the suite a sense of movement and calmness, just perfect for your dream destination wedding in Ireland.

Calligraphy Inspired

We saw in 2017 calligraphy have a strong presence on the wedding scene, and it’s not losing any steam going into 2018. What we are seeing, however, is a detour from the strongly sweeping, hand-drawn letters of classic calligraphy (think Revolutionary War era style writing or Jane Austen) and a decided step into a more legible handwriting script loosely called “calligraphy-inspired.”  These fonts mimic modern hand-writing style and is a bit looser in form, it’s less tight and perfectly formed and rather as more of a sense of movement about script. We’re seeing this trend with stationary completely done in this font style and also mixed in with traditional “letter pressed” type script for invitations and wedding elements. This style can be free-handed by talented vendors or printed. The result is a modern-romantic sophisticated look that would work perfectly for your wedding in Ireland.

 

 

Absolutely in love with this suite by BPC Calligraphy who perfectly execute this stationary trend. The calligraphy is smooth and elegant and well balanced against traditional print fonts. The use of paper and colors is modern but with a decided vintage undertone, and in love with the elegant modern personalized monogram at the top. Absolute perfection. Cricket Printing is excellent at depicting the more modern calligraphy-inspired style: you see calligraphy is clean and easy to read, a modern handwriting style. It’s lovely. Juicy Paperie offers a slightly more embellished calligraphy style for the more formal wedding. The simplicity of this suite can be accessorized easily to suite your wedding. And for the couple looking for a decided more vintage vibe but on the more casual side, we love the suite by Invited By You. The colors can be customized to your color palette easily.

Custom Monograms

We really love this trend because it encourages couples to brainstorm the details that make them special, and it literally puts the personalized stamp on a wedding day.  Taking inspiration from heraldry — the family crest that displayed the symbols and motto of the family, passed down from generation to generation — this trend encourages couples to create in essence their own.  Think about symbols here and working with a graphic designer to custom-create your own (new) family symbol and crest. It can be as formal and tradition or casual and fun as you like!  Think about letters, your favorite animals, city you live in, quirky things you both love, all of the little details that make you, you! And create a visual representation that can be used in your invitations, menus, cards, etc.

 

 

We love the suite done by Doe Deline Design on the left depicting a modern take on the classic heraldry shape. The addition of watercolor painted foliage and flowers helps soften the look, the combination of soft greens and creams presenting very elegantly and just perfect for your dream destination wedding in Ireland. We love this look in particular for a castle wedding.  For the couple wanting a bit more fun, we love the invitation suite on the upper right done by Dempsey & Carroll. You can really have fun with this trend and take lots of elements from your individual personalities and relationship and visually present it in this style of crest. We love the idea of sketching Ireland or your venue in the middle.  For a more colorful and whimsical version of this trend we love Every Little Letter Calligraphy & Design‘s on the bottom left. And for a sleek, more modern take on the trend, consider the bottom right monogram style using heraldry and intertwined letters (also by Every Little Letter Calligraphy & Design).

Botanical

You know we love this trend for weddings and incorporating it into your Irish destination wedding will be an excellent decision you won’t regret. Colors can be custom created to suite your palette, designs and exact flower and fruit choices can be coordinated with the rest of your wedding’s elements to create a cohesive, complimentary look that all makes sense.

 

Researching for this post I came across an incredibly talented vendor that absolutely nails the botanical trend.  Citrus Press is on point with their botanical invitation suites. I had a hard time picking for this post and honestly could have written an entire post on its own just showcasing the pretty images. These suits perfectly showcase the botanic aesthetic and merge it with calligraphy and letter press for an exquisite suite. You can go for greenery and movement as expertly depicted by Moss & Twig Prints to hit the green notes for Ireland that isn’t predictable and still retains the beautiful aesthetic of the botanical trend. We also love the idea of focusing on a central flower that perhaps has meaning for you. This thistle invitation by The I Do Paper Co.  is perfectly balanced with copper metallic writing that makes the thistle pop. It’s modern and vintage at the same time. Just love this.

Geography & Locations

Travel details are huge for stationary going into 2017 and just perfect for your destination wedding in Ireland. Embrace it and include it throughout your stationary to give your guests their first glimpse into the Emerald Isle! Details like maps, street names/signs, famous landmarks, unique colors and details of your venue are a fantastic way to get your guests excited about attending your destination wedding. These stationary suites can be printed with custom-designed graphic or hand-drawn and painted, a detail we love especially if you’re doing an intimate wedding.

 

 

The simplicity behind this New York City destination wedding suite by Dempsey & Carroll is simple and modern, and can be easily translated to depict any Irish destination wedding. The gorgeous wedding map done in trendy and elegant gold embossing by Lichen Ink is a beautiful way to clue your guests in on what they can expect for your destination wedding.  Consider using this trend for ceremony programs or an insert detailing your bespoke wedding ceremony in Ireland for your guests.   The one on bottom left custom created by Lichen Ink is elegant and beautifully sets the tone for traditional wedding in Ireland. If you really want to highlight the Irish details for your dream destination wedding, consider this colorful suite by A La Carte Paperie!  We love the details and hand-painted pictures detailing the amazing sights your guests will see. The maps are informative and guaranteed your guests will appreciate that. The drawings of your venues with the calligraphy-inspired fonts and watercolor detail is elegant and on trend. It really the perfect suite for your dream destination wedding in Ireland for 2018!

Dark & Sexy

I really hate the word “moody” when describing wedding design and style; it just sounds so obnoxious and I feel gives a really amazing design aesthetic a bad impression. Darker colors like greys, blacks, burgundy/merlot, rich reds, and almost-black blues evoke strong emotional responses: they are sexy, mysterious, alluring, and intriguing. And when balanced with softer textures or colors, can create a truly stunning color palette that is amazing for a wedding. For 2018 we’re seeing a dip in this direction, especially on the matte black and super dark burgundy color spectrum. In stationary we’re seeing these colors balanced with bright metalics — especially classic, bright polished gold — for a super refined look that is at once sexy and sophisticated.

  

  

For the couple that is bold and who can really embrace this theme, I’m blown away by the suite designed by Angelique Ink. The botanical theme comes into play a bit here, the calligraphy-inspired trend, and the black and matte black trend all in one for this super on-trend stationary suite. If the dark burgundy is not your favorite, this can easily be tweeked to suite your color scheme. It’s an excellent example of how couples shouldn’t be frightened by using black in their wedding. Similarly, love the suite designed by Print Love. The flowers and color scheme in the back could be changed to reflect your personal tastes. The fonts are modern and sexy and would really work surprisingly well in Ireland.  The suite designed by Raymond Robert Designs  is an excellent representation of how dark watercolor can be interesting and intriguing. Something in blue or almost-black green tones would be a super modern way to draw in that Irish green. Lastly, the botanical themed suite by White Kitten is a perfect example of how modern metallics can elevate the botanical theme, the black creates a supremely elegant base off of which the softer florals can easily bounce off of.

Remember, the stationary is the first glimpse your guests will get into your dream destination wedding in Ireland. You want it to have a voice, a purpose, and represent the two of you and the amazing location you’ve wisely chosen to host your dream day. Don’t be afraid to embrace some of the trends in 2018; they are wonderful and would all work perfectly in Ireland.

For more help CONTACT US today to get started on designing and planning your dream destination wedding in Ireland!