Here at Dodeline, we consider ourselves experts in balancing aesthetic, quality, and balance for our clients. You don’t have to spend a fortune to create a beautiful, premium quality wedding invitation.
So, what is the difference between an off-the-shelf stationery suite and one that feels high-end? Multiple factors play into it, of course, but in our opinion the key difference is…
Intentional, thoughtful, carefully considered design.
A flat printed suite (which is less expensive than other premium print processes) can easily eclipse a more expensive one if it has better design. That’s one of many reasons that a personalized wedding invitation designer is a must-have on your vendor list! If you care about the impression your invitation gives, don’t skip out on a wedding invitation designer.
So what, specifically, makes a wedding invitation feel premium and memorable? Let’s discuss!
A timeless letterpress wedding invitation with well proportioned and considered typography. Photo Credit: Dana Cubbage
- Typography
While access to design programs is ubiquitous nowadays, few users have the training to handle typography well. Considerations like size of fonts relative to another, the suitability of font pairings, kerning, line spacing, handling the case throughout, and more are best left to a trained designer.
Wedding invitation designers have typically invested in more premium fonts with a larger range of options, as well, which will make an invitation feel more bespoke and custom than using free fonts in Canva, for example. You typically don’t want to see the same font you’ve used for your names on your wedding invitation also used as the logo at your neighborhood restaurant.
Caption: A custom invitation featuring venue art and a custom map. Photo credit: Rebecca Signetti
- Art
If premium printing processes aren’t in the budget, one of the best ways to elevate your invitation suite is to include custom art. It could be a highly personalized custom crest, watercolor wedding venue imagery, or really anything you can dream up.
We often tell clients to identify what is going to catch their guests’ attention first, and if the suite features incredible art, that’s usually the answer. Incorporating couple and/or wedding specific art instantly makes the suite feel thoughtfully considered.
- Print Quality
Of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention print quality. There are so many incredible printing options out there – from letterpress to engraving to embossing to thermography to white ink and more. Making the jump from a flat printed suite to a finer print process is a quick and easy way to take the whole suite up a notch.
At Dodeline, we’re often looking at paper in the studio with our clients. We’ve heard it a million times if we’ve heard it once – a client will pick up a thick letterpress invitation and say “this feels like a coaster!” That comment, of course, tells you all you need to know about making an invitation feel memorable. Heavy paper has that effect but conversely so does a really fine, thin handmade paper. Again, the printing requirements and constraints are another important reason to hire a wedding invitation designer. It’s not simple!
Caption: An “out of the box” invitation suite that leans into a national park theme. Photo Credit: Kara Warren Photography
- Thinking outside of the box
If memorable is the goal, step outside of the traditional etiquette box and get creative. Trifolds, vellum overlays, wax seals and more are embellishments that can elevate an invitation suite and also make a huge impression on guests who often have never received such a thing.
Clever wording is another possibility for setting yourself apart from the rest.
In Conclusion
If you’re interested in making a fabulous first impression of your wedding, designing thoughtful stationery is the key. A personalized wedding invitation designer should be your next call! Printing and design work are much more complicated than it might seem at first, so save yourself some headache and enjoy the design process instead.
At Dodeline, we’ve been designing and producing wedding invitations for over 15 years. Our small team provides highly personalized services where no two invitations are ever alike. We’d love to speak with you about your wedding! Reach out anytime or follow us on Instagram to see what we’re up to.
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