2022 is right around the corner and we all know what that means – a whole new year of engagements! Given the resurgence of weddings this year at a whopping 2.77 million – more than double that of last year – it’s never too early to prep.
If you’re among the lucky ones to have found your forever person, congratulations! And also, let’s get right to it. It’s never too early to have wedding invitation examples in your back pocket. Whether you got engaged yesterday or you’re in a time crunch, we’re here for you. So let’s unabashedly fawn over these top-notch wedding invitations to inspire your vision of forever, then review all of the important details that belong in your invite.
*Pops the champagne!*
Stunning wedding invitation examples you can’t pass up
1. Say yes or say yes
While this wedding invitation example meets every aforementioned credential, it does something else that everyone could learn from. This huge, centralized yes is strategic. Not only does it signify the bride-to-be’s answer (generalized by conventional proposals), but it doubly encourages guests to RSVP yes as well!
And while wedding invitations aren’t exactly a marketing ploy, their appearance, text, colors, and images do contribute to how guests should feel about the event.
2. What's your vibe?
Going for a simplistic, classic look like Hannah and Evan? This wedding invitation example screams abstract, conceptual, alluring vibes. Before you choose your wedding template, consider what impression you want to give (or leave with) your guests.
Maybe you’re going for elegance or mystery. Maybe you want to be purely educational so as to preserve the element of surprise. Yes, your wedding day is completely yours, but such thrill comes from giving the guests an experience, too.
3. Pun it up
Save the dates are a guest’s wedding teaser. If you’re doing save the dates and formal invites, you can choose to have them complement or contrast each other. With two different send-outs, you’re able to emphasize two different aspects of your wedding day or relationship.
Whatever you decide, spice things up with funky puns, fonts, and graphics. Save the dates are a precursor to the invitation, and invitations are precursors to the wedding. Guide your guests to the wedding with wisdom, pizzazz, and joy.
Pro Tip: Map out your ideas on paper first. You can make a list of what you want to include, where. Consider what you wish your guest to feel upon receiving each send-out. From there, you can find the right wedding invitation templates in PicMonkey to customize!
4. Get picturesque
Wedding invitation examples like this are intentionally suggestive. Just as art is interpretative, this invite prompts free association for its guests. We think, hm, maybe this is a ballroom setting with black tie attire. The floral graphics complement the wedding bouquet and live among a contemplative, introspective energy.
Truthfully, every wedding invitation is as different as every relationship. Decide what you want to highlight: the ceremony, the bride, the groom, the text, the pictures? While weddings are an expected time for decision-paralysis, we wish for you to feel liberated by the abundance! The wedding world is your oyster.
5. Time and place
Remember those elementary school book reports that had you cover the 5 W’s? (If not, lucky you.) The 5 W’s stand for who, what, when, where, and why. Thorough wedding invitations also cover these bases. For this one, that’d look like:
Who: Adrian & Anna
What: Save the date
When: August 28th
Where: Brooklyn, New York
Why: Love
This nifty school hack can make sure you’ve mentioned everything. While graphics, colors, and images evoke particular energy, details are just as important. When put together, you have a gem of a wedding invite.
For example, here, Adrian and Anna strategically put their names in a circle, which is concentrically held by curved text. These details tell a story. What’s yours?
6. Smile bigger than the sky
Conventional photos are out, photo angles are in. While this invite would be stellar zoomed out too, this chosen angle tells a greater story.
Like vision boards, wedding invites are also a manifestation method. Some may want to emphasize the wedding details on their invites, but manifesters may aim to capture the feeling.
Choose pictures and text that represent how you wish to feel (so that you will feel it) on your wedding day. Set that intention and create it by sending it out to all of your loved ones. Your intended frequency ensures a supportive, joyful, celebratory community for you when the time comes. Manifestation master Abraham Hicks calls this pre-paving.
7. Vulnerability is your superpower
Amidst endless wedding planning obligations, it’s easy to lose sight of your own emotional process. Why not use wedding invites as a place to remember your why? Showing part of your sacred union in the invite sets the tone for guests to meet you where you are.
Don’t be afraid to expose your vulnerability and emotion along your journey. While guest and attendee are formal words, these people are here to support you! If you want to be seen, let them see you.
Jess & Jeremiah are witnessed here with illuminated floral graphics, offering a feeling of magic, mysticism, and light.
8. Include Grandma
Listen, you’re only getting married to this person once (likely), so you may as well have fun with it. Why wouldn’t you want a thought bubble with your Grandma’s skepticism on your wedding invite? If you’re looking for laughs, wit, charm, and fun, this is the template for you. While weddings can be serious for some, others want to lighten it up.
Whatever you choose, know that save the dates, invites, and announcements are the only way for some of your guests to interact with you until the wedding. They receive your energy, tone of voice, and intentions throughout these exchanges, so once you commit, commit with conviction!
And really, there’s nothing better than receiving an invite and thinking, Yep, this is so Harold and Maude. How might you make your guests feel that way about you?
9. Show off the proposal
Believe it or not, not everyone who’s invested in your relationship has social media (bummer, we know). Since friends and family travel far and wide for weddings, why not reveal the proposal in your wedding invitation?
These types of wedding invitation examples make loved ones feel included; like they were there for the moment. Since weddings are a private, intentional experience, why not let your guests in on it right off the bat? There’s no better place to express your forever bond to the world than with your nearest and dearest first.
10. Where two becomes one
This template implies union in multiple ways; with the happy couple as well as with colors and strategically placed text, too. Conceptually, this design plays with two tones merging into one – symbolic for the occasion. And of course, white always means wedding bells.
Given the $56.7 billion industry that is weddings, more and more fiancés are looking for DIY options and that's why we’re here. Make no mistake – DIY does not mean less-than. DIY promises pristine pay-offs for your labors of love.
What to include in your wedding invite
Just like wedding ceremonies, wedding invites have their own etiquette. To achieve the above wedding invite goals, you’ll want to include the following information:
The names of the couple
The hosts of the wedding
The time, date, and location of the event
Dress code
Wedding website or registry information
A request to attend
A way for guests to RSVP (whether online or with a separate stamped envelope and card)
While these details are intuitive, excluding even one can cause confusion. Once you map out your wedding invite details, let’s consider how to communicate them.
Ways to word your wedding invitation
You don’t need to be a creative writing major to make a stand-out invite. Consider your wedding’s theme, energy, and overall message. Do you want to be funny, serious, witty, or mushy-in-love?
Once you feel into your message, it’s time to share it! Consider using:
Puns
A relevant poem or quote
A story or narrative voice
Using one of these options to anchor your invite makes it easy to fill in the blanks as you go.
Pro Tip: Take advantage of PicMonkey’s free, masterful wedding templates to inspire your direction. Know you can always customize them to fulfill every wording-wish you seek.
Wedding invite wording format
Now that you’ve solidified the wedding details and your preferred way to communicate them, let’s bring everything together.
You can break down your invite into these main sections:
Monogram (or a symbol of your wedding)
Host Line (one set of parents hosting)
Couple’s Names (first and last)
Request Line (Come join us!)
Action Line (RSVP by mail or email)
The way in which you format the invite will dictate where to provide the details. These sections are variable depending on your preferences.
Pro Tip: Use cohesive phrases to string each section together. Try phrases like, “Let’s come together,” or “Please join our journey.”
No matter what you decide – whether you do save the dates and/or more formal invitations – remember they’re for you, too. Enjoy your big day!