Bright colours become popular
For the guests, experiencing a friend's joyous occasion begins with the wedding invitation, so careful attention to design and detail is a must.
'Wedding stationery sets the tone for the [big day], be it the location, colour, the formal or casual feeling of the event,' says Maria Snyder Hoffman, creative director of Studio M stationery designers, adding that it is also a chance to get your guests excited about your wedding.
'The rest of the stationery, such as the guest-signing book, the seating plan and table cards, should echo the same theme on your wedding day too,' says Wylis Chiu, chief designer of wedding stationery design studio Flare Paper n' Style. 'Stationery plays a core and very useful role in the overall venue decoration.'
Chiu also points out that couples are choosing stationery, like wedding dresses, that is brighter and livelier in colour.
Hoffman agrees, saying that colour trends are rich and gorgeous right now. 'We have been enjoying a range of purples, blues, greens and lots of sophisticated metallics.'
Pocket folders - a folder to store your invitation and other information cards - are becoming popular as they are both aesthetically pleasing and practical. 'Useful information on the wedding can be included in a few enclosed cards while remaining neat and organised. The enclosed cards can come in different shades of colours, which add gorgeous layers to the whole invitation suite,' Chiu says.
A personalised touch on menus and seating cards is also a great option. 'Everyone notices the personal touch when they see their name at the top of a menu,' Hoffman says.
Other personal touches include the couple's story. 'We see more couples illustrating their hobbies or details of their love story, such as where they met and where the proposal was made,' Chiu says. 'Guests will feel the warmth of these personal touches.'
As with excluding shark's-fin soup, some couples choose to be eco-friendly with their stationery. 'Earth-friendly paper, such as 100 per cent cotton, recycled and Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper, is used for wedding stationery,' Chiu says.
Before a couple embarks on stationery design, it is advisable to meet the designer to discuss options. 'Meet to discuss scope of wedding invitation and design ideas including colour, paper, print technique and motif in order to prepare a quotation,' Hoffman says.
Once a budget is decided, other concepts such as design, font and layout can be chosen. A mock-up is made before going to print. The process can take up to three weeks.
