How to Design Your Wedding Invitation Suite: Tips from Beth Helmstetter

This post was written exclusively for Have & Hold by Beth Helmstetter.
Photos by Steve Steinhardt
Calligraphy by Typecast Lettering
All invitations provided by Wedding Paper Divas from the Pottery Barn and Wedding Paper Divas Curated Collection.

Do you know how to design your wedding invitations? It’s harder than it looks — with so many options today, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all of the details to consider. While you can go very basic with just the invitation and RSVP card, we personally love the idea of guests receiving a beautiful suite with anything and everything they need to know about the weekend.

Here are the main elements we consider when designing an invitation suite:

1. Paper type and quality. The paper you use will communicate the style and formality of your wedding. If you’re considering a super formal wedding, a thicker, more luxurious card stock is appropriate. If you’re going more fun and casual, Kraft paper or even colorful paper can be a great option.

2. Print type. Letterpress and flat printing are the most common options for invitations. Flat printing is a perfect cost saver and these pieces from Wedding Paper Divas are the perfect execution of how luxurious flat printed invitations can look. If you want something with a little more texture, you might consider letterpress printing. It has a refined yet approachable feel and is perfect for the couple who appreciates every detail. And engraving is perfect for the classic couple who wants a day filled with formality and timeless style.

3. The actual invitation. This piece should obviously be the showstopper in your suite. Once you work out the perfect wording, have your stationer design a piece that introduces your guests to the aesthetic you will be featuring on your wedding day. Don’t forget to consider things like the size of the invitation, orientation of the wording and shape of the cut. A rectangular, 5-by-7 piece is standard, but there are so many other options. If you are a more modern couple, a square invitation might be the perfect shape. Or, if you are super glam, consider an oversized invitation that really stands out in the mail and makes a statement.

4. The envelope. Of course the envelope is a given, but when considering this piece, don’t forget to think about things like the envelope liner, the font the calligrapher will use for addressing and the stamp. Also, have your stationery designer create mailing labels or print the back flap of the envelope with your return address in a style that complements the rest of the suite.

5. The RSVP card and envelope. When designing the RSVP card, you’ll need the basics — such as the guests name and number attending — but you may want to also use this piece to collect even more information to make your planning that much smoother. For instance, if you have traveling guests, this is a great place to request hotel accommodation information. Or, if you are offering meal choices, this is the perfect card to gather those details. I love to do something unexpected with the envelope of this piece, like choosing paper in a complimentary color or creating a cute motif to print on the front. It just shows guests you thought of everything and adds a little element of surprise. Lastly, don’t forget to get a cute matching stamp.

6. Additional event invitations or itinerary. If you are hosting a rehearsal dinner, welcome party or brunch, this is a great place to introduce these events as well. You can always get a little more fun with this piece, but remember to keep it within the same overall design aesthetic and color palette.

7. Directions or map. If you love paper as much as we do, you might consider adding a cute hand drawn map (Laura Hooper‘s maps are perfection) or simple driving directions.

8. Additional information. Hotel information, which airport to fly into and general survival information for the wedding destination can be great to include in the invitation suite. If we’re having an outdoor wedding or shuttling guests to the venue, we use this additional card to tell guests all of the details far in advance so there are no surprises the day of the wedding.

9. Wedding website insert. If you prefer to forgo many different pieces, you can consolidate all of the above information on your wedding website and simply keep the suite to an invitation, RSVP card and a wedding website insert. This is not only an efficient way to go, but also budget friendly.