What kind of invitations do you need for different occasions?

Bookmarks with greenery in a tray, next to vases with flowers.

Pretend that you’re planning a wedding with your sister or throwing a baby shower for your best friend. What’s one of the first items on your to do list? Invitations. When it comes to celebrating special occasions like a graduation, a new baby or a wedding, invitations play an important role. For example, a wedding invitation is guests’ first peek into the wedding day, so it needs to emulate the style of the wedding. Likewise, a baby announcement is the first time most people will hear about the new arrival, so it needs to include a picture of the little girl or boy along with the name.

When choosing an invitation for your event, the first step is to pick the size and style. Different sized and shaped cards not only differ in postage costs, but they also change the overall look and feel of your announcement. If you have a lot of information you want to include, a tri-fold or gate-fold style might be the best. Tri-fold invitations fold into thirds, accordion style, while gate-fold invitations open up to reveal the inside message. Both of the styles often cost more than a standard invitation style. If you want something more traditional, choose a flat invitation style, which is the standard size. If you’re worried about your flat invitation being dull, you can choose a different edge style to spice it up. Pick a round style, which has rounded corners instead of the standard ninety degree angles for corners. Want something even more unique? Choose a ticket style, which has inverted rounded corners, similar to an old fashioned ticket or a scalloped style, with a series of repeating curves across every edge of an invitation.

There are a variety of sizes available to make your invitation unique. The most common invitation size is 5 x 7 inches, but you can choose 6 x 6 inches for a square, modern look. Want your invitation to stand out, size wise? 5.5 x 8.5 inches is a larger invitation with more space for your announcement.

Once you’ve figured out your style and size, it’s time to create the content for your invitation. First, make sure your invitation hints to the formality of the event you’re throwing. If the wedding is supposed to be casual and relaxed, avoid invitations with embellishments that will make it appear more formal. Next, use colors in the invitation that will also be used at your event. For example, if you’re throwing a shower for a new baby girl, pinks and pastels are a wise color choice since those will probably also be used in the decor at the event. As you consider colors, don’t forget about the text— the information you put on the invitation is the whole point of sending it out in the first place. Try to avoid light ink on light backgrounds and dark ink on dark backgrounds. Also, be wary of hard-to-read fonts like an overly scripted typeface—you don't want to sacrifice readability for appearance.

Invitations are just the beginning of a cohesive, well-planned celebration. Don’t forget about other stationary ideas, like envelopes and letterheads. These additional touches will pull your entire event together and impress your guests.

At Early Express, we print all of this and more. From marketing and promotional tools for businesses to stationary for your next event, Early Express offers fast and affordable printing services to get you what you need.

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