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“The invitation is the first and last communication that the bride and groom have with most of their guests before their special day and many couples want their invitation to reflect the grandeur of the occasion,” says Corina Van Sluytman, owner of Oakville, Ont.-based Bella Invites. (www.bellainvites.com). “Luxurious materials are becoming more popular, such as imported papers, silk, satin ribbons and rhinestone embellishments. I find that couples are currently looking to add personal touches toward their wedding invitations. This may include using their engagement photos as part of the invitation, a customized monogram of their initials, or a quote or poem that has special meaning.”

Tips on personalizing the invite:
The bride and groom may have a particular colour scheme that is carried throughout the wedding: in the bridesmaid dresses, the flowers and table linens. This can be included in the invitation as well.

The location may also be a theme. So, let’s say the couple is getting married on a tropical beach, an invitation with palm trees could convey that theme as well.

You can look to your own personalities as well: if you share a love of sailing — or even coffee — the invitation can reflect that with certain images and colours. “We recently completed a custom order for couple that shared a love for coffee,” says Van Sluytman. “The invitation itself was an espresso colour and incorporated photos of the couple taken at their favourite coffee house. They told me that at their reception there would be coffee bean centre pieces, espresso cup favours, and an actual espresso bar should anyone want to order a specialty coffee. They were a fun couple, really energetic, perhaps the coffee had something to do with it!”On a budget?
“Couples should definitely include the invitation itself, a reply card and directions card,” says Van Sluytman. “However, there are other ways you can cut costs.”

Use one envelope, rather than traditional inner and outer envelopes.

We offer the option of a reply postcard. It’s a fun and innovative way for guests to respond, and it also saves couples the cost of reply envelopes.

Reduce costs by printing guest addresses with an eye-catching font on inexpensive clear labels, rather than using a calligrapher.