Q. Which colour will be trending in 2020?

A. Greens – Sage, olive, mints and pistachios

    Yellows and Oranges – Mustard, marigold, burnt orange

    Blues – Pantone Classic Blue, cobalts and sky blues

Q. In a digital age, will physical invitations still be relevant?

A. We believe so. With so much sent digitally these days, it has made receiving a physical invitation even more special, something that many couples find important in planning their big day. Receiving an addressed envelope in the post from someone you know is so rare these days, it starts the excitement and anticipation for the big day off straight away; and of course it can be designed to reflect what the guest is likely to expect on the day or the personalities of the couple, which makes it even more special. We also find that many of our customers are much more drawn to texture or print finishes that can’t be appreciated on a screen. Textured papers, traditional processes such as letter-pressing or blind embossing (which creates a raised shape in the paper) are becoming increasingly popular.

Q. What are the eco-friendly trends & options that we will see this year?

A. There’s already been a marked interest in handmade papers since the beginning of this year. Our customers are frequently asking about recycled paper options, or opting for papers made in a less harmful way. We need to see more options out there; colour plans have been working with half recycled pulp for their papers for years, and the introduction of their new range of recycled coffee cup papers is a brilliant step in the right direction. We’re also seeing more natural earthy colours used for papers, less bleached or highly chemically processed colours, dyes that hopefully do less damage to the environment. There’s also been some interest in naturally made inks. It’s very exciting and we’re hoping that more people show an interest in sustainable options, to push the market in a more eco direction.

Q. Outside of Paper, what material are we going to see more? Acrylic or Wood or Leather or Velvet or any other?

A. We’re big champions of paper here at Gee Brothers, so this is a hard one for us! Paper will always be a very popular option, particularly nowadays for its recyclability. We’ve found that more people are adding embellishments to their paper invitations. Decorative elements like ribbons or bow tying in satins, velvet and chiffon are all beautiful options. However most popular this year is ribboning into two complementary colours, bright stranded cotton or two-tone string. These can be used to bind the different elements of stationery together or tied to the cards as extra embellishments. We’ve also had some inventive designs that use layered papers, for example layering tracing paper or thin, translucent vellum-like papers over textured cards.

Q.How important is Font, style & lettering in adding aesthetics?

A. Incredibly important! The right choice of typeface makes or breaks an invitation design. A typeface communicates so much about the type of wedding the guest should expect; the couple’s personality or even the time of year!

Tradition plays a big part in so many weddings and of course traditional script fonts are perennially popular – always bringing an elegant and sophisticated feel to any invitation. Over the last few years, we’ve seen a big focus on modern calligraphy fonts that combine well with the trend for floral water colours, both of which reflect a more relaxed and laid-back wedding style. However, we’re seeing an increase in popularity for a more stripped-back look, placing a focus on just the text and the beauty and simplicity of the typeface used. Also popular are monograms, combined initials that can be designed almost like a logo or emblem to be used across all the wedding stationery.

Q. A key trend for 2020? Are invites going to become more classic or grander or fancy?

A. Simplicity and sustainability. A focus on texture, nature and graphic design. Here at Gee Brothers though, we embrace all styles, working hard to create something that’s just right for our customer, whatever the look!

Q. Will floral continue to hold sway?

A. Watercolour florals are still incredibly popular but we’re seeing a move toward more stripped back, less busy florals. Botanicals, floral designs in one colour, line drawings and simple shapes are all coming through this year as a strong trend.

Q. What is going to change in the World of Wedding Invitations in a post covid19 era?

A. It’s such early days at the moment, and most of our customers are just hoping to be able to gather their friends and family together in the near future to be with them on their special day. Distance has shown so many of us just how important our loved-ones are to us and we think after Covid-19 it will be even more important to engage couples to be with those they love. While we think that physical invitations will still be important, ensuring the day feels special and important we think we’re likely to see more flexible invitation designs – where it’s easy to change dates or details if need be, or multi-functional designs that save on printing costs. 

For more information please check our Digital Book on Wedding Invites, Stationery and Gifts