Q. Which colour will be trending in 2020?

A. Trends are not really something I use with my work, as all my stationery is bespoke. So I always prefer to take the brief for each wedding and use an appropriate colour palette specific to each client. For example, if it is a wedding in the Caribbean or India I might use a stronger, brighter colour palette than for an English wedding, where the colours may be more pastel and softer.

If there is an accent colour being used in other areas ie in the florals or bridemaids dresses then I may use that for the stationery too. I work closely with planners and feed into their style & mood boards for the wedding overall, so everything has a holistic look.

I start by creating a mood board just for the stationery design and put a colour palette on there, then clients can amend that if they need to.

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

A. Absolutely… I think they will actually be much more treasured now, we are all missing having physical contact with our friends and family so to have a physical invitation arrive will become more important. A digital, screen based invite is just not the same.

That feeling of receiving a beautiful invitation in the post, amongst all the bills and junk mail will be a lasting keepsake to treasure, along with photographs and memories. However, I think the two things can exist together so I often design a beautiful mailed invitation and then a corresponding website to go with it that provides further information.

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

A. I think all stationers will be looking more to source their materials locally and use suppliers that are nearby. I already do a lot of these things anyway. I buy a lot of my materials in the town where I live and my paper is all FSC sourced, and digitally printed to keep waste down. There is always more we can do… and materials like perspex and acrylic will be something I will be encouraging my clients to move away from.

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

A. For me, it really depends on the brief… if the design solution requires a different material then this may be relevant to show my clients, but if there is no valid reason for using it, then it should be discouraged for both cost and environmental reasons. I always talk to my clients about ideas that are bespoke to them, so if the wedding is being held outside in a wooded environment then maybe a wooden invitation solution is appropriate. Or if the interiors of the venue feature a lot of leather, then a leather-covered invitation might be right. Again I don’t really follow trends, its about having a unique, creative solution that it right for the overall style & feel of each event.

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

A. Its one of the most important things and often clients don’t appreciate this fully. Using a certain typeface can completely change the feel of a design. For example, if you are designing for a wedding at a French Chateau, you may not use a very modern sans serif typeface as it would look inappropriate.

I have thousands of fonts and I go through many of them each time I start a design to find the right style. At out first meeting, I also discuss with my clients what sort of look they would like… modern, fashion, understated etc to identify where to start looking for the correct font choice. I normally use 2-3 different fonts on each design.

The layout and overall typography of each suite is also very important and this comes down to the skill of the designer to use the fonts & design elements sensitively and with style. A uncomfortable layout can ruin a design and don’t be frightened of using white space, this can add some lightness if there is a lot of text to be included.

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

A. It does depend on the wedding but in general invitations might be designed more simply but much more bespoke and personal.

Q. Will floral continues to hold sway?

A. Florals are always popular and they will continue to be so. The style of floral designs does depend on the setting and what time of year the wedding is held.

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

A. This is a tricky one to predict as things are so uncertain with events right now. Weddings will almost certainly be more intimate… with less guests due to social distancing. But I think they will become much more personal. With a smaller guest list, couples will be able to treat each one more, with unique welcome gifts and much more personal touches. Destination weddings may reduce in number and couples will look nearer to home for their wedding venue in the short term, to keep their guests safe.

 

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