YOUR WEDDING BEGINS IN AN ENVELOPE
Before the first glass of champagne, a little paper sets the scene.
You’ve chosen the venue. You’re starting to picture the dinner, the flowers, perhaps even what you’ll change into after midnight. Your guests, meanwhile, know almost nothing.
Then your invitation arrives.
Before they discover the setting, have their first glass of champagne or see you walk down the aisle, they’ll have held this piece of paper. It’s their first encounter with your wedding. A proper introduction feels like a good idea.
*that is not a Saint Léo production
WHAT DO YOU WANT THEM TO PICTURE?
A garden ceremony followed by a long dinner beneath the trees? A Parisian reception, beautifully dressed, finishing very late? Three days in the South of France, with a next-day lunch nobody wants to miss? These weddings could share a date and a guest count. Their invitations would tell very different stories.
The wording, the format, the paper, the space given to an illustration: every choice offers a glimpse of what’s to come. Even before anyone reads the dress code.
*that is not a Saint Léo production
YOU DON’T HAVE TO GIVE EVERYTHING AWAY
An illustrated façade can hint at the venue. A colour can suggest the mood of the dinner. A few words can promise something joyful, formal or likely to continue well past bedtime. The rest can wait until the wedding. Your invitation doesn’t need to feature every idea you’ve had for the décor. If you’ve chosen stripes, roses and silverware for the table, all three do not need to squeeze onto the card. One might be enough to begin the story.
THE WORDS DESERVE AS MUCH ATTENTION AS THE PAPER
It’s surprisingly easy to spend an hour comparing two shades of blue, then copy a traditional invitation phrase without giving it much thought.
But you are the ones doing the inviting.
Read your wording aloud. Does it sound like you? Are you comfortable with how formal it feels? Will your guests understand exactly which parts of the celebration they’re invited to?
An invitation can be elegant, warm and perfectly clear. Your guests will appreciate all three.
THINK ABOUT THE PERSON OPENING THE ENVELOPE
They should be able to find the date, the venue and the RSVP details without conducting a small investigation. If the practical information starts to pile up, a separate details card or wedding website can help. Accommodation, transport, plans for the following day: give those details a home where guests can easily find them again. It gives the invitation a little breathing room. And your guests fewer reasons to ask you the same question twenty-seven times.
TO BEGIN, A FEELING IS ENOUGH
Haven’t chosen your flowers or settled on the table colours? You can still start thinking about your stationery. Begin with this: what would you like your guests to imagine when they open the envelope? “This is going to be beautiful.” Of course. But perhaps also: “We’ll be dining outside,” “I’m wearing my best dress,” or “I think we should keep the whole weekend free.”
That first impression gives us somewhere to start.
By Saint Léo