Here, the fabulously talented wedding stationery designer Lucy ledger discusses her favourite wedding stationery trends and predictions for 2013.
Stationery itself is an aspect of a wedding that has always kept its tradition – paper. Even in this digital age brides and grooms know that sending a beautiful invitation in the post still has an impact on guests. Modern methods can still integrate well however. I like the way that quite a few of my couples have created beautiful wedding websites and, while opting for a posted invitation, have saved money on all the information cards and RSVPs by directing guest to their site.
When designing new collections I always look to the bridal catwalks and the film industry amongst others for inspiration as they often indicate what the trends for next season will be. Combine that with modern brides who want to focus on designing their days to reflect their personalities, rather than keeping with tradition, and you have an exciting combination.
Wedding stationery trends
Here are my predictions for five of the top wedding stationery trends that will be big in 2013:
Rustic Fairytale
There has been a revival in the fairytale wedding, but going forward into 2013 brides are choosing a more rustic look to their wedding theme. Oscar De La Renta presented beautiful coloured, velvet dresses in his spring/summer collection evoking a more medieval style and princess dresses have recently seen a surge in popularity. The film industry has a lot to do with this trend with films such as Snow white and the Huntsman and Mirror Mirror providing inspiration. Think princess, think enchanted wood, think a touch of decadence. A beautiful theme that can start with the wedding stationery by using a mix of florals, natural fabrics and a little bit of glamour.
Lace
The Royal wedding is still having an impact and will do right into 2013. Instead of the obvious Union Jack theme, brides are focusing more on the luxurious fabrics that played a part in the day. The beauty of lace is that it is timeless, whether a strip of lace itself on an elegant pocket fold or the creative use of the pattern for printed stationery used to tie in with the brides dress, lace will continue to be a huge trend in 2013
Homespun
Vintage is still around but I find it is evolving into an eclectic trend. Things that are found and precious regardless of era are becoming popular features at weddings. DIY will play a big part in this trend and brides and groom are increasingly wanting their invites to reflect their ‘collected’ down-to-earth wedding day. This can be achieved in the stationery by incorporating fabric, buttons and other paraphernalia into the rustic but chic designs.
Floral
This theme is a long lasting wedding stationery trend but is still going strong. My favourite EVER dress on the spring/summer 2013 catwalk was an Oscar De La Renta floral design. It was just breathtaking and shows the trend is here to stay. Floral is one of my personal favourite wedding themes because it has so much scope; you can go faded, strong, vintage, modern, simple, chintzy… anything goes! For your stationery, if you pick a more vintage theme, fabrics or fabric effect patterns work beautifully to convey the theme. For a more modern approach, the lasercut process is unbeatable for the wow factor and showing off bright vibrant colour schemes.
Retro geometrics
Chevron stripes anyone? With a nod to the retro trend these types of designs are making their way into the modern bride’s wedding theme – colour blocking and patterns with bright vibrant shades are becoming very popular. This theme looks stunning using letterpress or screen printed processes and creates a simple but beautifully effective colour scheme to run throughout your big day.
Lucy Ledger is a talented designer who digitally creates beautiful vintage scrapbook-inspired stationery from her home studio in Sheffield. Winner of the Wedding Ideas’ Best Stationery Award 2012, Lucy has a gorgeous selection of designs available on her website as well as offering a bespoke design service. Check out her stuff today – it’s fabulous!
What wedding theme will you be having and how your stationery will reflect this?
Let us know in the comments below…
