Patricia Baricevac, 33, of Farmingdale wanted the invitations to her wedding in September to reflect her style: traditional with some flair.
So she chose a layered ivory invitation with shimmery copper accenting, copper thermography ink, and a copper and ivory bow, custom-made at A Bridal Paperie in Plainview (abridalpaperie.com). The colors mirrored her autumnal wedding theme, her ivory gown and the bridesmaids' copper-hued dresses.
"Our wedding invitation gave our guests an idea as to what type of affair they would be attending ... elegant," she says.
About half of today's couples opt for invitations that are "much bolder, colorful and graphic," according to Kathleen Murray, deputy editor of theknot.com. Those who still keep it traditional, she says, are spicing things up with dashes of color or embellishments like glitter, charms, appliqués, ribbons or "belly bands" that fold around the center of the invitation.
"For most couples, it's about personalization," Murray explains.
Judi Moed, owner of A Bridal Paperie, agrees. "People want to express themselves," she says, adding that she recently designed a Medieval-themed invitation for a wedding at Oheka Castle in Huntington, and has seen an upswing in ethnic and "destination" themes, such as beach motifs with palm trees or seashells.
Sarina Sassoon Sanandaji's wedding invitation also set the tone for her June 2006 Water Mill event. "It was very important to us that our guests felt welcome and comfortable in our home," Sassoon Sanandaji says. The guests who attended the garden ceremony at her mother's house had received an ivory book-form invitation with hand-stitched sage borders designed by Brooklyn-based Tiger & Jones Inc. (tigerandjones.com). One side of the book held the ceremony and reception invitation and another had a sage-colored pocket filled with Hamptons travel information. The invitation featured lowercase lettering to "evoke a chic and modern feel, without being too formal," Sassoon Sanandaji says.
At Inklinations in Manhasset (inklinations ny.com), co-owner Anne Kantor says that, while the majority of her customers still opt for a traditional look, in the past year, more customers are turning away from basic black inks to colors like brown, gold and navy. "Brown ink is the new black on ivory or ecru invitations," Kantor says, adding that she recently printed an invitation with a burgundy ink that matched one customer's bridesmaids'
dresses.
Moira Phillips, owner of Papermill 7 in Sea Cliff, says another way couples are personalizing traditional invitations is to highlight the bride's and groom's names in different colors or type styles to set them apart. "I recently had the bride highlight her name in hot pink ... a favorite color," Phillips said.
Cheree Berry, a St. Louis designer, (chereeberry .com) who also creates stationery that is sold in Port Jefferson and Bridgehampton, says, her clients want invitations that reflect who they are as a couple. "Since a bride and groom's wedding day is all about 'them,' their invitations should be, too."
