It’s easy to see why so many brides get excited about wedding invitations. After all, they’re the first part of your big day that guests get to see. With so much to plan and create, invitations are the only part of your wedding you can actually share with your loved ones, long before the event itself comes around. 

Because of this, lots of couples choose to make a statement with their save the date and wedding invitations. This could be by picking out a theme or colour that will become a bigger part of the celebrations down the line. Or, alternatively, going for a customised look which depicts the couple or reflects their relationship.

As wedding season creeps closer, we’re taking a look at four of the most popular wedding invitation trends for 2019, picking out eco-friendly, illustrated, rustic and foiled wedding invitations as the ones to watch. 

Check out our trend guide below, complete with inspiration images and suggestions on where to look for your own wedding invitations. Plus, if you want to catch up on the biggest wedding trends for flowers, decor, hair and everything in between, see our full guide. 

Eco-friendly wedding invitations 

Caring about the environment and trying to limit our impact on it is something that now motivates our everyday habits, from following eco-influencers on Instagram, using reusable coffee cups and attempting a zero-waste holidays. And it’s time the wedding industry caught up too. 

For all we love about planning wedding, it has to be recognised that big days are particularly excessive and accumulate a lot of waste for a single day. Which is why we’re glad to see more wedding invitation brands are not only adding an environmentally conscious aspect to their designs and production, but making it a corner-stone of what their business is founded on. 

Aisle Studio is a fabulous example of this. With bold, modern designs it’s a great choice for couples looking for something fresh, while also specialising in being affordable and only printing on recycled paper. 

Illustrated wedding invitations 

Whimsical illustrations work perfectly for the romantic themes of a wedding, so it’s a no-brainer that illustrated wedding invitations are a popular choice., so it’s a no-brainer that illustrated wedding invitations are a popular choice. But as well as using an illustrated-looking font or motif, the trend for having custom designed illustrated wedding invitations is also on the rise. 

As pointed out by Giant Invitations (one of the leading luxury wedding invitation companies) in our 2019 wedding trends forecast, getting a custom-made design is a lovely way to set the specific tone and theme of your wedding from the very moment your guests learn about your big day. 

As your wedding is a celebration of your unique love, it makes sense that brides are loving the idea of a wedding invitation that is reflective of their relationship and their special day, giving the couple control over the exact details of how this wonderful time will be forever immortilised on paper. 

Popular ideas for custom illustrated wedding invitations are sweet drawings of the couple in traditional wedding dress, an illustration of the venue that they’re getting married in or a curated mix of things that represent them, like pets, a favourite food, things that signify special memories etc. 

The Most Curious Wedding Fair 2019 also nodded to this trend, with exhibitor Polly Crossman showing off her intricate illustrated invite ideas, many of which heavily feature botanicals and buildings. Polly works in ink, pencil and watercolour from her studio in leafy south east London

We also love the work of Rebecca and Karl, a husband and wife team based in the heart of the Cotswolds, who are behind Wildflower Illustration Co. They offer luxury, bespoke wedding stationery with each invitation design featuring hand-written calligraphy and watercolour illustrations by Rebecca. 

If watercolours aren’t your thing, check out Emmy Designs by Emma who has a slightly more modern approach and focuses on drawings of the couples. She can do a range of style, an example of which is below. 

Foiled wedding invitations 

Gold and rose gold foiling are on the up for wedding invitations. A flourish of metallic can really set a wedding invitation apart, and the joy with foiling is that you can put it wherever you please. 

Popular designs will see different coloured foiling filled into the grooves of the wording on an invitation, or done at the edges or corners to make the invitation pop. We particularly love the look of foiled calligraphy over the top of translucent acetate, especially when it works together as part of a multi-part design like the image above. 

Or, instead of foiling words, why not merge two trends together and get a custom made illustration of your venue and have that foiled as a stand-out centre piece? 

A wedding invitation designer that does foiling especially well is Lou Paper, who mixes watercolour backgrounds with stylish foiled typography beautifully. This small creative studio is run by Louise and made with love in Berkshire, with plenty of personalised options available. 

Aimee Willow Designs is another one to watch, based in north London, Aimee does a gorgeous star-inspired midnight blue and gold foil invitation that you have to see.

Rustic wedding invitations 

If the botanical trend has meant anything for weddings it’s plants, plants and more plants – and especially those with a rustic look. Draw inspiration from woodland whimsy and incorporate a mix of soft and forest greens into your wedding invitation colour palette, alongside bark-like browns and illustrations of foliage. 

This light and bright look is perfect for spring weddings, and the ideal way to introduce the colour of your bridesmaids outfits as earthy tones compliment pretty much all other colours. So, why not add a dash of your chosen hue in there, as a foreshadowing to what’s coming?

Rustic wedding invitations are a fantastic choice if you’re thinking of having a venue like a barn or farm. In fact, we’d suggest bringing a woodland vibe to all aspects of your wedding if this is the case, complimenting your invites later on with rustic touches on the tables and in the decor. If you need ideas, wedding stylists and props specialists Lavender and Rose are experts at this – think mini tree stumps surrounded by delicate, green flora. 

If you need some wedding invitation companies to hep you find the perfect rustic design, we suggest checking out Beyond Vintage which has cute, brown twine aplenty and Wonderland Invites for their sophisticated florals. 

Another tip, don’t overlook bigger brands like Papier. This stylish stationery go-to does a whole host of wedding invitations and has its own rustic section, which won’t disappoint. 

Images: Courtesy of all brands