Last week I took on a fun nautical theme in my invitation 3 ways series. This week I thought I'd switch gears and keep things very simple, yet very elegant. Our simple and elegant invitation is a bit of a Plain Jane. A simple border, a simple scroll, and elegant text make up the template. It's understated and classic, and in years to come is never going to bring about a "what was I thinking!" grimace from you.
I see this subtle invitation as a blank canvas. I've turned this invitation into an elegant enveloped piece perfect for a formal wedding. I themed it for this time of year, Fall. And I've ditched the nuptials and showed you how to use this invitation for a classic baptism.
Below is how the invitation appears in our product catalog, then keep reading for my ideas on styling this template to suit your most loveliest of days.
1. Enveloped in Style
If you are looking for a simple and elegant wedding invitation, this style has got to take the cake. The fonts are classic, the colors are classic, and the design is classic. I rotated the invitation to landscape, printed in navy, and added a navy (with a little sparkle) envelope that I cut from a sheet of card. The envelope when closed is 5 x 7", so I trimmed the invitation slightly smaller. The envelope is simply held closed with navy ribbon. I chose the fonts Splendid ES and Trajan Pro, which are the same as in the sample in our product catalog.
2. Autumn Simplicity
I love the colors of Fall and I think this invitation pairs perfectly with a kraft paper backer and orange leaf. I printed the invitation on cream card and trimmed to slightly smaller than 5 x 7" to fit on the backing card. I changed out the color of the border and scroll to rust, and used chocolate for the text. The fonts are Water Street and Lauren Script, found at the links provided. I found the cute intro poem on Pinterest. If your style tends to be clean and crisp, this is an easy and elegant way to incorporate a Fall them in your invitations without a complicated printed design.
3. Elegant Baptism
Last up is my favorite style. I find photos can be very hit or miss on invitations, but I'm in love with a photo backer covered by a see-through invitation. The invitation is printed on Vellum, which is clear/frosty paper that the picture shows through. The picture is not in the forefront but creates a dreamy backdrop to the invitation. I attached the Vellum overlay with a simple top bow, so you can lift up the Vellum from the bottom to see the picture clearly. I did have a bit of trouble getting my ink jet printer to print on the Vellum, despite the package saying it was suitable for all ink jet and laser printers. The printer didn't recognize that I had any paper in the tray. I ended up tricking the printer by gluing a sheet of Vellum to a regular sheet of copy paper. I used a very thin line of glue at the lead edge of the paper, just enough so that the printer picked up the Vellum and copy paper together. When I trimmed the invitation I cut off the edge I had glued, and was left with my invitation printed on the Vellum. Neat trick, and such a gorgeous result.
The fonts are Rainy Wind and La Belle Aurore, and look much clearer when the invitation is in hand rather than in my picture!
I chose a Baptism theme, but this style would also look great as a save-the-date with an engagement picture, or same picture but as an engagement party announcement. How about a 50th wedding anniversary announcement with a wedding picture of the happy couple. That would be adorable. This invitation style would work for any event that's going to be a little formal.
Wow. Three very different finished invitations from just one template. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Until next time, ciao.
