The acrylic wedding invitation trend is rising, we see it all over social media, wedding blogs and you may have even gotten one in mail. As much as they are elegant, acrylic wedding invitations are extremely wasteful especially when you can still have the same “WOW” factor with the right paper stocks that are able to be recycled and using sustainably sourced paper stocks. We, Paperlust, are finding better ways to deliver the world’s best stationery products and whilst also improving environmental sustainability at the same time. We already have way too many unsustainable materials in our world and acrylic wedding invitations is an unnecessary plastic that can be avoided. Here’s a few other things to consider before committing and buying into this trend and why we do not offer acrylic wedding invitations.
It’s not eco-friendly
One of the biggest con with acrylic wedding invitations is that it is not eco-friendly. Acrylic is a plastic that represents a family of petroleum-based thermoplastic made from the derivation of natural gas. So not only is it not recyclable, acrylic is not made from recycled plastic, it needs to be produced from virgin fossil fuels. Wedding invitations are considered a one time use item, and let’s be honest, besides you, your parents and that one super sentimental friend who hoards every ticket, invitation, birthday cards, written notes and so on… your invitations are going into the trash as soon as the wedding is over and long passed. You could argue that you could reuse acrylic wedding invitations as super awkward sized coasters, but would you really want your invitation to serve that purpose?
As wedding vendors become increasingly environmentally conscious, it is easier than ever to find invitations that are printed on recycled paper or stocks that are biodegradable. For the same cost, why not opt for beautiful paper invitations with foil stamp or letterpress and still leave a great impression.
Cost
There are acrylic wedding invitations wholesalers that will offer you cheap acrylic wedding invitations which sound too good to be true, unfortunately it is too good to be true. There are different types of plastics with different types of clarity, plexi acrylic wedding invitations guarantee that your invitations will be clear whilst lower end plastic acrylic wedding invitations may appear foggy and gimmicky.
Some may consider getting away with making their own DIY acrylic wedding invitations to help with cost and they should be warned that it’s not as easy as it looks. Pens and paint can easily be rubbed or washed off acrylic, the only permanent application onto acrylic is by printing by specialized printers. The other ways to apply anything on the plastic stock is by applying “stickers” such as vinyl decals or cut surfaces and using special pens however you are still able to scratch or tear off these applications if not careful.
Mailing issues
Like any other wedding invitations, they will all need to be mailed out to your guests. Couples often forget about the additional postage cost and will need to fork out a little more of their wedding budget so that their invitations can arrive in a timely manner.
High quality engraved acrylic wedding invitations are costly enough as it is and unfortunately, might require higher postage fees depending on the weight and size. Your local post office may also choose to not pass this as a document as it’s plastic, not paper, which means they will need to be sent as parcels instead of letters which can sometimes cost more than the invitation itself.
On top of that you may need to spend a little more and get thick or padded envelopes, since acrylic wedding invitations are solid and have sharp edges if their corners have not been rounded, the clear invitations have a chance of ripping through your envelope with wrong handling or movement.
Legible writing
As gorgeous it may be, some of your guests may still have a hard time reading your wedding information due to the nature of the clear stock. Writing on acrylic cards can be hard to read if there is no background printed or if you are not holding it over a solid color.
Finger prints
If you did get a sample of an acrylic wedding invitation, you may notice the finger prints too, unfortunately so will your guests. No matter how many times you wipe, even if you were super careful handling it with cloth gloves, your guests will eventually have to touch the invitation and smudge their fingerprints on it too!
Use an alternative: Go vellum!
If you are still drawn to the idea of having clear wedding invitations, maybe have a look at vellum paper wedding invitations instead. Transparent papers, more known as vellum in wedding stationary, are made from the same fibers as normal paper and when sourced from an environmentally friendly paper mill means that these papers are easily recyclable and some are even FSC-certified or contain recycled fibre. Though it’s not exactly the same as a clear acrylic wedding invitation, it will still leave an unique impression on your guests.
thank you so much for this information, I’m finding this for so long that they are eco friendly or not. I was about to start a business in it but now mother nature is more important .
Thank you IMMENSELY for being one of the few wedding invitation vendors on the Internet to point out these issues with acrylic. I have long wondered why so many brides are drawn to a product that is so shamelessly toxic for the environment and wasteful. There is, of course, an environmental cost to paper invites, but it is definitely insignificant when compared to acrylic. This is a trend that I hope dies very soon.