Are you looking for unique wedding invitations that are somewhat unconventional, something your guests aren’t expecting? An outlier. After a while, a lot of invitations tend to blend with each other and look the same, but if you start thinking outside the box you may come across an idea that will be remembered for years. Isn’t that one thing a wedding should be: memorable? There are a million different types of wedding invitations that stand out, from luxury print types to wedding invitations with ribbon, but here are some of our favourite unconventional invitation ideas.
Film canister wedding invitations
If you are a photographer, especially the old school kind that still develops their own film, you will love this idea. Send your guests film canisters that have a tab saying ‘pull me’ and they have to draw all of your wedding information out like some kind of secret message, or simply include small scroll wedding invitations inside film canisters.
These artsy invitations would work well with this creative guest book idea: clip guests’ names to the strings of helium balloons then get them to replace their name with a polaroid photo of themselves (hint: you may want to budget for double the amount of polaroid slides as most people snap a sneaky extra pic to keep for themselves).
Laser cut wedding invitations
Getting your wedding invitations laser cut is an elegant way to stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons. Laser wedding invitations can either come as a pocket style wedding invitation or a single piece of cut out card, with a similar look to a piece of lace. Laser cut lace wedding invitations are a wonderful option for country and rustic weddings, complete with a burlap belly band.
Laser cut invitations can use metallic card and funky geometric patterns, or more classic looks. If you’re after something personal, you and your fiancé can create a logo of your initials and get it laser cut into an invitation.
Laser cut tree wedding invitations are suited to garden or forest weddings, or even work well for a couple who care about the environment. Either way, they look enchanting and function well as a pocket invitation. If you want to be truly green, you could use invitations made from recycled paper.
The main reason laser cut invitations aren’t more common is because they tend to be very pricey, so factor that into your decision. If you are looking to do laser cut wedding invitations cheap, you may have to shop around online for different printers – but as always, be wary of too-good-to-be-true prices that could indicate low quality or a scam. Don’t think you can just DIY your laser cut invites either: most people probably shouldn’t rely on DIY to do this on the cheap, as laser cut wedding invitations DIY can be very tricky and time-consuming. It normally requires very specialised equipment. Before attempting any DIY projects consider number of guests, complexity of design, time involved and cost of materials. Cheap laser cut wedding invitations don’t have to be a disaster; just make sure you do the research first. If you have a very large wedding guest list or are looking at laser cut save the dates or thank you cards, it may be worth looking into laser cut wedding invitations wholesale.
‘Invitation to fun’ packages
Some couples really go all out for their guests. And we say why not, if you can afford to? How about a whole wedding invitation package – for instance, a little wedding survival kit (that may or may not include a gift)? These are a lovely thought at any wedding but work especially well for a destination wedding, or a wedding with a large amount of out of town guests. You could come up with fun names like “Wedding Survival Kit”, “Adventure for Two” or “Invitation to Fun”. The more creative the better!
You may want to incorporate art or have your package open out as a map. For a tropical island destination wedding you could include leis or mini sunscreens. For a wedding during the holiday season a Christmas ornament is a thoughtful gift. The small gift is just a fun suggestion though, so don’t feel pressured to include one just because you decide to go for a package invitation.
Hardcover wedding invitations
If you’re a book lover, or just a fan of something a little bit extra, hardcover wedding invitations might be the thing for you. A hardcover wedding invitation features a super hard cardboard cover that opens like a book, and may also have a spine like a book. Within, you might find pockets containing the wedding invitation cards themselves, or you may find pages similar to a book. Not only do these invites really make an impression, they are also built to last, and will grace your bookshelf as a memento for years to come.
That’s the ticket!
Another invitation that works really well with a destination wedding is a boarding pass/plane ticket or passport theme. It’s so exciting as you all look forward to jetting off to a faraway locale to celebrate your nuptials (and let’s be honest, have a little holiday at the same time) and a ‘ticket to celebrate’ tacked to the fridge might be just the thing to help guests get through those last few months of humdrum routine. Check out our ticket-inspired invitation by Amelia Stevens above for inspiration. As a side note, hosting a destination wedding is an effective, albeit expensive, way to keep the guest list small.
Do you have a sweet tooth? The boarding pass idea can also be done as a golden ticket, with your wedding invitation wrapped around a bar (or block) of gold wrapped chocolate. Your guests will feel as excited and carefree as a kid again! Any invitation along this theme, or a travel theme, would work alongside a honeymoon wishing well or a guest book where people sign a globe instead of a book.
Letterpress and foil
Nothing says luxury more than letterpress or foil – put both together and you have a winner! Combining the two is a way to create a truly unique invitation that will make your guests (not to mention you and your fiancé) feel like royalty.
Letterpress – a timeless technique that produces quality you can feel as the words are literally indented into the paper.
Foil – creates a gold or silver shine that highlights key words or aspects of the design. Raised foil is smooth to the touch and creates a feeling of opulence for your guests.
These two stunning printing techniques show people that you have gone the extra mile for something special in your invitations, and the best part is that you can carry foil and letterpress through as style themes for your menu cards, order of service and thank you cards.
Scratch to win
Most people have experienced the excitement of a scratchy at one time or another. Give your family and friends a double thrill with this fun, interactive wedding invitation idea. Inside the envelope include a penny or five cent coin, and your guests have to scratch to reveal all the details of your wedding. Now that’s something you don’t see every day!
Acrylic wedding invitations
For some people, paper just won’t do, and one option for your special day is acrylic wedding invitations or clear plastic wedding invitations. These designs may be completely clear or they may be opaque – some are even coloured – but either way, the information is printed on a thin plastic sheet. Your best bet for finding acrylic wedding invitations in Australia is to browse online for specialist retailers.
Novelty print
We’ve all seen a novelty print, but did you know that you can get wedding invitations printed on just about anything? These are some objects that people have gotten their wedding invitation printed on:
- Martini glass
- Mug
- Fan
- Tea towel
- CD (with a compilation of the bride and groom’s favourite songs)
- Balloon (often used for save the dates)
- Cutting board (invitation formatted as recipe)
If you can think of another item that screams ‘you’ as a couple, why not do that? It is your wedding, after all – the time to really go all out. Thinking giant wedding invitations for a beach wedding? Why not print your details on a beach ball! Love a throwback to the days of old? Consider having your invites printed on vintage hankies or silk scarves.
The slideshow
Remember View-Masters as a kid? You may not have referred to them as that, but odds are that these magical little goggles stuck in your memory somewhere. View-Master invitations are sent out in a box, with the binocular type goggles sitting on top of the disc of slides. After inserting the slide wheel, guests put their eyes up to the goggles and click the side lever to find a series of images of the happy couple and the details of the wedding flash across the screen on different slides. This is such a fun throwback to childhood and your loved ones are bound to enjoy the novelty of it all.
DIY/interactive wedding invitations
If you are handy or into DIY projects or crafts, something interactive might be a creative way for you to surprise and delight your guests. Here are some great ideas to bring an element of the unexpected to your wedding before it even starts:
- Teepee – make the teepee to assemble the wedding information
- Box – can fit a little gift inside, like a candle
- ‘Tie the Knot’ – fold out invitation with a string attached to each end that ties a literal knot as you open it
- Origami – can either be premade or a simple origami for guests to complete (don’t forget to include instructions)
- Puzzle invite – put the pieces together to answer the questions about events on your big day
- Board game invitation – can be interactive or just a theme
- Bauble – perfect for around Christmas time (information can be pulled out in strips of paper from the glass ball)
- Fill in the gap – makes for a fun invite experience and allows guests to pick a song for the reception (could gather them all and display them at your wedding to give people a laugh)
We may not all be quirky enough to have a wanted poster as our wedding invitation (as entertaining as that would be), but we think a lot of people have hit the snooze button on the same old invitation designs. Something unique and exciting is just the ticket to creating an unforgettable experience for your guests. The sky’s the limit!