Wedding invitation design is an important part of a cohesive wedding scheme.  Since the invitations are the first thing your guests will see for your wedding, the impression they make sets the tone for the wedding day itself.  A properly executed wedding invitation can communicate a lot about the actual event – the formality, the tone, the ambiance and the expectation. The wedding invitation should also get guests excited about your wedding, and should coordinate with the overall event so guests get a hint at the festivities to come when they open their invite.

Gorgeous letterpress wedding invitations are coveted by many, but chosen by few. The beautiful old-fashioned letterpress printing style makes an impression in the thick card stock that is undeniably elegant.  Brides who love stationary often cut back on other parts of their wedding budget simple to afford the luxurious letterpress invitations, while others give up on the idea altogether when they see the hefty price tag.

One online company, however, is offering gorgeous letterpress wedding invitations at an extremely affordable price. eInvite, online stationary retailer, has partnered with premium stationary design firm Hello! Lucky and the letterpress printing gurus at Manifesto to offer an affordable letterpress option at a super attractive price. Take, for example, the gorgeous Peony & Dots letterpress invitation above. 100 invitations and envelopes will only set you back $500 – a virtual steal for the expensive, time intensive letterpress printing process and the thick, luxurious card stock.

The best part is that the site also offers an instant preview. Change the ink color and fonts, and a new mock up of your desired letterpress invitation appears in a second. No more waiting for proofs, guessing or paying a fee to have a proof emailed a few days later – you can tweak your fonts and colors as much as you like without shelling out or waiting for days. It’s practically a perfectionist bride’s dream, all at an equally dreamy price.

For adorable, stylish bridal shower and bachelorette party invitations, look no further than stationary designer Bonnie Marcus & Co.  Carried at online stationer extraordinaire Invitation Consultants, Bonnie Marcus’ designs are hip, sassy and fashion-forward. Her invitation line features impeccably dressed, stylish and put-together women with cocktail in hand a la Sex and the City. These irresistibly chic silhouettes and watercolor city girls are ready to paint the town red, just like your guests will be when they receive such a cute invitation to celebrate the bride.

Here are three of our favorite Bonnie Marcus & Co. invitation designs that would make lovely Bachelorette Party invitations, or invitations for a bridal shower with cocktails – perhaps a sassy lingerie shower?
Cocktail Girl Bachelorette Party Invitation

This invitation features a stylish blonde dressed in a black  ruffled party dress with pink cocktail in hand.  It’s perfect for a Bachelorette Party celebration that includes a dressed up girls night out on the town.

Polka Dot Girl Bachelorette Party or Bridal Shower Invitation

The polka dot girl (at top left) is decidedly tamer than cocktail girl, but remains impeccably chic. Her pink strappy slingbacks and low ponytail with loose curls is so of-the-moment, and her outfit can go for a day or nighttime shower.

Summer Soiree Girl Bachelorette Party Invitation

For mini weekend away bachelorette parties by the beach or pool, this invitation is deliciously perfect. Her oversized black sunglasses, sundress and pink flip flops set a stylish tone for a fun, relaxing bachelorette weekend spent with the girls.

A themed rehearsal dinner can be as simple as choosing a particular type of food to serve to your friends and family. Some of our favorite ideas include Italian, a crawfish or clam bake, and barbecue. These food themes tend to work well for rehearsal dinners since the food encourages family style platters, sharing and a convivial mood. Simply cover the tables in casual paper tablecloths (red and white checkered cloths work well for all three themes) and lots of candles – voila! An instantly quaint, pulled-together look and theme for your rehearsal dinner.

The first step to planning a rehearsal dinner is to pick out the invitations. The rehearsal dinner invitations set the mood for the party that is to come, and communicates the formality, style and essence of the event. Though the rehearsal dinner invitations can mirror the rest of your invitation suite, many couples view the rehearsal dinner as a separate event with its own, more casual invites.

For our three rehearsal dinner ideas above, we’ve searched high and low to find three cute and modern invitations. And at around $2 per piece including professional printing, you get the look you want without breaking your wedding budget.

Italian Rehearsal Dinner Invitation

Candlelight, breadsticks and a modern taupe and soft red color scheme make this Italian invitation irresistible.

Crawfish Bash Rehearsal Dinner Invitation

For a casual, seaside rehearsal dinner, use this invitation to ask guests to join you for crawfish, beer and corn on the cob. It’s a wonderfully casual, low-key way to celebrate with your loved ones.

Vintage Bar-B-Q Rehearsal Dinner Invitation

Who can resist a delicious barbecue? Friends and family will love the tongue-in-cheek nature of this vintage style barbecue rehearsal dinner invitation.

One company offering great eco-friendly invitation suites is Invitation Consultants. They carry a large number of wedding invitation suites printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper. Best of all, they offer their eco-chic invites at an incredibly reasonable price – under $175 for 100 invitations.

For eco-conscious brides getting married in an outdoor ceremony, this simple pine cone wedding invitation is a lovely choice. The clean lines and pine cone print encompass the simplicity and beauty of nature, setting the perfect mood for an intimate outdoor ceremony. For 100 invitations and envelopes with return address, plus 100 matching RSVP cards with envelopes is only $285 (including shipping!).

Green brides getting married under a beautiful old tree, near a forest or having an outdoor reception can incorporate the pine cone element into the rest of their wedding decoration as well. It’s a perfect theme for a Fall or Winter wedding, and incorporating something you can pick for free from nature will save big bucks without sacrificing style.

Fabulous Flat Printed Options

Consider the fact that, before you entered the tangled web of wedding planning, you probably never noticed if another couple’s invitations were flat printed or letterpress. In all likelihood you received the invitation, though it was cute, and tossed it after penciling in the date on your calendar. Realistically, none of your guests will give much thought to how your wedding invitations were printed – which is why it makes the most sense to focus on finding a beautiful, budget-friendly invitation instead of breaking your budget to include an overpriced set.

Some of the best deals on stylish wedding invitations can be found online. Sites like Invitation Consultants and Wedding Paper Divas have a plethora of wedding invitation suites at a small fraction of prices elsewhere.

Lovely Vintage Wedding Invitation

We love the ‘Betsy Baroque’ style from budget-friendly favorite, Invitation Consultants. The beautiful baroque pattern across the top of the invite paired with an antiqued finish across the card makes it the ideal choice for a vintage style wedding. The baroque invitation suite comes in a blue and white, pink and white, red and white , burgundy and cream and turquoise and cream, making it suitable for a number of different color schemes.

Baroque and Budget Friendly

Yet lovely as it is, the best part is the price – 100 invitations and 100 response cards will only set you back $307, including shipping and handling.  Another big plus with ordering wedding invitations online is that they tend to have a faster turnaround time – usually about two to three weeks from the day you place your order. Invitations ordered from a store or small custom print shop can take 6 weeks to three months; a longer time frame that some couples run out of time for.