When it comes to choosing wedding stationery and particularly wedding invitations, the choice can be overwhelming. A design that speaks to you and matches your personalities and event styling is key, but it’s not only what’s written on the invitation that matters; the way the invitation itself is presented can tell a beautiful story. Folded wedding invitations, such as the ones in our beloved collection The Novelist, offer something striking, unique, and unexpected.
Large format folded wedding invitation from The Novelist Collection by The Letterist.
Why choose folded invitations?
There are a number of reasons to choose folded wedding invitations…
Large format (think big!)
The first and perhaps most obvious reason being that they offer you a much larger format than traditional wedding invitations (a big day calls for a big piece of paper!) Our ceremony invitation from The Novelist collection measures approximately 8.5x16 inches (100x400mm) when unfolded, which is significantly larger than the usual 5x7 or 6x9 inch invitations you’d more commonly come across (it’s even longer than your usual folded letterhead which measures approximately 8.5x11 inches).
Surprise your guests
The unfolding experience adds an element of surprise to the moment when your guests open their envelopes and take the wedding invitation out, but more importantly, it means you have a lot more room to play with. Your names, venue, and event details can spread out in large and more striking font sizes, yet still allow for plenty of white space for the invitation to feel sophisticated and modern/elegant.
TELL A STORY
Folded invitations also allow you to reveal the details of your celebration gradually, and create a sort of interactive experience for your guests, inviting them to hold and study the invitation for a longer period of time. Not to mention, if they like to keep invitations and announcements on their mantelpiece, this one is sure to stand out.
Keep it unique
Of course the main reason to choose a folded invitation is because you like the aesthetic and you’re trying to do something a little bolder or less traditional for your wedding and celebrations. The Novelist was our first ever collection and has continued to be a popular choice for couples looking for something unusual and extraordinary. These folded wedding invitations have often been selected by couples getting married in a modern art museum or large industrial event venue.
Is there a downside to folded invitations?
While they are unusual and striking, there are two aspects to note about folded invitations that may affect your decision.
Because they are scored and folded, they are usually printed on a standard weight card stock of approximately 250-300gsm (similar to your average business card), whilst other letterpress wedding invitations are often printed on sturdier and more luxurious cotton paper stocks ranging from 500-1000gsm.
And because of the lighter paper weight and large font sizes, the impression made by the press tends to be lighter and you don’t get the kinds of deep impressions that letterpress printing usually yields on thicker stocks.
If you (or your more traditional partner or parents!) are set on something sturdier and more stately, we’d recommend exploring one of our other collections, as all our other invitations are all printed on thicker 710gsm cotton papers and also allow for other luxurious print techniques. You can always save The Novelist and opt for a folded format for your Save the Dates or Day of Stationery.
Folded save the dates
Slightly smaller than the ceremony invitation, and in a vertical rather than horizontal format, the Save the Dates from The Novelist collection are also folded and feature the same striking mix of bold typography and generous white space. These are double-sided meaning there is even more room to get creative with the interplay of text details and negative space, and screen printed to achieve the richest and most solid ink coverage.
Folded day-of stationery
The Novelist collection also includes reception menus, ceremony programs, weekend itineraries and other day-of stationery, many of which are also folded. The added functional advantage of folded programs or itineraries is that guests can neatly fit them into a suit pocket or clutch if they want to keep the order of service after the ceremony, or refer to their weekend itinerary to see what’s up next!
Folded menus for your welcome dinner or reception offer an affordable way to bring some drama to your tablescape and event styling, and may give your guests something to talk about from the moment they take their seats.
Find out more
If you like what you see above, wander over and take a closer look at The Novelist collection. You’ll find more examples and details on the various elements in this collection, as well as our styling notes, a moodboard, links to weddings that featured this folded wedding stationery, and so much more.
If you’re interested in folded Save the Dates, Wedding Invitations, of Day of Stationery, please get in touch!