With travel being off the cards for so many of us this year, I've found myself drawn to destination wedding inspiration more than ever.
Whether it be a romantic French chateau, an Italian vineyard or a pristine beach in Australia there are some truly beautiful places to get married around the world.
And with the infamous British weather being as unpredictable as ever, I can definitely see the appeal of jetting your guests off to somewhere sunny.
If you're planning a destination wedding for 2021 and beyond, it's a good idea to start planning your stationery as early on as possible so that your guests can start thinking about booking flights and accommodation.
Your invitations give you the opportunity to set the scene for your guests, and give them a glimpse of what to expect from your wedding. And when you're getting married in such a beautiful location, there are so many ways you can get creative with your designs. Here are some ideas for delightfully unique stationery with a truly personal touch:
Venue Illustrations
Nothing gives your guests a sneak peek of your wedding quite like a venue illustration. If you're choosing to get married overseas, chances are it's because you've fallen in love with a particular venue so it would be fitting to feature it prominently on your stationery. Some of my favourite venue illustrations have actually been those created for destination weddings.
Agreco Farm in Crete, Greece
Chateau de Malliac in the south-west of France
Adamson House in Malibu, California
Illustrated Map
Functional and decorative, an illustrated map can really elevate your stationery and makes a wonderful keepsake too. This can be particularly useful if you're having multiple venues or if your guests will be staying in towns in the surrounding area.
Photo by Natalie Stevenson Photography
Postcard Design
Sending postcards from overseas may not be as popular as it once was but it's still such a lovely surprise to receive one in the post, isn't it? This postcard style invitation gives you the chance to showcase your chosen location, whilst building the excitement for your guests with a sneak preview of what's to come!
Local Floral and Fauna
If you'd like a more subtle nod to your chosen venue or location, why not take some inspiration from nature and incorporate some local botanicals into your stationery? Whether it be citrus trees, agave plants or grape vines, there are lots of ways we can feature these elements in your design.
Photo by Natalie Stevenson Photography & earrings by Rachel Sokhal Bridal
On the Day
And when it comes to the wedding day itself remember that whatever stationery items you order, you have to travel with, so keep these top tips in mind:
Seating Plans & Signage
If you're wanting a large format seating plan (mounted or framed), I'd really recommend researching some printers local to your venue. This will really take the pressure off when you travel, as who knows what sort of damage could be caused in transit (I mean, you've seen how the baggage handlers treat luggage right?).
If you're not having much luck with a local printer, a large fabric seating plan could work beautifully, providing your venue has somewhere you can hang it from. Fabric seating plans and signage are a great alternative, as they have the same impact of a mounted or framed piece but can be transported with ease and without stress. Do make sure you can get your hands on an iron or steamer before the day though, you definitely don't want to be displaying something with lots of creases in it.
Another alternative that I often suggest is getting separate seating plan cards printed. These can be transported safely and then displayed in a whole manner of creative ways. I've had couples hang them from trees, attach to ladders, mirrors, and floral hoops.
Place cards
These usually don't cause many problems with destination weddings as they don't take up much space and are easy to transport. If you're having a bit more of an informal wedding and it doesn't matter exactly where everyone sits why not make the place cards double up as escort cards? That way, you can assign everyone a table without the need for a separate seating plan. There are so many ways you can get creative with this option and if you're having favours, you could even get those involved too (e.g. having the escort cards as tags or stickers to attach to the favours).
Hopefully you’ll now be full to the brim with ideas for your destination wedding stationery. If you’d like to get in touch about my semi-custom or bespoke design service, you can do so here.