Wedding Invitation Styling Guides
Planning a wedding can feel overwhelming, especially when it comes to finding stationery that reflects your personal style. You want something special—an invitation that feels like it was made just for you—but without diving into a months-long custom design process. That’s where Banter & Charm comes in.
The semi-custom invitation collection is designed to give you the best of both worlds: the elegance and personalization of bespoke invitations, without the lengthy back-and-forth or overwhelming decisions. How is that possible? It all comes down to two key elements: Foundational Designs and the Styling Guides that go with them.
Foundational Designs are the starting point—beautiful, thoughtfully crafted layouts that will look classic–not dated–when you look back on them 20 years from now. And Styling Guides? They’re the secret sauce that makes these designs truly yours, offering customizable options that allow you to tweak everything from fonts to decorative elements while keeping the overall look cohesive.
Together, these give you a blueprint for creating a wedding invitation that’s tailored perfectly to your style, without the hassle of a complicated, time-consuming custom design process. You get all the beauty and personalization of custom stationery—made simple.
Foundational Designs
The semi-custom collection is built on 14 “Foundational” designs. These aren’t just any designs—they’re the most popular layouts I’ve created over the past six years, ones that brides just like you have customized to perfection. Whether you’re looking for something classic, romantic, or modern, chances are, there’s a design here for you.
But it doesn’t stop there. Each suite offers at least two alternate layouts for the invitation to accommodate a variety of wording needs and style preferences. For example, if you’re listing both tests of parents’ names and getting married at a church, your wording will look different than if you’re hosting a destination wedding at a private estate. (Not sure what wording you need? Check out my post on Invitation Wording—I’ve got you covered.)
These alternate layouts give you flexibility and creative control, knowing that the design you fell in love with will fit your unique wedding details.
It’s not just for the invitation suite either! Each design in the collection includes a full range of wedding day stationery, along with multiple layout options for your save the date card.
Styling Guides
I’m sure you’ve heard of the popular “capsule wardrobe” concept where you have a selection of essential clothing items that mix and match so you can easily put together different outfits without worrying if things look right together. Well, the Styling Guide is basically the capsule wardrobe of wedding invitations.
Each guide includes a selection of decorative elements—like monograms, borders, and fonts—that work seamlessly with your Foundational design. So while you have fewer decisions to make, you still get a beautifully customized invitation that feels uniquely yours.
Want to add a monogram, change up a border, or try a decorative element? The guide shows you options that’ll fit perfectly. And don’t worry—I’ve double-checked everything, so you can rest assured that all the pieces will work together effortlessly.
Not sure about sticking to just a few decorative options? No problem! If you want to see more mockups or try a different embellishment, just ask. You can borrow from other designs or even add a custom venue illustration or swap out that mountain sketch for a delicate calla lily drawing. And beyond the Styling Guide, you’ll have access to my extensive design library of illustrations, patterns, and fonts (seriously, it’s massive). If you feel overwhelmed, don’t worry—we can always circle back to the simplified options in the Styling Guide.
Typography and Customizing Fonts
Don’t love the script font shown in your Foundational Design? No big deal. The Styling Guide includes alternate script fonts that work beautifully with the design. Prefer a non-script font? Totally possible!
Just keep in mind that fonts are an integral part of the overall look and something that feels like a small change can make a big impact. Sometimes it’s easier to choose a different Foundational design that already has the font style you’re drawn to, rather than trying to force a mismatch.
Need more details? Check out my post on Picking the Right Font for Your Invitation to learn all about typography and how to make the perfect pairings.
Interchangeable Decorative Elements
Most of the invitations in the collection feature some kind of decorative element—a monogram, border, or illustration. Each Styling Guide gives you options for these elements, and the best part is, they all work seamlessly together. For instance, you could use an intricate wedding crest on your invitation and pull one of the flowers from that crest to use on your reception card. You could even carry that illustration throughout your day-of stationery, like on menus or thank you notes, for a cohesive, elegant look.
Embellishments
Sometimes you want to keep your invitation simple, letting the elegant typography take center stage. But you don’t want the suite to look plain–that’s where embellishments like wax seals, envelope liners, belly bands, and ribbons come in! The Styling Guide showcases recommended options for patterns and colors, but this is where you really get to let your style show.
Looking for something soft and romantic? Try a silk ribbon tied around the suite. Want to make a statement with some added texture and color? Pick a wax seal engraved with your custom monogram and place it on a vellum wrap printed with vintage artwork.
Custom Venue Illustrations
You’ve probably noticed custom venue sketches in a few of the suites. If you’re getting married at one of the featured locations, you can use that sketch in your suite at no extra cost (reach out for the current list of available venues). If your venue isn’t on the list, don’t worry—you can always commission a custom illustration as part of your order. Learn more about custom venue illustrations here.
Custom Monograms
Each Styling Guide has a recommended monogram, but you can absolutely swap it for a different style if that’s more your vibe.
Want something with a little more personality?
Now that you’ve got a better idea of how the Styling Guides work, start exploring the Foundational Designs to find the one that’s perfect for your big day. Be sure to check out the Styling Guide for each collection to see all the coordinating details. And if you need inspiration, browse my portfolio to see how other brides have customized their designs—you might just find your starting point there!
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