Monday Coffee: 2010 stationery trends

We thought it would be fun to get an East Coast take on invitation and stationery trends - Owner and designer Corrie from Invite Couture was kind enough to answer some questions and lend insight to our readers - enjoy!

Q. What new trends are you seeing for 2010?
A: I'm not sure if other designers are seeing this as well, but I've been getting a lot of requests for black and white printed designs. Not only is this palette beautiful and works with every color scheme you can think of, but it's also a very economical option as far as printing goes as well. Another trend I'm seeing is the elimination of RSVP cards. Nowadays to save money on their invitations, couples are opting to in addition to their invitations create a wedding website where they allow their guests to RSVP. That eliminates the need to include RSVP cards, envelopes and costly stamps with their invitations. I've always had a lot of requests for pocketfold style invitations. I'm not sure if its still a trend (it was back in '08 when I got married) but nonetheless I still have a lot of brides asking for them.

Q: What advice do you have for couples looking to go "greener" with their invitation suites?
A: One thing I recommend is asking your stationer about the types of stock they use. Invite Couture uses all FSC Certified stocks, meaning the papers we use are produced using trees grown in sustainable forests. Soy and other eco-friendly inks are also popular, but another printing method which is worth asking about is digital offset. Digital printers use less chemicals during the printing process and are much more eco-friendly than other methods, as well as economical. My final tip for creating greener invitations would be to pare down the number of pieces you include in your wedding stationery suite. For example, if you don't need them don't include a bunch of insertion cards in your invitation suite. The trend I described above referring guests to a wedding website allows you to up additional information on the web as opposed to wasting paper and ink. Same goes for items like escort cards, menu's, etc at your reception. Instead consider doing signage instead of printing an item for each guest. You'll save money as well as the environment as well.

Q: What is your favorite color palette for 2010?
A: I love the turquoise trend. It can be used so many different ways and get totally different effects. For example, for a ranch wedding you can pair turquoise and silver like southwestern jewelry. Or for an South Asian wedding do turquoise with a variety of jewel tones. For a modern city wedding turquoise, gold and cream would be especially classy. Because it's such a strong color I love all the different combinations you can create with it.

There you have it!
Happy Planning, Aleah + Nick


A few pieces from Invite Couture