Hell yes.
Today I’m sharing something pretty special — I’ve teamed up with Laura at Prim Paper Co. to answer your burning questions on elopement invitations, announcements, etiquette, and more. Last week we met up for cocktails at The Bradford House in Oklahoma City. A 30-minute meeting on the calendar quickly spiraled into a four-hour dinner date where we talked about micro weddings, intimate backyard ceremonies, and the Oklahoma City elopement scene.
We’re both pretty passionate about empowering couples to do things their own way and march to the beat of their own drum — but sometimes going the route less traveled brings up SO many unanswered questions. Questions like “Should I send invitations for an elopement?” “Should I send a wedding announcement instead?” “When do I send the announcement?” “Why should I consider an invitation suite for my small wedding?”
Well folks, buckle in because Laura and I are about to nerd out over invitations together and give you some insight on elopement invitations and micro wedding/intimate wedding invites.
Photos by DVandCo
Should I send invitations for an elopement or a small wedding?
The short answer: Yes.
We have few reasons why we think you’ll love including custom stationery as part of your unique wedding day.
Luxury within reach
This is very simple math: when your guest list is 20 instead of 200, your stationery budget instantly goes much, much further.
If you’re imagining a beautiful, customized stationery suite as part of your intimate wedding day or elopement, it’s easy to do when the guest list is under 50. With the same amount of money you would have spent on vanilla invites for those 200 people, you can now afford to have beautiful, custom invites with all the bells and whistles. Think wax seals, envelope liners, custom shapes, and – yes – even foil lettering. When your guest list goes down, the quality of invitation that’s possible goes WAY up.
Photos by DVandCo
You’re not one to go the “traditional” route
The reason you’re choosing to have an intimate wedding or elopement day is because you’ve never really gone with the norm. You want something a little different for your wedding day, and cookie-cutter invites are NOT your thing. Minted just isn’t going to cut it for you, because let’s face it, millions of other couples have access to those same invites and you’re planning a one-of-a-kind wedding day that’s special to you and your partner.
When you choose to work with a small, face-to-face company like Prim Paper Co., you are choosing to make this particular detail absolutely one-of-a-kind and unique to you. Whether over lattes or Zoom, Laura is going to get to know you, your vision for your day, and what you love as a couple. The result is a stunning visual representation of your wedding day, and guess what? No one has ever seen your exact invitations before because they were created with you in mind.
Custom wedding stationery for your elopement or intimate wedding day will make you the unicorn you know you are.
Photos by Plum Pretty Weddings
“If you go the custom route with your invitations, the options they have to offer are truly endless. They had so many great ideas and offered suggestions every step of the way, which was super helpful since we had never been through this process before. Laura has amazing attention to detail and ensured that everything was exactly how we pictured it before it was sent to print. They do beautiful work and make everything on your end a breeze. We have gotten so many compliments on our invitations and I can’t recommend them enough!”
-Lindsay + Elliot, pictured below
Semi-custom is still custom!
Even if you were choosing a set of invitations based on Prim Paper’s pre-made templates, did you know you could still customize those to be intentional and unique to your own wedding day?
As you can see, we’re really all for couples choosing to go the untraditional route. Not only will your day be more memorable, but you’ll also have absolutely no regrets about choosing to make the day all about what’s special and meaningful to you.
Being intentional & creating the atmosphere and mood for your day
Like we’ve mentioned above — you’ve already taken the brave step to go against the grain by having an elopement or a small, intimate wedding — and that step takes some thoughtfulness and intention. Why not put that amount of thought and intention into every detail of your wedding, including custom stationery design? Whether you’re into Junebug or Martha Stewart Weddings, every Pinterest-worthy wedding is made in the details. We truly believe that your wedding stationery can set the mood for your entire wedding day, for a few reasons:
Your wedding details, including your stationery, are the first thing your photographer typically photographs.
“When I first get started photographing details, I make sure to keep in mind the tone and the design of the invites and of the couple’s special details they’ve given me. As an example, if the set of invites is loud, bold and colorful, I know the couple chose that style for a reason — so I try to carry that theme through the rest of the day for their photos. If the details and stationery are more sleek, modern and minimal, then you bet I’m going to approach things a bit more editorial and choose minimal backgrounds for my couple. The style of those invites and details can influence my approach to a couple’s whole day and their wedding photographs.”
Your wedding invitations are also the very first thing your guests will see.
So if you’re interested in setting a particular vibe or mood for your day, it truly starts with your wedding stationery. Whether you choose to go with a semi-custom or fully custom suite, make sure your invitations or announcements tell the love story you want to tell the world.
Photo by Kristen Edwards
What if I won’t have any guests and invites aren’t an option for me? Should I send an elopement announcement?
We think custom announcements are an amazing way to share the great news of your nuptials with all your friends and family! And what better way to make sure you also have a beautiful, tangible keepsake from your favorite day ever?
One great thing about a custom announcement is that your friends and family can get a sense of what that day felt like for you and your partner, or your intention behind the day based on its look and feel. We also think an elopement announcement is a very thoughtful way to share a little sliver of the day that was private and intimate with your (very curious and a little nosy) friends and family.
We’ve also seen quite a few couples elope this year and choose to have a big celebration after their elopement. You can always choose to send a customized elopement announcement + invite to the big party!
Bottom line: This is your day! Do your own thing!
We hope this has been so helpful as you’re thinking about your own elopement invitations. We are both so incredibly dedicated to helping couples do things their own way, and we realize that there’s not always a lot of helpful resources out there to couples who are questioning their decisions, doing things differently, or just need a little encouragement or advice on where to get started. We hope you’ll make your wedding day intentional and 100% about you two… We’ll be here to help make the stationery and capture it all for you. 🙂
Prim Paper Co is Laura Wilcox.
Her work can be found at www.primpaperco.com or @primpaperco on Instagram.
Lexi Hoebing Photography is Lexi Hoebing.
Her work can be found at www.lexihoebing.com or @lexihoebing on Instagram.
So I love this. I love the thought and details that went in. And it still
Provides such an intimate touch when so many people fear that they’re going to upset someone because they eloped. This is such a great way to include people and a great way to support the amazing and local talent of people who keep the custom craft alive. Cheers to this.