It used to be most wedding invitations looked alike, a white or cream card with gold or black elegant lettering announcing the who-what-where. Not anymore.
This wedding season and for the foreseeable future, invitations are getting more customized and  colorful, with prints and patterns and even photos gracing an array of hues and fonts.
“I think the big thing brides are saying is, ‘I want something different, I want something unusual,’” said Jane Bock, of The Print Shop in downtown Petoskey. “We have brighter colors instead of the traditional cream or white; there’s even fuchsia if you want it. Last year there were a lot of brown-and-blue and brown-and-pink combinations. This year we’re seeing a lot more color overall.”
Bock says there doesn’t appear to be a new “it” color, like the brown-and-whatever trend of recent years. “We haven’t seen a new color, just more color,” she added.

Brides might consider a black card with white font, a vintage brown with scrolling, or white with burnt orange and imprinted vines for a natural look. Colors have names like sky, cabernet, blushing, lilac, aloe and lemon. Sand, or champagne, is another big one this year, and some brides are going as far as to match the invitation or the ink to the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses.
Online, the options for invitations are endless as well. One of the most unique sites is weddingpaperdivas.com, where eye-catching kiwi-colored invitations would be ideal for summertime nuptials, and a cherry-blossom design seems particularly appropriate for Northern Michigan. There are brushed swirls, soft paisley, trees and sea grass all adding to the emotion of raisin, persimmon, sage and willow colored cards.

Accents like modern stripes, delicate hibiscus, circle monogram and dainty flowers on a khaki-and-black combo speak to the specific tastes of the couple inviting their closest family and friends to the celebration.
Brides are taking advantage of a surge in die-cut designs, Bock said. Some are choosing to have their name or initials cut into the invitation, for an added cost. More creative pull-outs and ribbons are also making a statement, and Bock said envelopes are becoming more convenient with pocket envelopes for the various invitation components – RSVP cards, a map, etc.  
“All the stuff doesn’t fall out when the person opens the envelope, so that’s the biggest benefit,” said Bock.
The more formal the wedding, often times brides and grooms will fall back to cream or white with an embossed edge, “because it does look more formal,” Bock noted.