The 15 best wedding invitation trends of 2024
We’ve been helping couples navigate the ins and outs of wedding planning for long enough to know that no detail goes unconsidered leading up to the big day. That’s why, when it comes to the invitation, we’ve thought of everything to make the process as easy as possible. Choosing an invitation should be fun—not another stressor on your long (long!) wedding to-do list.
So, how do you narrow down our thousands of beautiful design templates? Get ahead of the curve this wedding season by choosing a design that reflects both your style and the year’s top trends. Our design team has done the legwork for you with invitations that reflect up-to-the-minute 2024 wedding trends. From illustration to typography and technique, Art Director Allyson Peck and team have considered every angle.
Read on for the 15 biggest wedding invitation trends of 2024, and learn how our designers have drawn inspiration from both the likeliest (wedding venues) and unlikeliest (the library?!) of places.
Table of Contents
1. Neutral greenery
Close your eyes and imagine your wedding venue. The walls are white-washed and the chairs are a bit rustic. The room is flooded with soft afternoon sun. The only thing missing? Lush greenery like fern fronds, eucalyptus, or moss. If this minimalist scene is calling your name, the neutral greenery trend is for you.
Senior Art Director Mariya Pilipenko considered the importance of the blank canvas, embracing negative space while designing “Keen.” She paired simple green stems with traditional yet playfully placed typography. “It blends the formal with the modern, playing with the idea of making something old, new again,” she said.
Go au naturel with Cards like “Keen” or “Cornelia” by Paperless Post.
2. Exaggerated florals
The floral design world is still crushing on exaggerated florals, and for good reason. Not only can you add drama and romance to any event space (or your gown), you can also play with scale and gesture. Our team just had to try the trend for themselves, toned down in pastels and dusty blues.
Zoom in on your favorite florals with Cards like “Wild Ranunculus” by John Derian or “Falling Poppies” by Oscar de la Renta.
3. Soft blues and greens
Take a softer approach with this muted color trend. Add sophistication to your wedding palette with shades of dusty, antique blues and sage greens on textured paper. You’ll convey formality and elegance, perfect for a black-tie affair. Says Senior Graphic Designer Jin Xia, “Baby blues always remind me of soft skies and soothing oceans. The tone is perfect for a romantic spring or summer wedding.”
Sing the blues so well with Cards like “Strawberry Dreams” by Paperless Post “Overgrown” by John Derian.
4. Put a bow on it
Romantic details get a feminine update this season with exaggerated bows, pastel silks, and draped fabric. If the “Swan Lake” score just started playing in your head, you’re ready for a ballet-inspired wedding and invitations to match. This style is all about delicate touches that add grace and softness to your big day.
Grab your partner and pas de deux over to Cards like “Effortless Drape” and “Dancing Ribbon” by Paperless Post, or “Ruban d’Or” by Ladurée. Add balletic details like the “Silk Ribbon” backdrop or the “En Pointe” liner.
5. Wild, wild west
Oh, give me a wedding where the buffalos roam, or at least a beautiful mountain resort or ranch on the plains. Brides are heading to Arizona to party down with the cacti, and many couples are opting for the nuptials out West—strapping on their bolo ties and cowboy boots, to boot! That’s why the Western design trend has galloped onto our desks, with hues saying “howdy” to the Red Rocks and an overall aesthetic at home in the great outdoors.
Do si do on over to Cards like “Pueblo” and “Sonora” by Paperless Post.
6. Vibrant colors
With so many couples choosing neutral colors for their big day, one of the easiest ways to make sure your invitation stands out is to go bright. Think bursts of pinks, oranges, and purples that bring your maximalist style front and center at your ceremony. Traditional wedding style? She doesn’t even go here.
Taste the rainbow with cards like “Bright Tulips” by Carolina Herrera for Paperless Post.
7. That ’70s wedding
If you’re the couple looking to jet off to Palm Springs, Las Vegas, or basically any renovated motel in San Luis Obispo (or they at least made it to your mood board), this stationery trend will give you major Saturday night fever.
These invitation designs are highly stylized, colorful, irreverent, and play with charismatic typography. For her design “Hudson,” Jin dove headfirst into the world of non-traditional Vegas weddings: “They are full of personality and so fun! I wanted to make a delightful invitation brimming with pops of color.”
Designs like “Longwing” or “Hudson” by Paperless Post will put your guests in the mood to groove.
8. Pattern work
You may be considering this trend if you’ve invested in an infamous wiggle mirror, if your TikTok feed is all about dopamine décor, or if your wedding mood board has been taken over by vertical stripes and surprise and delight (read: late-night ice cream truck).
Our team drew inspiration from eclectic home décor, mixing and matching patterns and playing with unexpected colors for additional visual interest. On designs like these, typography is understated to allow the patterns to shine. Describing “Wiggle Room,” Junior Illustrator and Animator Benny Kessler says, “Design is all about balance—even fun, trendy Cards need to be pared back in the right places for the overall design to cohere. Keeping the type choices simple here was key to giving this invitation a light, buoyant feel.”
Step and repeat the design trend with Cards like “Wiggle Room” by Paperless Post.
9. Monograms
Nothing is more special than creating a custom monogram for you and your spouse-to-be to add a formal, classical detail throughout your big day, from your invitation to your favors. Our design team makes it easy on couples going the digital route with flexible, customizable monograms that sit right on your invitation, your stamp, and emails to your guests. With inspiration from sources such as vintage stamps and seals, our monograms range from minimal and geometric to classic and decorative to fit the invitation of your dreams.
Customize a monogrammed invitation like “Wreath of Love” or “Simply in Love” by Paperless Post.
10. Contemporary typography
Lovers of the classic film “Helvetica” and modern design enthusiasts alike will flock to the contemporary typography trend. These designs forego decorative elements to let sans serif typefaces and dramatic scale shifts take center stage. This playfulness leads to unexpected and unique compositions that can be dressed up or down.
Contemporary poster design made its mark on Art Director Allyson Peck. “I leaned into using grids to inform the layout on these designs, then ramped up the drama with shifts in hierarchy and different combinations of typefaces,” she says.
Geek out on typography with Cards like “Drafted” and “Ludlow” by Paperless Post, or “Bauhaus” by Crane & Co.
11. Formal typography
Wedding planning is all about embracing traditions; after all, what’s a big family affair without a little pomp and circumstance? Whether you’re all about finding something new and something old (etc., etc.) or considering whether to wear a veil or set a black-tie dress code, your traditional wedding should have an invitation that sets the tone. Think classic scripts, soft color palettes, and an air of formality.
To immerse themselves in traditional wedding invitation design, the team conducted field research at The Newberry Library. There, they found inspiration in the 19th-century wedding invitation collection. Says Jin, “Most of the cards designed then are just beautifully handwritten calligraphy, and I love that simplicity.”
If classic and formal invitations are just your style, browse cards like “Obliged” or “Cummerbund” by Paperless Post.
12. Minimalist typography
If your wedding mood board is taking on a modern, monochrome tone with crisp white linens, a black-tie dress code, and restrained centerpieces, try a typography-forward invitation design. Think pared-back serif fonts that play with ample negative space on designs that aren’t afraid to go off-center, like “Connected” or “Around the Edges” by Paperless Post.
13. Blind embossing
Add depth to your digital stationery with this traditional letterpress technique of pressing textures into paper, creating type, illustrations, and shadows without using ink. Our designers looked to refined details from the physical world including embroidery, wedding fashion, and even vintage picture frames.
Put your stamp of approval on this trend with invitations like “With a View” by Paperless Post and “Embossed Lace” by Carolina Herrera.
14. Scrapbook
What are weddings if not wonderful events that turn into lasting memories? That’s why the scrapbook trend feels especially sweet for 2024 couples. No matter which path led you to say “yes,” you’ll want to encapsulate your big day with special touches that remind you of your love. To patch together the scrapbook look, be playful with your design tools, mixing formal cards with textured motifs like ribbon backdrops or stamped liners.
To make a special envelope liner moment, Jin drew a pen-and-ink sweet pea motif, which pays homage to the scrapbook technique of adding handmade details to formal designs. “A sweet pea bouquet always feels so fresh and romantic, reminding me of a lush and lovely spring garden,” she explains. “I etched out the motif with a pen, adding an intimate and organic quality to the envelope.”
Start making memories with an invitation design like “Corsage” by Paperless Post as your base, and mix and match from there.
15. Botanical illustration
Artists have been sketching the natural world since the beginning, but botanical illustration history really began in the 15th century with the likes of Leonardo Da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer. It began to be a more rigorous scientific study in the 16th century, leading to the detailed, true-to-life anatomical illustrations that inspire our artists today. For their most recent collection, Paperless Post designers gravitated towards lifelike depictions of botanicals in mainly muted hues.
Of their design “Fine Dandelion,” Benny said, “Color is instrumental in communicating the mood and voice of an illustration. I wanted this invitation to feel soft and delicate, so applying a gentle green to the linework of the flower helped articulate that tone.”
Draw on botanical inspiration with Cards like “Fine Dandelion” by Paperless Post and “Fruit Tree” by John Derian.
Best-in-class wedding designs
Planning the wedding of your dreams? Accentuate your chosen nuptial vibe with a beautiful wedding invitation from Paperless Post. Browse thousands of options by our in-house artists and distinctive design partners like Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Stephanie Fishwick, and so many more. Plus, you can add Blocks to your invitations to give guests all of the details before they click that RSVP button. From registry links to accommodation info to a gallery of your engagement photos, Blocks bring the excitement of your big day straight to your Event Page.
Not sure how to address your wedding invitations or how to word them just so? We can help with that, too.
Looking for more 2024 wedding trends? Next, read about the best save-the-date ideas, and more on our blog.
