Seeing wedding invitation examples always helps bring a product to life! In today’s blog, I’m highlighting two couples who chose the exact same invitation from my semi-custom collection as their “base,” but ended up with wildly different results. Color palettes and varying bells and whistles transform the same starting point to vastly personalized end sets in these invitations — and it’s easy for you to do the same. Having versatility in an invitation that’s customizable is so important, so you can make sure it feels like your wedding!

Let’s start with what’s the same in these wedding invitation examples: where they both started.

Both of these couples started with “The Aviva” invitation, which features traditional calligraphy and coordinating monogram as part of the overall design. Right from the start, it’s obvious that both of these weddings would be elegant, traditional, and likely formal. Had they selected one of the other invitations in the collection, this tone could be different. Choosing this writing style lends itself to these traits as they set the tone for their big day.

They also both selected digital printing as their printing method, as opposed to letterpress or foil stamping. They also both opted for the standard size of their main invitation card (5 x 7″).

And that’s where the similarities end.

Personalization options on the base invitation package

Before we even get into the bells and whistles, these couples diverged from one another by selecting different monogram styles and color palettes for their card stock, ink, and envelopes within The Aviva invitation‘s main page. Right away, they end up feeling like polar opposites, and we’ve only just begun!

Monogram type:

Steph and Rohan opted for a floral monogram, which makes their invitation feel more feminine and springy. Carley and Nathan selected the letters-only option, making their set feel more neutral and clean.

Color palette:

Again, Steph and Rohan veered toward springtime, with a punch of modernity, with their colors. Crisp, white card stock paired with dusty rose ink and a pale blush envelope made this set feel bright and cheerful! During her complimentary consultation, Steph and I discussed the possibility of using a lavender envelope instead, since that’s one of her accent colors in her palette. She ultimately decided to stick with the tone-on-tone option for her invitations, but we’ll likely incorporate lavender touches into her day-of-wedding materials.

Conversely, Carley and Nathan kept everything neutral, soft, and classic with their color palette, giving their invitation a perfect base for an autumn wedding. Cream card stock, nubuck brown ink, and a pale taupe envelope keep everything sophisticated and timeless.

Below, you can see the monogram options, as well as color palette options for ink, envelopes, and card stock. All of these options are available for the entire semi-custom collection, on each invitation’s main product page. Color and monogram type do not affect the price — it’s just your personal preference, for whatever makes sense for your big day!

Now, let’s get to the part where things really get interesting: the bells and whistles.

Envelope Addressing:

Both of these couples added guest envelope addressing, rather than trying to DIY this step. Steph and Rohan opted for digital printing for this aspect, while Carley and Nathan upgraded even more and went with hand calligraphy. Their accent color was a deep green, so we incorporated that as their ink color here for a small touch of it. They all had the added convenience of getting everything under one roof, from the same vendor, guaranteed to match, outside to inside!

Envelope liner:

In these wedding invitation examples, only Carley and Nathan added an envelope liner — Steph and Rohan skipped this element. Again, their accent color is dark green, and their wedding was in early November, so they chose a leaves pattern, printed in racing green ink, for their envelope liner.

Element to hold the cards together:

You can simply place all of your invitation cards into your envelope and seal it up. However, it’s generally a nice, extra somethin’ somethin’ to have an element to hold the cards together. It’s easier for your guests as they open your invitation, and it gives you another opportunity to add to the overall design! This can be accomplished in lots of ways. The two most common are belly bands and ribbons.

Steph and Rohan selected a light grey silk ribbon to hold their pieces, tied in a lovely bow. This piece provided a hint of contrast in color. They paired that with a vellum wrap. This translucent “jacket” adds another layer for guests to open and experience, ultimately elevating your overall set.

Carley and Nathan chose a belly band to secure their elements, in harvest color. With this small touch, they had four shades within the same neutral continuum: cream (card), pale taupe (envelope), harvest (belly band), and nubuck brown (ink color). All of these pair together seamlessly.

Paper thickness:

Carley and Nathan opted for the already-nice, 100% card stock that comes standard as part of the invitation base package. Steph and Rohan decided to upgrade their main card to double thick. You can see the two side by side here. There’s no wrong answer! I will say if you’re choosing letterpress or foil stamping as your print method, double thick paper is always nice, to show off that deep impression even more dramatically!

So how’d we finish up?

Each invitation set is gorgeous in its own right! Both couples’ guests raved about their invitations, setting the perfect tone of excitement for their big days on the horizon, which was shared. But… the separate invitations end up setting very different tones of what those weddings will actually look and feel like. And that’s the whole point!

Here’s a shopping list with the personalizations each couple chose to make their invitations feel like them. As a heads up, I provide you with a shopping list, just like these, after a complimentary consultation with me. This way, you can click through each item to add to your cart seamlessly, and it makes checkout a breeze!

Stephanie and Rohan:

Base product: The Aviva Invitation. This includes main card, reply card, and envelopes for each.

Main selections: floral monogram, white card stock, dusty rose ink, pale blush envelope, digital printing

Upgrade to double thick card stock

Add guest envelope addressing – digital printing

Add vellum wrap (not shown in this photo)

Add silk ribbon – light grey (quantity 3 rolls, for 100 invitations in their order, tied with a full bow)

Total price for 100 sets: $1,515.00 plus tax/shipping

Carley and Nathan:

Base product: The Aviva Invitation. This includes main card, reply card, and envelopes for each.

Main selections: blank monogram, cream card stock, nubuck brown ink, pale taupe envelope, digital printing

Add envelope liner – printed leaves pattern in racing green ink

Add guest envelope addressing – hand calligraphy (not shown in this photo)

Add belly band – harvest (not shown in this photo)

Total price for 100 sets: $1,610 plus tax/shipping

What’d you think of these wedding invitation examples?

For me, the magic of the semi-custom collection is its versatility. Between the base designs, print methods and color palettes, and the bells and whistles, the collection provides nearly endless combinations. This way, your invitations won’t feel like something else you’ve seen beforeI They’ll be 100% unique to the two of you. I hope these two invitation sets showcased that! You can build your dream set online, right from the couch.

How would you like to start?