Tag Archives: invitations

Bridal Shower Invite Roundup

I’m going to be real with you guys. Bridal shower and bachelorette invitations totally get the shaft, design-wise. Am I right? I mean, take a look at the wedding invitations out there: gorgeous, thoughtful, modern, whatever you want. Now try to find modern, pretty bachelorette invites. That aren’t pink and black. Or covered in bras. What is that about??

The point is, invitations. You need ’em. You’re going to have to weed through a ton of subpar options to find something really cute. Maybe I can help. Here are some of my new favorites, including picnic-perfect prints and a dual bridal shower/bachelorette invite that I’m totally obsessed with.

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My kind of floral and my kind of girly. This sweet seasonal invite would be perfect for a garden brunch or tea party. There are actually four different versions, each corresponding to a time of the year. While this one just screams spring with its strawberry pinks and kiwi greens, there’s a version with burnt orange and butternut yellows that would be perfect for fall.

bridal shower inviteThe perfect picnic invite from FourThings by CaBlue. The text is retro chic with a bit of a deco vibe and I especially love the leafy illustrations. Contact her on Etsy for a personalized listing.

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The abstract heart motif at the top balances the white space on the bottom, making this invite feel fresh and breezy. Plus, the colors are customizable so you can match them to your theme—coral and cobalt blue for a nautical look, or citrus and lime green for a bright spring feel.

KH_BridalShower1_PCWhat a great idea: a shower and bachelorette party set! So often the same person is throwing both events and the parties may even be grouped into one weekend. These invitations carry the color and dot theme throughout, tying the two events together visually and conceptually. I want to see more sets like this!

il_570xN.350936165Ah, stock the bar. One of my all-time favorite party themes. Just bring booze—none of those bar gadgets for me. Well, ok, glassware is all right. Pretty glassware. But mostly wines, please. I love the simplicity and bright pops of color in this version.

Bridal Shower Inspiration Boards

Shower-planning season is in full swing as spring and summer weddings approach, so I took inspiration from five bridal shower invitations, all from Wedding Paper Divas, to create inspiration boards for five very different types of brides, from a modern citrus shower to a magenta and orange sunset celebration.

crafty bridal shower invite

I took my inspiration from the natural cork background of this invite set off against the modern pop of yellow. The text looks hand-lettered and makes me think of a DIY shower complete with lots of greenery. Champagne cupcakes and citrus cocktails are the perfect treats for the day, and mixing lemons or limes with flowers (or even using them on their own) would make a stunning, cheerful centerpiece. Here’s an inspiration board for this sunny shower.

modern yellow and green shower

Images from: Cupcakes, citrus cocktail, flowers, shower sign, balloons, pom-pom wrapping.

chalkboard invite

I love the idea of taking the “shower” part literally, especially for an April shower. The chalkboard background of this invite could be a jumping off point for chalkboard-paint projects galore, with pops of pink and blue to accent the more modern charcoal black. My inspiration board includes drinks with umbrella accents, soft roses and a simple yet chic paper chain that reminds me of raindrops.

pink chalkboard shower theme 2

Images from: Chair decorations, cake, chain-link dessert table, shower glasses, roses, chalkboard menu.

deco invite

This invite reminds me of a scoreboard—perfect for a sporty bride. I’m imagining a backyard party complete with lawn games, bite-sized burgers, and plenty of craft beers. I kept it feminine by adding pops of coral in the flowers and place settings.

coral picnic shower

Images from: Mini burgers, beer tasting card, box lunch, flowers, cream-filled brownies, croquet.

watercolor invite

Sometimes color is all you need as an inspiration, and what’s more beautiful than a watercolor sunset palette? Choose an outdoor location to take advantage of the natural beauty of the setting sun and as day turns to night make sure to have some twinkle lights to keep the party going. I chose explosions of orange and magenta for this inspiration board, from the flowers to the drinks.

sunset colored shower

Images from: Flowers, sunset table, blueberry lavender lemonade, pillow seating, flatware setting, watercolor table.

rustic tree invite

Bride a nature girl? This rustic invite is perfect for a picnic shower set amongst the trees. I used lots of plants instead of flowers in my inspiration board and chose dishes that highlight fresh produce and seasonal ingredients. Send guests home with jam (homemade or from a local artisan) or a potted plant of their own.

rustic back to nature shower

Images from: Table setting, copper drink dispenser, mason jar chandelier, straws, summer salad, plant favors.

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Beach Weekend Invites

August makes me think of extreme heat, sunny days on the beach and that moment of anticipation before you plunge into the ice-cold water for some much-needed relief. It’s the end of summer, but also probably the perfect month for a bachelorette weekend if your bride has an October wedding (one of the top four months for weddings according to The Knot). Here are some of my favorite beach weekend invites.

This sunny invite comes from one of my favorite Etsy vendors: SocialitePaperworks. I think Raquel makes some of the most modern, cute bachelorette and girls weekend invites that I’ve seen. Her pieces are feminine and flirty but also clean, crisp and unique.

This invite is definitely outside of the type I usually go for, but it’s such a cute concept and the illustration won me over. Plus, it’s not something I’ve seen before. The artist is also open to complete customization, so each placket on the sign can say whatever you like and you can even request a different font or colors to correspond with your bride.

Now this one is totally up my alley. Cute graphics and a great color combination that’s muted yet modern, plus lovely unique typography. It’s totally perfect for Miami in particular, what with its Florida Deco vibe.

Beach party a bit out of reach? You can still cool off with a summer pool party. This invite can be customized for a bridal shower. I love the typography and the ikat print, especially the bold red mixed with pale blues and that pop of emerald. It’s fresh and cool, just like your shower.

Planning a couples shower? Check out this adorable lake house-themed option, complete with Chinese lanterns, cattails and a cute little duck.  The seller, Paige Burton Designs, also has a similar beach invite for couples showers. The colors and lines are striking and whimsical without being too cutesy. Love it!

Lingerie Shower Invites

Finding invites for a lingerie shower can be a monotonous task of wading through pink and black, lipstick kisses and corsets. So, I’m always on the lookout for invitations that step outside that box and come off as classy and cute. Like these!

Simple and sweet, this invite makes lingerie modern. It’s not showy or fussy, and feels chic and clean.

As a woman who greatly appreciates detailed schedules, this is my kind of invite. It’s perfect for a packed bachelorette weekend, giving the guests a sneak peek when it arrives in the mail and a quick reference throughout the event. I love the personalized icons—they make the invite feel really special!

I fell in love as soon as I read the sweet little poem (incorporating the groom’s name) and saw the dainty pastel lingerie. This invite feels a bit Parisian to me with the flowing cursive and striped envelope liner (not included). J’adore!

Most of the “women in retro lingerie” invites really annoy me, but I think this one is the exception. It’s all in the execution. First, the woman looks chic with her messy bob, chandelier earrings and demure pose. She’s not trying to be sexy, she just is! And the pen-and-ink technique gives this more of a ’20s vibe, which I prefer to the ’50s pin-up look. The round corners are the perfect finishing touch.

Ok, maybe “cheers bitches” isn’t the definition of cute and classy, but how can you argue with a call to “libations and debauchery”? The typography is simple and the colors are customizable on this cheeky invite.

Bridal Shower Invites: Summer Fete

A new crop of bridal shower invites especially for summer showers. I chose invites full of bright colors and floral motifs. These all seem perfect for outdoor events!

I’m such a sucker for the chevron pattern right now and the combination of fonts and colors in this one makes it feel quirky and laid-back. It says “come to my patio, there will be fruity cocktails.”

Though the colors are customizable on this one, I’d go with the default combo. The grey, aqua and grass green seem perfect for a late summer shower.

I love the watercolor feeling of these flowers and the pretty pastel palette. Seems perfect for a garden party. Bonus: the flowers spill over onto the back of the invite as well!

I adore these Stock the Bar shower invites. They’re available in several different color palettes and seem to promise something cooling and refreshing. The intricate wrought-iron table and the delicate blue leaves make the invite feel handcrafted and unique.

This one sets the mood by suggesting twilight, twinkle lights and plenty of cocktails. I also love the included recipe card, which would make a fun game for the party and a nice keepsake for the couple.

I think this lime and coral number is my fave of the bunch. This modern summer invite screams margaritas and daiquiris to me and would be perfect for a summer fiesta theme.

Invitations

Choosing invitations for Marisa’s bachelorette weekend turned out to be way more difficult than I expected. I didn’t think my criteria were too demanding. I wanted something classy and simple but fun. Marisa’s a graphic designer, so I knew the typography and design needed to be modern and clean. Little did I know that “modern” and “clean” don’t factor in to many of the invites on the market. Getting away from black and pink was almost impossible so we just embracing it in the end. But I didn’t want anything that overtly referenced lingerie or Sex in the City (you would be astonished at how overdone these themes are). Designers, there’s a niche here that’s under-represented in my opinion! Here are a few of my favorites that Alyssa and I tracked down after lots of searching and the invite we ultimately went with.

This one felt like a good balance between modern and vintage and the muted pink and black is subtle and still chic. It’s customizable but not custom, so the price is good. You can find it here on Wedding Paper Divas.

This one stole my heart. The chevron pattern feels so modern and the colors are tweaked toward gray and coral, which makes this invite feel sophisticated and unexpected. You’ll find these on Etsy and need to contact the designer directly for a personalized listing.


I loved that this one got away from pink and incorporated sparkle in a fresh way. The script feels hand drawn and the vibe is vintage modern. This listing is for a digital file and you can find it on Etsy as well.

Polka Dot Design is another good site if you’d rather set your own type rather than working with a designer. This invite is actually for a New Year’s party, but I thought it could easily be tweaked for a fancy bachelorette party.

If you’re going to go lingerie or kitsch, I think this is how to do it.The playbill lettering and ’50s pin-up balances perfectly with the cream paper and feels vintage without being busy.

This invite was our final choice. We loved the simple typography and the “All You Need Is Love” theme fit our bride perfectly. The hot pink seemed fresh with the crisp white instead of the black that I’d seen on so many other invites. Lisa from Blushface was also very easy to work with, responding quickly and sending us a few proofs until the invite looked just right. She also printed for us, which was something we were looking for.

In general, I recommend you shop around because prices can vary considerably. Print-on-demand sites like Wedding Paper Divas and Polka Dot Design are great for a budget and do have lots of options allowing for one-stop shopping and less time spent searching, but the templates aren’t completely customizable and I didn’t find very many designs that met my “clean and modern” criteria (the two sites I’ve mentioned were by far the best in that category). Designers can be more expensive, but not always. They also tend to have more interesting designs and will customize the invite to your needs. I found Etsy to be the best resource for this by far. Most of the designers on wedding website directories are looking for wedding invite orders, not smaller parties like showers and bachelorette weekends. Though I saw some amazing work, their clientele is focused on brides. Etsy invite designers were much more approachable for our purposes. Some designers provide printed files, but some don’t which means an extra expense. Alyssa and I used a board on Pinterest to display invites we liked all together, which helped to narrow our options and keep links at the ready for price comparison.

Please post links to invites you’ve found! I’m going to need ideas for the next time around…