Your London Wedding - Jul/Aug 2019 (Issue 66)

I t’s 2019, a year where WhatsApp and sliding into DMs on Instagram is our chosen method of communication, so much so, in fact, that even emails and text messages have started to feel obsolete. So why, when it comes to wedding invites, is paper still our chosen route? “In this digital age, where electronic messages proliferate in our lives, I think receiving beautiful, printed invitations has even more value than ever before,” says Christina Forman, creative director of London-based stationery company Papier. “Setting up an event on Facebook or saying thank you to guests via WhatsApp just doesn’t mean as much or connect people in the same way. Putting a pen to paper will always be considered a more thoughtful way of communicating and will never go out of fashion.” “Of course, digital communication is super handy, it’s easy to update and change on a whim and, with our inboxes flooded with notifications on a daily basis, unfortunately they’re easy to forget about too,” adds Kysha Marie Buffong, the brains behind Dapper & Bride. “Living in what I call a ‘scroll culture’, your wedding invitation deserves and requires much more than a 15-second glance or a ‘like’.” There’s also the fact that digital communication has made it easier than ever to bow out of commitments, or to use the latest vernacular, allowed everyone to become as flaky AF. I’m not afraid to admit that I regularly suffer all the rage when an arrangement that’s taken weeks to organise though Doodle Polls and long multi-party threads is felled by someone who has double booked. Scale that up to a wedding and it doesn’t bear thinking about. Physical invitations don’t only set the tone for your event in terms of style and colour scheme, they also signal the importance of your big day. “Physical invitations are memorable,” agrees Alpa Smith of Occasions by VishwArt. “When you receive a wedding invitation, you’re most likely to keep it in a place where you can see it such as a pinboard or on your fridge door. However, with an e-vite, you may forget as we get inundated with social media requests daily.” STYLE IT UP And indeed, while we’re on the subject, the style of your invite can create that delicious buzz of anticipation. Be it gold foil and calligraphy or a cute-as-a-button motif, couples can hint at what guests should expect with a well-designed invite. So where to start? Vaishali Shah of Ananya Cards has the lowdown: “We always say to our couples that the best source of ideas is them, their stories and all the things they love and share. If you’re looking for some tips on how to choose your stationery style, our top suggestion is to take a step back and think about what matters to you most. “If there’s a style of design, theme or colour palette you want to explore throughout your wedding, your stationery can be a wonderful way to capture it.” Kysha advises: “Think about extending your personality into your prints and identifying your wedding vibe. Are you going for something vibrant or simple? Are you into boho chic or festival madness? Think about the theme and colours – what story you want to tell and how that reflects on you both as a couple.” Your London Wedding quizzes the capital’s designers on stationery etiquette in a digital world PERFECT ON paper ananyacards.com vishwart.com dapperandbride.com  STATIONERY 71