Custom Engagement Invitations

Finishes That Make Engagement Invitations Special

Foil blocking is the most requested finish for engagement invitations. Gold, rose gold, silver or copper foil on the couple's names or initials adds instant elegance. Because foil is applied with a heated die, it has a slight impression into the card that guests can feel with their fingertips.

Other finishes include spot gloss, which highlights a motif on matt card; embossing, which raises a monogram or border; and rounded corners, which soften the overall shape. Die-cut shapes, such as an arched top or a scalloped edge, give an invitation a distinctive silhouette.

Do not overload one card with every finish. One or two well-chosen touches, such as foiled names and rounded corners, almost always look more refined than a card that combines everything.

Foil reads best in a slightly heavier typeface, so very fine script lettering may need a touch more weight to print cleanly.

Wording and Layout

An engagement invitation needs to answer a few practical questions clearly: who is celebrating, who is hosting, when and where the party is, what to wear and how to reply. Keep the wording warm and simple. Many invitations open with a line such as "please join us to celebrate the engagement of", followed by the couple's names in the largest type on the card.

Put the practical details lower down in a smaller, readable size. If the venue is hard to find, a separate details card or a small map on the reverse saves dozens of phone calls. A reply-by date and a phone number or email for replies helps the hosts plan numbers.

Proofread names carefully, especially spellings of relatives' names and any words in other languages or scripts. We will set text in English and other scripts if you send us the exact wording.

Families from different backgrounds sometimes word invitations differently, with parents named as hosts or with a short blessing at the top. There is no single correct format; the best wording is the one that sounds like the people sending it. p3 Birthday parties for the same families use our birthday invitations on matching card.

Sizes and Envelopes

The most common invitation sizes are A6 and 5 x 7 inch equivalents, both of which fit standard envelopes and post easily. Square invitations look distinctive but may cost more to post. A5 invitations give space for elaborate designs and bilingual wording.

Matching envelopes complete the set. Choose a colour that complements the card, perhaps with the couple's initials or return address printed on the flap. Envelope liners, belly bands and wax-seal stickers add an extra layer for formal parties.

If you are posting the invitations, take one finished card in its envelope, with any extra cards, ribbon or wax seal, to the post office before buying stamps. Thick, square or embellished envelopes can fall into a larger postage band, and it is better to know before a whole batch goes out with too little postage on it. p2 The envelope options are shown on our invitation envelopes page.

Who Orders From Us

Our engagement invitations are ordered by couples planning their own parties, parents and families hosting on the couple's behalf, wedding and event planners, and independent wedding stationers who design invitations and want a reliable print partner.

Stationers often send us print-ready files and ask for specific stocks and foils for each client. Couples more often come with an idea, a colour scheme or a favourite design from elsewhere, and we help turn it into a print-ready layout that respects their taste.

Venues and caterers who host engagement parties occasionally order a small run of printed invitations as part of a package, giving their clients one less thing to organise.

Some couples order a small extra run of the same design as thank-you cards after the party, which keeps the look consistent. p3 Thank-you cards after the party are printed as thank-you cards in the same design.

Take One Finished Envelope to the Post Office First

Engagement invitations are mostly posted, and a square card on heavy stock with a wax seal can cost more to send than the card itself. Before you fix the size, assemble one complete invitation with its envelope, any details card and the seal, and have it weighed and measured for the postage band. Then choose between A6, 5 x 7 and square with that cost in hand, and send us the wording with every name spelt as the family spells it.

Ask for stock samples if you are torn between textured and smooth; the difference is obvious in the hand and invisible on screen. The custom quote arrives by email within one working day, with the minimum set per job so an intimate party is as welcome as a large one.

The free proof shows the card exactly as it prints with the foil areas marked, so read every name, date and address on it before you approve. Production takes 4 to 7 working days after that and the cards reach UK mainland addresses by free tracked delivery. Couples who go on to a wedding usually come back for wedding invitations in the same stock so the set matches.