George Boyle
Vintage wedding cards are a great way to set the tone for your special day. Whether you're going for a rustic, elegant, or whimsical theme, there are many ways to make your own vintage wedding cards that will wow your guests. From choosing the right materials to adding personal touches, this DIY project is a fun way to get creative and make your wedding invitations unique. In this article, we'll guide you through the process of making vintage wedding cards, from gathering supplies to putting the final product together. So get ready to unleash your creativity and give your guests a glimpse of the timeless celebration you have planned!
What You'll Learn
Choosing a vintage theme
Vintage wedding cards are a great way to add a touch of nostalgia and timelessness to your special day. The first step in creating these cards is choosing a vintage theme that reflects your unique style and personality. Here are some popular vintage themes to consider:
1920s: Channel the glamour and freewheeling spirit of the Roaring Twenties. Think elegant art deco designs, bold typography, and a colour palette that reflects the era, such as deep reds, rich golds, and sleek blacks.
Retro: Take inspiration from old-school Americana with retro fonts, colours, and designs. Imagine vintage cars, dark-framed glasses, and swooning music. This theme is perfect for a fun and playful wedding celebration.
Mid-century modern: This theme combines the sophistication of the retro era with a modern twist. Picture sleek lines, cosmopolitan details, and a polished overall aesthetic. It's a great choice for couples who want to blend vintage charm with contemporary style.
Turn-of-the-century farm: Evoke the simplicity and wholesomeness of a bygone era with a turn-of-the-century farm-inspired theme. Incorporate elements like simple lace, wildflowers, and pastoral scenes, especially if you're having an outdoor wedding.
Bohemian chic: Embrace the free-spirited energy of the 1960s and 1970s with a bohemian chic theme. Think flower power, peace signs, and a colour palette drawn from nature. This theme is perfect for a relaxed and laid-back wedding.
60's mod style: Make a bold statement with a 60's mod-style theme. This era is known for its bright colours, bold typography, and playful designs. It's a fun and unique choice for couples who want to stand out.
Once you've chosen your vintage theme, it's time to start designing your cards. Consider using natural materials like dry leaves, twigs, and flowers to add a rustic and elegant touch. You can also incorporate vintage-inspired elements like lace, ribbon, and burlap fabric. Don't be afraid to mix and match store-bought and natural materials to create a truly unique design.
For a truly special touch, you can even create your own vintage-inspired paper by collecting and pressing flowers or leaves. This way, you can incorporate natural elements directly into your card design. With a bit of creativity and attention to detail, your vintage wedding cards will be a beautiful reflection of your one-of-a-kind love story.
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Collecting natural materials
Exploring Your Surroundings:
Take a walk in your backyard, garden, or nearby park and keep your eyes open for natural elements that can enhance your cards. Look for dry leaves, twigs, and sticks that can be used as decorative elements. Collect different shapes, sizes, and colours to have a variety of options when crafting.
Drying and Pressing:
You can collect fresh flowers, leaves, and petals and dry them yourself. Pressing these natural elements between the pages of a heavy book will help flatten and preserve them. This technique is especially useful for creating a vintage effect with delicate petals and leaves.
Colour and Texture:
When collecting natural materials, consider the colours and textures that will complement your card design. Look for elements with interesting shapes, such as feathery leaves or flowers with intricate petals. The natural colours can add a subtle beauty to your cards, so collect a range of shades, from vibrant reds and yellows to more muted browns and greens.
Preservation:
To ensure that your natural materials last, you can apply a light coat of clear spray varnish or sealant. This will help prevent them from crumbling or disintegrating over time. However, be mindful that some materials, like pressed flowers, are meant to retain their delicate, fragile appearance.
Storage:
Store your collected natural materials in a dry, cool place. Use airtight containers or bags to keep them organised and protected from moisture. Label your containers with the type of material and the date of collection, so you know when it's time to replenish your supplies.
By incorporating natural materials into your vintage wedding card designs, you'll add a unique and elegant touch that is sure to impress the recipients.
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Designing the card
The first step in designing a vintage wedding card is to choose a specific vintage theme or era that inspires you, such as the 1920s, retro, mid-century modern, art deco, turn-of-the-century farm, bohemian chic, or 60s mod style. This will help guide your design choices and create a cohesive look for your card.
Next, consider the different design elements that will bring your vintage theme to life. Fonts, colours, art, and other visual elements will all play a role in evoking the chosen era. For example, if you're going with a retro theme, you might want to use retro fonts and colours that recall classic old love Americana. Or, if you prefer an art deco theme, look for invitations featuring real gold and silver foil with bold, instantly recognisable typography.
When it comes to materials, you have the option of buying decorations from a store or collecting natural materials. Store-bought materials include ribbon, lace, burlap fabric, glitter, yarn, cardboard, patterned fabric, beads, and confetti. Natural materials like dry leaves, twigs, sticks, petals, and flowers can give your card a rustic, classy, and elegant look. Combining store-bought and natural materials can add a unique touch to your design.
Now, it's time to start assembling your card. Cut out a vintage-style label from cardstock paper in a different colour from your card. You can also add a thin line around the border of the label using a gold glitter pen. Create some roses out of red cardstock paper, and prepare your card base. If you want to add a lace accent, crochet a piece of white or off-white lace to fit along the closed side of the card, and glue it in place. You can also glue small embellishments like stones, faux pearl beads, or confetti to add extra detail and attraction to your card.
Finally, don't forget the envelope and any additional stationery items you may want to include, such as RSVP cards, direction cards, or thank-you cards. Choose envelopes that match your vintage card in colour and design, and ensure that the typography on the envelope also aligns with your chosen theme.
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Adding decorations
Choosing Materials
The decorations you choose will play a significant role in achieving the vintage aesthetic. While you can purchase materials like ribbon, lace, burlap fabric, glitter, yarn, cardboard, patterned fabric, beads, and confetti from craft stores, consider incorporating natural elements for a rustic and elegant touch. Collect dry leaves, twigs, sticks, petals, flowers, and pressed leaves or flowers from your backyard or garden. Mixing and matching store-bought and natural materials will add texture and dimension to your cards.
The Classical Vintage Card
For a timeless and elegant design, start by cutting out a vintage-style label from card-stock paper in a colour that contrasts with the base card. Embellish the border of the label with a thin line of gold glitter. Create two roses from red card-stock paper, and prepare your base card. Crochet a lace trim using white or off-white thread, and glue it along the closed side of the card. To add dimension, glue a small piece of thin foam to the centre of the card and attach the label on top. Cut out three pieces of burlap fabric and fray the sides to create fringes. Glue these pieces around the label, and embellish the bottom left corner of the card with glued-on flowers and dry leaves. For a touch of sparkle, add some small faux pearl beads or stones.
The Vintage Lace Card
For this design, select a vintage crochet lace in a width of approximately 2 inches, ensuring it complements the colour of your card. Attach the lace along the closed end of the card—you can choose to attach it vertically or horizontally. To add an interactive element, create two holes on the folding line of the card and insert black yarn through them, allowing the yarn to be long enough to wrap around the card and form a bow. For a unique touch, cut out a small piece of cardboard, carefully remove the top layer, and cut it into a tag shape, revealing a corrugated piece and a plain tag. Glue the corrugated piece next to the lace, and insert the tag into the yarn. Secure it in place with a knot, and add confetti stones to the lace for extra charm.
The Floral Card
If you want your flowers to be the focal point, opt for a cream or off-white card base to make the colours pop. Cut a spiral pattern from red card-stock paper, and embellish the border with glitter before rolling it up to create a rose. Craft 3-4 different kinds of paper flowers using card-stock, and adorn them with beads and stones. Begin gluing the flowers onto the card, adding dry leaves, burlap fabric, and threads to create a textured and varied design.
The Musical Window Card
Prepare your card, and draw an arched window, ensuring the sides remain attached to the card. Cut out the window, and glue burlap fabric threads below it to create a fence. Embellish the card with rolled paper flowers, dry leaves, and petals. For a whimsical touch, glue a musical notes printed paper on the back of the window, or opt for photos or inspirational quotes.
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Finalising the card
Choose the Right Design
Select a design that reflects your unique style and the theme of your wedding. Whether it's a vintage floral, art deco, or rustic theme, make sure the design elements, colours, and fonts align with your chosen theme.
Customise Each Section
Basic Invite, for example, allows you to modify each section of your chosen template to create a truly personalised card. You can change colours, fonts, and even add photos to make your card one-of-a-kind.
Paper and Printing Quality
The paper and printing quality are essential to creating a luxurious feel for your vintage wedding card. Choose from a variety of premium paper types, such as cardstock or linen card stock, to ensure your card looks and feels elegant.
Envelope Colour
Don't underestimate the power of a matching envelope! Basic Invite offers over 40 envelope colour options to set the right tone for your vintage card, even before it is opened.
Proofreading
Before finalising your card, be sure to proofread all the text for any spelling or grammatical errors. Many online card-making platforms, like Basic Invite, offer a built-in spell checker to help you catch any mistakes.
Ordering Samples
If you're unsure about how your vintage wedding card will look and feel, consider ordering a sample. This way, you can see and touch the actual product before placing a bulk order. Some companies, like Minted, even offer sample credits that can be used towards your final purchase.
By following these steps and paying attention to the smallest details, you'll be able to create a beautiful vintage wedding card that you and your guests will adore.
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Frequently asked questions
You will need cardstock, dry leaves and petals, ribbon, lace, burlap fabric, glitter, yarn, cardboard, patterned fabric, beads, confetti, and more.
You could go for a 1920s jazz age style, a retro theme, mid-century modern, art deco, turn-of-the-century farm-inspired, bohemian chic, or 60s mod style.
You should include an envelope, RSVP cards, RSVP online enclosure cards, multi-event RSVP cards, direction cards, reception cards, belly bands, and folded thank you cards.
You can collect materials from nature, such as dry leaves, twigs, and flowers, and mix them with store-bought materials like ribbon and lace. You can also add personal touches like photos, quotes, or music notes.
