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In addition to enhancing your look and creating a sense of anticipation and festivity, your wedding stationery is an extension of your personality and style. A well-designed invitation is the first glimpse your guests will have of your wedding, and in our world of instant communication, there is something special about receiving a card in the mail – holding a tangible expression of emotion in your hands. Guests will love the feeling of opening a gift when your invitation arrives!

Because the design and colour selected for your stationery will contribute so significantly to setting the mood for your celebration, fashion-forward brides-to-be may be curious as to what the Elsje Designs top stationery trends are for 2010:

• Silhouettes are the hottest of the hot trends! Whether cut out, foiled or embossed, we guarantee that they are sure to get you noticed for all the right reasons.

• Nature-inspired themes are perfect for the eco-conscious bride. Birds (hummingbirds, finches, woodpeckers, nests and cages), butterflies and botanical images are still high fashion – South African brides, wow your guests with an indigenous protea or antelope!

• With the green movement in mind, contemporary couples are considering the environment when planning their wedding stationery as well as other details of their big day. Recycled papers and trims for invitations, order of service booklets and menus, and favors like miniature indigenous yellow wood trees (available from Elsje Designs) or packets of flower seeds, and wooden cutlery sets are super-stylish. Delicate feathers or fynbos flowers for confetti are becoming more popular too.

• Purple has never been as chic as it is the coming season. From aubergine, violet and blackberry to grape, berry and mauve – all shades of purple will grab the attention of your guests. Bringing into play feelings of romance and magic, purples pair well with shades of grey.

• Grey is the new black! This versatile colour, in all of its shades, is fashionable and inspiring. Pewter and silver, as well as other earth tones, such a taupe and charcoal, are smart and sure to set your wedding apart.

Design elements can add interest to your wedding stationery. Many of these are old patterns but incorporated in a fresh new way. 19th century old English images are integrated with today’s hottest colours, to create a must-have stationery look, and damask, crochet and lace patterns have take the wedding industry by storm. When combined with just the right font, these patterns mix the old with the new, and become truly show stopping!

• Boring old envelopes are definitely not hot. At the Elsje Designs studio, we recommend adding design elements such as pattern or artistic text, metallic foil detail, or lining your envelope in a colour or print to match your invitations.

• Commissioning a calligrapher to create an artwork inspired by your names, will set your wedding stationery apart. What’s more, your calligraphy will last a lifetime, and can be incorporated in other areas of your wedding such as on your cake and dance floor, or in specially made candles or lanterns.

• Another sunny and optimistic colour trend, right on time for summer, is yellow in all its shades. Pale lemon, chartreuse, sunshine yellow or mustard, incorporated in small details such as sparkling gemstones and modern grosgrain ribbons, injects just the right amount of fun and excitement!

• Celebrate your heritage by including old family photographs, love letters or hand-made keepsakes in your wedding stationery and décor – and get creative to make sure that your stationery is uniquely you! Whatever you choose, make sure to add a personal touch and remember to embrace your unique spirit and personality, to make sure that guests will say: “Its so them!”

And last but not least – what is out for 2010?

• Wax seals
• Organza ribbons
• Raffia
• Overused fonts
• Stepped monogrammes
• Scroll-type invitations

Contact Elsje Designs on: +27 21 976 7111 info@elsje.co.za www.elsje.co.za