Steamboat Pilot & Today

The days of stiff, ivory traditional wedding invitations are gone.

Couples now are taking a different approach to wedding invitations to create more personal invitations that reflect their weddings.

Lindsey Grannis, owner of One Fine Day Productions in Steamboat Springs, said couples literally have thousands of options in creating invitations from classy and formal to humorous and non-traditional.

"People seem to be transitioning away from the engraved, ivory-colored invites because they're looking for something different," she said.

Although it's acceptable to have some fun in designing an invitation, it should reflect the style of wedding you're planning, she said.

"If your wedding is outdoors, you may see more color or natural prints," she said. "If it's going to be a more formal wedding, you may want to stick with traditional invitations."

Experts agree that it is best to send wedding invitations to guests between six weeks and three months before the wedding. "Save the date" cards or magnets have risen in popularity in recent years to allow people even longer to plan for a wedding.

"I'd say about 85 percent of the weddings I do sent a 'save the date' magnet before the actual invitation," Grannis said. "Magnets are easier because you can just stick them on the fridge and not have to worry about losing another piece of paper."

Whichever style invitation you decide on, it will take most companies about two to three weeks to get them back to you. Prices on invitations range from minimal to expensive depending on what style ink and font you chose, how many invitations you need and what all you include in the invitation. Reception, return and thank-you cards in the same style cost more. Average invitation packages can cost from $50 to several hundred dollars.

For the more creative couple, office supply stores such as Pilot Office Outfitters, Lincoln Avenue Printers and PostNet offer a wide selection of fancy and fun paper and options to print your own invitations. Most places charge design time if you use an employee to help plan an invitation.