Shropshire Magazine

One of Michelle’s designs

The wedding invitations you send can give so much more than just date, time and location – they can set the tone of the entire day, writes Neil Thomas

As the piece of information which sets the tone for a wedding and gives guests a teasing taste of what they might expect, the importance of the invitation is not something to be underestimated.

An invitation to any occasion plays a vital role in the smooth organisation of the event but there is so much more to wedding stationery than simply sending out a card with the necessary details and asking people if they can attend.

Most people (particularly the bride) will have a vision of their big day which is unique to them. The wedding stationery is the first chance to express ideas, themes and personality to the guests, and therefore they require more attention than might initially be expected.

Graphic designer Michelle Dalton set up Liquid Indigo Creative Solutions when her brother got married and asked her to design the invitations. She thoroughly enjoyed creating something personal to them as a couple, was complimented on the design by guests at the wedding, and told that they would keep the invitations as a memento of the day.

That’s when she decided to set up the company and Liquid Indigo, which is based in Admaston, is now one of only a small handful of Shropshire companies that specialise in bespoke invitations.

One of Michelle’s designs

“If no thought goes into the design, colours and enclosures, the invitations won’t represent you as well as they could and may get put to one side and forgotten about by the people you’re sending them to,” Michelle explains.

“A beautifully designed and well made invitation will be something that guests will want to keep as a memento. More and more people are choosing specific themes for their wedding – medieval for example – and many are choosing to go abroad. It’s nice to be able to reflect the theme in every aspect of the wedding, from the cake to the flowers and the colours of the balloons; but of course the stationery is the place to start.

“I’ve done stationery for Wolves fanatics who were getting married at Molineux and had black-and-gold everything. They were happy that they were able to get invites which matched and were unique to them. Naturally, you won’t find specific designs like that among the traditional designs in catalogues.”

It’s not just hand-made invitations that Michelle specialises in – reply cards, menus, orders of service, thank-you cards and place names are all in her armoury.

But the important thing is that first and foremost it’s a bespoke design service, so couples can get something that’s unique to them at a budget to suit. Or clients can choose from a range of designs which are all adaptable to suit themes and colour schemes.

“I like to think that I cater for people who are looking for something a little bit different – something you won’t find in any of the catalogues of mass-produced cards,” she says.

“There’s often a wide choice of designs in these catalogues but chances are your guests will have seen something the same or very similar before. In many cases you only get a limited choice of wording and fonts. I realised this left a gap in the market for me.

“The beauty of having your stationery personally designed for you is that there are no limits. And bespoke designs don’t have to cost the earth; they can be tailored to suit any budget.”

• For more information contact Michelle at Liquid Indigo on 01952 401848 or email here.