Lucky Onion’s Creative Director Gives Couples Tips for Choosing the Perfect Wedding Stationery

The Short Version: Wedding stationery tells your guests a lot about what they should expect from your wedding – so you should ensure it tells your love story well. Lucky Onion is a boutique design and printing house specializing in wedding stationery, including Save the Dates, formal invitations, envelopes, and seals, among other items. Cristy Fernandez is the Creative Director for Lucky Onion, and she talked to us about why wedding stationery is important and what couples can do to create invitations that speak to them.

As a kid, I loved looking through my parents’ wedding book, which was an oversized photo album unmistakably purchased in the early ‘90s, complete with off-white floral decorations and gold details. My mom is a dedicated memory keeper, and the book includes everything from professional photos of the day to small ephemera that only my mom would think to hold onto. 

One laminated page held the wedding invitation, and on the opposite page, an opened envelope was pressed neatly back into place. My mom’s cursive handwriting graced the front of the envelope, which was addressed to my grandparents. When I asked her why she saved the envelope, she told me she wanted to remember the painstaking hours of hand-addressing every invitation to their wedding.

Like so many parts of a wedding, stationery comes with its own set of unwritten rules and expectations. Couples who are in the beginning stages of wedding planning may feel overwhelmed by the process and the many  details that require planning. Questions concerning the right paper or font for invitations may feel like too much to consider.

But stationery is important and can set the tone for your wedding months in advance. It lets your guests know what to expect and lays the foundation for the celebration’s overall theme and feel. 

Cristy Fernandez is the owner and Creative Director of Lucky Onion, a boutique design and specialty printing house that creates one-of-a-kind wedding stationery. Cristy talked to us about the importance of wedding stationery and what couples should consider as they select the designs that represent their big day.

“It should be an enjoyable process,” Cristy said. “It can be a really overwhelming experience for couples, and there are so many decisions they need to make. And people often feel like they need to have all the answers. It’s ok not to know everything about your wedding at the beginning, and discover your way there.”

Cristy said couples should think about what kind of event their wedding will be before diving into planning the stationery. “First and foremost, you should know what you’re going for with your wedding,” she said. “Is it formal? Is it rustic elegance? More of a casual event? Answering these questions helps to start outlining the vibe and what we’re trying to do with the invitations.”

A large formal wedding will have a very different feel from a smaller, more intimate one, and Cristy said the stationery should reflect this. Since selecting stationery is one of the first steps many couples take, the choice raises many questions. The couple has to think about their wedding’s color scheme, decor and floral choices, and venue feel to make sure the invitations match up.

“At the very beginning of planning, it can be a little hard for some couples to identify exactly what colors they want, or even what the setting of their wedding will be,” Cristy said. “Sometimes, they don’t even have an idea for a venue yet.”

Cristy said it’s best practice to send out information about the wedding as you develop it. As always, the earlier you get planning, the better, and this leaves you and your guests with plenty of time to finalize arrangements. 

“It’s okay not to know everything at the beginning,” Cristy said. “It’s good to dole out information as you know it. Save the Dates let you give everyone the date so they can put it in their calendars without having to set more details in stone.”

Wedding websites can simplify the invitation process. Cristy suggested that couples include a link to the website on the Save the Date so guests can reference it for updates as they arrive. “I don’t think a website will ever replace an invitation, but the two can work together and inform each other,” she said.

The sooner couples start planning their weddings, the easier the process will be. “It’s unrealistic to think you can do it all at once, and it’s good to do it in bite-sized pieces,” Cristy said. “My suggestion is to give yourself at least 12 months, if not 18 months, to begin the process with stationery. That way, you can really discover what you like and come up with things that you love.”

Cristy said it can be difficult for couples to design stationery when they don’t have a clear image of what they want. “We usually ask couples to collect about 10 invitations they find online or from friends that they like,” she said. “It can be any element of the invitation, whether it’s the color balance, or the envelope liner details.”

Once couples have a better feel for the kind of stationery they like, they can start thinking about connecting that style with the wedding’s theme. “We pair the invitations they liked with the overall feel of the wedding and ask them a lot of questions to get them thinking about how they connect and how we can make it more cohesive,” Cristy told us.

The next step in the process is the concept sketch. Using the couple’s inspiration pics, wedding theme, and additional input, the artist will begin drafting designs for each stationery element, from the envelope to the letterhead.

Cristy said couples have plenty of room to get creative and can introduce different materials and elements to make their stationery stand out. “Once we create the concept sketch, there’s a multitude of ways we can get there, whether we’re introducing letterpress and foil stamping, or we’re adding unique materials like leather or wood.”

When it comes time to think about the stationery technicalities – like how many invitations to print and how much information to include, Cristy has some tips that will save time and hassle. “One common misstep is assuming the number of guests is going to be the same as the number of invites,” she said. “You only need one Save the Date per household, not per guest.”

Couples should also think about the information their guests need to know, and consider the best way to get them that information. “The right type of information needs to be sent out at the right time,” Cristy said. “If you’re attending as a guest, there are going to be certain things you want to know, like what transportation and lodging looks like, what to wear, that sort of thing.”

Cristy continued, “Being scarce about information is a big mistake couples make. When it comes to that kind of important information, less is not more. That’s a big one– make sure you share the essential information as soon as you can.”

It’s the age-old wedding planning question – to do it yourself, or not? As couples plan their wedding, they’ll have to decide which elements they want to take the reins on and which ones they’ll entrust to others. Depending on the size of the wedding, couples will have to outsource at least some of the day’s elements.

When it comes to stationery, couples will get the best final product when they work with a professional service like Lucky Onion. Professional artists can create concepts and designs that the couples wouldn’t have thought of on their own, and having the help of a professional can make the already chaotic process less stressful.

Lucky Onion is based in Denver and operated by Cristy and her husband, fellow illustrator and graphic designer Kevin Eslinger. All design and production are done in-house, and Cristy and Kevin work closely with each client to create truly bespoke stationery.

“I think the special thing about Lucky Onion is we’re thinking about the whole vision of the wedding,” Cristy said. “We really think holistically. We even do 3D visualizations for clients and also offer on-site stationery concierge services for seating charts or dance-floor wraps on the wedding day.”

Lucky Onion supports couples from the Save the Date to day-of place cards. Cristy and Kevin offer custom artwork and illustration, laser cutting, digital printing, pocket folios, and guest addressing, among other details. For the wedding day, Lucky Onion can create menus, programs, seating charts, and napkins.

“You definitely want to focus on the small touches,” Cristy said. “Those are the things we’re interested in, and what makes stationery really special. We can weave together a really nice and beautiful complete story of who you are as a couple with this branded and cohesive look through and through.”