Shopping for your wedding invitations can be somewhat overwhelming with all the styles available. The goal in this article is to help you become familiar with some of the most common styles you may encounter in your invitation shopping.

• Self-Mailer - Being more modern wedding invitations, you may want to consider this type which eliminates the typical envelope. It is replaced with an envelopement that surrounds all of your invitation pieces so it can be folded and sealed as its own mailing envelope.
• Pocket - There are several different designs but they all include a pocket for holding your invitation with some having a separate pocket for inserts such as a reception card, response card, direction card, etc. A few pocket wedding invitations even become their own self-mailing piece.
• Layered - An elegant invitation style with a decorative ribbon tying two layers of paper together, one on top of the other.
• Recycled - For those striving to be more earthly friendly with their wedding choices, there are now many beautiful wedding invitation designs that are printed on recycled papers. A minimum of 30% post-consumer fibers are typically contained in recycled invitation papers.
• Photo - Create a very personalized keepsake for your guests by adding your photo to your wedding invitation.
• Seal and Send Wedding Invitations - Economical and time-saving, these all-in-one invitations are pre-marked with folding lines and have a response postcard attached at the bottom for easy removal by your guests. They quickly turn into a self-mailing piece with their convenient fold and seal design.
• Wedding Invitation Card - A simple but elegant choice where your verse printing appears on the front of the card since there are no paper folds involved.
• Embossed - The process of creating a raised design on the invitation using a printing method that presses an image into the paper. The embossed design can be accented by color or can be left as is which is referred to as 'blind' embossing.
• Engraved - A printing process that is more involved and lengthy resulting in a distinctive appearance but also being more expensive. To begin the process, a copperplate is engraved with your wording. To make the letters slightly raised so they can be felt on both the front and back of the invitation, the paper is pressed onto the copperplate.
• Thermography - A more cost-effective printing process whereby wedding invitations are printed with ink and then a special powder is sprinkled over the wet ink. The next step is sending the invitation through a heater which melts the powder and 'raises' the ink.

Hopefully these wedding invitation descriptions will help you narrow down your choices by getting you acquainted with the various styles available. To find the perfect design and style for your special day, take your time in shopping for your wedding invitations.