As a designer of wedding invitations and stationery for many years I applaud 2008 as being one of the most exciting and progressive years for South African couples when it came to making a statement in their wedding stationery needs. Today's Brides want something unique and are keeping up to date with local and international trends taking the wedding selections by storm, but also not forgetting to add that South African flavour.

Here are some trends that I believe we will see in 2009 making your unique wedding invitation one to remember for years to come.

Vintage Candy

As I'm sure most of you are familiar with the vintage prints that the end of 2007 and 2008 introduced. Damask, baroque patterns were all the rage and believe will still carry on, with bolder colour combinations, adding modern elements and alternative letter styles that will bring in a new concept on the old design. Wedding invitations will now see these antique style patterns take on a whole new meaning.

Colour Me Shades

Every bride is unique in their own way and most probably already have a colour in mind whether the trend or not. My suggestion is "Go for it!" it's your personal choice at the end of the day. 2009 wedding invitations will use an array of different colour palettes. The trend I'm noticing is brides sticking to a single colour scheme but experimenting and mixing it's different shades. This choice not only broadens your options but takes the difficulty out of trying to make everything match. It's also chic, stylish, fun and different.

Monogram Us

The classic interlinked initials seen on the majority of wedding cards will now be replaced with ornate framed monograms customised according to your requirements. The monogram in itself is design and can be carried through all your wedding stationery for your special day. Basically like the old coat of arms these modern day gems can incorporate personal elements and most importantly make your wedding stationery one of a kind.

It's in the shape

Wedding invitations come in all shapes and sizes and the one that 2008 labeled as most popular and will once again carry over into this year which is the pocket fold invitation. A unique invitation which says style and elegance and incorporates your additional info cards like directions, rsvp, accommodation details or an added before or after celebration and then neatly folds up into a standard size invite keeping everything in place. 2009 will also see a more economic trend playing it's roll, it's got to in this day and age but at the same time one doesn't want to skimp on the quality. Dual sided cards are the way to go and the front panel being the canvas to reflect your desired colour and design with the reverse panel being the actual invite.

Envelope Me

Last but not least, the envelope. Gone are the bland white envelopes we have seen for so many years and we now say hello to a matching affair. Not only do envelopes come in variety of colours and sizes to compliment your wedding invitations but 2009 will see them given a much needed face lift with matching outer and inner prints. Another popular trend is having the envelopes personally addressed in the invitation font and a crest or monogram on the back leaf.