What Are Wedding Envelope Liners?

If you’re like many of us, saying yes to your soon-to-be spouse has opened the door to all kinds of new terminology and products you never knew existed. The world of wedding planning and invitation design is full of exciting new things for you to explore and ways to flex your creative muscles.

However, it can also feel a little overwhelming, especially when you’re inundated with tasks and to-do lists. Chances are, you’ve likely never had to think about wedding envelope liners before and now you need to decide if you need them—and, if so, what kind.

That’s why we’ve put together this guide—to teach you about wedding envelope liners. Read on to learn more about:

• What are Wedding Envelope Liners
• Why You Need Envelope Liners
• How You Use Envelope Liners
• Ordering Wedding Envelope Liners

Did you know that you can find beautiful envelope liners right here at Zola? Once you pick the invites and paper designs that are right for you, add one of our many liner designs to your envelope drafts. It's the ultimate add-on for deluxe wedding envelopes.

Wedding Envelope Liner 101

So what are wedding envelope liners? They’re paper or some other type of bendable material that you include in your wedding invitation envelope. They can either be glued to the envelope itself or can be a separate item that’s inserted into the inner envelope before you stuff them with your wedding invitations and other paper items.

If you’re a creative type who wants to make a statement with your invitations, envelope liners are a fabulous way to do so. They’re also relatively inexpensive, so they won’t break your budget. Along with being glamorous, they’re also functional.

Why Do You Need Wedding Envelope Liners?

How many times have you received mail that’s been bent, folded, or otherwise damaged in the shipping process? We’ve all been there and most of the time it’s just a circular or some junk mail you were going to recycle anyway. However, when you get something important in the mail, you want it to be in pristine condition.

The same is true when you mail something. You want assurance that it’s going to get to the final destination in one piece. This is one of the benefits of wedding envelope liners. Your invitations are special. You’ve invested time and money into their production and shipping. Those hours you spent designing the perfect look shouldn’t go to waste. This is where liners can help. They serve several purposes, including:

• Protecting your invitations and other materials from damage during shipping.
• Adding another opportunity to incorporate creative design into your invites.
• Providing a simple and affordable touch of luxury.
• Making a fun surprise for your guests when they open your invitation.

How Do You Use Envelope Liners?

There are two ways to purchase envelopes and liners. The type you buy will determine how you use them. Some people like the convenience of a lined envelope, as they offer protection and a touch of style without extra work on your part. Others prefer an insert-style liner because of the flexibility it offers for design and style.

• Lined envelopes: You can’t beat pre-lined envelopes for simplicity and a touch of style. One of the most common types of lined envelopes used for invitations are foil-lined envelopes. These are an attractive way to protect your invitations while adding some sparkle. At Zola, we make invitation ordering easy. Standard envelopes are included but you can also upgrade to our lovely foil-lined versions.

• Envelope liner: Another option is to get standard envelopes and add a separate liner. This gives you more flexibility in design choices but requires more work on your end. You’ll have to add the liner to your assembly line when you put your invitation pieces together for mailing. If you do have the time and want to add envelope liners, we’ve come up with some ordering tips and design ideas to inspire you.

Things to Consider When Ordering Envelope Liners

There are a few things you should consider when you order envelope liners to ensure proper fit and style. These include:

• Size: You’ll need to have the style of the envelope along with the measurements before ordering envelope liners. The general rule is to make the liner about three-quarters of an inch smaller than the envelope at the bottom and an eighth of an inch smaller on the sides, including the top flap. This will make it easy for you to slide the liner into the envelope.

• Colors: If you’re using a dark-colored envelope but your invitations are white or another pale color, a liner can protect them. Without a liner, the dark dye from the envelopes can rub off on your invitations, creating ugly smudges where you don’t want them.

• Quantity: If you’re stuffing your own envelopes and the liner is a part of your process, make sure you order a few extra just in case of mistakes or accidental tearing. It’s also nice to have a few to keep in your wedding album or keepsake box.

14 Special Wedding Envelope Liner Ideas

Now let’s talk about some ways to make your liners unique, fun, and practical. While the possibilities are endless, these are some of our absolute favorite ideas.

#1 Foil

Simple, classy, shiny, and gorgeous—you can’t go wrong with a foil-lined envelope for your invites. Foil paper is available in many colors. It also doesn’t tend to bleed or smudge, so it's safe to use with your pristine white invitations. Since you can order envelopes that are pre-lined with foil, you’ll also save time when you stuff and mail your envelopes.

#2 Maps

Maps are a surprising and practical way to delight your guests when they open the invitations. Some of the best ways to use maps on your liners include:

• Vintage maps for a colorful, artsy touch
• Artistic rendering of the wedding location
• Map of the city or state where the wedding will be held
• Map showing the couples’ hometowns with a line connecting them
• Map of places of significance to the couple

As you can see, maps are a wonderful source of design inspiration.

#3 Skyline

If a map isn’t your style but you’re getting married in a city with a recognizable or stunning skyline, you can craft an envelope liner featuring a digital or artistic representation of the skyline. It will be a beautiful sight for your guests when they open the envelope, plus gives them a sneak preview of the wedding’s location.

#4 Date and Location

You can keep it simple by listing the date and address of the ceremony in a lovely script on your envelope liner. This is practical, but still adds a special touch and protects your invites.

#5 Repetitive Patterns

Another easy design we love for envelope liners is a repetitive pattern. There are many exquisite papers out there that can be used for envelope liners. Some wedding favorites include:

• Roses
• Mixed bouquets
• Ferns
• Fleur-de-Lis
• Stripes
• Polka-dots
• Paisley
• Geometric patterns
• Hearts
• Birds
• Printed lace

The nice thing about patterned papers is you don’t run the risk of your guest tearing open the envelope and spoiling the design. Even if they do rip the liner, they’ll still be able to see the pattern.

#6 Sketch of the Couple

An artist’s sketch or cartoon of the couple is another fun way to brighten the insides of your envelopes. Your guests will delight at the sight of your smiling faces and will be eager to see you in person at the ceremony.

#7 Venue

If you love the sketch idea but aren’t thrilled about having your face on your envelopes, you can have a sketch of the wedding venue printed on your liners. This is a fun way to give your guests a preview of where the wedding will be held. It’s also a nice memory for you as a couple, since you’ll definitely want to hang on to a few envelope liners as keepsakes.

#8 Special Quote

There are many overused quotes about love out there. Instead of recycling one you’ve heard a million times before, find a unique quote that’s meaningful and special to you as a couple. Then, print this special quip on your liners.

#9 Wedding Flowers

If you’ve already selected the flowers you’ll be using for your wedding, set the tone early by also incorporating them into your invitation and liners. Single blossoms or wider sprays of flowers add eye-catching beauty to your envelopes. Some of our favorite vividly colored flowers that sparkle on invitation liners include:

• Roses
• Tulips
• Peonies
• Lilies
• Lilacs
• Ranunculuses
• Dahlias
• Sweet peas
• Hellebores
• Bluebells

#10 Watercolors

Watercolor scenes are a romantic addition to your wedding envelope liners. The toned-down colors and abstraction of details are calming and set the mood for a charming wedding. Watercolor scenes we love include:

• Green meadows with soft flowers sprinkled throughout
• Seaside sunsets, especially for beach weddings
• Bouquets of your favorite flowers
• Countryside scenes for rustic weddings
• Woody branches with brightly colored birds
• Snowy winter scapes for winter weddings

#11 Calligraphy

Calligraphy is a simple, yet alluring way to add a personal touch to your envelope liners. You can include your initials or your full names. For color, you can use ink that matches your wedding colors or stick to classic black and white.

#12 Single Bold Color

Wedding liners can also be very simple. You can use a single bold color to make a statement with your liners. Some couples like to use their wedding color palette in this fashion. White envelopes look delightful with a bright liner in:

• Teal
• Red
• Royal blue
• Violet
• Yellow
• Forest green
• Burgundy
• Fuschia
• Navy blue

This style is particularly popular for more modern weddings. The overarching palette of black and white with a dazzling splash of color really set the tone.

#13 Craft Paper

For the rustic wedding striving for a natural look, craft paper envelope liners add a nice touch. They protect your invitations and show your guests your laid-back, low-maintenance style. These would be the perfect addition for invites that incorporate a lot of barn wood and simple, pretty floral detail.

#14 Lace Doily

If you want something completely different, yet still elegant and timeless, a lace doily liner might be an option for you. These can still protect your invites while adding a layer of glamour to your envelopes.

Tips for Ordering Wedding Envelope Liners

Now that your mind is swimming with ideas, we want to give you a few tips about ordering wedding envelope liners.

• Be design-savvy: Your guests are going to be excited to open your invitation. They might not anticipate a work of art inside the envelope. If your liners are a full-page design, they may get torn when the envelope is opened.

If you don’t like the idea of a rip through the center of your design, you can use a patterned liner with a repeating pattern. This way your guests can still enjoy the extra touch without it getting ruined when the envelope is opened.

• Consider the envelope flap: Your envelope liner will extend to an eighth of an inch of the flap. A pointed flap will showcase designs differently than a square flap. Make sure you're accommodating for the flap style when planning your design.

• Be mindful of space: Most standard invitation envelopes can handle the material typically included with an invitation. However, everything you add takes up a little more space. You don’t want your envelopes to be so stuffed that they tear before you can even get them in the mail. The heavier your invitations are, the more they will cost per piece to mail too.

What Goes Into the Invitation Envelope?

The typical wedding invitation includes up to seven pieces. Keep in mind, you may or may not have all of these. It depends on your style and how you’ve designed your invitations and other materials.

Envelope Liner

As you now know, envelope liners are a classy way to protect your invitations from shipping damage. They also give you an opportunity to showcase your style or continue a theme from your invitations.

The Invitation

This is the most important piece in the envelope. Your invitation should have all of the necessary details included such as:

• Who’s getting married
• The date/s of events
• The location
• The tone and level of formality of the wedding
• How to RSVP
• Names of the couples’ parents

A Reception Card

A reception card contains details about the reception, such as:

• Where it’s going to be held
• The time
• Details about the menu
• Additional information about activities during the reception

If your reception is going to be held in the same location as the ceremony, you don’t have to have a reception card. However, it’s a nice way to make sure your guests are prepared and informed. Separate reception cards can also prevent your invitation cards from becoming too crowded with details.

RSVP Card

The RSVP card should give your guests space for their name, whether or not they’ll be attending, how many from their party will be attending, and their food selection.

Wedding menus should include more than one option as many guests may have dietary restrictions. A good rule is one standard option, a vegan or vegetarian option, and perhaps a gluten-free option. You don’t want anyone to go home from your wedding hungry.

RSVP Envelope

Even if you give guests an option to RSVP on your website, you should still send envelopes for those traditional folks who prefer to mail things. You should include an envelope that is addressed to you and has a stamp on it for the guest’s convenience.

Map

Maps are another thing you can include if needed. Some couples choose to put the map of the surrounding area on the reception card which is perfectly fine—as long as it’s readable. Most guests will use GPS to get to your ceremony, but it might be helpful to include a venue map if the ceremony is being held at a large venue.

Accommodation Details

If you’ve reserved a block of rooms at a local hotel for your guests, you can add a card with these details. Many hotels will offer special rates for wedding parties, and they’ll likely give you a code your guests can use to reserve the room at that rate. If there’s space, you can also include these details in the invitation.

As you can see, there are a lot of details to manage. Zola’s wedding website builder can help you craft the perfect wedding website to make keeping track of all of your RSVPs, your wedding registry, and more a breeze. You can also design your website so it matches your wedding stationery. For the couple who adores design and details, there’s no better tool.

Let Zola Help You With Your Wedding Stationery Needs

We know that wedding planning is fun and exciting, but also stressful. There are things you need that you’ve never considered before you began planning your event. That’s where Zola comes in. We’re your trusted friend who has all the answers.

Our goal is to help you plan the perfect wedding with as little stress as possible. We want to make your life easier and your wedding an enjoyable and memorable experience.

Don’t get overwhelmed by the details. Take advantage of our free wedding planning resources and let us help you today.