30 Unique Ways to Use Vellum Throughout Your Wedding

By Shira Savada
September 24, 2018
Apryl Ann Photography

The transparent paper is clearly the way to go. Mix up your materials with this frosty option.

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Apryl Ann Photography

As far as choosing the paper for your wedding stationery and day-of goods goes, you have a lot of options. The color, texture, weight, size, and edging are just a few of the many options you can customize, as is opacity. If you're thinking about different ways to make your big-day paper products unique, then you may want to consider vellum. The translucent paper has many uses (like tracing and making blueprints) and, in terms of wedding stationery, there's an endless number of ways to use it.

One of our favorite things about vellum is how versatile it is. Not only can you print on it, but you can also have your stationer or calligrapher write on it, tear it, fold it, or layer it. Because you can see through it, vellum makes for a great overlay or wrap for your save-the-dates and invitations, which gives your guests just a hint at what's underneath. It's also a subtle way to showcase an illustration or motif, or even a beloved quote. But there's no rule that says vellum can only be used on your stationery. Escort cards, wedding favors, ceremony programs, and menus are just some of the many popular ways couples choose to work this paper into their celebrations. 

To get a truly luxe look, pair vellum paper with another color, pattern, or textile. You can layer the transparent paper with a solid color or even something unique like wood, fabric, or mabrle. Pretty Post Calligraphy backed these vellum escort cards with teal paper, then penned each attendee's name in white ink. The muted look would work with just about any color combo, and it's a nice way to introduce a subtle pop into your big-day décor.;

If you love the idea of working vellum into your wedding, click through to see even more of our favorite ways to use the paper throughout your day.

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A Modern Mailer

Sylvie Gil Photography

Balance out vividly-painted invites with simple response cards and tuck both into sleek vellum envelopes, like Yonder Design did here.

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Please Be Seated

Lynette Boyle
Wedding Place Cards That Are Truly Unique

Vellum plays well with all sorts of materials. Case in point: this table designed by Kaella Lynn Events, which included gold flatware, stoneware plates, velvet napkins, linen tablecloths, and colored glass. This petite place card by Aerialist Press did its job without hogging all the attention.

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Find Your Seat

Vicki Grafton

Freshen up your seating chart by asking your calligrapher to write names on a scroll of vellum. Meant to be Calligraphy used a medium blue ink so the seating assignments were visible on the frosted paper.

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Color Balance

Cassie Valente

This place setting celebrated all things white and pink. Pink + Peach designed the vellum menu with pink ink to echo the colors of the edged plate, and a pink place card was the perfect finishing touch.

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A Sheer Moment

Lori Paladino Photography

Swell Press injected a bit of fun into this suite with the addition of a vellum sheet the same size as the letterpressed invitation. The overlay explained how much the couple loved each other and that they decided to make things official—it was like a little prelude to the actual invite.

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On the Menu

KVC Photography
33 Pretty and Unexpected Wedding Menu Ideas

The Impressionist celebrated flower power with these pretty menus, which were printed on blush pink paper and then topped with a vellum overlay featuring floral artwork. The extra layer made finding out what guests would be eating a bit more exciting.

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Confetti Time

The Favor Loft

If you want to keep post-ceremony confetti contained while also explaining the tradition of it, vellum envelopes like these, which were made by The Favor Loft, are a great idea.

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Pattern Play

Silvana Di Franco Photography

A patterned piece of vellum was the perfect finishing touch for this Aerialist Press invitation suite. To maximize its impact, the couple chose a coordinated stamp, too.

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Over It

Bonnie Sen Photography
Invitation Upgrades That Are Actually Worth the Splurge, According to the Pros

Simple stationery can be enhanced with the addition of a vellum overlay. In this instance, the single-color letterpressed Minted invitations were topped with a piece of vellum printed with an illustration of a flower. It injected a pop of color and softened the suite.

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Favor Bands

Rebecca Yale Photography

Simply Tamara Nicole and Bespoke Strokes packaged these candy favors in two different ways. Each clear box was either wrapped with a calligraphy-covered vellum band or closed with a wax seal and white ribbon. If you love the look of the first option, print any saying you'd like (a quote, your names, a favorite lyric) on a sheet of vellum, cut it to size, and wrap it around your own favors.

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Invitation Preview

Rachel Marvin Creative

Can't wait for your guests to see your wedding invitation? Then do like Rachel Martin Creative did for this suite and slip yours into a vellum envelope. Unlike an opaque option, everyone can preview what's inside as soon as they pull it from the mailbox.

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Party Time

Wee Three Sparrows

Confetti all over your stationery means you're ready to party. Get guests in on the fun without wasting another minute by sending save-the-dates in vellum envelopes that show off the contents. Nimble Nib Co. took it one step further with foil, too. The pros mixed candy-colored details with gold accents before sending them in the translucent envelopes.

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Get with the Program

Mike Cassimatis
Wedding Stationery Glossary

This program booklet by Livia Paul boasted a gold-foiled monogram on a vellum cover. We love that floral pattern on the front page shows through and how this design can be tweaked depending on your style and motif.

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Unique Program

Marisa Albrecht
Your Ultimate Wedding Stationery Checklist

Vellum paper can be used to explain the schedule of the day. With all lowercase letters, this program felt both laid-back and elevated.

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A Personal Touch

Decorus Photography

Jolie & Co used vellum to hold the components of this modern suite together and as a way to personalize each invite. Thanks to copperplate-style calligraphy, the invites included each recipient's first name. 

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Favor Packaging

50 Creative Wedding Favors That Will Delight Your Guests

For a favor guests won't pass up at your outdoor wedding, slip fun sunglasses into a vellum sleeve printed with a cute saying. Since guests could see exactly what is inside this package, they knew they'd want the fun shades during the ceremony.

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Add a Little Something

Jose Villa

A vellum overlay doesn't compete with a save-the-date card, it complements it in a unique way. A botanical print was used in this combo by Amber Moon Design, but you could feature anything you want, like an engagement photo or a piece of artwork you love.

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A Minimal Menu

House of Modern Letters

House of Modern Letters calligraphed the details of this wedding's meal in white ink and then tore the edges for texture.

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Extra Details

Darling + Pearl

Darling + Pearl added a little something extra to this otherwise classic suite in the form of a vellum enclosure that read, "He loves her. She loves him. Let's have a party."

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Rip It

Blush Wedding Photography
Trending Now: Deckle-Edge Wedding Invitations

Vellum is often associated with sleek and modern style, but this LeLe Chan Designs invite was given the organic treatment thanks to its deckled-edges.

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Light and Airy

Rebecca Yale Photography

Sandwich a calligraphed vellum table number in an acrylic frame for a light as air way to identify your reception tables. Simply Tamara Nicole tapped Bespoke Strokes to mix these materials for this all-white setup.

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Bucolic Bliss

Papertree Studio

Rural estates set on rolling hills or open meadows make for beautiful wedding locations—and elements in your stationery suite. Papertree Studio created a watercolor of this wedding's landscape and turned it into a vellum wrap that was then tied with silk ribbon and a copper wax seal.

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Fantastic Folds

Designed by Jaclyn
9 Special Touches That Will Dress Up Your Stationery

Jaclyn Lee Bergmann of Designed by Jaclyn loves vellum so much that she used it on her own wedding invitations. She printed her logo on a piece of the semi-transparent paper to create a custom enclosure and folded it asymmetrically for a geometric look that was modern and sleek. As vellum isn't the thinnest paper, a rose gold seal helped it stay flat and keep the three pieces inside contained.

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See-Through Squares

Emily Rose Ink

Emily Rose Ink showcased a landscape painting done by the mother-of-the-bride on this save-the-date by printing it on the back of the card and loading it into vellum envelopes.

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Cue the Confetti

Courtney Lindberg
Fun and Festive Ideas for a New Year's Eve Wedding

Anne Robin Calligraphy + Design created this confetti-filled suite for a New Year's Eve celebration. To ensure guests got a hint of the party that was to come, she packed each invite into a vellum envelope.

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Marble It

Tec Petaja

Vellum is great on its own but takes on an entirely different look when paired with another pattern. Bliss & Bone slipped these modern invites into a vellum pocket with a marble-like look that matched an opaque envelope liner.

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Upgrade Your Signs

Larissa Cleveland Photography

Don't limit yourself to traditional paper signs. Label food stations at your reception with modern vellum menus between pieces of acrylic. Something like this by Yonder Design would also be great for table numbers, which would ensure guests can still see the beautiful centerpieces you select.

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Show the Plates

Cornelia Lietz

Since these dinner plates were anything but simple, the couple wanted to show them off. This frosted paper meni, which was designed by Nice Plume, ensured that guests could learn about the meal options but still see the entire design of their celestial-style dish.

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Elegant Escort Cards