Articles: anniversary

An anniversary invitation has a different job from a wedding one. It does not need to explain who is marrying whom. Instead it recalls something that already happened and invites people to celebrate the next stage together.

Sentiment without overdoing it

The usual temptation is to copy the look of years ago. One referring element usually works better than a reproduction of the original invitation:

• An old photograph placed beside a current one - a simple move that always lands.
• The wedding date next to the anniversary date, shown without comment.
• A motif from the original stationery - a colour, an ornament or a typeface.
• A short quotation that means something to the people closest to you.

Pick one of these elements rather than all of them. An invitation loaded with references to the past becomes hard to read, and its first job is still to give the date, the place and the time.

The practical side

Anniversary invitations usually go to a smaller circle, so details are easier to look after: personalised names, a nicer envelope and a film finish that feels pleasant in the hand. It is worth thinking about the rest of the stationery at the same time - place cards, menus and thank you notes - because designed together they form one coherent set.

Not only wedding anniversaries

The same logic applies to company jubilees and milestone birthdays. The invitation refers to history but should look as though it was made today. If you are looking for an idea, start with one element from the past and build the rest around it.