Dressing up Your Wedding Invitations With Belly Bands

Today we are talking about different ways you can keep your invitations neat and organized. Everyone loves a good accessory right? The most popular way to keep your invitations tidy is with a pocket, but pockets aren't everyone's style and they aren't always in the budget! If you’re looking for something a little lighter, more budget-friendly, or just love the idea of an extra design element, a belly band might be your new best friend.

Paper Belly Bands

Think of a belly band like a beautiful ribbon on a gift, it wraps around your suite to hold everything snug and adds a polished finishing touch. Traditional belly bands are made from a thinner “text weight” paper, which is similar in feel to premium printer paper or the paper used to make envelopes. It’s sturdy enough to do the job, but light and flexible for a soft, polished presentation.

Now, what's the point of a belly band? Well, one of the most common things I hear from couples is, “Everything just falls out of the envelope!” A belly band solves that with style by wrapping around all of the paper pieces to keep them tgoether. It keeps your invitation, RSVP card, and details card neatly stacked so your guests see everything the way you intended. Plus, it’s an easy way to introduce color, texture, or a design detail that pops against your invitation.

What Do You Put on Belly Bands

There are a lot of different options here. Most commonly I use either a custom monogram, couples names and wedding date or something like a crest or wreath design.

Another option I love is to use your guests names. Inner envelopes aren't as popular as they used to be, but there are elements of them that are great for formal weddings. On a very traditional invitation, you'll write the guests names on both envelopes.

The outer envelope might say "Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Mays"

But the inner envelope would say:
Andrew and Laura
Jacob, Logan, Evan and Nick

[Shop The Wedding Invitation Collections]

What Other Options Are There?

Stickers

You can also use a sticker that closes the pocket or even one that wraps around the bottom as an accent. Stickers come in a variety of shapes and colors to add a unique design element.

Wax Seals

Another really popular option is using a wax seal! You can use it with a plain vellum band or full invitation wrap. They can be customized with your monogram or crest for a unique, stand out design.

If your goal is to be formal and keep your guests names on the invitation but you're not loving the idea of a belly band, we can hire a calligrapher to help out. I don't offer calligraphy, but I have a lot of talented friends. I can show you their work and you can choose the style that you love the most. If you really love the inner envelope itself, let's do a more modern take on it with a vellum envelope!

Shop Our Semi Custom Wedding Invitation Collections

Ready to create a wedding invitation suite that’s beautifully organized and totally you? Whether you’re dreaming of a bold pop of color, a custom monogram wrap, or a romantic vellum band sealed with wax, belly bands are the perfect way to bring it all together. Click here to get started and shop our designs, and I’ll help you design a suite that’s not only gorgeous but functional too. Let’s make this one of the easiest (and prettiest) parts of your planning process.