Velvet, Acrylic or Paper? How to Choose Your Wedding Invitations
Paper is the classic choice, acrylic the modern one, and velvet the most luxurious. Foil-pressed cotton card and clear acrylic cost about the same — from around £5.50 per invitation — while velvet folios and boxed suites start from £21.25 and take a week longer to make. The right material depends on your venue, your season, how many details you need to send, and how you want the invitation to feel in your guests' hands.
Paper: Timeless and Versatile
Our paper invitations are foil pressed on heavy 600gsm cotton card, with vellum wraps, lace folders and designer papers for something more layered. Cotton card has a soft, natural texture that makes gold foil look crisp and slightly raised — the feel guests expect from a formal invitation.
Paper suits almost every wedding, from a church ceremony to a garden or country house. It is the lightest option to send, works with every envelope style, and pocketfold designs hold your RSVP and details cards neatly in one place.
From £5.25 per invitation · production from 3 weeks. See gold foil invitations and pocketfolds.
Acrylic: Modern and Striking
A clear acrylic invitation is 2mm thick and foil stamped, so the lettering seems to float. It is the choice for modern venues, city weddings, minimal design and couples who want the invitation to be the first thing guests talk about.
Acrylic is heavier than card, so it pairs beautifully with a velvet envelope or a sturdy designer envelope, and it lasts — many guests keep it on display long after the wedding. Despite the wow factor, it costs about the same as a foil card.
From £5.75 per invitation · production from 3 weeks. See acrylic invitations.
Velvet: The Most Luxurious
Velvet folios and boxed suites are covered in velvet over hardboard and foil stamped with your monogram or crest. A folio opens like a book, with your invitation on one side and a pocket for the details on the other; a box holds the whole suite, often with an acrylic insert inside.
Velvet is made for black-tie evenings, winter and autumn weddings, castles and grand hotels — and for couples who want the invitation itself to feel like a gift. It comes in around twenty colours, from navy and burgundy to sage, blush and white.
Folios from £21.25 · boxed suites from £31.75 · production from 4 weeks. See velvet folios and boxed wedding invitations.
How to Choose
- Classic church, garden or country house — paper
- Modern venue, city or minimal style — acrylic
- Black tie, winter, castle or grand hotel — velvet
- Lots of details to send — a pocketfold or a velvet folio
- The luxury feel on a smaller budget — an acrylic or foil card in a velvet envelope
Frequently asked questions
Which wedding invitation material is the most luxurious?
Velvet — a velvet folio or boxed suite, foil stamped with your monogram, feels like a gift before it is even opened.
Are acrylic wedding invitations more expensive than paper?
Not much: at Polina Perri clear acrylic starts from £5.75 and a foil-pressed cotton card from £5.49 per invitation.
Which material suits a winter or black-tie wedding?
Velvet in a deep colour — navy, burgundy, forest green or black — with gold foil.
Can I mix materials?
Yes. Popular pairings are an acrylic invitation in a velvet envelope, or a velvet folio or box with an acrylic insert inside.
Which takes longest to make?
Velvet folios and boxed suites — production from 4 weeks after proof approval; paper and acrylic from 3 weeks.
Can I see the materials before I order?
Yes. Order a sample of most designs to feel the velvet, acrylic or card in person; samples are dispatched within 1–2 business days.
Still deciding? Order a sample of each material — it is the quickest way to know — or read how much luxury wedding invitations cost.