12 Rustic Wedding Invitations Ideas to Inspire You

Rustic weddings make the natural feel new again. Whether you’re opting for hand-drawn florals or festival prints, here are some ideas for rustic wedding invitations.

By Emily Forrest

rustic wedding invitations
Photo by Lindsay Dawn

Today, rustic weddings can take place anywhere from a barn venue in the rural countryside to an elegant ballroom overlooking a forest.

Whether it’s the flora, the fauna, or the overall allure of nature that grabs your attention, a rustic celebration is always a good choice.

Although your definition of rustic can mean everything from woodsy and bucolic to adventurous and romantic, there are things to keep in mind as you nail down those rustic wedding invitations. After all, the invitations set the tone for the day and get guests excited for what’s to come.

Whether you’re opting for hand-drawn florals or festival prints, here are 12 ways to bring those rustic vibes to paper.

1. Hand-Drawn Florals

Nothing exudes that beautiful balance between rustic and formal like hand-drawn florals. Your version of the perfect florals might mean wildflowers in an open field or delicate flowers in a fairy forest. Whichever direction you take, hand-drawn flowers are the perfect addition to rustic wedding invitations. Our Novela Landscape invite combines magnolia flowers with a script wedding invitation font—it’s kind of organic, kind of fancy, and works well for rustic weddings of all sorts. The Bonnie Bloom invitation is another example of a sunny design with a hand-drawn floral. Sunflowers, especially when they’re hand-drawn or hand-painted, are perfect for floral save the dates and rustic invites.

2. Go for Green

Nothing screams fresh air like the color green. When you’re on the hunt for rustic wedding invitations, take a leap and go for green—all green, that is. From the envelope to the contents inside, a greenery wedding invitation will get your guests breathing in that scent of forest pine. Our Camden wedding invitation features watercolor pine trees and a soothing green color.

Combine it all with some fun typewriter-style or classic fonts to get your guests ready to bathe in greenery at your upcoming celebration.

3. Citrus-Inspired

Citrus offers a unique vibe for a rustic wedding. You may be hosting your nuptials in your family’s lemon grove or adorning your tablescape with plenty of in-season citruses. However, you choose to bring nature’s bounty into your wedding day, choose a rustic wedding invitation that sets the stage. There are a handful of ways to incorporate citrus into rustic wedding invitations; perhaps it’s an oval-shaped citrus wreath with your names in the center or a simple orange or lemon at either corner.

Our Folly Frame wedding invitation boasts a watercolor botanical design with—you guessed it—lemons. It’s a fresh choice for those looking to bring citrus into their invitations and their wedding day.

4. All Things Autumn

Autumn is one of the most magical times of the year. If you’re celebrating your wedding during this season, there’s likely some sort of rustic vibe to accompany it. You may have pumpkins on the table, apple cider at the bar, or a hue of fall leaves at the table. However, you choose to represent the season, search for a rustic wedding invitation that does the same.

Our Gramercy Portrait wedding invitation is ideal for fall celebrations. It features a warm floral design and plenty of sunset-hued wildflowers to get you into the seasonal spirit.

5. Festival Print

If you’re a couple who’s going for the festival wedding theme, we’re guessing you’re about to throw one heck of a celebration. (We’d be lying if we said we didn’t wish we were invited.) A festival print invitation may include a mix of logos, flags, vintage fonts, and other graphic design elements. Our own Festival Print wedding invitation is meant to mimic a rustic band poster.

We like that it’s ideal for couples who are aiming for a bit of rustic Southern charm. Whether you go for coral and white colors or denim and brown, one thing is for sure, this is a fun, festive wedding invite.

Rustic Wedding Invitations Photo Credit // Unsplash

6. Botanical Accents

If you’re looking for a side of elegance with your rustic wedding invitations, add a botanical accent. A simple botanical accent can work wonders to announce your rustic wedding celebration. Our Norcross Stamp wedding invitation, for example, features a simple botanical surrounded by timeless typography. If you’re getting married in nature or plan to bring the outside indoors, this one is the perfect pick. Make sure to find a matching greenery save the date to complete your theme.

Some couples opt for a dried botanical element in their wedding envelope or attached to the invitation itself. With a bit of brown baker’s twine to tie it all up, we’re in botanical-scented heaven with this rustic save the date and wedding invitation.

7. Summer Camp Inspired

Bold in their nature, summer camp-inspired rustic wedding invitations are certainly a creative choice. Maybe you’re a couple-o-campers—or maybe you met at summer camp. You may be hosting your rustic celebration at a lakeside campground or a wooded retreat. Wherever your special day may lead you (and your guests), a summer-camp inspired invitation will get everyone prepared.

At Zola, we love our Haring Portrait wedding invitation. Featuring a playful monogram, block font, and contrasting colors, it’s the ideal wedding theme for those saying “I do” in the great outdoors.

8. Landscape Paintings

Landscape paintings help make rustic wedding invitations truly shine. Plenty of couples have memories that involve landscapes—a sunrise over the mountains, a lakeside retreat in the forest, or an early morning on the lake. If you’re looking to express your unique style, and your unique love story with an invitation, use a landscape painting for your card. It’s an artistic choice for an invitation, and, if it gets your attention from the beginning, it’s one that will resonate with you for years to come.

Our Deepcreek Portrait features beautiful watercolor renderings of landscapes in every season: spring, summer, fall, and winter. No matter the season, this one is a top choice among nature enthusiasts in search of rustic wedding invitations.

9. Vintage Elegance

Rustic wedding invitations don’t have to mean all things woodsy and nature-inspired. Sometimes, they can simply work to evoke a feeling. Our Augusta Portrait invitation, for example, evokes a vintage elegance ideal for all sorts of rustic gatherings. From backyards to brewhouses, this one is flexible and versatile. With its intricate frame and elegant block font, all you have to do is pair it with your choice of florals or greenery. (P.S. the fact that it comes in five other rustically-worthy colors has us daydreaming about forests, woods, and every scenic landscape in between.)

10. Natural Paper

A simple, natural design and natural-colored paper go hand-in-hand. If you’re looking for an easy way to create rustic wedding invitations, think of white font and brown paper. Our Rooftop Bloom invite takes this idea and lets it shine. With illustrated white florals set on a brown background, this one is perfect for fancy farm celebrations or weddings in floral fields. In addition to a natural color, this one also comes in walnut, white, and gray.

Rustic Wedding Invitations Photo Credit // Stocksy

11. Bloom Background

Abloom here or it is beautiful, but what about an entire bloom background? As long as you have boxes of text with legible details, you can go florally wild with your rustic wedding invitations. Take our Beacon Portrait wedding invitation as a prime example—this romantic design boasts an entire background of soft florals and modern font. Perhaps you’re going for a wildflower rooftop in NYC vibe or the pristine rose garden of a family member. These spaces are both ethereal and beautifully rustic; a floral wedding invitation to match is always a good plan.

12. Plaid Patterns

The checkered plaid print is famous in every area from clothing to picnic blankets. When you’re searching for rustic wedding invitations, consider adding this iconic geometric print to your idea-list. Our Lewis Frame wedding invitation features cheery blue and white gingham inspired by—yep, you guessed it—outdoor picnics. We love this pick for couples who are getting married in a park, on a city rooftop, in their backyard, or anywhere else worthy of a picnic. Whether you opt for hot dogs, sandwiches, or elegant finger food, we’re all about picnic parties (and picnic party foods) in every form.

Rustic wedding invitations can take on so many different designs and forms. Like the weddings that accompany them, these festive and fun invites conjure visions of nature and greenery.

Whether you’re opting for a summer camp-inspired invite or throwing in some citrus elements, we hope this roundup of rustic wedding invitation ideas leaves you feeling excited. When you’re ready to dive deeper into wedding planning, browse through our entire lineup of wedding invitations.

We do love our rustic invites, though we’re also partial to the elegant, the bohemian, the romantic, the minimalist—and just about any other style you can think of.

From all of us at Zola, thanks for reading! Big congrats on your upcoming nuptials. We know that whatever invite you to choose, will be the perfect fit for your rustic theme. Remember, if you need any help along the way, we’re always here for you.

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