For the kind of couple that puts a formal set of China on the registry, twelve-piece wedding invitations with formal language and traditional appeal are a must-have. But for those of us who tend toward a more down-to-earth existence, it feels right to have a more casual invitation that lets the story behind our love shine through. Here are five ways to use Mixbook cards to create an invitation that feels completely unique and totally YOU. 1. Sad Face, Happy Face Have a friend or professional photographer take a series of photos of you and your fiancé smiling fervently and holding up a sign that says “yes!” next to a checkbox. Have another shot with you making exaggerated sad faces and holding up a handwritten sign that says “no” next to a checkbox. Hold up a third sign that says “please rsvp by….” Get creative and change your messages according to what feels right for you as a couple.

Use the photos on this film strip wedding invitation for inspiration:

Use this Photo Strip invitation as a template to create and customize your invitation:

2. Have Vows, Will Travel If you’re throwing a destination wedding, you’ve already chosen to flout certain expectations. Why not make your invitation reflect the look and feel of the place you plan to tie the knot? Mixbook’s Destination Wedding Invitation template lets you choose stickers to customize the type of travel necessary to get to the alter (plane? train? ski lift? ferry? moped?). Use the flipside to feature a photo of you and your fiancé with bags packed (a wedding dress with tulle and lace bursting from your bag?) and pretending to hail a taxi.

3. One Shot Says It All If there’s a photo or a series of photos of you and your fiancé that captures your blissful state, assume friends and family invited to your wedding want to see it! The day is all about you and your love, so why not give guests a preview of the cute couple with a photographic wedding invitation. Consider anything from a perfectly posed engagement photo to one of you and your fiancé summiting a fourteener or snorkeling side-by-side.

4. In Your Own Words Tradition may dictate that formal language outline the details of your big day, but if you’re hosting a more casual celebration with a theme, consider choosing words that fit the occasion. For example, if you’re getting married in an apple orchard and will be dining on local farm produce post-ceremony, you might say “forever the apple of each other’s eyes” instead of “join hands in marriage.” And if you are hosting a Texas-style wedding hoedown, go for some language that lets your inner drawl shine through. For invitations that let the words speak loudly, our typographic designs, including the Bracketed Typography wedding invitation featured below, are ideal.

5. Simple Is Beautiful There’s a reason wedding dresses are white. The color symbolizes more than being pure—white evokes hope, promise, clarity, and levity. We love the idea of taking this simple wedding announcement template with lots of white space and turning it into an invitation. Consider using the four images at the top (or add or delete images as necessary, of course) to create a sort of timeline of significant moments in your courtship. You can even add short text below each image along the lines of: “the day they met,” “the day they knew,” “the day she said yes.” Then, use the large text area to print the wedding date, plus the words “the day they’ll say ‘I do’.” Use the back of the card to print the details.