Picking out invitations can be one of the best parts of planning a wedding — it's fun going through different designs, and you get to inject some personal style into the first part of your wedding that people will actually get to see.

If you're looking to set yourself apart with a creative idea, look no further! Here are thirteen lovable ideas to get you started on the right path.

Add a Bit of Pop (Up)

For an element of surprise, consider using a wedding invitation with a pop-up design. Pop Up Occasions can create a variety of types of pop-up invites. In fact, their site includes photos of pop-up cakes, pop-up churches, even a pop-up bride and groom with a banner.

To go really unique, you can email Pop Up Occasions with specific requests for your pop-up cards to make them completely personal.

Tell Your Story, Infographic Style

As you've probably noticed, infographics have become very popular over the past several years — so why not get in on the trend with your wedding invitation?

You can create a long infographic that tells the story of your relationship and provides wedding details for your invitees. This one from YellowHeartBridal is actually a save-the-date, but most designers are willing to work with you for invitations as well.

Add a Natural Touch

Everyone does paper invitations. They're tried and true, but expected. Why not try something else?

Cards of Wood lets you create wedding invitations, menus, and even envelopes from real wood. It contributes a natural feel to your wedding and is great for setting your invitations apart as one-of-a-kind. (They also make bookmarks, which I actually used as fun wedding favors.)

Share Your Passions

Many couples are passionate about the things they do together: hiking, art, video games, traveling, or whatever other activity. Pick one that defines your relationship and choose an invitation design that lets your share those passions with your guests.

For example, I especially like these travel-focused invitations from vintagetwee on Etsy.

Add Some Retro Flash

Unless you're an old-school professional photographer, it's probably been a long time since you last used a film camera. But if you can get a hold of several film canisters, you can make some fantastic and unique invitations.

Photojojo has a tutorial that will take you through all of the steps needed to make your own film roll wedding invitations. A great idea for photography enthusiasts. (Even if you've never used film in practice!)

Send a Sweet Confection Invitation

Nothing says "sweet" like a chocolate bar — so why not use one for your wedding invitation?

Candywrapperstore will create custom chocolate bar wrappers that you can send to your guests. Take advantage of this service by including the details of your big day, along with a few tidbits and quaint phrases to get your guests ooh-ing and aww-ing in anticipation of the greater sweetness to come.

Embrace Minimalism

While minimalism is often discussed as a lifestyle, it's still effective as a one-off design principle. By sticking to a single color and keeping everything on the invitation as simple as possible, your invites will stand out from the usual mix of ribbons, lace, and twine.

For example, these minimalist wedding invitations from paperandparcel on Etsy eschew fancy graphics for a focus on what matters: love.

Button Up and Lace Down

Burlap, Mason jars, and other "shabby chic" decorations are very popular right now. To add a bit of this style to your wedding invitations, consider adding an embellishment.

Buttons, lace, burlap, and twine are relatively inexpensive, and an afternoon of work will leave you with great results like these DIY invitations from A Handcrafted Wedding.

Show Love for Your Hometown

If you're proud of where you come from, you can share your pride with everyone with a state-specific wedding invitation. There are a lot of options, but these Minnesota wedding invitations from StelieDesigns show how to pull it off perfectly.

For those who live outside of the United States, the principle is the same. Design your invitations with your country, territory, or region and strut with pride for your home no matter where "home" might be.

Tote It

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The Makr iPhone app lets you create custom prints on t-shirts, temporary tattoos, and tote bags. Instead of sending out a dinky sheet of paper, you could take it one step further and put your wedding invite on a tote bag. Whenever they use it, they'll be reminded of your wedding date in a fun way.

Designing the bags only takes a few minutes with the app, and you can have them printed right away.

Keep It Rough Around the Edges

Tiny Pine Press offers hand-torn stationery, which gives invitations a more organic feel and makes each one unique. A number of their designs use this particular paper option, so you can choose the ones that best suits your tastes.

A hand-torn touch is a great way to distinguish yourself from the mass-produced printouts that everyone else will inevitably use.

Go Green By Going Digital

Wedding invitations — and weddings themselves — can cost a huge amount of money and waste a ton of paper. Whether you're on a budget or simply trying to do your part to save the environment, you should consider going completely paperless.

Using a service like Greenvelope or Evite can ease (or completely remove) the strain on your budget, as well as make it easy for guests to RSVP with a single click. Affordable, environment-friendly, and convenient. What's not to love about this idea?

Design Your Own

If you can't find a creative wedding invitation that suits your style, there's always one last option to explore: create your own!

PaperlessPost gives you free reign to design your card from scratch. Learn some basic Photoshop skills, then design your card and upload the file when you're done. They'll print it for you, and if you like, they'll even send it to your guests so you don't have to deal with the hassle.

Note: PaperlessPost is one of our recommended websites for a stress-free wedding!

Which Invitation Will You Choose?

A wedding invitation is a great place to show your creativity, and with all of the options available, you should be able to find one that's perfect for your personality and style. Use one of the ideas above, or just take inspiration from these options and come up with a better option for you and your partner.

What kind of invitations will you have for your wedding? Have you used any creative ideas or online vendors? Share your thoughts and experiences below!