Guest Books

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10 Things to Know Before Ordering Your Wedding Invitations

 

First impression is everything…

There is nothing more fun than opening up a wedding invitation from a beautifully addressed envelope! This first glimpse of your wedding really sets the tone for the affair. Your guests should get a hint from the wedding invitation what your wedding will be like. Will it be a formal soiree in a ballroom or a rustic affair complete with hay and cowgirl boots? Your guests should be able to tell from the style of invitation you send out!

A wedding invitation sets the tone for the entire day. It reflects the style and theme of the event and personalities of the couple. This first glimpse to your wedding has the potential to create a lot of excitement and buzz about this very special event! 

Here are 10 things you should know and do before ordering!

1. Envision your dream wedding and get an idea of your personal style and taste.

What do you see when you close your eyes and envision your dream wedding? Is it during the day or in the evening? Will it be formal or more casual? Will it be in your hometown or somewhere far away? Write down at least 10 adjectives that best describe how you want your wedding day to look and feel. Some examples are: traditional, formal, romantic, modern, lavish, rustic, fun, casual, elegant, etc.

2. Decide if your wedding will have a theme.

Is your wedding in the mountains or at the beach? Do you share a love of sailing? Did you meet at a football game? Are there any items of significance you want to incorporate into your wedding and possibly your invitations or accessories? Do you want to create a custom duogram {first letters of your names} for your invitations or a custom monogram? This can serve as the "logo" for your wedding and can tie everything together!

3. Pick your color palette (if you will have one).

Do you have a favorite color you want to carry throughout the wedding? What color are your bridesmaids' dresses? Is the wedding in a particular season? {Think browns, greens, gold for Fall, bright pinks and greens for Spring, blues and oranges for Summer and silver, champagne and pink for Winter} Using the same colors throughout wedding is a great way to tie everything together.

4. Determine how many invitations you will need to send.

Keep in mind that this is not the number of guests you want to invite to your wedding. This is the number of households to which invitations will be sent. For example, if you are inviting 200 people and three-quarters of them are married, the number of invitations you will need is more like 125 or 150. Always order extra invitations. Guest lists have a way of creeping up, often suddenly and at the last minute. The cost of ordering more than you think you'll need as part of your initial order is far, far less than the cost of ordering a small number at a later date. {Keep in mind that the cost of invitations is primarily based on the design, layout and running of the printing press, not the quantity of invitations, so ordering a small number later can often be nearly as expensive as the initial order.}

5. Understand the various printing methods and paper stock. 

An experienced wedding stationer can explain each of the methods of printing and the differences between them. These methods include letterpress, engraving, embossing, thermography, and flat printing {including offset or lithography, digital, and desktop printing like laser or inkjet}. Before your appointment, start to notice any mentions in bridal magazines about the various ways that featured invitations are printed. If you have a preference for one or more, let your stationer know what you like or don't like about each style. It's also great if you can bring in magazine pages or samples of invitation styles that you'd like.

A good wedding stationer will be able to explain to you and show examples of different paper stocks, including papers made from tree pulp, cotton, and bamboo, as well as the different weights and thicknesses of invitation papers. Are you concerned about using eco-friendly papers? Your stationer should be able to help you select papers and other components that are easier on the environment if this is important to you. 

6. Decide what other cards you want to include with your wedding invitation.

Would you prefer a reply card and envelope or a reply postcard? Will you need a reception card, directions card, accommodations card, or wedding website card? Do you like pocket folds, belly bands, ribbons, envelope liners, or all of the above? Do you want single envelopes or double envelopes? You will want to see, touch and feel a variety of samples to help you decide what you like best as you build your perfect wedding invitation suite.

7. Have a rough idea of your budget.

However, be open to being educated about what different invitation styles and printing methods cost. Too often, bridal magazines do a disservice by showcasing luxurious suites of high-end wedding invitations with all the bells and whistles, but then advise in the back of the magazine that you assign a woefully low percentage of the budget for wedding invitations and accessories. This just creates unreasonable expectations from the outset. A great stationer will inform you about the varying costs of different printing methods, stocks, and add-ond and will work with you to create a wedding invitation suite that is within your monetary comfort zone.

8. Determine who will be issuing the wedding invitation. 

Does your family situation fit the traditional mode in which the bride's parents issue the invitation? Or does your family situation look like many these days in which varying circumstances dictate wording that is different from traditional? For example, are your parents divorced? remarried? one or both parents deceased? Are the grooms' parents equally involved and contributing to the wedding financially? Are you paying for the majority of the wedding expenses yourself? Your stationer will be able to navigate with you the wording of your invitations as may be dictated by any complexities in your family situations and etiquette guidelines.

9. Decide how you would like the invitation to be addressed.

Will your or your family or friends be hand-addressing the envelopes? Will you hire a calligrapher? Will you have the addresses printed on the envelopes? Always order extra envelopes {typically 10% extra} for any errors in addressing.

10. Make your final decision. 

Making your final decision doesn't have the be stressful. Be sure to give yourself a chance to be informed and to look at several options before you buy. Trust your own instincts. There will generally be one invitation suite that you come back to over and over…. this is typically the "one."

You never get a second chance to make a first impression! We will help you design the invitation of your dreams!

Courtesy of WMB

New belts!

A few new belts!

Eye Candy….. Announcing our new tuxedo rental line!

We all need a little eye candy to help us push through to the end of day! Here's a little something something to spice up your afternoon! We are pleased to announce our partnership with Tuxedo Central! We are now offering rentals for any special occasion!

Courtesy of Tuxedo Central

New Dresses!

Announcing two of our new additions! 

Marakesh

Isabella

By Watters

Tips for Writing Thank-You Notes

The thought of writing thank-you notes makes many engaged or newlywed couples cringe. This very important expression of your gratitude, however, can be much easier than you think with a bit of planning and organization. Here are some tips for making the job much more enjoyable.

Image Courtesy of Smock

Make It Personal

Thank-you notes for engagement, shower and wedding gifts should be hand-written on personalized stationery and signed by one person. Traditional etiquette calls for the note to be personalized with the name or monogram of the person signing the note. Today, many couples find it more convenient to use notes personalized with both of their names or initials so that either one of the couple can use the notes for wedding-related gifts.

Please note that etiquette does still dictate that, before the wedding ceremony, the bride use her maiden name or monogram. Your married name or monogram should be reserved for notes sent after the wedding. Similarly, until you are married, the notes should be personalized with your individual name or monogram {rather than being personalized with “Jane & John”}.

Write Early & Often

If you start to write thank-you notes as soon as gifts begin to arrive, you’ll find it much easier to get through them all more quickly and easily. Once the gifts really start piling in, set a goal of writing three or four notes each day; otherwise, your feeling that it is a chore will come through in formulaic, lackluster notes. By sending a note right after receiving the gift, you’ll be better able to remember and capture the feeling of gratitude that you felt when opening the gift.

For engagement parties, bridal showers and other pre-wedding events, the thank-you notes should be written within two weeks of receiving the gift. For wedding gifts, try to send them as soon as possible but not later than three months after the wedding. {For wedding gifts sent before the wedding, the two-week rule should apply so that the giver is not left wondering whether the gift actually made it to you.}

Get Organized

Have on hand a supply of personalized stationery that you really like and a great pen. You will look forward to the task much more when you love the look and feel of the stationery, enjoy holding the pen in your hand and the way it writes, and picture the gift-giver’s reaction when opening the envelope.

Remember that each gift requires its own thank-you note, even if you receive a shower gift and a wedding gift from the same person. Similarly, each person who contributed to a group gift should be sent a thank-you note.

Share the Load

You can get through your list of thank-you notes in about half the time if you and your new or soon-to-be spouse split the job. Each of you can send notes of thanks to your respective family, friends and coworkers. Don’t worry if one or both of you have less-than-stellar penmanship. A thoughtful and heartfelt thank-you will overcome any thoughts about bad handwriting.

If you have a spreadsheet to track your wedding invitations and replies, add a few columns to the document to track gifts received and thank-you notes written.

Who's Who?

Be sure to show your appreciation to the following people with a hand-written thank-you note:

• Wedding guests who brought or sent gifts
• Wedding party {each bridesmaid and groomsman}
• People who helped out with the ceremony {officiant, readers, ushers}
• People who helped in some other way {drove people from the airport, made food, helped decorate}
• Hosts of showers and luncheons

Signing Off

The closing of your note should reflect your relationship with the giver. “Love” is appropriate for family and close friends, whereas “sincerely” may be the best option when writing to your boss or co-worker, or to friends of your parents.

The Heart of the Matter

Keep the focus of the note on the guest. If you receive a monetary gift, say something like “Your generous gift was so thoughtful” to avoid direct references to the amount or form of the gift. Never mention that you returned a gift, that you received others just like it, or that it arrived damage. {The “ignorance is bliss” idea works well here.}

The main thing to keep in mind is that you want to express your appreciation to all the people who went out of their way, and spent their time and money, to do or give something special for you and your wedding. Remembering the gratitude that you feel for them and their kind gesture will keep you in the spirit and make the process much easier and far more meaningful.

Finishing Touches: Day-of Wedding Stationery and Accessories

Image Courtesy of Brides.com

You put a lot of time and energy into creating your perfect wedding invitation, setting just the right tone for your event. And now it's time to tie everything together with the "day-of" stationery and accessories! All it takes is a little advance planning to pull everything together beautifully!

Here is a brief description of some of the most popular items we offer:

Day-Of Stationery

Wedding Programs

Wedding programs will help to make your guests feel more included in your special day and provide a keepsake of the event. Generally, programs include at least two components: an outline of the wedding ceremony and a list of the members of the wedding party.

The outline of the ceremony and order of events normally includes: processional music, greeting, readings, prayers, exchange of vows, ring ceremony, unity candle ceremony, pronouncement of marriage, and recessional music.

The program should also include the members of your wedding party and anyone else participating in the ceremony. Those people may include your officiant, musicians, soloists and readers.

Some programs also include a thank you to family and friends, as well as an "In Memory of" section to honor deceased loved ones. 

You will want to order enough programs for at least 75% of your expected guests. Usually couples will only take one program. If you choose to have programs in each seat ahead of the ceremony, then you will want to order one for every guest. 

Escort Cards

If you are having a seated meal at your reception, you will want to consider using escort cards to let guests know their assigned seats/table. Escort cards are usually small tented cards that list the name of the guest or couple and the table number. There are so many possibilities for escort cards! You can get really creative with this display!

Table Cards

Table cards are used to designate the name or number for each table. You can get really clever with the names, which can signify places or things that are important to the couple. Table cards should be large enough to be seen across a room. They maybe tented or set up higher in a stand or centerpiece.

Menu Cards

Menu cards are often used for seated meals at wedding receptions. They are not necessary for a buffet-style dinner, but you may still want to list the buffet choices and beverages that are offered. Having a printed menu is another way to tie your wedding theme together with stationery.

Wedding Day Accessories

Napkins

Wedding napkins personalized with a design or monogram and the bride and groom's names and wedding date created a wonderful accent to your reception decor. You should plan to have at least 2-3 beverage/cocktail napkins per person ~ more if you are planning to use these napkins at the cake table as well. 

Favors

There are so many options for wedding favors. Traditional favors can range from individually boxed chocolates to candles and monogrammed soaps. Some more modern favors include personalized CD mixes, koozies, and picture frames. Candy bars {where guests can fill their own goody bags} are becoming increasingly popular. 

An option that is gaining in popularity is for a donation to be made to a charity in lieu of gifts. 

Guest Book

A guest book is a wonderful remembrance for the wedding couple. You can get really creative with them too! Traditional books with lines for guests to simply sign their names are available. Couples are now choosing to go with modern takes on guest books as well.

Signs 

You can get very creative with signs at the wedding reception. Examples include: recipe sign for a signature cocktail, signs at the buffet tables explaining each disk, just married sign, Mr. & Mrs. signs for the bride and groom's chairs. All of these signs really make a statement!

Day-of wedding stationery and accessories provide the perfect opportunity to infuse the decor with your style and sets the theme for the reception!

Escort Card Ideas

Wedding season is in full swing and by now you're probably thinking of ways to display your escort cards! Below are some sweet ideas we found around the web! 

Images by: 143 Bridal and Think Smart

Custom Invitations

Some custom recent invitations....

Some Wedding Gift inspiration….

Yes, buying off of a couple's registry is the norm, but we just love these adorable gifts from Pressed Cotton. Burlap is so in right now and how cute are these "Mr. & Mrs." pillows?!