Archive for the Wedding Stationery Category

Save Money On Your Wedding Invitations

June 27, 2011

With an average wedding costing almost $25,000, many couples turn to cheap wedding invitations to help keep costs down or free up more money for big-ticket items like the reception and the photographer.

Following some tips below to save money on your wedding invitations:

  1. To avoid ordering excess invitations, make the guest list first.
  2. While it was once considered proper etiquette to mail your invitations in two separate envelopes, it’s not necessary today.
  3. To save on postage, use a postcard for the RSVP or ask people to reply by telephone.
  4. Avoid expensive engraving. Regular printed wedding invitations can be just as nice for a fraction of the price!

Tips for DIY wedding invitations:

If you’re searching for cheap wedding invitations, you may wish to take the “do it yourself” approach. Contrary to popular belief, homemade wedding invitations don’t have to look like cheap wedding invitations. For example, you can purchase the following special touches at almost any craft or stationary store:

  1. Vellum
  2. Faux wax seals
  3. Shear chiffon ribbon
  4. Pressed flowers
  5. Small metal charms
  6. Don’t go crazy with the fonts. Graphic design experts recommend using two fonts on your wedding invitation: a script for the headings and a traditional font for the body copy.
  7. Make sure the text is readable. Generally, a 10 or 12 point type is recommended for maximum legibility.
  8. If you’re not sure what to say, search online for suggestions regarding wedding invitation wording.
  9. Proofread your work. You’ll want to avoid embarrassing typographical errors at all costs.
  10. If you’re pressed for time and have friends or family who live nearby, considering throwing a “pitch in party” to ask for help getting ready for your special day. Put on some festive music, purchase an assortment of snacks, and have your guests help you assemble your homemade wedding invitations in a fraction of the time it would take you to do it alone.

Save money tips for emailing wedding invitations:

If your wedding is very small and informal, you may be wondering if email wedding invitations are a good way to save money. While it’s true that a number of sites offer free and convenient ecards, relying on email to announce your special day just isn’t a good idea. Consider the following points:

  1. Your email may inadvertently be delivered to someone’s spam folder.
  2. You might not have current addresses for all of your guests.
  3. Some guests may not be online or check their email on a regular basis.
  4. In addition to announcing the basic details of your wedding, an invitation serves as a memento for friends and family to remember your special day. You can’t save an email wedding invitation in a scrapbook!
  5. Sending email wedding invitations is a huge deviation from traditional wedding etiquette.

If you’re on a tight budget, use the Internet to help you plan the other details of your special day. Just remember to stick to the post office for delivering your cheap wedding invitations!

Christmas Wedding Invitations

June 22, 2011

Christmas wedding invitations set the tone for your holiday themed wedding in December. Whether you live in the sunny south or the chilly north, let your guests know your holiday themed plans through the style of invitation you send.

Christmas Image Examples

Like other wedding invitation cards, you should choose a design that reflects both the formality of the wedding and your personality as a couple. Examples of graphics you might use include:

  • Snowmen and snowflakes
  • Children sledding
  • Horse with sleigh
  • Bells, both wedding and jingle
  • Snow-covered church
  • Christmas trees, wreaths or stockings
  • Poinsettia flowers in a Christmas wedding bouquet

Another inspiration for images to use on your invitation is to look at your Christmas wedding decorations. If you plan to use many red velvet bows, consider making do it yourself wedding invitations with small red velvet bows at the top. For a sophisticated looking invitation, try adding a simple charm in the shape of a wreath, tree, or candy cane tied to the top. Use gold or silver ink or lined envelopes for added elegance.

Formal and Informal Holiday Graphics

Couples who are planning a formal wedding will want to stick with simple images, like an embossed image of a wreath in the corner of the invitation or around the wedding invitation verse. Die-cut invitations are popular for birthday parties and other winter party themes, but you might want to consider skipping an invite shaped like a Christmas tree or stocking in lieu of a more traditional rectangular, square, or slim invitation.

Informal weddings, on the other hand, can use whimsical images, such as Santa, or shaped invites. Couples planning an informal beach wedding might even play off a tropical holiday wedding theme, with palm trees and Christmas lights as the graphics on the invite.

Color Schemes for Christmas Wedding Invitations

Though red and green colors are the traditional Christmas combination, you can branch out with your holiday wedding invitation colors. Use metallic or foil fonts and papers during the holiday season for some extra flash. Consider these color combinations for your Christmas invites:

  • Silver foil on dark red invitations
  • Gold embossed images on forest green invites
  • Iridescent blue wording on bright white invitations
  • Deep green calligraphy on ivory invitations, with a stripe of green metallic paper at the top

Whatever color scheme you choose, remember that it works best to use a combination of a darker color with a lighter or brighter one. For example, choosing a bright red invitation with an evergreen wedding font might be hard to read. However, you will be able to easily read bright green foil lettering on a black invitation.

A Christmas themed wedding invitation can also use classic black and white. This combination is perfect for any time of the year and is especially appropriate for a formal or semi-formal wedding. For a contemporary look, try printing the words and graphics in white on black invitation paper. Add a pop of red or green with one simple design element, like a ribbon around the outside of a folded invite or as a line underneath the verse on the front of the invite.

Destination Wedding Invitation

June 21, 2011

Spreading the Word

Yours is no ordinary wedding. Your guests won’t be arriving locally to attend a church wedding and reception nearby. Instead, they’ll have to make travel arrangements. Because of this, you can’t let them know at the last minute. While proper etiquette dictates invitations aren’t sent out too far in advance, you’re going to have to allow enough time for your guests to plan. You can do this by sending a “save the date” as far in advance as possible. A year or more before the wedding is perfect. Two months before the wedding, you can send out the proper destination wedding invitations.

What to Say on a Destination Wedding Invitation

Your guest should already know the details of your wedding, so a destination wedding invitation should come as no surprise. The wording for destination wedding invitations should be no different than those from couples who are getting married locally. The only difference is the address – and you want to be sure to list the full address. This includes the city and the state or country.

Accommodations

If you’ve blocked out a number of hotel rooms or made special dinner reservations, you’ll need to include this information with the destination wedding invitation. If arrangements have been made for discount lodging or other special amenities, this too must be mentioned. Everything your guests should know should be printed on a separate piece of stationery and included in the same envelope as the destination wedding invitations.

Unless you’re paying for all accommodations, you should include toll free numbers for all area hotels as well as restaurants and sight seeing information.

Dress

If the wedding will be informal or the bride will be wearing a beach wedding dress this information will have to be included as well. Your guests will want to dress appropriately. That includes not wearing a formal dress and satin pumps when they have the sand and surf to contend with.

RSVP

You’ll probably want to give your guests more time to respond than you would if your wedding was to be held locally. Once a destination wedding invitation is received, there are a lot of plans to make. For instance, your guests will need to be sure they can take the time off work, arrangements will need to made for children and pets, mail will have to be stopped, and more. Of course if your guests received a “save the date” card months earlier, this may not be the case. Still, you want to be considerate and allow your guests enough time to make a decision.

Save the Date Ideas for a Beach Wedding

June 17, 2011

Beach weddings are becoming increasingly popular. So are the options available to brides who choose to have them. Learn how you can find great save the date ideas for your beach wedding.

Save the date ideas for a beach wedding are almost essential. Because you are choosing to have your wedding in a place that may not be local, guests will need to know well in advance about the date. They are also likely to need a friendly reminder to post on their refrigerator or in their datebooks.

If you are looking for save the date ideas for a beach wedding, you are in luck. Because of the growing popularity of beach weddings, vendors are making beach wedding options more available and more affordable. However, keep in mind that different vendors will have different selections.

Finding the Best Selection

The best selection for save the date ideas for a beach wedding can be found on-line. They are often the most affordable as well. On-line, you can search multiple vendors and work on finding the best deal, as well as the style that suits you best.

Working with Your Budget

The budget for every wedding is different, but if you have a limited budget, you may need to exercise some good shopping techniques like comparison shopping and looking for clearance items. This may limit your options a little bit, but you should still be able to find a decent selection. Fortunately, on-line invite vendors typically offer things like bulk discounts to help you save some cash.

Great Ideas

While design and color is completely up to you, you may want to consider how you want your save the date reminders to be used. Some save the date ideas for a beach wedding include magnets, cards, and “tickets.” Seashells, dolphins, palm trees, or natural, eco-friendly designs are ideal for any of these beach wedding save the dates.

While cards and tickets are cute and usually rather affordable, magnets often make the best option for your guests. These magnets can be placed right on the refrigerator and give guests a daily reminder to save the date. Consider magnets with tropical photos, island themes, or nautical designs, which are decorative for your guests to display in their homes.

Want to be sure your wedding guests don’t forget about your wedding date? Use some of these save the date ideas for your beach wedding to give them an advanced notice and a tropical reminder.

How to Choose Wedding Store for Your Wedding Invitations

June 8, 2011

Your wedding invitations are an important part of your wedding. Learn how to choose the right wedding invitation vendor for your big day.

Choosing the right wedding store for your wedding invitations isn’t easy. There are so many to choose from. Each will have advantages and disadvantages, which can make the process of choosing your wedding invitations overwhelming. However, by asking yourself a few simple questions, you can quickly start to narrow down your choices.

How Big is the Selection?

This can often be a really big determining factor when choosing the right wedding store for your wedding invitations. Lower-cost invite stores might have lower prices, but there is often a reason for it. One of these reasons is selection. Unless you find a wedding invite that you really like, try to steer clear of wedding stores that have a limited selection.

Do They Offer Extras?

Extras include bows, ribbons, tissue paper, and monograms. These extras, if you want them, can be very important. If you want the extras but they don’t offer them, you will end up adding them yourself, if you can. If, however, the extras are not important to you, then it shouldn’t matter whether or not they are offered. Consider the look you want your invitations to have before committing to a wedding invite vendor that does not offer extras.

Do They Offer Saver Discounts?

This answer to this question could save you a pretty hefty sum on your wedding invitations, especially if you have a lot of guests on your list. Saver discounts also allow you to choose a wedding invite vendor that might be a little more expensive, with more selection, and the extras you want. This is because these saver discounts can often be an even bigger savings than going with a wedding invite vendor with the lowest cost.

What is the Shipping Time?

Wedding stores will vary on shipping time. Some offer rush shipping for an extra charge, but some only offer regular shipping. The shipping time can be a very important aspect when choosing the right wedding vendor for your wedding invitations, especially if you are crunched for time.

Decorating Your Wedding Invitation Cards

June 7, 2011

Embellishments on your wedding invitations are a great way to change your invitations from plain to extraordinary. Here are some simple ideas to get you started.

Embellishments for your wedding invitations can add class, style, and elegance. They can even add a little bit of a personal touch. However, some of these embellishments can be rather expensive. Find out which ones to choose according to frugality and which ones to choose for trendiness.

Beading


Beading has become one of the more popular embellishment types for wedding invitations. However, beading can also be one of the more expensive embellishment types for your wedding invitations. If you really want to use beading on your wedding invitations but don’t have a lot of money to spare, try a small design or just a few simple beads for extra accent. You can apply them yourself or you can find a number of pretty designs with premade bead appliqués.

Bejeweled Embellishments


A wide variety of jewels can also add a great deal of extravagance and beauty to your wedding invitations. Almost any color you can imagine can be found, but they are often the most expensive embellishments for your wedding invitations, even more than beading accents. If you are trying to keep your wedding invitations within budget but really want to add these extras, then simply choose small accents of jewels to add to the front of your invitations. This will cut the cost but still allow you to add these beautiful embellishments to the presentation of your invitations.

Bows


Bows are a traditional yet elegant choice for a wedding invite embellishment. They are one of the less expensive options, especially if you choose your fabric wisely. If you do not have enough in your budget to have them assembled for you, however, you can always order the bows and invitations and then assemble them on your own. This can save you on assembly costs that some invite vendors tack on. Whichever embellishments you choose for your wedding invitations, be sure to consider your budget and remember to have fun as you explore all of the wonderful options!

Consistency in Wedding Stationery

February 17, 2011

As my previous post mentioned, your wedding stationery consists of more than just your invitations. Again, it refers to the invitations, reception cards, response cards, save-the-date cards, thank you cards, wedding programs, and any other printed materials, such as maps, you need for your guests. And the problem is coming: How to maintain a consistent look of them?
Wedding Stationery Consistency Idea
Order Everything at Once
Technically, you don’t have to order all of the pieces together, especially since the different pieces will be used at different times. For example, you’re going to need your save the date cards long before you need your wedding programs. However, if you plan ahead and order everything at one time you can ensure that everything from the paper style to the font color will match on every piece of stationery.

Keep Track of Everything You Use
Carry a small notebook and jot down the design number, font style, ink color, paper type, etc. When you return to order additional stationery items, you’ll have the specifics available and should be able to get exactly what you need if you go to the same vendor. You should stick with a single vendor for all of your wedding stationery needs.

Consistency In Wedding Stationery

Choose a Theme
Having a theme that runs throughout your entire stationery package is also a good idea. That theme may be in the colors, the accents, or the design. Keeping the design elements the same throughout your stationery package is important if you want everything to be consistently beautiful.

Consistency is important because at the end of the day weddings are all about the details. Care the smallest features first. I think you two should taste the delicious food and have chance to share sweet time together without worrying about these arrangement all the time.

What Should Be Included In Wedding Stationery

February 16, 2011

We have known something about wedding stationery. Anyway, what pieces should be included in wedding stationery in fact? There are really some elements.

Wedding Invitation
Obviously, the most important part of your stationery package is the invitation. When you order, be sure to order extras and make sure they come with appropriate envelopes.
Wedding Stationery CollectionResponse card
It is also a mandatory part and must be ordered along with your invitations since it will be sent at the same time. Remember that the response card should allow them to choose their meal option, if applicable.Wedding Stationery Elements

Thank you card
Although it can be ordered at a later date, it’s just as easy to put in an order for them when you order the rest of your stationery package. It should be similar in style and appearance to the rest of your stationery.

While the three elements above are must-have parts of the wedding stationery, there are some pieces which are optional including the following:

Reception cards – If you are having your reception at a separate location, you really need a separate reception card. Otherwise, it’s optional.

Wedding announcements – If there were people you simply could not invite to the wedding, perhaps extended family members or co-workers, then they should receive a wedding announcement.

Maps – Some couples choose to have small maps printed up to show guests how to find the ceremony locations. These are mailed with the invitations.

I think it’s really detailed for you to prepare your wedding stationery well.

Let Your Wedding Stationery Go With Your Wedding Theme

February 15, 2011

Just as your wedding invitation should reflect the theme and formality of your wedding, so should the rest of your wedding stationery even if it won’t be used until after the big day is over, such as thank you cards and announcements.

Winter Themed Snowfall Wedding StationeryRemember if you’re going to have a formal wedding, then you should stick to more traditional styles for your wedding stationery. Off-white, ecru, and cream-colored paper with blank ink is pretty standard for all of the stationery elements. You could add a ribbon or piece of tissue paper that matches your wedding colors.

Red Heart Themed Wedding StationeryHowever, if you’re having a more informal or casual destination wedding, then you will do have more options. For example, if you’re having a medieval wedding in Las Vegas, you might want your wedding stationery to be printed on paper decorated with pictures of castles or if your theme is love you might want heart-shaped invitations and paper decorated with heart pictures, shapes, and stickers.

It’s easy but important to have the same themed wedding stationery just like wedding invitations. Keep this in mind, you will have a great wedding!

Basic Things About Wedding Stationery

February 14, 2011

When we talk about wedding invitations, there is still something we need to know, that is wedding stationery. It is an umbrella term used to cover all of the printed materials you’ll need for your wedding. But do you know the basic things about your wedding stationery before placing an order.

Wedding Stationery IdeaHowever, the main purpose is to provide useful information for your guests. Whether you’re printing maps to show them how to get to the ceremony location or pew cards to tell them where to sit, all of your wedding stationery is going to assist your guests.

Your wedding invitations are usually the primary element of your wedding stationery package. It should set the feel for the rest of the materials, including thank you cards and wedding programs.

To create a consistent look with your stationery, you should use the same paper, the same ink color, and the same font. If your wedding invitations are flower-shaped, then consider adding flower designs to the other pieces as well even if they aren’t shaped the same way.

Wedding Scrolls Stationery Things

Generally, you should try to order your entire wedding stationery package when you order your wedding invitations. This way you ensure consistency and you can get everything in before you need it.

This is just a basic overview for stationery. You can look forward my now post about it.