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The Art of Crafting Perfect Wedding Invitations: A Comprehensive Guide

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The Art of Crafting Perfect Wedding Invitations: A Comprehensive Guide

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Paperjam Press

Your wedding invitations are the opening act, the prelude to the grand symphony that is your special day. They set the tone, convey the style, and hint at the magic awaiting your guests. Crafting these invitations is an art, a delightful journey that reflects your love story. Here’s a comprehensive guide and checklist to ensure your wedding invitations sparkle and leave a lasting impression.

The Essentials:

1. Define Your Vision:

Have you already determined your wedding theme and style? Once you decide on a theme that resonates with your personalities (rustic, modern, traditional, whimsical, or??) and a color palette that complements your theme and overall aesthetic, you’re making great progress! Don’t forget to narrow down the tone by considering the mood you want to evoke. Is it elegant, casual, romantic, or festive?

2. Elements of the Invitation:

  • Invitation Wording: Craft your words thoughtfully, including the who, what, when, and where. Ensure clarity and warmth in the message. And make it fun and happy – you’re getting married!
  • Design Elements: Incorporate motifs, illustrations, or monograms that resonate with your theme.
  • Paper and Texture: Select high-quality paper and consider texture for a tactile experience.

3. Details Matter:

  • RSVP Information: Clearly mention the deadline and methods for RSVPs. Are you accepting them online? Are you including RSVP cards with stamped return envelopes?
  • Accommodation and Travel Info: Include details about accommodations, directions, and transportation options for out-of-town guests. (And lock in those room blocks while you’re at it!)
  • Registry Details: If you opt to include registry information, do so subtly. Though most guests are appreciative for the information so they don’t have to go searching.

The Checklist:

1. Timeline:

  • Set a Timeline: Work with your stationery team to establish a schedule for designing, proofreading, printing, and mailing the invitations. Aim to send them out at least 6-8 weeks before the wedding.

2. Guest List and Quantity:

  • Compile Your Guest List: Gather addresses and double-check for accuracy.
  • Order Sufficient Quantity: Ensure you have extras for keepsakes and unforeseen additions.

3. Design and Wording:

  • Create a Design: Work with your designer or use online tools to craft a design that aligns with your vision.
  • Wording Review: Review the text for accuracy and etiquette. Quadruple-check dates, times, and names.

4. Printing and Assembly:

  • Select Printing Method: Decide between professional printing, DIY, or digital invitations.
  • Assemble Invitations: If necessary, gather materials for assembling, such as ribbons, seals, or envelopes. Working with a stationery designer will give you access to all their tools and they can incorporate these special features into your masterpieces!

5. Postage and Mailing:

  • Weigh and Stamp: Ensure correct postage for each invitation, especially if they include additional cards or heavier elements.
  • Mail with Time to Spare: Aim to send invitations out at least two months before the wedding date. And if you’re planning a destination wedding or know that a lot of guests will be traveling to your wedding, make sure to send out the Save The Date cards with plenty of time for guests to make travel arrangements!

6. Follow-Up:

  • Track RSVPs: Keep track of responses and follow up with non-responders politely. Keep a Google Doc you can share with your planner so you know who will be joining you on your special day.
  • Final Guest Count: Use RSVPs to finalize guest counts for seating, catering, and other arrangements.

Your wedding invitations are a glimpse into the beauty and joy that await on your big day. Pour your love and personality into them, and they’ll become cherished mementos for both you and your guests. While you’re at it, check out amazing stationery designers on WedBrilliant who can support you and help kick off your wedding perfectly!

Preserve Every Wedding Card Forever with New Digital Platform, E-Bration!

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One thing you can absolutely count on as you get closer to your wedding is an outpouring of good wishes via congratulatory cards! Your friends and family want to show how excited they are for both of you by sharing heartfelt messages in sweet cards. Whether you receive these on your wedding day or they trickle in through the mail, you will want to collect and save them all. But, after a reasonable period of time after you’re married, what do you do with these wonderful sentiments captured on letters and cards? The days of gathering them up and stashing them in a shoebox never to be opened again… are over!

E-Bration is a brilliant new digital platform that preserves the memories of every card, message, photo and memory from your wedding!

The founders, Shea and Jeff Cohen, built E-Bration after their own wedding when they realized capturing these sentiments was a need shared by thousands of others. After easily creating an “event” in their account, couples can share the page with their guests who are able to send them a digital card straight through the site along with a personalized message and option for a cash gift. Unlike traditional ecard sites where the card is delivered via email and then scattered throughout your inbox with a card link that eventually expires, these cards are stored forever in the couple’s online account. Additionally, for any physical cards that are received outside of the website, the couple can digitally upload those into their account so they are saved with the same collection (or E-Bration can even upload the cards for them if they choose!).

After the wedding, couples can use E-Bration to create a personalized “Memor-E-Book” that matches each card with a photo of the guest who sent it. They will also always have access to their dashboard where all their cards, photos and messages will be hosted. In addition to the preservation of memories and sentiments, E-Bration gives their customers a platform to even send invitations and thank you cards.

We love this concept, so glad that someone finally addressed the question of “what now?!” and we love supporting fellow entrepreneurs. So, go check out E-Bration today as you plan your wedding! It’s free to join and set things up!♥️

Forget the shoeboxes for storing wedding cards!
Create a free E-Bration account to receive and store everything!

Painted Wedding Stationery Elevates Everything

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Often, your guests’ first peek at what your wedding will be like and a reflection of your combined personalities, is in the save-the-dates and other wedding stationery you send out. WedBrilliant vendor CharmCat Stationery & Design creates original painted works that capture moments and personalities, and that inspire, excite, and connect people through the shared experience of art.

Products include save-the-dates, wedding invitation suites, and custom watercolor commissions including wedding venue paintings. These are not just mundane to-do’s to check off your wedding planning list, these are truly pieces of art. Owner and designer, Ashleigh Pritchard recommends that couples planning their weddings add personal touches to their stationery to show off their personality. And these one-of-a-kind pieces will likely be ones you’ll look back on with fondness, long after the wedding has come and gone!

Contact CharmCat:

charmcat.net

Brrrr… It’s Time To Plan Summer Weddings!

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It may be the week of Halloween, but there’s no better time to kick start summer wedding planning! We have visions of tea lights, pastel flowers and fruity signature cocktails dancing in our heads. So, without further ado, here’s a short list of action items every summer bride and groom need to be focused on right now.

1. Sign up for free on WedBrilliant.com (if you haven’t already!) and begin to post your wedding needs. These can range from linens for the reception to a DJ with AV and lighting equipment. You don’t have to post all your requests at once, you can always return and add more. If you have the time, select the option to post your bid requests for 3 weeks so WedBrilliant vendors have plenty of time to view your needs and submit bids. Once you start getting bids, read through them and take a look at vendor reviews and photos to make your decision. It’s all free for couples to use – so get started!

Photo Courtesy: Catherine Colgan Photography
Photo Courtesy: Catherine Colgan Photography

2. Have you selected your venue? If so, great – that’s one of the biggest hurdles since those can often book up quickly, especially in summer months! If you haven’t, turn your attention to figuring that out right away. If your ideal spot is already booked on your wedding date, consider a Friday or Sunday wedding instead. Or ask the venue if they might accommodate two weddings in one day. If yours is a morning wedding with a wedding brunch, some venues can still keep the evening wedding they might already have on the books! Win win.

3. Now’s the time to really drill down on a theme, or at least what you want your colors to be. This is such an important piece that truly impacts so many different facets of your wedding planning. Once you’ve determined what your color scheme will be, get thinking about accents for the bridal party (bridesmaids dresses, ties, etc.), flowers, and your stationery…

4. Speaking of stationery… gather some ideas for save the dates, invitations, programs and more (have you checked out our fun Pinterest board?), post your needs on WedBrilliant to receive bids from fabulous wedding stationery designers across the country, and then really start focusing on the wording. Every couple has a different style and voice, so decide what yours is and put some ideas down on paper! Just writing down ideas, no matter how many times, can be extremely helpful!

Good luck planning! Before you know it, the trees will be blossoming again and your special day will be around the corner!