A lot goes into creating this beautiful invitation ensemble by Arabella Papers
Paper Passionista’s wedding stationery tips & myths will help you survive your invitation ordering experience in fine form. As we make our way through April, the month when all August Seattle weddings should have their invitations ordered, we thought it was a good time to reprise our tips & myths article.
After you set your date, confirm the location, time, etc., the next thing you’ll start thinking about is selecting that perfect wedding invitation. Perhaps you have been hearing about “Save the Date” cards and are wondering if you should be sending those too. Other things often pondered are what kind of look do you want, do you want contemporary or traditional, will you have them printed professionally or make your own? Here are a few tips to help you in making your way through the seemingly endless list of things to consider in choosing your perfect wedding stationery ensemble.
Save the Date cards are not mandatory, but have become a popular tool for couples, particularly if you have a large number of out-of-town guests. Typically sent six to eight months in advance of the wedding, they include information about lodging suggestions and any room block arrangements you have made. It is not necessary for the Save the Dates to match what you do for the rest of your wedding stationery. Many brides select something more whimsical or less formal than the invitation, and you may not even have your entire color scheme and theme finalized at the time you’re sending the Save the Date. If you don’t do something matching you won’t “blow the cover” of whatever you ultimately choose for your invitations.
What about those tissues that used to always be in the wedding invitation? Though many people think it’s part of tradition, there really is no purpose to those tissues with many of today’s printing methods. Tissues are a carry-over from the days when inks used to smear. If you select a printing method, such as Arabella Papers’ bell press printing, it’s still a good idea to use the tissues to protect the print from rub-off, but for most it’s a non-issue. Other than that, hey aren’t part of any prescribed etiquette, so don’t worry if you don’t use them.
What about double envelopes? Another carry-over from the past, it was once tradition to have two envelopes for the invitation. The outer envelope had the formal name of the main addressee(s) for the invitation, ie. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Smith. Then the inner envelope would be less formal, perhaps using formal names of the couple, ie. Sally and Bob Smith (the lady’s name always comes first in this case), and then below that you would list any other family members who are being invited, such as children’s names. If an invited guest is single but you wish to have them invite a significant other or guest this is where you would list that individual. If you know the name of that person you could list them, or simply say “and guest” on a line below. Today’s more contemporary invitations typically do not come standard with the inner envelope, and in this case you would list all invited guests on the outer envelope, with the couple’s names on the first list and then any other family members or guests on the line below.
Square vs. rectangle shape of invitation card. Squares have become extremely popular, but it’s important to remember that the US Postal Service considers them an unusual shape and charges an additional 20 cents service charge, on top of your postage for weight. By the time you include enclosure cards you are usually into the second ounce of postage so just know that you will pay extra to mail a square of any size. Those who love the square will usually spring for the extra, but it’s best to be forewarned so you won’t have your invitations come back! To be safe, always take one packet of your invitation ensemble to the post office for weighing to be sure you put the correct amount of postage on them before you mail them.
The cost for quality invitations with enclosure cards, custom printed. I receive calls and emails every day from brides wanting to know how much wedding invitations cost, and there seems to be a line of thinking among many of them that the price of 100 wedding invitations and enclosure cards should run in the neighborhood of $300. I'm not sure where this thinking comes from, since I just paid $6.95 (before tax) for a birthday card at a Hallmark shop, with no customization or enclosure cards, so it is safe to deduct that you will not receive 100 sets of quality wedding invitations and enclosure cards for $300. And if you find them online at that price you can rest assured they are not quality printing and paper stock. You should plan to spend at least $600 for 100 invitations and response sets for a basic flat or digital process if the card is produced on quality paper. It goes up from there if you have layers, ribbons, or letterpress and engraved printing. If you have a lower number of invitations required you will find your "per invitation cost" will be higher because all of the set-up cost goes into your initial increment of 25-50 invitations.
When ordering your invitations don’t under order. If you’re debating whether to buy one amount or the next 25 higher, don’t make the mistake of thinking, “Oh well, I can always order more later.” When you reorder you start all over again with the pricing, and it’s VERY expensive. And many of the letterpress invitation companies begin their minimum order quantities at 50 so you’d end up having to order even more! Incremental increases of 25 at the time of original order are quite small compared to having to start the process all over again. Better to be safe than sorry.
If ever you have questions about how to get through your invitation ordering process with the most ease and confidence, it's a great idea to work with an invitation and stationery expert who can help guide you through the process. At Paper Passionista we have 20 years' experience, and love working with couples to make sure their invitation experience is a fun and pleasant one. Our owner, Gayle O'Donnel,l has been designated as a Master Wedding Vendor (TM) by the Association of Bridal Consultants - one of only nine (9) in the world.
Paper Passionista owner, Gayle O'Donnell, helps a bride select her ideal invitations
If you're looking for a way to order top quality custom printed wedding invitations without the nightmare experiences that many go through when attempting an online invitation adventure with no past experience, give Paper Passionista a call to schedule your consultation. 206.909.9567 or drop an email go info@paperpassionista.com. If you're not in the local Seattle area you can schedule your invitation consultation by Skype, where you will meet, camera to camera, with our owner, and it will be the next best thing to being there in person.
