You are cordially invited


Good Morning!

I am still in the process of developing my post showing off my wedding, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, I figured I would talk a bit about invitations. Below are some of my favorites designs on Etsy.com. Enjoy!

Shine Wedding Invitations


 

Aleph Design


 



 



  

e m. papers






















Invitations are one of the most exciting, yet overwhelming tasks on the wedding  to-do list. You want to decide on something that seems to match you and your fiances personalities, sets an overall tone to your event, and yet doesn't break the bank. There are so many styles, designs, colors, paterns, texts, envelopes, and phrasing and formalities to decide on. its overwheliming, and can be a bit stressful.

To simplify the process I suggest you decide on budget first. You could fall in love with a design and realize that it is $300 more than you are willing to spend on a few pieces of paper. Set your limit first. If your maximum number for the invitations is $400, then limit yourself to that number from the get-go. When you browse online, set the search for that amount. Decide if this number includes your postage too. Odd shaped (including square) and heavy invitations usually cost about 64 cents.

Next I would decide how involved in the process you want to be. If you are not afraid of a serious DIY project, consider having a design made for you in a PDF file, print, cut, and and assemble yourself. This saves you quite a bit if you are looking for a more complex style invitation like a pocket. If this strikes your fancy, try using Etsy and search invitations. I used Print Your Party, and Andrea was great! If you go this route, I suggest you start looking early. Consider ordering the file and getting started at least two months before you want to drop them in the mail. It can take 2-4 weeks to work with the artist to complete your design, and a few more weeks to assemble them depending on how complex your design is.

Now is the fun part- but also the most difficult. What style of invitation fits your vision? Are you seeing a more relaxed invitation, with simple letterpress text? Maybe something a bit more modern with clean lines and bold colors. Look around online first, theres so much to see! Try these websites to start:


Storkie
Minted
Hello Lucky
Wedding Paper Divas
Vistaprint (inexpensive)
The Green Kangaroo
Envelopements
Paper and More (Great DIY Source!)


How to get the man involved?
It may be easiest to settle on some style guidelines with your soon-to-be hubby in the comfort of your homes. If your fiance isn't overly interested, and your guess is he will have a short attention span, bookmark ten designs and have him let you know what his likes/dislikes are. At least this way you know that he is involved to some extent. Maybe come back to him once you've narrowed down to two invitations.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post on simplifying the addressing process!