57 Wedding Invite Designs

One of the hardest aspects of my wedding was finding an appropriate invite design. I literally looked at several hundred different designs over on Esty, as well as various do-it-yourself kits and a few offerings by local invite companies.

Initially I thought the big problem with picking an invite design was going to be our limited budget. But then I started looking at designs and realized that no, our biggest problem was going to finding something that we liked.

Eventually we did find our invites but damn, did it take a lot of digging and while I love what we end up with, I do wish that this blog post had been made in say, January 2010, because it would have saved me a lot of time.

That post highlights 57 different wedding invitation designs that are for the most part anything but traditional. If you’re like me and want something different than your typical coloured-ribbon invite (you know what I mean), you’re going to want to check it out.

While it doesn’t contain pricing info or anything like that, you can click on an image to get to a page what will give you the name of the designer and from there you should be able to track him or her down.

Here are a few of my favourites:

For those of you not feeling Google Maps.

Vendor Reviews Round Three: Invites & Flowers

Today I review my invites and my florist.


Invites: Raspberry Creations
Rating: 4 out of 5

We received tons of compliments on our invites, made by Tennessee’s Raspberry Creations. I found Raspberry Creations on Etsy.com and I completely recommend you check that site out if you’re looking for something a little different when it comes to stationary. Personally I found the whole process of proofing and buying the invites on Etsy to be excellent.

The only hitch we ran into was with our first round of RSVP cards. During the proofing stage I had asked for meal options to be added in and RC did mock up a version that had exactly what I wanted. However, the version I received had the meal options missing.

When I told Raspberry Creations about this they were very apologetic and quickly sent me out the correct cards, at no extra charge. In the end, this mistake turned out to be a great thing because I was able to use the first batch of RSVP cards alongside the invites to our out-West reception.

In addition to being great to work with, Raspberry Creations was also very reasonably priced. It cost us $3.25 US for an invite, coloured envelope and RSVP card.


Flowers: Flowergirls
Rating: 4 out of 5

I really wanted to give Flowergirls and its owner, Jenn, five out of five because Jenn herself was great to work with. She was able to put together some amazing ideas despite our miniscule floral budget and she really wowed me by getting the lilies I really wanted at no extra charge.

Unfortunately, as I would later learn, Jenn was up North at another wedding on my wedding day so her staff looked after my flowers. And while things did look good, my cake topper was missing and the orchids in my bouquet were mostly closed buds (I was hoping they would open as the day progressed but nope).

I think that had Jenn been there, things would have looked a bit better. On the plus side, when I pointed out the missing cake flowers, she immediately offered a refund.

I also found Flowergirls’ paperwork to be a little messy. Our initial contract was great and clearly spelled out what was due and when. But subsequent versions were missing that info (to be fair, we needed other versions because we kept changing the number of corsages and boutonnières we needed).

I would recommend Flowergirls but if you’re dealing with a good size flower budget or are really fussy about your flowers, make sure that Jenn will be on site to make sure everything gets done just right.

Ring Picked Up; Invites Almost All Sent

Friday night we picked up my custom wedding ring from Made You Look and it looks just like the jeweller said it would.

When I first put it on it was too tight but I was told that that’s to be expected since it’s easier to make a ring too tight and then have to loosen than to have to deal with the opposite situation.

The store was able to get one of their on-site jewellers to stretch it out a bit and now it fits just fine.

It also fits just like it should with my engagement ring. The whole reason we went the custom route is because the stone setting in my engagement ring has these “bump outs” that don’t allow it to sit snugly with a regular ring. My wedding ring has a pair of notches that accommodate the bump outs and allow the two rings to sit nicely beside each other.

My ring’s designer is Jill Maddin and I totally recommend both her and Made You Look for any custom work you need done. Made You Look also some great already made pieces is a variety of price points.

In other good news, all the invites are out except for a small handful that is waiting on Shawn to find addresses for them. They’re for family on his side and as soon as he calls this one aunt and gets the missing addresses, we can get them in the mail and be all done with invitations (well, at least until we have to start tracking down RSVP cards).

Out West Invites

The other challenge with getting our invites out is that some of them incorporate a DIY aspect and if you’re been reading this blog for awhile you know that I suck at arts and crafts stuff.

Let me provide some background on this situation. Our actual wedding is in Toronto in August. Then, about a month later, we’re flying out to Alberta for an out-West reception for my family out there (my parents and most of my dad’s family live in Alberta).

The has resulted in our guest list being divided up into three groups that each have their own “invitation package”:

The Toronto-Only Invites

These are the easiest invites to put together since we just have to put a pre-made invite and a stamped RSVP postcard inside an envelope and then address it.

The Alberta Invites

These guys get a special Alberta invite that I created (more on that later) and a stamped RSVP postcard. I thought I was going to have to make the RSVP card too but then I realized I could use the first batch of RSVP cards we were sent. These were missing the meal options and therefore no good for our Toronto wedding so I thought they’d just end up as recycling but nope, I’ve been able to find a use for at least a few of them.

Toronto & Alberta Invites

These lucky people get the pre-printed Toronto invited and its matching RVSP postcard, the handmade Alberta invite, another RSVP card (more on this later) and an envelope to return the two RSVP cards in.

Because I have no design skills, the Alberta invite started off as just being copy and a couple decorative borders printed on shiny silver paper. However, once I cut these up they looked kind of crappy.

Thankfully, the black envelopes we had bought to use for the Toronto and Alberta invite RSVP cards turned out to actually be backing cards that the cut-up invites fit perfectly on (yeah for not properly reading the packaging). So now, while extra worked is involved because I have to glue the silver paper on to the black, the Alberta invites at least look good.

The same cannot be said for my homemade RSVP cards. They are small and ugly and we used up all of the silver paper and Shawn doesn’t want to buy any more of it because it’s expensive and he thinks the cards look fine (sorry for the run-on sentence but this is a bit of a sore spot).

So here’s what I’m thinking of doing: I want to take menu-less RSVP cards and cover up the back, which currently has the return info printed on it, with silver paper.

Then I’ll do the same thing with the Toronto RSVP cards and write on the back of each card which venue it’s for. I realize this might look a bit odd but I think it’ll look better than using my ghetto homemade RSVP cards.

Anyway, I'm going to give that a shot tonight and see how big of a hassle it is.

Missing Addresses

My goal for this week/weekend is get our wedding invites out. So far, I’ve run into two big challenges, the first being missing addresses.

I started my address gathering back at Christmas when I was at my parents’ place. I used my mother’s address book for a bunch of addresses but sadly it was missing quite a few. I should have borrowed my paternal grandmother’s address book when I saw her but I didn’t and now I’m going to have to call her and get her to read off a bunch of missing addresses. So that’s a bit of a pain.

My mom’s side is a bit easier since I’ll be seeing a bunch of them on May 15 and can probably hand deliver quite a few invites. But since I know some people will be missing, I’m going to have my maternal grandma bring her address book so that I can copy out missing addresses into my address book.

A mass email to our friends/cousins who I have email addresses for quickly gathered their addresses. I can’t imagine what a hassle gathering addresses would have been prior to email and Facebook.

Oh wait, yes I can because we don’t have email addresses for most of Shawn’s family and he doesn’t have any close relatives who already have these missing addresses written down. So he’s going to have to call this one aunt who hopefully does have these addresses. I feel those invites might be sitting on my desk for awhile.

I have tried looking some people’s addresses online (Canada411.ca is a good place to look) and haven’t had the best results with that. Also, to do that you need to know someone’s full name and Shawn has some cousins who we don’t know what last name they are using.

So maybe getting all the invites out by Sunday is a bit ambitious, maybe I’ll aim to get 80% out instead.

Wedding Invite Wording

Invite wording is one of those aspects of wedding planning that seems to be extra loaded with tradition and etiquette and because of that, people can be surprisingly opinionated and sensitive about it. So tread cautiously; these could be the hardest words you ever have to write (well, unless you’re creating your own vows).

Traditionally, the bride’s parents’ names always appeared at the top since they were the ones paying the bill. And if this is your situation, this may be a tradition you want to continue (or are told to continue). But if it’s not your situation, then you have a lot of options in front of you.

First off, do keep in mind who’s paying. Like pretty much everything else to do with your wedding, the less you’re contributing, the less say you have. So if your wedding bills are being largely paid by family, make sure they get to see your wording before you head to the printers.

Secondly, the wording on your invite should “match” the theme and tone of your wedding so basically, the more formal the wedding, the less cutesy the copy.

Thirdly, your invite copy should be appropriately informative. The actual invite needs to include the why as well as the ceremony when and where, including an actual address. Most invites also include reception details though some fancier/more formal ones include that on a separate sheet of paper. But however you chose to present those details, make it clear in your invite package that yes, there is a reception and here’s when and where it is.

While this does vary from circle to circle, most people assume that a wedding reception involves an open bar and a seated dinner. If you’re doing something different, make this clear (again, this information doesn’t have to be included on the actual invite). The same thing goes for dress codes, no-children weddings and any other need-to-know details.

But don’t include anything about registering or how you’d prefer just cash. While it’s fine to put that info on your wedding website (which can certainly be mentioned on your invite), don’t include it in any shape or form in your invite package.

While many brides want their wedding to be as original as possible, invite copy is one area where it's usually safer to copy something existing than come up with something totally fresh. Take a look at the dozens of invite copy examples over at Invitation Consultants or use TheKnot.coms invite wording wizard, perfect for those of you with complicated family situations.

Whatever wording you go with, make sure that at least two other people proof your invite copy because all the etiquette in the world doesn’t matter if your wording contains a typo.

More Cute Save-The-Dates

My cousin sent me this article from last Thursday’s Globe and Mail about the trend of video save-the-dates. The article is packed with videos, including the stop-motion one I wrote about a few months ago.

The videos are all pretty cute but be forewarned that creating one of these videos might set some pretty high expectations for your wedding. I mean, if you’re doing something this amazing for your save-the-date, what are you going to do for the cake?

And don’t feel that you need to create a fancy video invite in order to impress your guests or set the right tone for your wedding. Video invites might be trendy but they certainly aren’t essential and no one should be expecting to receive one of these things.

Personally I don’t even think save-the-dates in any shape or form are necessary but hey, if you’ve got the creativity, the talent and time, I say go ahead and make you own video version.

And if you’re not up for creating a video but still want a memorable save-the-date, check out this shop on Esty.

Sample Wedding Invite In

Our wedding to-do list has shrunk by one item: the sample invite has been ordered and arrived yesterday. It looks great and once we know how many invites we need, we’re going to place our order with Raspberry Creations’ Etsy store.

I’ve been dealing with Rachael and she’s been great to work with. I think we’re going to have a very pleasant, low-stress invite ordering experience.

While Raspberry Creations does several eye-catching and different wedding invites designs, we went with the style below because the colours match our colours perfectly.

We’re also going to order matching table number cards and if I had the extra cash, I’d also get Raspberry Creations to do up the seating cards. Sadly, I think I’m the one who’s going to be doing that task.

Amazing Invites: Toronto Edition

A few weeks ago I listed off some great wedding invite designers who sell their wares via Etsy.com. But not everyone’s comfortable buying stuff online so below is a listing of some local places where you can check out invites.

Blush Boutique – Looking to create a custom invite? Then check out this company located on King St. W. They also offer off-the-rack designs and environmentally friendly paper.

The Invitation Place – This place isn’t cheap but it does offer some really eye-catching and elegant designs that can be printed on a wide variety of paper.

Stephita – This Markham-based shop gets great reviews by brides who have used it. Invites tend to be in the $4-$6 range and are a bit “traditional” for my tastes though they are certainly pretty.

Paper Damsels – In addition to creating custom events, this store offers DIY packages and a large number of catalogue lines, including Monique Lhuillier, Carlson Craft and Stylart. While it is located out in Mississauga, Paper Damsels is a great place to start if you’re struggling with finding the ideal invite.

Pretty Paper – This place certainly lives up to its name – it offers plenty of great designs that can be tweaked and printed on 100% recycled or linen paper. Pricing info is listed here.

Amazing Wedding Invites: Etsy Edition

As promised, I’m going to share with you some of my favourite invite designs. I figured that I’d dedicate this entry to Etsy designs since that site is packed with original, eye-catching looks. While the designs on Etsy aren’t generally the cheapest, may if the items on there are reasonably price and most can be customized so that the design goes with your colours/themes/whatever.

* = shop offers a print-it-yourself option

Ras Ideas – We’re likely going to get our invites from this well-priced shop

Unless Someone Like You – Makers of the best save-the-date ever. They can also incorporate custom portraits into the invite design

DIYPaperie* – The shop above’s print-it-yourself side

Lovli Day – Offers text-heavy invites in a range of great fonts

Izzy and the Bean Design* – Dozens of designs that put a contemporary twist on traditional layouts

Modern Ink – Check out this shop if you want a clean design that emphasis your wedding colours

Green Quice – I love these urban invites though they are a bit out of our price range

Ello There – This shop’s designs are a little too cutesy for me but might be perfect for you

SilhouetteBlue – Home to some really simple and sweet designs

Wedding Invites

Back in May, I wrote about how I’d found my ideal invites at Michael’s. They were cheap, the colours were appropriate and they looked good enough.

Well now, a few months later, I’ve changed my mind on the whole invites-from-Michael’s thing. Yeah, they were cheap but they were also a bit boring and predictable. While I agree that it doesn’t make sense to spent a ton on stationary, I do think it’s okay to spend a bit to get something that suits your wedding and that, hopefully, makes people excited for it.

There is some truth behind the saying that the invite sets the tone for the invite. If you get a big, elaborate invite, you’re likely going to assume that the wedding will be a big, elaborate one. But if you get a plain, generic invite, well, you’re likely going to assume that the wedding will also be on the plain and generic side and no bride wants her guests to make that assumption about her wedding.

My mom has been sending invites to me that she and her friends have been getting and they almost all look the same. I’m all for simple but come on, there’s tons of ways to do “simple” that doesn’t involve black ink on heavy, plain white paper (and no, gluing a coloured ribbon doesn’t really personalize the invite).

Over the past few weeks I have seriously looked a hundreds of wedding invite designs, most in the low-to-mid-price range. There are lots of affordable options out there, including plenty of print-your-own styles so there’s really no excuse for boring invites.

In my next entry, I’ll highlight some of my favourite designs/designers that I came across on Etsy. But first, an invite “reality check”:

• Throw the idea of a 1$ invite; stamps along run over $1
  
• To keep it cheap, keep it simple: no pockets, no flaps, no ribbons, no jewels, no double-lined envelopes. Instead spend your money on an eye-catching, appropriate design
  
• Going with a postcard-style RSVP card is generally cheaper than a card and envelope combo (though trickier to print if you’re doing DIY printing)
  
• I’m going to dedicate a separate entry to DIY printing but for now remember that DIY printing doesn’t equal free; you still need to pay for paper and ink
  
• And before you get too attached to a DIY design, make sure you have whatever computer program is needed to print it (I’m amazed at the number of brides on bridal boards who don’t have Word so they can’t print many DIY templates)
  
• Sometimes it’s just plain worth it to spend the extra cash. For example, get your return address printed on your envelopes/RSVP postcards. Yeah, this can cost extra but it’s one of those things that’s worth the cost

Save-The-Dates

So what are your thoughts on save-the-dates? Originally we weren’t planning on doing them, an extra, unnecessary cost I figured, but then I discovered Vista Print and how cheap it was to make cute little magnet and then I started thinking, “Hey, I could do Christmas cards this year and just toss the magnets in those.”

But while I could affordably do save-the-dates, it’s still another expanse and really, will anyone care? I’ve never received a save-the-date. I actually had never even heard of them until I saw that episode of The Office where Angela asks Pam where her save-the-date is. So it might be kind of weird to send out save-the-date to our family members and friends.

On the other hand, sending them out would send a clear message that says, “Hey, you’re invited and here’s the date”. We are getting married in August, prime vacation time, and some people will be travelling so getting the word out to potential guests that yes, they’re invited, is something we need to do.

And what better way to do that then mail out a magnet? After all, who doesn’t love a useful, practical magnet (okay, maybe people with stainless steel fridges). I know that paper would be cheaper but it seems so wasteful and its design possibilities/expectations are so much greater. I’m not really up for figuring out how another piece of paper should look but a small, square magnet, designing that I can handle.

I think what’s going to make or break this save-the-date idea will be Shawn. I have a strong feeling that he’s going to say “no” to this extra spending. What we might end up doing instead is using the Christmas cards themselves to double as save-the-dates though I worry that might look odd. But maybe I can find black, silver and dark purple Christmas cards…

FAQs: Invites #1

Sorry for the lack of entries; the past week has been very busy for me (though not with wedding stuff). To make up for my lack of posts, here's a very practical entry below that looks at a few frequently asked invite-related questions. I have more of these FAQ-type posts in the works and plan to post another one this weekend.

If you have a Toronto-wedding-related question (though please nothing etiquette or conflict related), please send it to wedtoblog@gmail.com

Q: When should I send out my invites?
A: The usual answer to this is eight-six weeks, giving a RSVP deadline that's three weeks prior to the wedding date. However, if you're a bit of a control freak and/or if you're dealing with guests who are travelling a long way, I would recommend sending at least some of those invites out earlier, say 10 weeks.

Also, if any of your guests are going to have to take more than a day or two off to get to your wedding, give them at least three months notice. You can do this with a "save-the-date" card or tell them in a more casual way, either way do give them plenty of heads up time or else they might use up their vacation days before your wedding comes around.

Q: I'm trying to save a bit of cash by buying invites that won't require extra postage. What is a "regular-sized" invite?
A: A standard letter needs to be 30 grams or under. The current going rate for a standard letter is $0.54.

Q: And what if I have my heart set on oversized invites, then what will I be paying? A: Let’s get the answer from this handy chart, made by Canada Post.

Q: Can I make personalized stamps here in Canada?
A: Yes, Canada Post does offer this fun service. For details, head over here. $40 will get you forty, regular stamps and prices do get a bit cheaper the more stamps you buy.

B-Lists

So are you having an invite b-list?

I first heard of this concept a couple years ago, when an acquaintance freely declared that since person X was unable to make it to her wedding, she could now invite his b-list replacement, person Y. At the time, I was shocked by this idea. It just seemed so rude.

But now that I’m planning my own wedding, having a b-list just seems practical. The truth is, guests are a major cost of your wedding. If you’re going to have a common sense wedding, you’re going to have a reasonable guest number that you stick to. But while this number might make your budget happy, it might make you a bit sad because you don’t have space to invite certain people.

Odds are though that not everyone you initially invite can make it. So now what do you do: Leave those spots empty or fill them up with guests who you wanted to invite but just couldn’t squeeze in? If you go with the second option, you’ve got yourself a b-list and in my opinion, that’s nothing to be ashamed of.

In some situations, not having a b-list means wasted money. My venue, the Berkeley Church, has a 100-person minimum. This means that will be charged for at least 100 guests, even if only 90 show. Currently, my guest list is just over 100. While I like to think that most of my RSVPs will be set back with a “yes”, I do have a small b-list just in case I find myself with fewer than 100 RSVPs.

I do think that when it comes to your b-list, you need to be discreet. No one wants to know that they were the second pick, even if your venue does only hold 50 people.

If anyone asks about the “guest status” of a b-lister, dance around the topic. If the invites haven’t gone out yet, say that you’re still finalizing the list. If they have, say something about how you’re trying to find a spot for the person in question.

And what b-listers themselves? Well, ideally they’ll have good manners and not ask if they are invited or not. But if a b-lister does ask about whether or not s/he’s invited, be honest and hopefully. Something like, “Well, I would love to have you there but we have a really strict guest number. If though someone can’t make it, I will certainly send an invite to you.” Don’t lie about the invite being lost in the mail or something like that, it’ll only backfire and cause you stress that you don’t need.

Cute Video Invite

Sometimes I think about doing something really creative and clever for my wedding but then I come across something like the item below, a stop-motion video invite (yeah, stop-motion). Stuff like this always makes me realize my place – using pre-existing designs and getting someone else to create my “vision”.

The video was put together by Corey, of Corey and Rachel's wedding, and the amount of time and effort that went into this video invite must have been ridiculous. However, the end result is certainly fun and memorable.

Virtual Invites

The other day I received my first digital wedding invitation. It was a personalized email that included all the info you’d fine in a physical invite as well as a link to the couple’s wedding website. While certainly not as fun as a traditional invite (I find real mail always more interesting than the virtual kind), it did do its job.

I know wedding experts frown on email invites (and in all honestly, I’m not totally sold on the idea) but I can certainly understand their appeal. They’re cheaper, they’re greener and they make keeping track of RSVPs much easier. And really, apart from a handful of close relative or friends, who really is going to keep your wedding invite?

But on the other hand, not everyone understands this internet thingy and many guests will likely be less than impressed if you go the email route. My friends seemed to understand that and made it clear that they were making a small number of invites for less internet-savvy guests and that if we wanted, they could send us a paper invite.

If you choose the email invite route, I think that’s the approach to take: do be prepared to have to create real invites and do be prepared to send them to more than just those guests over 60.

A few other tips:

- Don’t make your email look like something that escaped 1997. Stick to one font and one colour and only use effects like italics and bolding sparsely

- Do keep your layout simple and clean and keep in mind that because different email programs display emails differently, what you see isn’t necessary what your guests will see

- If you’re building out a graphic email, keep links and images to a minimize to avoid your mail being labeled as spam (this is particularly important if you’ll be sending them from a web-based email address like Gmail or Hotmail)

- But don’t make your graphic email all one big picture. Most email programs automatically turn off these images and receivers who aren’t paying attention or aren’t email-savvy might be confused or even delete your invite

- Prior to sending out your digital invites, send out an email asking that your email address be added by your guests to their safe/white lists; this will prevent your invites from being labeled as spam. You can also use this email to ask if any guests would prefer paper invites

- And do be prepared for at least one email to be labeled as spam and for you to have to follow up with that old-fashioned technology the phone

Our Trip to Michaels

On the weekend Shawn and I checked out Michaels – the arts and crafts store. We went there because I’d read on assorted message boards that it was supposed to be packed with useful wedding-related stuff. We’d also seen a Michaels flyer that contained an ad for some nice-looking, print-yourself wedding invites so we‘d figured that it would be smart to a least see what this store had to offer us.

It turns out that Michaels actually had very little to offer us. Oh sure, it’s packed with craft and art supplies but I think to truly get the most of that store, you need to be a very creative and visionary person. To someone like me, who is about as anti-DIY as they come, Michaels appears to be packed with, well, tacky shit.

The notable exceptions to this are the quasi-DIY invites/paper products. These do not look like tacky shit and while not as nice as what you’d get if you paid $7 an invite, they are certainly nice enough to do the job (really, beside yourself and maybe a few relatives, who’s going to keep your invite?). The BRIDES line also offer a cohesive look for all your paper products (so matching invites, programs, guest book, even favour boxes).

However, colour-wise the selection of these products was rather limited. I was actually quite surprised at how few colours were represented but I guess the limited variety helps to keep the costs done. We were able to find an invite kit in silver so at least we’re taken care of.

The invite kit we’re looking at is this one (but in silver instead of black) and at $60 for 30 invites, it’s cheaper than custom but not as cheap as a true DIY invite. Still, I have no problems paying a bit more if that means I don’t have to cut or glue anything. Also, Michaels flyers regularly contain 40 percent off one item coupons so we’re going to track down a trio of those coupons and save ourselves a bit of cash.

We also looked at Michaels for centrepiece supplies (we’re thinking of using a bunch of rectangular candles of varying heights on a mirror with maybe tea lights in glass cubes around that) but for the most part the store didn’t quite have what we are looking for and what it did have (the candles) could be bought for cheaper at a candle outlet store.

To be fair, maybe it was just the Michaels that we visited (in the Dixie outlet mall) that was less than packed with great stuff. A quick look on its website does show a nice selection of packaging for favours (though the favours themselves are a bit tacky). Maybe I just need to try another Michaels.