The Stationery Survival Guide for Little Miss Engaged

Blush Notes knows how to give that special moment pause and poise. The way that you present the details says it all. Personal. Intimate. Flirty. Sublime. We can help you define that special moment with premium papers, color, patterns and design ideas to create your perfect invitations.  When all is said and printed, the right combination will feel effortless and fit your moment to a tee.

Ask any bride who has survived the planning process, designing the perfect way to look good on paper can be a stressful task. Follow this survival guide and it will enable you to walk down the aisle knowing you’ve put your best foot forward.

What does a wedding ensemble include?
Save the Date announcements are becoming more popular and are recommended for destination weddings and events that take place during busy travelling months or during the holiday season. The Wedding Invitation can be as simple as an invitation and a response set, but can also include a map and directions, hotel accommodations, and reception information. Other wedding essentials can include wedding programs, escort cards, place cards, seating charts, menu cards and thank you cards. 

What kind of customer are you?
Some are born to design. The rest of us just know where to go and who to ask. Determine how much you want to do yourself and want you want to go to a professional for. Don't underestimate the DIY process. Yes, it can save you money, but be realistic about how much time you have and how professional a product you can create on your own. 

Do-it-yourselfIf you’re ambitious enough to take on the project yourself, before purchasing your stock, bring samples home and test the finishes on your printer. Metallic stocks tend to work best on laser printers, whereas matte stocks can be used with both inkjet and laser printers. We recommend using double-sided tape for assembly, rather than wet glue, glue sticks, or spray adhesives.

Have it done for you
If you decide to have it done professionally, give yourself enough time to go through the invitation process. Compare prices and shop around, but also keep in mind the quality of the product. Sometimes, less expensive invitations can look less than professional. A good invitation designer will offer you multiple options to lower the price, without sacrificing the quality. As a designer, I love meeting with people in person. It affords me the chance to pick up an unspoken vibe on the bride’s personal taste.

Remember that great design is accomplished by the relationship between the customer and the designer.

Creating a budget and sticking to it
Before meeting with a designer, know how expensive your taste is. Single panel cards printed by an offset printer can cost as low as $2.00 per invitation. However, with the inclusion of multiple layers, inserts, enclosures, letterpress or engraving processes, or handmade details, there’s no cap to how expensive your invitation can quickly become. Without financial limitations, designers can exceed your budget very quickly. So be honest with yourself (and your designer) about creating a comfortable budget.

The average cost for stationery is anywhere from 3 to 6 percent of the total wedding budget. Decide on a price that you feel comfortable with and ask your designer how you can achieve your custom look while staying within budget. If you feel crafty enough, you can do the assembly yourself and cut down on your costs.

Hidden costs
Plan ahead and allow for a timeline that avoids expedited shipping fees. Try to finalize the logistical information about your event early on. Numerous changes to the invitation or the inserts can lead to more billable hours in design.

If you’re looking for that one-of-a-kind invitation, designers may charge fees for development time. Come to your first meeting equipped with magazine clippings, images printed from the internet, fabric swatches or any other bits of inspiration that can help the designer understand your vision.

Timing is everything
Save the dates are typically mailed 6 to 12 months before your wedding day, but your guests may appreciate more time to make travel arrangements, book hotel accommodations or find a baby-sitter.

The time it takes to produce your wedding invitations will vary by vendor, but as a rule of thumb, begin the process at least 4-6 months before your wedding.

Wedding invitations are usually sent 8 to 12 weeks prior to the event. By mailing out your invitations at least 8 to 12 weeks before your wedding, you’ll be able to adjust your guest list as the ‘regrets’ responses arrive, by adding on guests who were originally squeezed off your list.

A response date of 3 to 4 weeks before the wedding will give you and your vendors enough notice. Keep in mind that you may prefer additional time to create table assignments, programs, favors and other wedding peripherals. Your caterer may require a head count, so give yourself ample time to avoid unnecessary stress during the week of your wedding.

Ready. Set. Order!
When ordering your invitations, remember to account for the number of households, not the number of guests. Traditionally speaking, children over the age of 13 should receive their own invitation, but this can quickly add to the overall cost of your stationery. Remember to order extra invitations. It’s very expensive to go back on press to print invitations for guests that were originally unaccounted for. You may also want to order extras for keepsakes. A designer will generally require a minimum of 10% overage when ordering stock. If you plan on doing the assembly yourself, you may want to inflate that number depending on your skill level.

Tricks of the trade
Mail yourself a prototype of your invitation before committing to mass production. You should know about any problems with the design before your guests do. The mailing process can be brutal on paper; handcrafted details can break, darker stocks can rub pigment onto lighter stocks. Your designer should be able to offer you tips on mailing. 

Although you should factor postage into your overall budget, don’t let the price of the stamps rule the design of the piece. It would be a mistake to be penny wise and pound foolish. Unless your guest list includes over 1000 of your closest friends and family, the price difference between mailing a square and a rectangular envelope or flat card versus layered invitation shouldn’t be too drastic. Remember to weigh your final piece with all the inserts before purchasing stamps. Don’t forget to apply postage on the response envelopes!

Current trends
What’s old is new again. One of the hottest trends right now is letterpress invitations. The cotton stock is not only an eco-friendly alternative to paper, but also feels softer to the touch. These trends can also increase your price significantly!

Personal branding is another trend that adds to the custom feel of a wedding. A monogram or beautifully typeset names can often be treated as a logo for the event and carried through from the invitations, to the wedding programs and place cards—even favour containers and cocktail napkins can be coordinated.

Location, location, location. With more weddings taking place outside of churches, the locations of the events (or even just the receptions) are migrating to unique venues. Farmhouse weddings, for example, can provide an unconventionally intimate backdrop for a gathering with an unforgettable landscape for photography.

And there you have it, Little Miss Engaged. Go forth and plan your wedding. Remember to enjoy the ride and save me a slot on your dance card!