Wedding Invitation Wording

There is a lot to think about when picking out your wedding invitations then organizing all the inserts and writing the wording. To get you started here are a few quick tips to keep in mind:


Formal invite when given by bride's parents reads:
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Stuart Evans
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Katherine Leigh
to
Mr. Brian Charles Jamison
Saturday, the twelfth of June
two thousand and nine
at half after four o'clock
Village Lutheran Church
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

-the invitation to a wedding ceremony in a house of worship uses the traditional 'u' spelling in houour and favour.
-no punctuation is used except after abbreviations such as Mr.
-half hours are written our as 'half after four o'clock' not half past four.

A less formal invitation reads:
Sharon and Elliot Karp
would be honoured
to have you share in the joy
of the marriage of their daughter
etc

-When saying or writing a couples name the woman's name should go first.
Sharon and Elliot Karp NOT Elliot and Sharon Karp.

This also goes for introductions - the lady always goes first.

any other questions? let me know and I will post the responses.

Print Your Own Stationary

Cross My Heart Stationary for Sale


New Home Card or Address Change
Blue and White Stripes and house stick on accent.
Size is 5x8 inches, 10 per pack includes envelopes
$8 a pack and I have 6 packs.


These are easy to run through your printer with
the information.







Having or Throwing a Stock the Bar shower or any outdoor party? These invitations are perfect - I have 2 packs of 10 - green stripes with a margarita glass stick on. $8 each pack of 10 and will sell one or 2 packs.

Please let me know if you are interested by comment or email. thanks

Forever Stamp

For all you spring and summer brides - remember the postal service has increased the stamp price again!

On May 11, 2009 the price to mail a first class letter will increase 2 cents from $0.42 to $0.44. Postcards will increase from $0.27 to $0.

I know you might want a pretty stamp to go on the outside envelope but go ahead and use the forever stamp on the response card envelope. It will save you some money and at this point I bet you are looking to save every penny!

Another tip - when sending out your invites mail one to yourself as well -that way you know when your guests receive theirs and you will have a postmarked envelope for your scrapbook!

Win $500 to Wedding Paper Divas

Share your engagement story to win $500 to Wedding Paper Divas and be featured on Diva Dialogue. Enter now through Feb 22.

Check our their wedding invitations, save the date or other stationary items here.

Offering New Stylish Invitations

Carlson Craft is carrying a new line of very pretty invitations; Check out Chloe B. I can help you get these or any other Carlson Craft Invite at a discount.

I know times are rough right now but you are still planning your wedding and trying to make your dollar go further.

Invites with quality paper are important - some online dealers offer a lower quality. Remember you get what you pay for usually.

so Check out Carlson Crafts line of affordable and great looking invites.

Carlson Craft Goes Eco Friendly

Just wanted to announce that Carlson Craft Invitations are going Eco Friendly.

As of Nov the little tissues will NOT be included with an invitation order. Based on their research they found brides aren't using them anymore. Originally they were to prevent the ink from smearing or messing up other pages. Invites aren't printed that way anymore.

And as a friendly reminder please take your stamped invitations to the post office to get HAND STAMPED - they look better and won't get messed up in the mailing process.

New Carlson Craft

A few of my clients are looking for save the date cards for their spring weddings so I thought I would share with you some ideas.
Carlson Craft has these new options:




If you had your wedding in 2008 and want to share a picture of your wedding with your holiday card check out these options:



Place your order now in time for the holidays.

Entire selection of Carlson Craft stationary and look for your special discount.

Party, Wedding or Baby Items

If you are looking for some accessories, favors, save the dates, or invitations look on the right side of my blog for some discounts through Tiny Prints, Minted, Wedding Paper Divas, Beau-coup and Thread Smith.

Wedding Paper Divas




Beau Coup

TinyprintsMinted

Répondez s'il vous plaît

I am amazed once again how many people don't know what RSVP means or delibertly decide to ignore it. If you receive an invitation - to a dinner party, wedding, gala, baby shower, etc you must let the host know if you plan to attend. All invitations will have a date and to whom to reply to.

According to Wikipedia: Répondez s'il vous plaît or RSVP is a French phrase that translates to "reply, please." It is with this meaning that invitation cards and similar documents are often marked with "R.S.V.P." It is standard practice to reply to an RSVP request whether confirming attendance or declining.

According to Emily Post: From the French, it means “Répondez, s’il vous plaît,” or, “Please reply.” This little code has been around for a long time and it’s definitely telling you that your hosts want to know if you are attending. Reply promptly, within a day or two of receiving an invitation.

Most invites arrive between 4-8 weeks before the event - check your schedules, mark your calendar and let the host know as soon as possible that you are or are not able to make it.

Not only is it the proper thing to do; it the nice thing. Now Party On!

Introducing....

A way for you to order invitations, save the dates and any other stationary products from me but online!

Go to ORDER INVITATIONS

There are soo many unique options for your distinct style. Traditional, Ribbon Accents, Pockets or Colors Galore.

I do and the Internet!

The Internet and the Modern day Bride!

A few months ago I was interviewed by Northern Virginia Magazine - the article just came out and I was quoted numerous times! DIY I-Do's, December 2007

Here is a snippet!

"The best thing about the internet is that they get to see all of the ideas and concepts online," she said. But brides actually can get really overwhelmed with all of the options that they need a planner ot help them hold it all together."

"The dress tool is very beneficial for brides, especially because brides are so internet-savvy these days. They can go online and try different things out instead of having to go to a store and pick Dress A off of the shelf for their bridesmaids."

"Photographers putting the wedding photos online is very popular these days; it's an easy way for friends and family members to see the pictures and order them, which they never really had the opportunity to do in the past."

Tomasulo said that although printing invitations up for showerse and bridal parties is popular, she has noticed that most brides still don't mind paying extra for their wedding invitations. "They want to touch and feel the paper; they don't want a cheap invitation to go out for their special day."

Wedding planners, too are creating websites that detail their services, as well as their own blogs. Tomasulo started a wedding blog on her company's website to keep clients up to date on trends in the planning business. "Blogs are huge right now; its a personal way to connect with their brides. They want to read something more personal rather than articles that are up on websites for the general public."

Lets Talk Invitations

I work with Carlson Craft stationary and invitations.
Starting the beginning of December my clients and anyone else will be able to view and order directly from my website. More info on that coming soon....

but in the meantime I am offering a deal:
Order any invitation (shower, baby, announcement, note cards, holiday etc) and I will give you 25% off retail price. If you order from the 'Blue' book you will receive 100 free personalized napkins. Stand by for a whole new 'Blue' book from Carlson Craft.

So contact me today to place your order.

-Don't forget your holiday cards, business or personal-

Favorite Things

I came across Stephannie Barba's Couture maps - they are amazing and beautiful.She has created very unique hand painted maps of certain cities in the US and abroad, Philly happens to be one of them. When used as a save the date or even enclosed in your invites it definitely sets the tone for event. She will customize to match your wedding theme and invitation. She does research on the city of your choice and includes where your wedding will be to make it unique to you.

Pricing is $400 for design and about $140 for 100 cards to be printed. This is very custom though - you can pick any paper or size and even add color. If you use artwork she has already created the costs could be a little lower.

Ins and Outs of Wedding Invitations

Many clients ask me for advice on the ins and outs of wedding invitations – here are some answers to the commonly asked.

Do I need to send my vendors invitations?

I would send your officiant/minister an invite so they are reminded to put it on their calendar. They are also considered a regular guest and will get a regular meal. Even though they may only stay for cocktails it is still appropriate. Send an invite to your wedding planner- for their files, the videographer and photographer because they might want to have it on your wedding day for certain photos.

How do I include directions and other wedding weekend events with my invitation?

According to Emily Post and invitation should be just that- an invite to one specific event, your wedding. You may include a small card that either invites guests to view a website for more information or a small card with directions. The website is a good place to put all the parties, times, locations and maps for your guests information.

How do I keep track of responses?

An easy way to manage your responses is to use an excel file. First create the file with full names in alpha order by last name, an inner envelope name and an outer envelope name, addresses, gift column and columns for all the scheduled events. Also assign a # to each family/invite. Write this number on the back of the response card you send to them. If for some reason the card comes back and they forget to write in their name or are missing info you can look it up on your excel file.

How do I stuff the invitations?

First you need to get the envelopes addressed. Whether you are doing it yourself or taking it to your calligrapher you should write the inner and outer envelopes at the same time, same handwriting and don’t forget to write the number on the back of the response card. Stamp your response envelopes. Now for the order of putting the invite together and stuffing the envelopes:

· If you have a flat or folded invite put that on the bottom, then tissue on top (to prevent ink from direction card rubbing off)

· Put the response card in the corresponding envelope flap

· Then layer the direction card, the response card and reception card on top of the invite

· Stuff all items in the inner envelope then turn envelope over and put in outer envelope so the first thing guests see is a nice addressed inner envelope.

· Weigh the whole invite then stamp

· Take your invitations to the post office and ask them if you can Hand Stamp them. This will prevent them being run through the machine with possible black lines or damage.

Voila!