The Stationers Guild

Crafting your wedding invitation can often be a challenging process. Many people simply just don’t have either the time or the knowledge to go through the seemingly infinite customization options that are available.  Whether you plan to make and print your own invitation, purchase wedding invitations on the internet or take advantage of the assistance of an informed stationer in your neighborhood, these useful suggestions may help.

Practical Tips on Wedding Invitations

• Choose your paper stock before anything else. The substance and good quality of the paper or cardstock speaks to the significance of the event.
• If you have decided to design and print your own wedding invitation, insure that the papers you have chosen have matching envelopes. Many times have we seen a well-designed DIY invitation, but no corresponding envelope. Although it may reduce your design alternatives, a mismatched envelope simply looks dreadful. Furthermore, bear in mind that if you’re going to print your own invitations, #96 paper is about the thickest that will fit through an inkjet printer without blocking.
• We recommend using white or ecru paper stock rather than colored papers.  In general, you can obtain the same “color” effect by using white or ecru paper and print in striking ink colors or use colored or patterned envelope inserts to fit your wedding concept.
• Proper wording etiquette is crucial in a well-formulated wedding invitation. Even though a skilled stationer in your community will know the right wording etiquette, it might be smart to purchase of a copy of Crane’s Blue Book if you are wording your invitation.
• Make certain you purchase sufficient wedding invitations. The vast majority of companies sell wedding invitations in batches of 25 and we recommend that bridal buy 25 more invitations than they need just in case someone was unintentionally forgotten  or you’ve got last minute guests. A second printing of your invitation is quite expensive.
• Always weigh you invitation at the Post Office prior to mailing. There are few things more embarrassing than having your invitation sent back because you didn’t have adequate postage.

For more practical assistance, please download our FREE Wedding Invitation Guide by becoming a Fan of Therese Saint Clair.

Sheila P. May
Therese Saint Clair

It’s probably difficult to tear yourself away from your beach chair in the middle of your summer holiday to look at wedding invitations, but you need to get those invitations out.  For those in need of a helping hand, we offer several “big picture” suggestions to point you in the proper direction.  For the best advice on selecting your wedding invitations, we strongly recommend visiting a qualified stationer in your neighborhood.

Planning your wedding invitation often is a demanding undertaking. Bridal couples just simply don’t have either time or the knowledge to sort through the endless personalization options that can be found in today’s market. Whether you intend to create and print your own invitation, purchase wedding invitations on the web or utilize the assistance of an experienced stationer in your local community, these useful recommendations may assist.

Useful Ideas on Crafting your Wedding Invitations

• Settle upon your wedding papers first. The overall size, texture and consistency and weight of your wedding stationery are undoubtedly the most important aspects to consider. The substance and good quality of the paper speaks to the magnitude of the event. Top quality cardstock is, in my opinion, a necessity for a well-designed wedding invitation.
• If you decide to on DIY invitations, always purchase wedding invitation paper stock that has matching envelopes. What’s more, be aware that if you plan to print your own invitations, #96 paper is about the thickest that will feed through an printing device without jamming your printer.
• While dyed paper stock may work nicely with the concept of your wedding, it is often really difficult to flat-print on colored cardstock.In most cases, you will need to engrave dark colored paper.  Engraving or letterpress, while stunning, raises the cost of invitations. As a general rule, you can produce a similar effect by utilizing white or ecru paper and merely print in vibrant ink colors or use patterned envelope lining to match your wedding theme.
• Proper wording etiquette is critical to a well-designed wedding invitation. Whereas an experienced stationer in town will know the proper etiquette, it might be prudent to acquire of a copy of Crane’s Blue Book if you are wording your invitation.
• Make certain you purchase an adequate number of wedding invitations. Nearly all companies provide wedding invitations in batches of 25 and we often recommend  that bridal couples buy  25 more invitations than they need if someone was accidentally left off your list or you’ve eleventh hour guests. A 2nd printing of your invitation is quite expensive.
• Weigh your invitation at the Post Office to make sure that you have adequate postage.  Postal regulations are like tax forms, so make sure that you double-check to insure that you have the proper postage.

For more handy tips, please download our FREE Wedding Invitation Guide by becoming a Fan of Therese Saint Clair.

Sheila P. May
Therese Saint Clair

If you are like most people seeking information on wedding invitations, you have probably bought a couple of wedding magazines and spent several hours researching “wedding invitations” on the Internet.   Some may have gone a bit further and exchanged ideas with family and friends or even visited a local stationery store.   Many bridal couples feel overwhelmed by the amount of information available and  perhaps a bit frustrated that it is often difficult to separate useful information from a sales pitch. 

As a stationer, I am sympathetic to the “information overload” and offer the following suggestions on choosing wedding papers.  Whether you are planning DIY wedding invitations or designing your own wedding invitation based on samples from talented designers and printing companies, these suggestions should help you get the best value from your budget dollar and, more importantly, save you countless hours of frustration.

Practical Advice on Selecting Your Wedding Invitation

• Always start with a budget.  Research suggests that approximately 5% of one’s budget should be allocated toward wedding invitations.
• Do-It-Yourself (DIY) wedding invitations remain a popular choice in today’s economy, but more often than not, they represent a significant investment in time and often prove more expensive than other alternatives.   If you are planning DIY wedding invitations, ALWAYS select your paper stock and envelopes before moving on to design options.  For more practical advice on DIY wedding invitations, see a previous Guild article on this subject. 
• Internet image resolutions are 72 pixels per inch (most printed material is between 300 to 600 pixels per inch).   These low resolution Interet images significantly distort colors and print outcomes are often different than what you see on your monitor or printer.   There is no substitute to seeing “true” colors printed on sample papers.  While local stationery stores may not carry all lines, color representation and paper styles are best seen in person.
• Etiquette remains an important component of the wedding ceremony.   Wording your invitation demonstrates respect for the traditions that have evolved over many generations.  While a number of useful wedding guides are available, we continue to recommend Crane’s Wedding Blue Book: The Styles and Etiquette of Announcements, Invitations and Other Correspondences
• Plan well in advance of your wedding.  Consider a save-the-date announcement if planning a destination wedding.  In fact, a save-the-date card is useful in helping people book inexpensive travel and accomodations well in advance of your wedding date.  Your wedding invitation should be mailed no later than 8 weeks before the wedding.   Getting started early will help on the logistics and avoid last minute surprises. 
• Seek to get the best quality paper you can afford.  Money can be be saved by selecting alternative printing processes, keeping ink colors to a minimum and cutting back on embellishments like ribbons and envelope linings. 

Sheila P. May
Thérèse Saint Clair

My recent Blog post on DIY wedding invitations prompted a good bit of feedback – mostly positive.  On the negative side, several people accused me of self-promotion or worse and felt I had a bias against “people doing their own thing.”  I am sorry I gave that  impression.  Quite the contrary, I was just trying to save people time, money and, quite possibly, much aggravation and embarrassment.   For those interested in “doing their own thing,” all I can say is “Go for it!”  Hopefully, my tips may keep your blood pressure in check until after the wedding.

In a not too unusual situation of DIY invitations gone awry, I present The Case of the Crooked Envelope.    It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes too much time to determine that grievous harm has come to this very attractive envelope (certainly looks like Crane & Co. was the victim this time around).   

 ”I say Watson, who defaced this lovely celadon (light green) wedding invitation envelope?”  

 ”Elementary, my dear Holmes,” responded Dr. Watson, “this otherwise lovely creation in 100% cotton paper by Crane & Co. was mutilated by a commercial printer.”  

Holmes, evidently surprised at Watson’s astute observation asked, “How can you be so confident?”

“Only a commercial printer would print on a straight line and then try to convince the client that the envelope was crooked,” responded a confident Watson. 

“Well said,” said a particularly jovial Holmes.  “I guess we can just mail this case into Scotland Yard.”

“Lovely pun, Holmes! I do so admire your skewed sense of humor,” laughed Watson and both men chuckled as they departed the crime scene.

For the bridal couple, this is no laughing matter.  Imagine ordering lovely wedding invitations and then – trying to save some time and money - have the envelopes mangled by a  commercial printer.  The fact of the matter is that most commercial printer are simply not equipped to print on heavy paper stock and certainly not on envelopes that have been lined.  

Again, we recommend that you plan wisely and consult with a qualified stationer in your neighborhood for proper advice.  Most stationers have highly calibrated equipment to print on heavy paper stock.   In fact, most qualified stationers would have recommended that State abbreviations be spelled out.  In this case “WI” should be Wisconsin.  Proper etiquette is free at qualified stationers.  

Richard W. May
Therese Saint Clair

With money tight, many bridal couples are seeking ways to economize on their weddings.  Very often they opt to create their own wedding invitations.  While this may seem a wise decision, it often ends in frustration or a wedding invitation that doesn’t quite rise to the importance of the occasion. 

Each month we have several panicky couples  drop into our store for advice on how to redo their DIY wedding invitations.   Just this weekend, one young couple who had paid a free-lancer to design their wedding invitation sought our advice on selecting paper for their design.  Their budget was $400 for 150 invitations.  Unfortunately, we explained that a full-bleed invitation (artwork design extended to the border of the print area) and a custom-cut invitation would be far more than their budget permitted.

It is most disappointing to see the anguish that ensues when couples realize that their inexpensive wedding invitation has turned to create your own wedding invitations.  Before you do so, I strongly recommend that you consult a stationer in your neighborhood who generally has several lines of attractively priced wedding invitations and provide expert advice on styling and etiquette.  You will not be sorry you have done so.  Also, many of these stores carry card stock that may be used for your wedding invitation in the event you decide to fly solo.

DIY Wedding Invitation Tips

1. Always start with the paper.  Many people start with the design only to realize too late that they can’t find the “right” paper stock.  Papers come in a variety of sizes and weights.  Some stores carry pocket stationery to hold your invitation, directions and accomodation cards and other information.
2. Use the heaviest paper weight possible.  Weight matters.  Neverthless, paper stock above #96 (ninety-six pounds) will generally not go through an ink jet or laser printer.
3. Seek matching envelopes.  We recommend including a reply card set with your invitation and, as such, it is wise to insure that there are matching paper stock and envelopes in the stock you select for your invitation.
4. Avoid being too cutesy!  There is a tendency to incorporate all kinds to design elements into a DIY wedding invitation.  Remember, it is a wedding invitation not an arts-and-crafts project.   The key is moderation and a clean design.  
5. Maximum of two font styles.  More than two font styles is confusing and detracts from the elegance of the invitation.  Try to restrict the number of font styles to two.
6. A Question of Etiquette.  There are few things more disturbing than the lack of proper etiquette in the wording of your invitation.  While customs change, proper etiquette is never out of fashion.  A few big dont’s:
   • Do not put the URL of your wedding website on the invitation
   • Please, no gift registry information on the invitation
   • Resist using a monogram no matter how cute (after all, you aren’t married) 
7. Color.  There are many ways to incorporate color into your invitation.  Envelope linings, borders and font colors to name a few.  Like font styles, too much color tends to cheapen the look of the  invitation.  If in doubt, go with black.
8. Motifs   The judicious use of motifs can often create a sense of ”place” “time” or “energy.”  For instance, a sea shell motif for a beach wedding; or an acorn for a fall wedding.    You might want to use theme motifs on different elements of your wedding papers ensemble.  For instance, a palm tree on the wedding invitation and a sea shell on the reply card set.  Use your imagination, but don’t go overboard.  Too many motifs can be as distracting as colors and font styles.

If you are committed to doing it yourself, following these tips won’t lead you too far astray.  Again, there is more than meets the eye in crafting a wedding invitation and you are well advised to consult a stationer in your neighborhood for expert advice.

Sheila P. May
Thérèse Saint Clair

I love American ingenuity and, more importantly, the willingness of perfect strangers to share their shopping secrets.    I recently came across a Blog post asking for help to find “affordable wedding invitations.”  Many of the comments are priceless and, if you need a bit of humor, dig in.  I tried to post a comment myself, but presumably the Blog is not inviting any new comments.

Mr. Not Interested was my favorite:  ”Break out the xerox paper and fold it.   Get your local kids to sprinkle some glitter on them and take some of your old perfume or something . . . Maybe you should think about just calling people . . .”  (Note from Editor:  We should hire Not Interested to write for the Stationers Guild.)  Or, how about:

Kaeli:   “Micheal’s…duh create them yourself and ur good.”   On a more enterprising level, we have

Jessie:  “i got mine at wal-mart for 7 dollars for 25 of them went on my own computer and typed them up my self and printed them it took a little bit but if you have time u can do it your self or if you need someone too i am starting my own wedding service and i can do it for you just email me and let me know (email omitted but, if you are interested you can find it on the Blog post).”    

Umm, let me think about this.  You pay $7 for 25 invitation, say $5  for gas to go to Wal-Mart and maybe a couple of hours of work at minimum wage (another $15) and we have 25 invitations that cost $27.  I suppose Jessie could mark it up 100% and market her new wedding invitation line at $2.00 per invite.    Go for it Jessie!  I do recommend buying an etiquette book on wording your wedding invitations properly.  You might find it useful.  Or, how about:

Brown Eyes:  “If you have a Dollar tree store in your town, that’s the place to go. You’ll find all your thank you cards there also. Or if you prefer Staples’ Store, they also have a lot of invitations. Hope you find what your looking for. Good luck!”

Searching for “affordable wedding invitations” is no laughing matter.   With a tough economy, people are doing everything possible to save money and, as such, it is wise to scrutinize your entire wedding budget.  Personally, I have found that searching for a “cheap wedding invitation” is generally a false economy.  Cutting back on the extra pasta dish at the reception buffet might help free up part of your  budget to allocate toward a well-crafted and not necessarily expensive wedding invitation to celebrate this milestone event in your life.   After all, your wedding invitation is likely to be around far longer than the pasta. 

I recommend that you contact a qualified stationery store in your neighborhood for expert advice on crafting your wedding invitation.   You will be surprised at how much time and energy you will save to devote to other aspects of your wedding.

Richard W. May
Therese Saint Clair