The Stationers Guild

Sometimes I feel like Don Quixote charging digital windmills on the rapidly changing landscape of the Internet.  I have long given up hope that the etiquette, civility and  interpersonal relationships will ever be the same after a generation has been brought up believing that Jersey Shore and the Kardashians is as good as it gets in expressing yourself.

Fortunately, I do realize that there are kindred souls out there who share my concern that “good taste” is still relevant.  This morning I came across this delightful article describing someone’s shock at receiving her first Facebook wedding invitation.  With great sensitivity and delicacy, JMW, who writes A Place to Dwell blog, documents her reaction to receiving her Facebook wedding invitation.  Despite every conceivable rationalization to justify this strange behavior which includes a request to his guests “to bring a dish for the potluck reception” she finally concludes with:  “I’m going to say it: you just don’t do that!”

I am in your corner on this issue JMW and, judging from most of the comments to your Blog post, we are not alone.  How refreshing. 

Sheila P. May
Thérèse Saint Clair

William Arthur, a leading designer and printer of fine stationery and custom invitations, has extended its promotion for custom wedding invitations and fine stationery through May 31st. 

William Arthur Wedding Invitation

Now through May 31st, buy 75 custom wedding invitations or more and receive 25 free.  Simliarly, buy 75 notes or stationery cards and receive 25 free.  We recommend shopping at a Guild member store in your neighborhood to take advantage of the expertise of your local stationer.  Appointments are recommended.

Rita Renning is always a popular choice for elegant wedding invitations for bridal couples on a strict budget.  Now through August 31st,  save 20% on Rita Renning wedding invitations ordered from the Rita Renning wedding album carried at many Guild member stores.

Rita Renning Wedding Invitation

Rita Renning wedding invitations are designed and printed by William Arthur, one of the leading fine stationers in the United States.  Sheila May, the owner of Therese Saint Clair, says that “Rita is a popular choice for budget-conscious brides.   With Rita you get a quality custom wedding invitations without breaking the bank.  This is one of the first albums I bring out when asked for a great invitation at an affordable price.  Furthermore, you are getting William Arthur’s outstanding service capability.”

If you are looking for an attractively-priced custom wedding invitation alternative, Rita Renning should certainly be on your radar scope.

With some of the most talented designers in the country, Louella Press has been breath of fresh air in the stationery industry.   Using the ancient and noble printing process of engraving,  Louella Press creates luscious engraved invitations for weddings, Bar & Bat Mitzvahs and milestone events.  Words are not enough to describe their stunning custom invitation designs which are rich color, texture and boldly printed using engraving.

Engraved Invitation by Louella Press

Now through June 30, the folks at Louella Press are offering to engrave the outer envelopes free of charge with one ink color (or, get 2-color envelopes for the 1-color price).  This is an exceptional offer for those looking for an engraved custom invitation, but trying to keep the budget in line.  Schedule an appointment with a Guild member store in your neighborhood who carries Louella Press to take advantage of this great promotion.

Louella Press Custom Invitation

Important events should be celebrated in style.  Doing so with a custom invitation from Louella Press could be the start of something big.

Real Card Studio is offering free return address printing or 50% off coordinating stationery with your invitation order through May 31st.   This creative design studio located in Seattle, WA has some exceptional letterpress invitations that are very popular for weddings and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. 

While many sample invitations in their portfolio are displayed on Real Card Studio’s website, most wedding invitations and other letterpress invitations are custom designed around the color and design preferences of the client.  Heather van Breda, the owner and chief designer for Real Card, has a knack for color and contemporary design which truly distinguishes her work within the industry.

Dealers in your neighborhood who carry Real Card may be found on their website.  As with all custom invitations, it is wise to consult with an experienced stationer who can show you samples of many fine papers and help explain color variations using different printing process and, most importantly, work with you to insure that your invitation is worded properly.

We recently received a 20 page brochure from Krepe-Kraft presenting “the next revolution in invitations.”  Powered by Uinvite, Krepe-Kraft describes this as “the future of traditional invitations.”   While I will leave it to the reader to explore the Uinvite website, the sales pitch is that “tradition and technology can coexist peacefully and gracefully – the elegance and beauty of the traditional paper invitation and the technology to make the whole experience for hosts and guest more convenient and enriching.”

In an era where online resellers are masquerading as fine paper companies, there is no reason why paper companies can’t pretend to be tech-savvy online retailers.  No wonder the consumer is confused and disoriented.  Krepe-Kraft’s sally into the world of high-tech seems ill-advised and certainly doesn’t augur well for the “next revolution in invitations.”  Krepe-Kraft’s “revolutionary” idea is to provide the invitation packaging of a color-coordinated Uinvite CD which houses all kinds of user-friendly goodies for the recipient.  In effect, the invitation is simply the packaging for the CD.  My question:  Why bother?

If this is the future of invitations, it certainly won’t have a long life.  I don’t mean to throw cold water on Krepe-Kraft’s or Uline’s plans, but distributed CDs are sooooo yesterday that they are probably next in line for extinction after the Dodo bird.  Even people my age (and I’m not a Spring chicken) download music, video, files and software to their iPod, Blackberry, Smart Phone or other similar devices.  Gosh, they don’t even hand out CDs at tech conferences anymore.  If I can be brutally honest, this is a corporate planning exercise gone awry.