Stationery Central

It’s that time. Your wedding is ready to enter the planning stages and you’ve got a mountain of work to do. Many things can easily get left by the wayside, including your attention to detail and eye for quality. Aside from the amazing wedding dress and flower arrangements that you have planned for your wedding, there is another important item that you should really spend some time on: your personalized wedding stationery and invitations. Below are some key things that you will want to get right so that you can send the most fitting and unique wedding invitations possible for your nuptials:

Handmade Unique Wedding Stationery vs. Off The Shelf

When ordering a mass produced wedding invitation you are often confined to the designs on hand. The companies that produce these stationery sets usually produce large quantities in advance and simply print your event information on them. This means there is often little flexibility in how your order can be customized (and changed altogether if need be).

Handmade invitations which are made to order by a designer allow you to be very specific about which design elements you can use such as paper stocks, ribbons and accents. These types of unique wedding invitations can also be developed and refined until you have the right design for you. Be sure you are aware of this before you hit the “approved” button on a off the shelf set of wedding invitations.

Paper Stock – The All Important Aspect

If you are going to make sure of one thing, make sure that the paper stock you are getting is of a very high and exceptional quality. These types of paper provide a very specific feel and quality when they are touched and handled. Flimsy or overly stiff card stock can make the wrong impression when opened and can undermine your wedding invitation’s impression of quality very quickly. Some heavy card stock can be used to make a premium invitation but the stocks that are made from cotton and other blending processes tend to have a softer feel and texture. These stocks also have visually appealing qualities and can instantly give the impression of quality - something that cannot be overstated.

Make Sure You Match!

A surefire BIG mistake is to have your unique wedding invitation made on one type of paper stock and have your envelope made with another (usually lower quality) paper. You might laugh but it happens quite frequently. Any thorough designer is going to make sure that you have a matching set. If your unique wedding invitations are in fact handmade, this is usually never a problem. The same principle goes for your envelope seals, save the date cards, wedding announcements and all other stationery you will be sending out that are associated with your wedding.

Quality Counts - The Extra Cost Is Worth It

If you truly want to make a statement by sending unique wedding invitations, custom announcements and save the date cards, it is definitely worth it to spend the extra money. Weddings are often expensive and it can always be a challenge to cut costs where you need to. But since your wedding invitations and personalized stationery are the types of keepsake’s that many people will save in order to remember your event, which do you think is going to leave the better lasting impression: multi-layered unique wedding invitations on Fabriano paper or standard 80lb card stock?

In The End, You're The One Who Has To Be Satisfied

It is safe to say that anyone getting married is going to want to have the perfect and most memorable occasion. There are many things to prepare, choose, keep track of and finalize before your big event is planned exactly how you want. It is important to make sure that your first contact with your guests and loved ones makes the right impression about your event and how important it is to you. It is easy to do this with handmade unique wedding invitations and paying attention to the guidelines offered here.

Planning a bridal shower invitation for a family member or close friend can be overwhelming at first glance. However, if you follow a simple set of guidelines when approaching your bridal shower invitations, the process can be easy and you will end up with a high quality and memorable invitation.

Custom Made or Mass Produced?

Not all bridal shower invitations are created equal. Depending on which approach you choose, you can wind up with invitations that vary greatly in terms of quality. Mass produced invitations are usually created with standard card stock while handmade invitations allow you choose your paper and allow you to use high quality blends that are much nicer to the touch. There is also the possibility that the invitations you send will not be unique when using mass produced bridal shower invitations. Because your guests may keep the invitation well into the future as a keepsake, it is a good choice to go for quality when choosing your bridal shower invitations.

Including All The Necessary Information

Bridal shower invitations should not only invite your guests to the event, they should contain clear instructions on the location of the shower, any theme that is being used for the bridal shower and an RSVP card that can help you determine the number of guests attending you can expect at the bridal shower. Making sure that you include a self addressed return envelope for RSVP cards is also a great way to ensure they are returned in a timely fashion.

Different Styles of Bridal Shower Invitations

There are many different approaches to style you can take when designing an putting together your bridal shower invitations. Quality stationery designers will work with you to achieve the overall look and feel of your bridal shower invitations and may suggest things such as: multi-layered design, color schemes, envelope and seal options as well as wording and layout. You can always find an approach that will fit your budget from basic one layer bridal invitations all the way up to more expensive and higher quality layered approaches.

Making Sure You Match

The elements of your bridal shower invitations should be approached as a set that includes invitation, rsvp, return envelope and seal. You can go a long way in showing your attention to detail and style by making sure you match not only the design and color themes but also the quality of paper. This is another area where a gifted designer can help you stay on track and make sure your bridal shower invitation elements match.

Getting Your Bridal Shower Invitations Out on Time

You want to make sure that your bridal shower invitations are put in the mail with plenty of time for your guests to respond and for you to get a clear count on your guest list. A good time frame for mailing is 2-3 months prior to the bridal shower. If you have out of town guests, this will also allow you some time to arrange accommodations at a local hotel. With group booking you can usually get a discount on the room rate for your out of town guests. This information can also be included in your bridal shower invitations.

Following the simple steps above can help keep you on track for the bridal shower that you're planning and help you approach your bridal shower invitations with quality in mind. Paying attention to the little details when it comes to your bridal shower invitations can make a memorable impression with your guests and provide them with an elegant keepsake of your event.