Wedding Invitations

People have been asking if I do wedding invitations lately, so I thought the topic warranted a post.

I have designed invitations for weddings, birthday parties, baby and wedding showers, graduations, basically anything that people use invitations for. SO... I have some good tips for you:

Step one: Paper
The only place I will go for paper—and the first place I go when designing invites—is Paper Depot in Minneapolis. It's like a little taste of heaven for me because of my strange love affair with paper. But, for those with ordinary paper relationships, it's still a great place to get invitation ideas and help. The Paper Depot has countless samples (many have pockets for RSVP and map/accommodations cards) and the friendly staff is willing to walk you through the process and create an invitation mock-up to take home with you.

Step two: Design
Once you get home with your beautiful paper mock-up, you are probably going to wonder how to make the design and wording as pretty as the package—that's where I come in! I can work with you to give your blank invitation the look and feel of your special day. The invitation is important because it is the first chance for a guest to get an impression of what your event might be like.

I've even designed custom maps to help direct guests to the wedding location. (It's usually my favorite part of the project.)

Step three: Printing
The most economical and stress-free way to print your invitations is to use your home office inkjet printer. If you don't have your own printer I have found that friends will let you use there's if you buy them an ink cartridge or two. I will set up your designs with crop marks and include instructions of how and where to cut so that your invites turn out perfectly.

Step four: Don't forget the small stuff
Carrying the standard you set with your invitations throughout your event is very important. Once the invitations are in the mail it is time to start thinking about programs, table numbers, place cards, thank you notes, etc. All of these pieces should match your invitations so that the guest experience is cohesive—and you'll get tons of compliments. Plus, it's not a hard thing to do once you have the design pinned down.

So, if you are in the market for invitations (congrats on whatever  it is you are celebrating), give me a call or send me an e-mail. I would love to chat with you about how I can help you create just the invite you want.