My friend Chris is a graphic designer and was kind enough to design our invitations for us. We ordered the invitations and the RSVP postcards. The postcards are perfect. No complaints. The invitations are another story though.

I ordered the invitations with dimensions 6″ x 9″. I ordered them with a treatment that would make them glossy in certain areas like the border adn on the words.

They came in the mail yesterday. And while I still really like Chris’ work, I’m kicking myself for a few reasons.

1. They’re an odd size. Our envelopes are too big for most standard envelopes, and now we have to order envelopes in special dimensions and we have far fewer options
2. The glossy treatment doesn’t look as good as I thought it would. In the areas that are treated, instead of just looking glossy, the color looks different altogether
3. We payed extra for the glossy treatment, and I think the invitations would’ve looked better in a plain matte finish. We could’ve saved money and gone with a different printer that printed in smaller quantities.
4. We have 1,000 each of the postcards and the invitations. What on earth are we going to do with all of them? The only reason we ended up with that many is because this is one of the few companies that does the glossy treatments and that was the smallest quantity they’d print in.

Sneak Peek of the Invitations and the Different Color Borders

Of course, once the company ships your order, all sales are final. After all, I highly doubt two people with our exact names are getting married at our exact venue on our exact day.

I did contact their Quality Assurance department though, because of the blatant color difference. They agreed to review our prints but I have to mail some of our samples back to them so they can see for themselves.

Most wedding checklists suggests we mail the invitations 2 months before the wedding, which for us would’ve been June 22nd. Since we’re already behind schedule, I’m worried that putting it off any longer is not really the best idea.

Regardless, I’m going to send back some samples tomorrow and wait a few days to hear from them. If they take too long or refuse to reprint our invitations for us without the glossy treatment, we’ll just be forced to order the specialty envelopes.

Lesson Learned: When doing something in a non-traditional way, investigate the traditional way to understand why it’s worked so well for so long. Don’t blatantly neglect these standards when going your own non-traditional route.

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Technorati Tags: DIY, Invitations, non-traditional, printer, RSVP, wedding invitations

The last big thing (I think) we have to do is chose a baker for our cake or cupcakes. If we do end up going with a cake, I know I definitely want buttercream icing and no fondant. It should be simple but elegant with some bit of visual interest. Hopefully this will work out in our favor, since I’m finding that the more elaborate the design, the more expensive the cake is per slice. Some of the cakes I chose as examples are done in fondant, so I would just want a buttercream version of them.

So feast your eyes on my inspiration and try not to drool on your keyboard.

Wedding Cakes by cbledsoe on Polyvore.com

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I just found out about this contest over at The Bride’s Cafe. All you have to do is send in pictures and a description of your DIY project by 6/30/09. That means you have this weekend to get it done. If you win, you get:

• An autographed copy of the book, Wedding Photography Unveiled
• An address or monogram rubber stamp
• A $50 gift certificate to Pottery Barn

So go over to Bride’s Cafe, enter, and keep your fingers crossed!

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Technorati Tags: Book, contest, DIY, Free Stuff, Discounts, Contests, gift certificate, monogram, project, stamp

For all you crafty brides and even the wannabees like myself, Glidden Paint is giving away free paint that can be used for your next project.

Through July 2, 2009, got to Glidden.com and choose the color that you like. Glidden will send you a free quart of your favorite color in 3-4 weeks.

Think creatively on this one. After you get your paint, feel free to share your DIY pictures with us and I’ll be sure to post them.

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I need your help. Where can I find A WHOLE LOT of cherry tomatoes in various colors, preferably in Metro Detroit? I promise it’s for the wedding and I’ll tell you more details later.

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The last big thing we have to do is find a cake or cupcakes. A friend of mine (we’ll call her Kim) recommended the bakery that she used for her wedding and several other events. So I talked to the owner (we’ll just call her Sandy) and scheduled a drive-by tasting. Basically I stopped by on a Saturday morning and picked up a box complete with 6 slices of unfrosted cake, 2 containers of frosting and 2 chocolate truffles. Note that Sandy wasn’t there at the time.

Well Kim, who recommended me happened to be picking up a cake for a baby shower that very same day. So I went back to the bakery later on in the day with her to pick up her cake. Mass disappointment ensued.

At an earlier meeting Kim and Sandy had decided on the design for the cake. Sandy had lots of pictures available of cakes she’d done in the past, but was very convinced that the cake would really be stellar if she modeled off of the baby shower invitation. Kim wasn’t so sure, but because she’d worked with Sandy several times in the past she trusted her judgement, went out on a limb and paid extra for the custom design.

Fast forward to cake pick up day. Kim and I went to pick up the cake around 12:30. The cake looked awful. Instead of being a soft baby pink, it was bright flourescent. The lines and borders that were supposed to be straight were extra jagged. Really it was just bad all around. The ladies who were there said that there wasn’t much they could do but that they would have Sandy call Kim to come to a resolution.

Sandy called and admitted that the decorator who’d worked on the cake didn’t do a good job and that the cake wasn’t up to par. She agreed to do what she could to fix the cake and that we could come back and pick it up that afternoon.

Keep in mind that my friend Kim was nothing but nice this entire time. She made it clear that she wasn’t mad but that she came to expect a certain quality from the bakery and that this cake fell short of that threshold.

When Sandy called and told us that the cake was ready and that we could come pick it up, we had to go in through the back door and we found ourselves in their kitchen. Sandy revealed the newly fixed cake and while it did look neater, it was still very disappointing. Kim said it best: “It looks like something my little brother could’ve done at home.”

Sandy made excuse upon excuse, never once apologizing for the inconvenience of Kim having to return or for the fact that she fell short of her expectations for the custom cake. There was no, “sorry”, no “let me give you a few dollars off”, and no “I’ll redo it for you”

Because the bakery was closed and it was a Saturday, Sandy had to do a delivery for a wedding. So I understand that she had to leave right then, but as the owner of a small business, she should have made it her business to make sure this customer was happy, especially since she’d already given her so much business.

Here’s the straw that broke the camels back for me. When we walked in the back door, we found ourselves surrounded by Duncan Hines boxed cake mix! Now I don’t know if this is normal, but I feel like a bakery should not be using box caked mix. I feel like I’ve been hoodwinked!

At the time, Sandy didn’t realize that I was the bride who did the drive by tasting earlier in the day. But I hope she did eventually realize that, no matter how good the cake taste, she lost my business and anyone else I might refer based on her treatment of my friend and her customer.

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Technorati Tags: Baker, Bakery, Cake, customer service, wedding cake

Cheap, affordable honeymoons and honeymoon packages are definitely out there. You just have to know where to look for them.

I’ve found that going straight to the website of the hotels will only get you the rack rate, or the regular, non-discounted rate. This will give a good starting point, but don’t just settle for the first rack rate you see.

Travelzoo.com is a site I use that has often come through for me in the clutch. They handle flights, hotels, vacation packages, rental cars and even show tickets.

Sure you can find rates for all-inclusive hotels like Sandals resorts. But they also have special rates for island and beach vacations off the beaten path.

Cheapcaribbean.com is another site that I consulted heavily. Although I think the site leaves a whole lot to be desired in appearance and function, I know people who’ve found grrrrreat vacation deals here. With a little patience and a little compromise, I have no doubt, you could find a great honeymoon package here that you wouldn’t be disappointed with.

I’ll just leave you with these two for now. They should keep you busy for a while.

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Technorati Tags: Affordable, All Inclusive, Beach, Caribbean, Cheap, Cheap Caribbean, Honeymoon, honeymoon package, travel, Travelzoo, vacation

Pssst.

A little birdie told me that MAC Cosmetics would be selling be their products at 25% off today and tomorrow, but only on their website. Use promo code SUMO to get the deal.

I love me some MAC but the MAC prices don’t love me. This is a perfect opportunity to get a few essentials for your wedding, especially if you’ll be doing your own makeup.

Happy shopping!

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I very rarely post real weddings, but I figured that it’s time for a change. Unless otherwise noted, pictures are courtesy of my friend and photographer, Elton Anderson.

First up, Yvette and Myron. I’m not sure where they got married, but the venue looks oh-so-homey and oh-so-comfortable.

Enjoy

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Technorati Tags: Birdcage Veil, Brown Bridesmaid Dresses, Real Weddings, tan suits, vest