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

If you missed the first 50, you can find them here:

101 Ways to Save on Your Wedding: 1-25

101 Ways to Save on Your Wedding: 26-50

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51.    Search the internet for DIY videos done by other people. You can find them for everything from bouquet arrangements to cake baking. DIYnetwork.com is a good place to start
52.    Grow your own flowers for your wedding. If you start early enough, and grow flowers native to your region, you should have plenty to use in bouquets or centerpieces
53.    Use fruit as centerpieces. Apples, Oranges, Pears and Lemons have good color and are far less expensive than flowers. Plus, what your guests don’t take with them, you can donate to a local food bank
54.    Search etsy.com for handmade goods that are unique and customizable. Some items are just as expensive as mass made goods, but if you do a little digging you can find some good values
55.    Watch wedding related forums and message boards, especially those local to your area. People will often post about their good experiences with little-known vendors who offer a really good deal. Theknot.com and partypop.com are good places for this
56.    Stay on top of your budget. Keep all your contracts in one place so you know exactly where they are if you need to refer to them. Question every line item to be sure it’s something you should be paying for
57.    Keep a spreadsheet or use software to manage your budget. Know exactly how much you owe each vendor and exactly when that amount is due
58.    Sew your own garter
59.    Rather than pay someone you don’t know to officiate your wedding, ask someone close to you to become ordained. You can do so online without much trouble.
60.    Instead of hiring a and or a dj, enlist the help of a friend and use your iPod to keep the crowd entertained. Create your playlists beforehand and have your friend keep an eye on it.
61.    Plan your wedding yourself. Wedding planners are nice when you can afford them, but if you’re working with a tight budget, you can take on the role yourself.
62.    Be willing to compromise on the food you serve your guests. Lunch is always cheaper than dinner and buffets are generally cheaper than plated meals. Work with your caterer to find the best balance between your ideal situation and your budget
63.    Everyone wants whiter teeth for all the pictures they’ll be taking on their wedding day, but instead of splurging for zoom whitening, use a drugstore kit. It may take a little more effort, but the results should be comparable
64.    Find non-bridesmaid dresses for your bridesmaids. Just because they’re not labeled as such, doesn’t mean they can’t be worn as bridesmaid dresses. Shop department store websites, where they’ll usually have a decent amount of stock and in many different colors. And chances are if it doesn’t have the bridesmaid dress label, your girls will be more likely to wear it again.
65.    Ask only your closest friends to be your attendants. The more attendants you have, the more you’d spend should you choose to give them gifts.
66.    If your ceremony or reception venue are already very ornate or make a statement by themselves, go light on the décor. Years from now, no one will hardly remember what your centerpieces looked like
67.    Use address numbers from the hardware store for your table numbers
68.    Use saveoncrafts.com for DIY supplies
69.    Keep all your receipts for everything you buy. You may not use something and need to take it back. You’ll want to get back every penny you can for it.
70.    Shop Black Friday sales the day after Thanksgiving in brick and mortar stores for deals on things like craft supplies, dresses and shoes.
71.    Shop Cyber Monday the Monday after Thanksgiving online to find deals similar to those on Black Friday
72.    Take advantage of free shipping for anything you order online, even if it means you have to wait a little longer for it. Patience is a virtue
73.    If you have a vintage feel to your wedding, visit antique stores and flea markets to find deals on décor. As a bonus, you can use the pieces in your home after the wedding.
74.    Use a site like bagborroworsteal.com to find jewelry and other accessories for your wedding day that you might not be able to afford otherwise.
75.    Use a wholesale club like Sam’s Club or Costco to purchase flowers for your DIY bouquets and centerpieces

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Technorati Tags: Bridal, Candleholders, Candles, Detroit, Florist, Flowers, fonts, Hair, hairpiece, Headpiece, Invitations, letterpress, Makeup, postcard, Save the Dates, Shoes, veil, vendors, Wedding

If you missed the first 25, you can find them here:

101 Ways to Save on Your Wedding: 1-25

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26.    Sew your own veil with tulle from the fabric store
27.    Create your own hairpiece from silk flowers and feathers from the craft store
28.    Send postcards as Save the Dates and save on postage and paper costs
29.    Avoid letterpress printing for your invitations. Although it might be one of the nicest printing methods, it’s also one of the priciest.
30.    Use construction paper as one element of your DIY invitations. It will add lots of texture, with only a little expense
31.    Avoid hiring a calligrapher and use a computerized script font instead
32.    Limit the number of pieces in your invitation suite and save on postage, since it’s based on weight
33.    Use flowers that are locally grown and in-season and avoid the cost of flying them in during the off-season
34.    Use a storage or organization box or basket for your card box that you can re-use in your home after the wedding for storage
35.    Befriend someone in the event planning industry. They often have access to discounts to wholesalers and rental vendors
36.    Do your own makeup, hair and/or nails
37.    Have your hair, makeup and nails done at a cosmetology school like Aveda. The cost is lower and the results are usually just as good
38.    Design your invitations yourself and have them printed by a company like gotprint.com. Once you get them, add a little interest yourself either with embossing or a similar technique
39.    Serve cupcakes instead of cake. Cupcakes are often cheaper and can help you avoid a cake cutting fee that most caterers will charge
40.    Depending on your décor, you may be able to find some things at a site like Oriental Trading Company. While most of the items aren’t necessarily for a wedding, you might find a diamond in the rough
41.    Watch sites like craigslist.com and freecycle.org for free and inexpensive items that people are just looking to get rid of.
42.    Repurpose mason jars as candleholders
43.    Shop the brick and mortar outlet versions of your favorite stores like Crate and Barrel, Pier 1, and Pottery Barn
44.    Get your wedding shoes from the clearance section. This is easiest to do when they’re off-season, but make sure you check the clearance area often as the selection often dwindles quickly
45.    Support local business. They are often more flexible and willing to work with you to achieve your goals
46.    Barter services. If you happen to be a talented computer progammer, offer to create or update a website for a vendor in return for their services
47.    Let vendors know when you’re dissatisfied. They’re often willing to accommodate you and knockdown the cost, rather than risk a bad review or unhappy client
48.    Look for your honeymoon travel on sites like priceline.com, cheapcaribbean.com, travelzoo.com, and farecast.com
49.    Travel during the offseason for your honeymoon, even if it’s months after your wedding. Rates will be cheaper on airfare and your hotel
50.    Dafont.com and 1001freefonts.com offer a range of free fonts that you can use for your invitations and any other paper projects

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Technorati Tags: Bridal, Candleholders, Candles, Detroit, Florist, Flowers, fonts, Hair, hairpiece, Headpiece, Invitations, letterpress, Makeup, postcard, Save the Dates, Shoes, veil, vendors, Wedding

I was at the post office today and while I was there I asked for clarification on upcoming postage rate increase.

Here’s the scoop:

Anything less than 1 oz. can be mailed with a Forever Stamp, which is currently $0.42.

Forever Stamp

Anything 1 oz. to 2 oz. (which includes most invitations) can be mailed with a special wedding stamp, which is currently $0.59.

You don’t necessarily have to use the wedding stamps, cause they usually look nice and are usually the right denomination.

Here’s the important info:

USPS Postage Stamp Rates will increase on May 11, 2009.

The First Class rate will increase to $0.44.

A new wedding stamp will be issued at a rate of $0.61.

Wedding Stamp, issue date 5/1/09

If you’re like me and you know you’re going to need stamps soon, whether for save the dates, invitations, or thank you notes, keep this rate stuff in mind. And May 11th is around the corner. Don’t let it sneak  up on you.

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Technorati Tags: Invitations, postage, Save the Dates, stamps, STD

My friend, the graphic designer who so graciously agreed to help me with my invitations, and I will be getting together this week to get an idea for how the invitations will look. He’s already got some good ideas and he’s super talented, so I’m super excited. Our invitations may not end up looking anything like these, but here are a few that I like:

Source: Papeterie

Source: Papeterie

Source: Wedding Paper Divas

Source: Wedding Paper Divas

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Technorati Tags: DIY, graphic designer, ideas, Inspiration, Invitations

Since we can’t afford fancy letterpress invitations and because we’ll be diy-ing them ourselves, they’ll likely be offset printed on some kind of cardstock. So we need some visual interest and texture. I think we’re going to emboss some element of the invitation.

Of course I wanted to do a trial run-through, so I rounded up a trusty assistant and we got to work. My trusty assistant was my enthusiastic and supportive sister, Blue, of Pompous Apparel fame.

First, the supplies:

• Rubber stamp – $0.75 from the clearance bucket
• Pigment ink pad – $3.99
• Cardstock scraps – free, from an old project
• Heat tool for embossing – free, borrowed from a scrapbooking friend
• Embossing Powder – ~$5, I don’t remember exactly. But there’s probably enough of it to do at least half my invitations
  

  

After trial and error, here are the steps we suggest:

Stamp the cardstock with the ink in a randomish pattern.

Before the ink has a chance to dry dump a good amount of embossing powder over the ink until it’s completely covered. Give it a few seconds to adhere.

Dump the mounds of excess powder onto a holding sheet and move your cardstock to a clean sheet of paper.

Hold the the heat gun 2-3 inches from the paper, but keep it moving. If you leave it in one place to long, it could burn the paper. You’ll know when it’s done its duty in a particular area because the design will go from looking grainy and powdery to shiny and raised.

Rinse and Repeat.

Lesson’s Learned

• Make sure you use pigment ink. If you don’t, it doesn’t work.
• Use cardstock that is smooth, not textured. Our embossing powder got stuck in some of the crevices and we ended up with embossed texture in some places where we didn’t want it.
• The stamp looks kind of cool when its hanging off the edge of the paper. Like you meant it to be that way.
• Make sure you ink the stamp well and press it down hard every time. Otherwise you get an uneven print that you can’t go back and fix.

The Fruits of Our Labor

Why, bookmarks of course! Look close at the red one and you can see our errors that you should avoid.

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Technorati Tags: DIY, emboss, Invitations, stamp, trial

also known as “The Spoils of Black Friday”

Armed with my two coupons from Micheal’s Weekly Ad Black Friday edition, I headed to the store. Sure I had my list, but my eagle eye was on the prowl for sales and clearance of any kind.

I picked up:

• red construction paper
• black construction paper
• assorted neutral cardstock
• embossing powder
• bone folder
• rubber stamp
• square envelopes
• feather picks and
• single white flower
• embossing powder

I know someone with an embossing heat tool who has so kindly agreed to allow me to borrow hers (Shout out to Jan!)

I did stop by the wedding aisle and I immediately ran in the other direction. Everything associated with weddings doesn’t have to be white and covered in lace and flowers. Nor, do I have to be relegated to invitation templates.

I started playing around with some ideas for the design of the invitation too. I was told that I should use Adobe Illustrator, but since I only have Adobe Photoshop, it’ll have to do.

The design will loosely follow the following criteria:

• some folded aspect
• a belly band or ribbon or other holding-it-together component
• printed in black ink to save dough
• some inclination that the wedding is rooted in the city of Detroit
• RSVP return card

I’m sure I’ll probably go through 50 ideas before I settle on one. But you can count on me to keep you posted with the progress.

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Technorati Tags: Cardstock, DIY, envelopes, Invitations, paper, supplies

I can’t not mention the upcoming shopping day, Black Friday. As I’m sure you’re heard, our nation’s economy is in a slump. That equal more deals on Friday. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I’ll point you to The DIY Bride, who has compiled yet another good list. This one tells you all the things to look out for while fight the crowds to snatch the best deals.

I can personally attest to hitting Joann Fabrics last year on Black Friday. I got fabric for curtains in my house at somewhere between 50% and 75% off.

The things I’ll be looking for off the DIY Bride’s list:

• Printer Ink Cartridges
• Cardstock
• Rubber stamps and ink
• Ribbon
• Double-stick tape

Things I’ll be looking for that she didn’t mention:

• Envelopes
• Photo printer
• Bridesmaid dresses
• Silk flowers, feathers ( for a hairpiece maybe?)

That’s all I can think of for now. You guys tell me – am I missing anything?

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Technorati Tags: Black Friday, Bridesmaids, Cardstock, DIY, diy supplies, ink, Invitations, Joann Fabrics, Paper Products, silk flowers, stamp, tape

This post by Mrs. Penguin over at Weddingbee is pretty timely. I’m pretty sure I’m going to diy most of the paper items (invitations, et. al.) and this list is good advice for a beginner like me. She lists the Top 5 items every diy-er should have for executing paper projects.

The point about the corner rounder is especially helpful. I’d just discovered this intriguing little tool and had planned on buying the she bought that only uses your thumb. Now, I know better, and will be splurging (just a few extra bucks) for the one that uses your whole hand.

I can’t say that I’m going to run out and purchase all of these items, but it is nice to have a point of reference.

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Technorati Tags: Advice, DIY, Invitations, paper

I feel like I’m on a plane at the airport taxiing on the runway. There is a definite endpoint to my travels, but because I’m stuck in this holding pattern, I’m not making any progress toward my goal.

All of my planning is pretty much on hold because I’m still trying to pin down a venue. Every time I think I’ve found one, I get my hopes up only to find that it’s not gonna work for one reason or another.

The worst part is, I feel like I can’t really plan anything else until this is resolved. I can’t do any Save the Dates or invitations because I don’t have a date or venue. I can’t look at cake cause the place we end up choosing might require that we use their baker. I can’t look at flowers or other decor, because the place we choose might have restrictions on what we can bring.

The list goes on, but you get the idea.

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Technorati Tags: Caterer, Decor, Flowers, Invitations, Save the Dates, Venue