Save The Dates | 12k Wedding Blog

January 5, 2010 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Behind the Scenes, DIY

If you’re planning to make your own wedding invitations, I’ll be your biggest cheerleader but I’ll also be your biggest cautionary tale.

From the start I had so many issues with our wedding invitations and when they finally got mailed, I only halfway liked them. So, consider this post my gift to you, the die-hard DIYer, queen of crafts, and budget bride.

And now, my words to the wise:

Pick Up a Shape-Based Pricing Template From Your Local Post Office

USPS Shape-Based Pricing Template

I got mine (free from the post office) pretty late in the game, but if I would’ve known about it earlier it would’ve saved me a whole heap of trouble. Basically it’s a 12×16 cardboard guide that gives guidelines for allowable mailing sizes. Postage rates aren’t listed on the board, but I’m guessing it’s because they change more often than the measurement restrictions. I almost made the mistake of printing our Save the Date cards too small for mailing, by some stroke of luck went to the larger size at the last minute. If I’d have had my handy-dandy First-Class Mail Shape-Based Pricing Template, I wouldn’t have found myself in that situation. Just sayin.

Double and Triple Proofread All Text

We’ve lived at this address for years. And somehow, I managed to let the wrong address slip past me on the RSVP cards. Great. With no time, or budget to have them reprinted, I had to write on every single one of them, changing a 1 to a 0. Really, it could’ve been changing a 1 to a 4, but clearly that would’ve been too easy. So even after you’ve checked the text 3 times on all pieces, check it 3 more times, just to be sure. Avoid the tackiness of handwritten corrections at all costs.

Research Envelopes Beforehand

Again, another one of things I wish someone would’ve told me. I was so excited to order the wedding invitations that I didn’t pay any attention to the envelopes that they would eventually have to fit in. Never mind the fact that I got the bigger invitations because they were “still so reasonably priced”. Come to find out, envelopes come in standard sizes (e.g. A5, A7, etc.) and cards used for invitations can be ordered in a variety of other sizes. I ended up having to have our wedding invitations reprinted because to order the special envelopes in the right-sized would’ve put us waaaay over budget. Just do yourself a favor and stick to the standard stuff.

Buy Stamps Early

Especially if you’ll have standard letter-sized (and letter-weighted) wedding invitations, do yourself another favor and buy Forever stamps early in the process. I’m not sure when the next rate increase is, but you’d rather be safe than sorry. Yeah, the special wedding stamps are nice sometimes, but they cost more and do the same thing which is get the invitation from point A to point B. Sure you’ll only save a few pennies per mailing, but depending on your number of guests, those savings could add up quickly.

And that my friends is my two cents based on my wedding invitation debacle…uh…I mean experience. Feel free to share your wedding invitation mailing tips in the comments.

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Technorati Tags: envelopes, postage, RSVP, Save the Dates, USPS, wedding invitation mailing, wedding invitations

101 Ways to Save on Your Wedding: 51-75

June 3, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Behind the Scenes, DIY

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

101 Ways to Save on Your Wedding: 26-50

May 27, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Behind the Scenes, DIY

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

101 Ways to Save on Your Wedding: 1-25

——————————————————

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

Postage Stamp Rates Heads Up

April 29, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Behind the Scenes

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

Progress Report and Caterer Update

February 28, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Behind the Scenes

I thought I was done with progress reports in school, but I guess not.

Here’s where we stand after and including the last progress report:

We have

booked the location
booked the DJ
booked the photographer
sent most of the save the dates
got a friend to commit design the invitations (more on this later)
gotten 2 caterer quotes (more on this below)
stored my dress for the last 6 months
ordered the bridesmaid dresses

We’ll just go with this list for now. No need to bring attention to the mile-long list of un-done things.

The caterer situation is really in limbo right now. The tasting I thought we were going to have fell through because the event was cancelled. They have another big event coming in March. We can either wait to taste the food then (if the event is not cancelled again) or we can pay to have a private tasting before that. This happens to be the most expensive of the two quotes.

The other caterer sent us a very generic one meat-one starch-one vegetable-plasticware-coffee and lemonade quote. I really dont want run of the mill. Of everything at the wedding, I’m pretty dead set on this because I like food way too much to compromise. So I replied to them with this message and I’m still waiting for their answer. This, of course, is the less expensive of the two quotes.

I’m thinking all the other stuff not mentioned above in the back of my head. Right now though – it’s one thing at a time.

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Technorati Tags: Bridal Gown, Bridesmaid Dresses, Caterer, Checklist, progress, Reception, Save the Dates, Venue

Save the Date Postcards are on Their Way

January 2, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Behind the Scenes

Disclaimer: I don’t believe that Save the Dates are always necessary for a wedding. Nor do I feel that they have to be very elaborate. If you have a lot of guests coming from out of town and/or a lot of guests who might not get the memo by word of mouth, however, they might be a good idea.

So I ordered our Save the Date postcards and they are officialy on their way. I created them myself using my li’l ol’ point and shoot camera and my minimal/questionable Photoshop skills.

I knew I wanted them to have a hint of Detroit and be something a little different. So I pulled an old Detroit Free Press out of our coat closet and took a picture of it on our living room floor. I colored out the main headlines and added in my own text and image.

Save the Date Front

For the back, I just put in some text and the same Detroit skyline image I used for my bridesmaid invitations.

Save the Date Back

The work of a professional graphic designer it is not. But I think it looks decent enough to send out. I happened to have a credit from a previous order at GotPrint.com so I ordered from them and only had to pay about $7 extra to have my postcards printed and shipped. Despite the fact that we are inviting 200 people, I only ordered 100 STDs. I figured everyone doesn’t need one, and for those who do, a lot of people live in the same household. Just saving pennies where I can.

Of course this is just the digital version, so I’ll post again when they arrive.

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Technorati Tags: Guests, Save the Dates, STD

At a Stand Still

October 12, 2008 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Behind the Scenes

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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