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Unique Questions about Wedding Invitations

Answered by a Wedding Invitation Designer

 

There is often a frugal person, either the bride or groom, or a parent. How do you help the person who wants to buy a nicer wedding invitation "convince" the others?

 

We always try our best to see if we can modify the original expensive idea either by adjusting the size, or changing up some papers to less expensive choices, or allowing them to take care of the assembly for a bit of a reduced cost. Wedding invitations more important that some people like to think, since it's the first time people hear that you're celebrating this huge milestone in your life. Ultimately the bride & groom know their budget and know what they can or cannot afford to spend on invitations, but we like to think that invitations are close competition to high priority items like photography or the cake!

In a similar vein, what do you suggest if the couple does fall for a high price invitation, to rearrange the rest of their budget? Are there simple ways that you recommend they spend less there to spend more on invites?

 

See if you can build a business relationship with one of the vendors and work out a referral program; this could bring you cash in your pocket as soon as your referral books with the vendor, and it could potentially keep coming as long as you keep referring them business. Our industry thrives on word of mouth referrals, why not capitalize on that? Or, you could talk to your vendors and see if there are ways they can cut their price; perhaps you can offer to have your centerpieces picked up, and cut out your delivery charge. Put your bridesmaids & ushers to work setting up the hall the night before!

What do you say to the person who is not such much frugal, but who thinks it's pretentious to have a super fancy invitation when you COULD print off a simple invite off the computer?

 

Your wedding invitations should get your guests excited and give them a feel of anticipation of the event. They reflect the theme of the party, the personality of the couple, give guests a sneak peek into the color scheme, set the tone of the event; is it a casual Sunday brunch? Is it a quirky, fun party? Is it a super-traditional gala? It's also a reflection of the couple; you COULD print off a simple invite off of the computer, but you could also forego hiring a super expensive photographer and use your cousin Louie's digital camera.

With so many options to customize, how should a couple figure out what they want for a wedding invitation? Should it reflect their relationship, their wedding day, their sense of style, or any of the above?

 

In our experience, wedding invitations are like finding the dress. The right style and setup will speak to both the bride and groom, and from there it's just a matter of setting the tone and color scheme. Couples should work closely with their invitation designer and give them as much info on the feel of the event so that they can appropriately incorporate these elements into the design. Fonts, patterns, paper textures, paper finishes, even the wording inside... These all play a very key role in the impression your invitation will make on a person, and a good invitation designer will be able to help steer you in the right direction.

For the couples who have a low budget and pretty simple wedding, what do you recommend they do so they feel proud of their wedding invites but don't feel like they're sending a "fancy invite to a simple wedding?"

 

By cutting out extra pieces/inserts, you can reduce the bulk and in turn reduce the cost. Sometimes invitations that have just a ceremony card and additional information card have a more casual feel, especially when used in combination with a digital RSVP on a wedding website. Cutting out the number of pieces will definitely help in decreasing the cost, as well as the weight of the invitation set which can potentially decrease the amount of postage you'll need to pay to send them out! Not to mention the fact that you don't need to pay postage on an email. More couples are adopting the idea of the e-RSVP; it's budget and eco-friendly!

If the groom really could care less about wedding invitations, how do you help him get more interested, or help the bride get him involved?

 

If the bride really wants to get her groom involved in the invitation design process, and he can't be bothered to come to a consultation, maybe he can help write the wording for the invitation? Or, you could get him involved in the less creative aspect of managing the guest list; someone needs to take care of who's coming, who's not, how many people, and at the end of the whole shin-dig, what gifts were brought so you can send out thank you cards.

Do more couples have the wedding theme set and fit the invitation into what exists, or do some find your invitations FIRST and use that to inspire the rest of their wedding?

 

We've had both types of clients. Some brides know exactly what color they want and already have their fabric swatch handy so we can match the paper to their specific fuchsia. Other brides have no clue what they want and are flexible; for these clients, we have our paper swatch books and some inspiration cards, and we let them go to town!

Are couples designing wedding invitations and carrying over that design into personalized stationary, monograms, and other items they may bring into their married life?

 

Absolutely! We always ask our brides what their plans are for the rest of their wedding stationery; more and more brides want to carry their theme from the first opportunity with save-the-dates or invitations, all the way to the end with their thank-you cards. Plus, it's almost easier for both the couple and the invitation designer. They don't need to re-explain their theme/colors to a whole new vendor, and the designer can make creative suggestions based on their experience with the client.

What do you recommend couples do with the RSVP cards they get back? Is there any way to save them, or at least save the ones with special notes from guests?

 

Why not incorporate it into the guest book? Some of the more interesting ideas we've seen for guest books have been books that aren't just a bunch of lines on paper, but they incorporate engagement photos of the couple on each facing page of lines. Throw in some sweet sentiments from your RSVPs onto the pages, and give people a reason to flip through the book. How great would you feel as a guest if your RSVP ended up in their permanent keepsake? If you're not having a guest book, make a memory box for yourself or build a wedding scrapbook with some of the great supplies at your craft store.

What do you recommend couples do with their wedding invitation when the wedding is over? Do couples ever frame them, or just put them in their scrapbook?

 

My mom has my invitation in her china cabinet. I've had other guests tell me they've thrown out all other wedding invites in the garbage, but mine they kept... Framing your invitation set is a great idea! Order 2 extra invitations so you can set up your frame with one open and one closed invitation set. Keep it in your memory box, or incorporate it in your collage of wedding shots.

Anything else related to "the people stress" of wedding planning you can share when it comes to invitations? As you've noticed, I stayed away from the "basic questions" about when to order and send out, etiquette on wording, etc.

 

Good question. If you can afford it, let your invitation designer handle addressing your envelopes. There's nothing that helps to complete the look of your invitations like an address printed right on the envelope matching the rest of the set. White labels stuck on your envelopes looks like you've done it yourself, and that's exactly the look you don't want to go for if you've just spent a few hundred dollars on these gorgeous invitations. And don't leave your invitations to the last minute; your designer will thank you for it.

 

 

Thanks to DesignedByYoursTruly.com for all this wisdom!