invitation situation

I've heard about it.  I've read about it.  And now I'm thisclose to actually doing it.  That's right, I'm pretty certain I'm going to make my own invitations.

Now before you all start to freak and yell about how I'll want to rip my hair out in the process, let me first inform you that I'm not making the invitations from scratch like some of the really DIY brides do.  Instead, I'm taking a simple design that I liked and recreating it myself with a few minor adjustments.  I'd like to think of my latest invitation decision as a hybrid of professional and DIY -- a DIP, if you will (do-it-professionally).

And I'm not doing this to save money.  While I will save a little bit by doing it myself, it's not the cost that motivated me.  I've actually found several professional invitations that are really pretty and are right in my budget.  No, the thing that pushed me over the DIY edge is the fact that pre-designed invitations won't match the beautiful stationery I've been working so hard on these last few months.  It would really bother me if my invitations didn't match the programs, menu cards, and table names.  And if I'm doing all this work already, why not go all the way?!

So how do I plan on pulling this off?  Well, without spoiling the surprise for my guests, I'll explain:

1. Envision the design.  This was pretty easy for me since I already had an idea from another invitation but I did draw it on paper out to scale so I could get an idea of what the final design would look like.  What makes me really happy is knowing I'll get to incorporate my monogram colors and font!

2. Create the invitation.  I'm having my invitations printed through Cards and Pockets and in order to do so, they ask for your document as a PDF with the exact paper dimensions that you plan on using.  This has been the trickiest part so far, mainly because I couldn't convert my Word document into the appropriate PDF size.  Luckily, I had my graphic designing uncle do it for me.  Thanks Uncle Al!

3.  Create the RSVP/enclosure cards.  Like the invitation, the RSVP and enclosure cards need to be a specific size so while I already have the design created, I need to have my uncle resize them for me.  He's certainly earning the boutonniere he'll be wearing on the wedding day!

4.  Submit designs for printing.  This is pretty self-explanatory.  I just email the PDFs to Cards and Pockets and they'll print it all for me on their pre-cut cards.  The pricing is reasonable and it doesn't require any paper cutters on my part, which makes me happy.

5. Order the paper and envelopes.  I plan on backing my invitations on cardstock also ordered through Cards and Pockets.  Cards and Pockets does a good job of informing you what sizes you'd need for each type of invitation you can design.  And they have a lot of really nice colors that can also be matched on envelopes from the site as well.

6. Mount the invitation.  I'm anticipating this to be the most tedious part.  I was told spraying two invitation backs at a time with adhesive would do the trick.  Haven't decided who will help me with this task - MZ?  Groomie?  Or the fair maidens of mine?

7.  Address the envelopes.  Thanks to my wonderful instructor, I'm feeling pretty confident about my newly acquired calligraphy skills.  My regular italic lettering is decent and I'm set to start learning copperplate, which is nice and fancy if done correctly.  The only thing for which I want to give myself time is the spacing.  Most of my guests are probably not reading this blog and will therefore not know that I will be doing the addressing myself so I want to make sure it looks semi-professional!  The good news is by doing it myself, I can order the envelopes even before the invitations so I can get a head start on the addresses.


Here's an example of italic calligraphy:

And then here's copperplate:

So I know this is going to require time and patience but I'm up for the challenge.  My only fear is that I'll screw it up somehow!

Has anyone else made their invitations?  If so, any advice you can give me?

first impressions

When I first created my wedding budget, I didn't allocate much to the invitation department. But the more wedding blogs I read, the more I'm starting to become brainwashed by stationery companies who remind me that first impressions mean everything.

I still don't believe in spending a fortune on wedding invitations (they usually get tossed in the garbage!) but I began thinking outside of the box in terms of style and design.

Luckily, I found a great vendor on etsy.com, who not only has the perfect design to fit my snowflake/DIY motif but is also really affordable. I'd post an example but I want my guests to be surprised!

So now that I have invitations in mind, I am contemplating whether or not I should hire a calligrapher to address the envelopes. There are a couple of calligraphers that have decent prices and cute handwriting but Momzilla doesn't think they are "formal" enough.

First, there's Swoon Over It. Amanda, the calligrapher, has three different styles. This isn't the one I would pick but it's the only image I could find on the web!

Her pricing starts at $0.95 an envelope.

Then there's Blink Calligraphy by one of my favorite wedding bloggers, Preppy Bride at 2365. Apparently she shares my love for wedding planning and DIY projects!

Below are the styles I like but again, Momzilla doesn't think it's fancy enough for a wedding. Her pricing starts at $0.75 an envelope.

Then there's Calligraphy by Michele, run by a woman who lives really close to my parents so it would be quite convenient to drop off and pick up the envelopes. This is the only calligrapher to whom MZ gave approval.

Her pricing starts at $1.15 an envelope. But I suppose I save on shipping since it would be local.

And last but not least, there's one more calligraphy option. Yours Truly. I signed up for an 8-session calligraphy class that will begin next week and I'm hoping my $95 enrollment fee will make me good enough to address my own invitations and then some. Who knows, maybe I can begin my own calligraphy service one day!

So what do you think? Is calligraphy worth it? If so, which style do you like?

Or do you think I'm making a big fuss over nothing and should just run the envelopes through the printer for free? :)