From day one, I've said that if I could find an invitation suite - be it in a store, on Etsy, or another website like Minted - that was premade exactly how I wanted, I would buy it up and not look back. I wanted something pretty, but I didn't want to commit many hours to customizing the design, the printing, the assembly, and the addressing. I'm not a designer, so it's not like this was my area to shine. I just wanted something that would get the job done, but I also didn't want to compromise on the elements that I wanted to include (can you see where this is going?).
I tried many times to search websites for a design, trying to just pick it and move on, but I was never able to find one that really satisfied me. I found myself browsing pages and pages of wedding invites and I discovered a ton of what I didn't want, but nothing that I did. If it was formal enough, then it seemed boring; if it was fun enough, then it seemed too casual. At one point I found myself thinking "That invite looks like it's trying too hard." What? Who am I? What is this process doing to my head?
 |
| I couldn't find any evidence to show that Jean Shrimpton said this, but the visual is too good./Photo found on Brighton the Day |
When the internet was failing me as it never has before, Momma P and I went into a local invite store to look around. I was still being ridiculously picky, but this time at a much higher price tag. Even looking at non-letterpress options, the invite store was quoting me well over a grand for just the cards! And I would still be settling, because there was only so much customization that they would allow, and so much wording I wanted to edit.
 |
| My top choice at the invitation store, but without the monogram. I fell in love with the gold and taupe, though./Personal photo, sample invite by William Arthur |
So we went straight from the invite store to to talk with Uncle G (whose shop designed and printed our save the dates) about what I wanted and what he could do. He said he would have to outsource the printing, since we were thinking of raised thermography, but that he could handle the designing and cutting in house. After a bit of deliberation, I decided to go ahead with his idea and make the invites exactly how I wanted with his designer, J. So in the end, I ended up doing just what I said I didn't want to - if you didn't see that one coming, you haven't been paying attention!
Fortunately, all of my searching had my "Wedding Details" Pinterest page chock full of invitation inspiration, so when I sat down to create a mockup for J and order additional supplies, I had lots to pull from! Once I started to put pen to paper - or put Snippet to PowerPoint, to be more accurate - everything started falling into place and I saw my perfect invites shaping up before my eyes. Here's some of the pieces that I played around with - some stuck, some didn't but you can get an idea of what we were aiming for.
I was inspired to incorporate some gold polka dots on the liner after seeing this sample in the store.
 |
| Design by William Arthur. |
 |
| Found on Grey Likes Weddings/Photo via KimberlyFitzsimmons on Etsy |
I loved the hand-drawn details incoporated in this New Orleans invitation, like the map and St. Francis Church!
 |
| Found on Green Wedding Shoes/Photo by Austin Gros/Design by Tupelo Honey Design |
I preferred stacked cards with a ribbon or belly band to pocket folds, and I wanted to at least include an RSVP card and reception details card.
 |
| Found on Style Me Pretty/Photo by Watson Studios/Design by The Happy Envelope |
I loved the addition of swirls to give it a little extra design, but had trouble finding the right size or placement for them.
 |
| Found on Lover.ly/Design by Bella Figura |
I also wanted to incorporate some lace details, but I didn't want it to look too "shabby chic," since that wasn't really what we were going for.
 |
| Found on OneWed Design by River City Studio on Etsy |
Even though it wasn't as easy as I wanted it to be, I'm glad we took this route because we are both so happy with the result. As brides, we're immersed with all of the wedding details from an early stage, but a majority of wedding guests don't know a thing about what you're planning. The save the date or invite is the first glimpse into the style and feel of the wedding, and I wanted to make sure we got that right. Our wedding will be closer to the formal side, but we also wanted to include some fun details that would help make it "us" (but we did not design our own font! Shout out to Mrs. Rucksack for sharing these hilarious videos.).
Coming up next, I reveal the actual invitations!
No comments:
Post a Comment