Greeting Card Professionals

The look and feel of your letterpress wedding invitations matter and are a primary part of the overall wedding package. The wedding invitation is also the first thing that your guest see prior to the wedding. Some guests may even decide to keep the invitation as a keepsake. In order for them to do this it must be elegant and eye catching to say the least. It really will set the them and look of your wedding from that point forward. Usually a bride and groom will customize their invitation to make it truly person and unique to their taste.

There are so many options when it comes to designs for invitations today. They are almost endless. What I recommend is either letterpress or engraving for your invitations. These are the most elegant and the oldest forms of printing out there. They really provide an such a glamorous and detailed effect that will make your invitation stand out among others. Either way you decide to go, cost will be about the same for each of these medium. There are many pricing options available as well. Read more about letterpress wedding invitations here…

Image taken on 2009-09-06 17:35:02 by Jenae ~ Imijfoto.com.

Wedding invitations are often the first indication of the style or theme of the event. Your friends and family should be able to get an idea about how formal the wedding will be, or, in the case of a destination wedding, where the event will be held. Often overlooked, wedding invitations are a crucial part of the wedding planning process and finding the best ones available should be a top priority.

Choosing the best wedding invitations means more than just picking top of the line cards and papers. It means choosing wedding invitations that reflect your style and the style of your wedding, as well as choosing wedding invitations that give your guests all the information they need in order to attend your wedding.

It is important to remember that the purpose of your wedding invitations is to give your prospective guests important information. That is why wedding invitations often contain so many parts. A full wedding invitation suite would include everything from Save the Date cards to Thank You cards, preferably all in the same style. One of the things you should consider when deciding on the best invitations for your wedding is whether there are coordinating pieces of stationery for all of your wedding stationery needs.

Of course, there are other factors to consider when choosing wedding invitations for your special event. Here’s how to pick the best wedding invitations to reflect the special style of your wedding day.

<i><b>Choose wedding invitations that reflect the formality of your wedding</i></b>

How formal is your wedding? If you are planning a formal wedding, you might want to choose wedding invitations that follow the “rules” of etiquette for wedding invitations. That means engraved wedding invitations in white or cream with black text, but it does not mean that you are confined to invitations that look like every other wedding invitation.

Even if you are choosing formal invitations, there is a surprising variety of styles in embossing, fonts and designs from which to choose. Whether you choose a timeless classic like Ivory Elegance or the more subtle beauty of Refined Grace, your wedding invitations will be a unique reflection of your formal, traditional wedding.

Semiformal and casual weddings open up an entire range of wedding invitations styles from which you can choose, or even design your own wedding invitations entirely. The invitations that you choose can use color, images and even photographs of the bride and groom. You may choose gatefold invitations with a photo of the bride and groom on the cover that open to reveal the printed text of the invitation itself, or pick a brightly accented invitation with matching foil liners for the invitation envelope.

<i><b>Reflect your chosen colors in your wedding invitations</i></b>

No matter what colors you have chosen for your wedding, you can find wedding invitations that reflect those colors. You have your choice of standard wedding invitations in cream or white with just a touch of your wedding colors in the form of ribbons or borders, or pick wedding invitations that make fuller use of your chosen colors in background papers, print or overall design. You can find colorful invitations that reflect your wedding colors when you choose a line of wedding invitations designed in house by the same designers that created your wedding dresses and other wedding stationery.

<i><b>Find wedding invitations that suit the theme of your wedding</i></b>

Theme weddings have never been more popular than they are now. Many couples choose to be married in a beach or island setting, in a medieval castle or in a garden that pays homage to Mother Nature. If you have decided to build your wedding around a theme, the best wedding invitations for you may be those that fit right into theme. For a beach wedding, you may choose invitations embossed with delicate shells and fronds, while the best wedding invitations for your fabulous Great Gatsby Roaring 20s wedding may feature art deco styling and bright colors.

<i><b>Pick wedding invitations created by your favorite designers</i></b>

Many designers of fabulous wedding dresses have opened their design lines to include a full line of bridal designs – not only wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses, but wedding stationery, invitations and table décor. Let designers help you coordinate your wedding invitations with your wedding style by choosing a line of invitations inspired by your favorite designer.

<i><b>Pick wedding invitations that are part of the season</i></b>

If you are having a summer wedding, choose invitations that are light and breezy with lots of floral accents. The winter bride might choose a snowflake theme for her wedding invitations. You can find plenty of wedding invitations that are seasonal, reflecting the mood for both the time of year and traditional holidays when you shop online bridal shops.

Of course, the most important part of finding the best wedding invitations is to find wedding invitations that you love, and that reflect your style as a couple. The very best way to ensure that your wedding invitations are a perfect match for your wedding is to design them yourself. Many wedding designers now offer you the option to create your own wedding invitations right online.

Image taken on 2009-10-10 14:26:15 by AhYau.

• Bright fuchsia, spiral-bound, guest book
• Vintage floral design in orange
• Book is 7.5-inches x 5.75-inches
• Records 800 signatures
• Hortense B. Hewitt has been a leader in top-quality wedding supplies for more than 60 years

Product Description
Spiral-bound fuchsia guest book with vintage orange floral design is the perfect place to collect and keep your guests’ best wishes. Small book is 7.5-inches x 5.75-inches. A guest book creates a permanent keepsake to remember your special event. Your wedding deserves the best – and the best comes from Hortense B. Hewitt, the leader in quality wedding accessories for more than 60 years…. More >>

Hortense B. Hewitt Wedding Accessories, Guest Book, Vintage Fuchsia and Orange, 7.5-Inches x 5.75-Inches

• ISBN13: 9780060521837
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Product Description
You’ve picked a date, booked the church, and finalized the invitation list. You’ve even found the perfect dress. But how can you ensure that your wedding is one you and your guests will remem ber for years to come? As wedding expert Maria McBride-Mellinger explains, it’s all in the details.In The Perfect Wedding Details, McBride-Mellinger makes planning a wedding reception much less overwhelming — from the center-pieces to the icing on the cake. Whether you’ve chos… More >>

The Perfect Wedding Details: More Than 100 Ideas for Personalizing Your Wedding

Image taken on 2009-12-06 21:50:17 by AhYau.

With so many different styles of wedding veils to choose from, how do you know which type is right for you? One way to effectively choose a wedding veil style for your wedding day is to look through the plethora of styles that fill the pages of the bridal magazines. Also, consider looks that you love the most. Before you head to the store or start your research, here are some of the basics of wedding veil styles that you will need to know.

What Length Should Your Veil Be?

Wedding veils, just like wedding gowns, come in a variety of lengths. There are three main categories of wedding veil length that brides can choose from, though it is important to remember that a bride may have her wedding veil tailored to meet her specifications and personal style.

Cathedral Length

A cathedral length wedding veil is a floor length veil. This style veil is usually reserved for very formal weddings, usually set in a church. The cathedral veil will usually extend about 6 inches (or more) beyond the train of the wedding dress allowing for a very dramatic look. This wedding veil style works best with semi-cathedral or cathedral length wedding gowns.

Fingertip Length

Measuring in at about thirty-six inches long, the fingertip length wedding veil is a great addition to any full length wedding gown, though it will not work as well with a gown that has a train. The veil will fall right to the bride’s fingertips and is a very elegant look. The fingertip length wedding veil is a popular choice for formal and semi-formal weddings.

Elbow Length

The elbow length wedding veil is about thirty inches long and is the most popular length today. The elbow length veil works very well with wedding gowns without a train and will fall to the bride’s waist. The veil will accentuate and enhance any detailing at the waist and will also compliment a full skirt. Formal and semi-formal weddings are usually where you would find an elbow length veil.

When choosing a wedding veil length, it is important to think about the detailing and style of your wedding gown. The wedding veil should never take away any attention from the dress. A wedding veil is meant to compliment the overall style. It is also a good idea to think about your body’s proportions when choosing a style of wedding veil.

How Many Tiers Should Your Veil Be?

This question may come as a surprise to many brides, but believe it or not, some veils come in multiple tiers. A tiered wedding veil is one that has more than a single layer of fabric. The categories range from one-tiered wedding veils to four-tiered wedding veils. One- and two-tiered wedding veils are the most popular and are usually all a bride really needs.

One-Tier

A one-tier wedding veil is for the bride who believes in the mantra, “less is more.” A one-tier veil allows the bride to achieve a minimal, simple, chic, less formal look with subtle elegance. The one-tier veil will never have a blusher, which is a shoulder-length layer of veil material that is worn over the face as the bride walks down the aisle. The one-tier wedding veil is an ideal choice for the bride who prefers to wear the veil on the back of the head and showcase her up-do hairstyle.

Two-Tier

The two-tier wedding veil is a good choice for almost any dress, but is especially beautiful with formal or semi-formal wedding gowns because they do have a blusher. A two-tier wedding veil frames the face softly and allows for a full appearance. With a two-tier wedding veil, almost any hairstyle will work. This wedding veil style is ideal for the bride who wants to make a dramatic entrance or maintain a traditional wedding.

What Color Should My Wedding Veil Be?

You may have thought that wedding veils come in only white or ivory, but that is simply not true. There are four main color categories – white, diamond white, ivory, and champagne. If your wedding gown is white or ivory, then the veil chosen should be called the same color as the dress. Diamond white is more of an “off white” that works well with silk gowns and antique white gowns. Champagne veils are often suited for dark ivory wedding gowns.

Daring brides who break the mold with colorful gowns may also have a wedding veil custom-made in just about any color. One rule of thumb to remember is, if your wedding gown and veil are not exact color matches, always make sure the veil is at least a shade lighter than the dress. It is usually a good idea to choose your wedding veil at the same bridal salon where you have purchased your dress.

• Add magic and sparkle to your wedding by giving all your guests a 20″ Wedding Sparkler. Perfect for outdoors, the sparklers make a wonderful accessory to any celebration.
• The sparklers are wire with easy tip for lighting. The wire allows no dripping.
• The 20″ long sparklers have a burn time is between 60 and 90 seconds, allowing slightly more time for photo opportunities!
• The handles are silver color metal and the sparkler is silver grey when unlit. When lit, they sparkle golden like the color of a flame/candle.
• This listing is for 108 x 20″ wedding sparklers. Shipping excluded to Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico

Product Description
Add magic and sparkle to your wedding by giving all your guests a 20″ Wedding Sparkler. Perfect for outdoors, the sparklers make a wonderful accessory to any celebration. The sparklers are wire with easy tip for lighting. The wire allows no dripping. The 20″ long sparklers have a burn time is between 60 and 90 seconds , allowing slightly more time for photo opportunities! The handles are silver color metal and the sparkler is silver grey when unlit. When lit, they s… More >>

20 Inches Wedding Sparklers Decorations

Product Description
A new title from America’s top wedding experts, Elizabeth & Alex Lluch. The Complete Wedding Planner & Organizer provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date wedding planning information in a handy 3-ring binder designed to help brides stay organized and on top of their wedding plans. The binder includes a back cover pocket to store important documents, dividers to keep track of information, a 3-hole punch to easily add pages, and inspirational wedding photos…. More >>

The Complete Wedding Planner & Organizer

Just as with any big show, your wedding day will not be perfect – but that’s okay. While you cannot plan ahead for every little detail or problematic situation that may arise, you can arm yourself with some helpful advice to be prepared at all times for any potential wedding mistakes. But before you begin planning your special day, consider these five biggest wedding preparation and planning mistakes that amateur ‘wedding planners’ often make.

1. Not Budgeting Costs

It’s hard to believe, but true – many couples do not create a budget when it comes to wedding preparation and end up in a deep hole of debt. The very first thing you should do to avoid disastrous (and bankrupting) wedding mistakes is devise an itemized budget, allowing for the necessary requirements, such as a venue for both the ceremony and reception, food and drinks, flowers, favors, decorations, etc. If anything is left over, either use this money for your honeymoon or spend it on something a little more frivolous, like a horse drawn carriage for your departure from the reception.

Budgeting ahead of time also involves your acknowledging the fact that you may surpass the total by at least 10%. Surprises do happen, so cutting back on other needless things will ensure that you don’t go over budget too much. In these initial wedding preparation stages, you and your fiancé need to discuss who will be paying for what. It used to be that the bride’s parents paid for everything, but this ideal is slowly fading away. If you’re still coming up short on funds, there are literally hundreds of ways to cut costs for your wedding day, including having fewer guests, choosing an off-season date, selecting flowers that are in season, and having friends and family play a bigger part by making the wedding cake or trying their hand at photography.

2. Not Giving Yourself Enough Time

The image of the harried bride has been engrained into the psyche through a number of television shows that hype up the combination of little to no time and a ‘my way or the highway’ attitude. This is why giving yourself ample wedding preparation time is necessary to ensuring that your wedding flows seamlessly. If you want a large, extravagant wedding, you need to begin planning at least a year and a half in advance; for a smaller, more intimate wedding of about 50 guests, eight months to a year is fine. You need to take into account what your plans are for your wedding and adjust your schedule accordingly to prevent costly wedding mistakes from occurring.

Giving yourself more wedding preparation time allows you to order your cake, dress, wedding favors, flowers, decorations, etc. well in advance so that you don’t come up empty-handed from last minute rushing. Allotting enough time also applies to your wedding ceremony and reception. Don’t keep your guests waiting at the reception venue while you and your wedding party are taking hundreds of photos – consider taking a majority of the pictures before the ceremony and the all-important couple, wedding party, and family pictures after the vows have been exchanged.

3. Not Delegating Responsibilities

Delegating responsibilities, wedding preparation tasks, and roles is vital – you cannot do everything! For brides, their bridesmaids are there to help them with the important duties of the wedding day, so creating a short list of responsibilities for each friend is not unexpected. Mothers, family members, and friends are also glad to help run a few errands or make calls for you if you ask. Just make sure you ask someone you know will get the job done on time.

Part of the wedding experience also relies on a number of people who require detailed wedding preparation directives from you, such as the caterer, photographer, florist, transportation and/or drivers, and DJ. Discussing your ideas with them ensures that you can work together on the same wavelength and avoid embarrassing wedding mistakes during the actual reception. You should also arrange for the wedding party to meet at the church or the wedding ceremony location at a specified time. Corralling so many people at the same time is what leads many couples to pick up the wedding party members at their homes. Late arriving wedding party members is one of the most frequent and sometimes uncontrollable wedding mistakes a bride and groom have to deal with.

4. Not Hiring a Wedding Planner or Someone You Trust

Many brides swear by their wedding planners, and yes, it’s true that they take care of just about everything involved in wedding preparation and planning, preventing a number of the more common wedding mistakes brides make. It’s kind of like you and your fiancé are the stars, while the wedding planner works behind the scenes for your big performance, seeing everything from start to finish. Wedding planners know all the ins and outs of great wedding preparation and planning and can help the couple find reliable caterers, bridal attire and supply stores, transportation, and DJs at lower prices. Before signing any contracts, however, talk with the wedding planner to see if it’s a situation you’re happy with.

While incredibly helpful, wedding planners can also be pricey, unfortunate for the bride who is trying to cut costs. This scenario goes back to delegating responsibilities – ask someone you trust to help you make wedding preparation arrangements and appointments with each wedding supply store and/or vendor. You can even scale back operations and have a simplistic wedding that you plan or DIY completely to save money.

5. Not Fully Considering the Reception Venue and Details

Sending your guests on a wild goose chase to find the reception venue is something that happens more often than you’d think and is one of the biggest wedding mistakes couples overlook. For out-of-town guests, this is confusing; for in-town guests, it’s an annoyance. Choosing a reception venue that’s close to the wedding site is a must, unless you provide the transportation to and from the reception. More than 15 – 20 minutes away is a hassle, and some guests may not even bother going if it’s farther than that.

Otherwise, if your reception venue is outside (or exposed to the elements), rain and windy conditions may appear so you should always have a back up in cases of inclement weather. A rained out wedding reception is one of the more common wedding mistakes brides have neglected to plan for. Part of the wedding preparation necessities should also include your requesting the venue’s landscaper to spray for bugs so your guests aren’t being bitten by mosquitoes and gnats.

Learn to Laugh Off Those Wedding Mistakes

Pre-wedding preparation, while helpful, will inevitably miss some little detail of your big day. These wedding mistakes (or, more likely, minor ‘blips’) are to be expected and may even provide a funny moment for you and your fiancé to laugh about in the future. Wedding mistakes do and will happen, but you shouldn’t be bothered by them. Simply go on with the show and smile – no one will know the difference!