Please Save the Date

Now that I've confirmed that a fair number of our guests have gotten them, I'm finally ready to share our save the dates with you!


When I decided to make them myself, I knew that I wanted the fonts to be Century Gothic and Freebooter Script (to match the rest of the paper), that it would include our website address, assumed that it would be teal and kiwi in someway, and have our picture on it. I love that picture of us, and preferred it in black and white, so when I decided to use that photo, I just made the whole card black and white. I think that STDs can be a departure from the invites (especially since they are usually ordered before invites are fully decided upon) as long as they ultimately coordinate with the other paper-goods. Ours do, and I'll prove it...in due time.

I designed the cards in PowerPoint, converted the file to a pdf, and uploaded it to VistaPrint so I could get them for free. There is always some kind of promotion going on where you can get free stuff. I googled "VistaPrint free postcards" or something like that and found a code to get 100 postcards for free. All I had to do was pay the minimal image upload fee (it was like $2.50) and the shipping. Unless you need them yesterday, don't waste your money on the fast shipping. I selected the slowest (and cheapest) rate and got them in about a week and a half. Card printing and shipping: about $8.


To keep with the black and white design, I decided to mail them in black envelopes. I really wanted the envelopes with the Euro (triangle) flap, but these square "announcement" type were a little cheaper so I ordered 100 of those from envelopemall.com. Again, I selected the standard shipping rate. It was kind of expensive, but crazy fast. I think I got them like 2 or 3 days later. I was a little nervous about mailing the black envelopes, but I asked around and determined they should make it okay (they did). Envelope cost and shipping: about $17


I made these wrap around labels using my Xyron 510 sticker maker machine and plain ole copy paper. Designing the labels themselves was a little tricky. I made a table in Word, and then hid all the borders except for the outside one - which I made polka dotted. Then I cut and pasted my formatted table a gazillion times - I was able to fit about 5 labels to a sheet.

After all the labels were printed, I cut them and ran them through my Xyron. I love my Xyron. It doesn't require batteries and will turn almost anything into a sticker. Easy peasy wrap around labels. I purchased my Xyron ages ago, but hadn't used it for a project yet. I'm planning to use it for our favor tags, the programs, and possibly to make another set of wrap around labels for the wedding invites. Haven't decided how I'm going to address them yet. Wrap around labels: a little bridal elbow grease.

As I mentioned last week, to save some change on postage, a good number of the save the dates were hand-delivered. However, we did end up mailing about 40 of them. 40 stamps: $16.80


Here's the gang all ready for their trip to the mailbox.

I have to admit, initially I was against sending STDs. I thought it was a waste of paper and outside of our budget. The PHI felt very strongly about sending notification to our OOT guests and I told him that I would agree to them on one condition: that they'd cost us less than $1 each (I know, I can be awful). I'm so glad we sent them now. I think they are a lovely combination of chic and personal, and invoke the spirit of our wedding invites without being teal and kiwi green. You already know the best part: the price! Forty-two cents each! Couldn't beat that with a stick if I tried.

Are you planning on sending STDs? What qualities would you like yours to have?

♥

I spy...

...with my bridal eye something small, black and ready to be mailed.


As you may have guessed, those are our save the dates, all stamped and ready to go out. I am so excited about them! I promised you several weeks ago that I'd show and tell after the recipients got to see them, and we are still on schedule for the big reveal.

I have a small group of that will be hand-delivered (gotta love saving a on postage) to close family and friends. I'm traveling home to SoFla this weekend for Spring Break so it works out quite nicely. The rest will be dropped in the mail sometime tomorrow or Saturday. That means by the end of next week, you'll have seen them too!

Cant wait? Me either!
♥

STDs Update

Not the diseases, but I dont think you'll like what I'm about to say very much either.

See, I had fully planned to share my save-the-dates (yes, thats what I meant by STDs - lol). But then I realized it was completely unfair to our guests. Its important to me that the recipients have a chance to oogle them before I share them with the Internet. MamaP hasnt even seen them yet!

Because you've been so patient, I will give you a little bit of insider info. This is the stuff that I've been cookin up in my little head that I haven't shared with the PHI yet. Uh huh, that kind of insider info.

1. They have these on them, but of course I had to put my stank on it (read: I created my own version and they're much cuter now).
2. The PHI didn't see them until after I ordered them. I know, bad girl. But thankfully he trusts my judgment.
3. Each one is about $.29 (card+envelope) before the stamp. Nope, not joking. Fab+ Cheap = Gotta love it.
   

I really hope its okay that I'm not unveiling them this weekend. The plan is to shoot them out 6 months before the RSVPs are due...March 1st. We can wait til then, right? In the meantime, I promise to prattle on about all kinds of other stuff to keep you distracted.

Cool...only about one more month to go.
♥

*take my word for it

Memo

TO: Everyone
FROM: Patti, Wedding President and CEO
RE: Downsizing

In an effort to ensure that the bride gets exactly what she wants we have had to let someone go. Effectively immediately, we will not be using a graphic designer to design wedding paper correspondence. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact Dani and she will be able to assist you.

PD

Yes, folks. I am in the process of letting my graphic designer go. I really like her, but honestly, working with her was not as fun as I thought it would be. It just felt too much like work (if that makes any sense at all). I was going to keep going because I committed myself to working with her (no contact though), until I decided to throw together some signage. As I was admiring my work, I realized I had some thoughts about the rest of of the paper goods. I knew I wanted our names in script, what the fonts would be, and that there would be minimal enclosures. I knew we wouldn't have a pocket fold. I knew the invites would be printed on white paper with a colored backing. I knew they would be kiwi and teal. Somehow.

Basically, I realized that I had a design in mind. And after pulling together that signage, fairly quickly, I knew I could do it. I'd already been doing research on envelopes and cardstock, so I basically needed to design, order the materials, have everything cut, and then assemble. Four steps. 6 months to get it done.

Sounded doable to me. And MamaP. And Dani. So were going forward. I still havent figured out all the specifics yet, but I know it will only cost me one stamp to mail them and that were doing a card (rather than a post card) for the replies. I'm also playing around with the idea of a an inner vellum envelope. The only small speedbump is what to do about our Save the Dates. I have a design in mind, but I dont think I have the proper software to put it in the correct format. I may get some help with that becasuse those suckers need to go out in the next 6 weeks or so (dont get me started on my lack of addresses to put on them). Other than that, I have a pretty solid plan of attack for our invites, and I cant wait to share them with you.

...and I know you're dying to see what I've come up with.
♥