Working with a Wedding Invitation Designer

It’s the day you’ve dreamed about for years and have planned for several months – your wedding. Now it’s time to invite your family and friends to attend one of the most important events of your life. Working with an invitation designer can help you in many ways, from reviewing and recommending designs, assisting with wording, and ensuring that your order is on time and within budget. But how do you begin? Here are four simple things to help you prepare for your initial meeting with an invitation designer:

What’s your vision? Inspiration comes from just about anywhere. Pictures, poems, song lyrics, flowers, and themes may guide your selection process. Colors can be a dominant feature or an accent, incorporated into the paper, ink and design selections. It will be important to have some ideas to discuss at your meeting, that will help guide your review and ultimately the selection of your ensemble.

What do you want to say? While you may not have the exact words and content ready to go for the invitation, you will want to have an idea of what information you would like to communicate to guests. For example, on the RSVP card, will you need to collect meal choices or guest count? Do you need separate cards for hotel options and/or directions? The amount of content that you would like to include will directly affect the designs available to you. Your invitation designer can research and answer your etiquette questions, and help you write the content for the pieces of your invitation ensemble.

What’s your budget? Often brides don’t know how much they want to spend on invitations until after they meet with an invitations specialist. However, you can determine a range for your budget prior to your meeting. How much are you willing to spend on the entire ensemble, which will include the printing all of the pieces? A common range is between $3 to $7 each. Prices are calculated by several factors, such as quantity, enclosures, and design. Understanding this range will also help you determine what designs and customizations may be considered to create the invitation you anticipate.

How many do you need? At your first meeting, you may not know the exact quantity, however, it’s encouraged to have your guest list just about finalized. Typically, an invitation is sent to one household or family unit, rather than one for each guest. Invitations are usually sold in quantities of 25. The more invitations ordered, the lower the price per ensemble. You may also want to think about ordering extra invitations, for late additions to the list or if there are any addressing mishaps.

Answers to these questions will help prepare you for a successful start in the invitation selection process, and alleviate any stress or surprises as your order is created and prepared.

New Web Site Look

Okay, so all I really wanted to do was to make a blog post.

Then the entrepreneurial spirit in me took over and I redesigned the site. Not from scratch, but with the very handy templates that I have available. There are still some tweaks and edits that need to be made. But I LOVE the colors and the patterns. Very chic and I hope to incorporate fully into my brand for consistency.

Please take a peek and let me know what you think! www.blueribbonsandiego.com

Invitation Trends for Summer & Fall Weddings

This week I was interviewed by San Diego Style Weddings magazine for an article about invitations. I was extremely flattered to be included in the interviews, as my business is just more than two years old. Plus, I usually arrange interviews for clients through my PR work, so it felt odd that I was picked to be a subject for an article. I had a great time chatting with the writer, who lives here in San Diego. I cannot wait to see the article when it comes out later this year.

The main focus of the interview was about trends in invitation design. And what better way than to talk about that when the National Stationery Show opens in New York! This is where all of the invitation designers -- large and small -- show off their predictions for late 2009 and 2010. You can follow along on Twitter (@stationeryshow and #NSS) or with their blog. Here's what they say are trends to watch in stationery:

• The evolution of green products
  
• Humorous or caring cards to uplift spirits in challenging times
  
• Animal prints and vibrant colors
  

According to the #NSS blog, many of the trends that have dominated fashion and home decor, such as oversized black and white damask designs, were first reflected in paper. Today's trends are tied to current events, lifestyle demands, and most importantly, fashion.

For wedding invitation designs, I see a trend in color. Vibrant color pairings for a classic look. Couples I work with are drawn to shades of browns, blues, purples and greens. They are able to combine these colors with a font choice that conveys the theme (formal, informal, traditional) without the expected white, black or ecru. Damask patterns and other line-art designs are incorporated into the text layout design as well.

Laser cuts such as circles or patterns are also prevalent. These can add a dimension of customization that is a far cry from our mother's wedding invitations. Layer in papers of complimentary colors and you have design all yours. This one pictured is from Paper Duvet.

Another trend is tied to the economy. Couples I work with want beautiful invitations but don't want to spend too much on them. The finished designs are streamlined, meaning there's just enough to convey the sentiment of the party, but without all the extra enclosures and cards. As the wedding ceremonies and receptions are scaling back, it's important for the invitations to be in line with the event too -- thoughtfully arranged, professionally printed, at an affordable price.

Visit the Blue Ribbon Invitations web site for more information, view designs, and to set an appointment. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Exclusive Collection II - Now Available at Blue Ribbon Invitations

Now, this album takes my breath away. 

It provides very contemporary designs, with the choice of selecting TWO color imprint!

More to come, I've got to run. Call me to see these designs in person and how we can customize just for you.