Invitations

Ok, I admit it...I'm having wedding planning withdrawals. I don't know if this is normal, but I miss the project planning part of getting married (even though it is amazing to be married too). So, I thought I'd reminisce a bit and blog about our invitations--the project I was the most excited to do.

I knew I wanted a simple look for the invitations, but with a "pop" of color, which would come from the envelope liner. Simple, neutral, but with my favorite colors of pale aqua, greens, navy and gray, which slowly evolved into the color palette for the wedding.


I also fell in love with handwritten fonts that extend off the edge of the card. To me, the look is a little unexpected, but still simple. Originally, I saw it on this stationary site, but knew that purchasing invites would be much more expensive than designing them myself.

I downloaded a font I liked (for free from here!) and set out to find the perfect paper. I loved the look and feel of cotton papers, so I ordered samples of Crane Lettra paper but ended up reading about a great cotton paper from a company called Reich. The paper is ink jet and laser printer compatible, heavy, and pretty reasonably priced. I had already picked out the paper for the envelope liners from Paper Source and even found out that you can buy pre-cut liners that fit their envelopes online. Of course they only had 75 liners in stock, so with the help of my patient mom, we ended up using a template (also from PS) to cut another 75 or so by hand. PS A7 envelopes in "gravel," King and Queen Love stamps, and a customized return address stamp completed my collection of materials.

But there was one thing missing. The design. I thought for sure I would be able to figure out Adobe Illustrator, so I downloaded a free trial. But, I'm just not a designer...yet. ;) Lucky for me, I had just met a great couple who designs many beautiful things and has their own shop, Slide Sideways. I don't know how I stumbled upon their stuff, but I instantly loved their prints, especially their "Come Together" design. When I saw that print, I had the idea to change it slightly to reflect Steve and my relationship--a romance that started with running. :) The outcome was this awesome poster that is now framed in our home.

When I couldn't figure out Adobe, I emailed Scott and Jacqui to see if they could help me with the invitation suite. In little time at all, they designed an invite, response postcard, and reception card that matched my vision exactly. I am so grateful for their help! I took the design to the Costco Business Center, which worked out great, mostly because they were so friendly and helpful. They printed the design on my paper and cut each card for around $50.

Did I consider all the time it would take to complete such a project? Kind of. So I started planning, collecting, and buying things early. Did I think it was going to be easier? Yes, definitely. Still, I'm glad we did it. It was so much fun to put all of the pieces together and work on bits at a time with Steve, my mom, and my friends Jenny, Katie, and Mckenzie.
Oh, and if any one reading happens to have a wedding-related project for me (or any project really)...I'm ready to help. :)