There are few things I love more than seeing one of my wedding invitations styled up and professionally photographed. It really gives life to the pretty paper!
Although your invitation is one of the few things from your wedding you actually DO get to keep, it’s nice to have a styled shot from your photographer as well. Wedding photographer Lindsay said “If you want your wedding paper suite documented, send your photographer two full suites before the wedding. The wedding day moves so quickly that I never have as much time as I want to style the invitations. Sending them before the wedding ensures that I can take my time in styling them beautifully for you.” (Lindsay also mentioned that brides should reach out to their photographer before sending, just to make sure!)
Ordering your wedding invitations with oh my! designs? Let me know at the time of order that you would like a suite sent to your photographer and I will do it – for free! I will provide one complimentary extra suite and mail in to your wedding photographer for you.
Below are some of my very favorite styled shots, click on each photo for photographer credit. I’ve also included their websites at the very bottom of this post.
It’s that little sneak of paper that really pulls the invitation suite together. The envelope liner adds something extra to the whole package, especially in the case of a simpler invitation design. A liner gives the look a chance to “play” and creates a pretty surprise for the recipient opening their mail.
My obsession with envelope liners is real. Not only are they perfect for wedding invitations, but also can be used to freshen up any envelope. There are several places you can purchase ready made envelope liners, but I love creating my own using paper I find. I’m sharing my favorite sources for both!
Many ready-made envelope liners can be purchased from specialty paper shops. I’ve also found places, locally and online, that sell gift wrap or unique paper to create your own envelope liners. Some of my favorites (click names to open):
Probably the biggest shop of ready-made liners (at least that I know about), with envelope liners in every solid color. PaperSource also has envelope liners with foil finish and various patterns. I adore their marble print liners!
Both ready-made envelope liners as well as unique paper to DIY. Etsy also has digital liners for purchase, meaning you can buy the patterns and print on your own. Search “envelope liners” on Etsy and the options are endless!
My most popular envelope liner, pictured below, is created from Rifle Paper Co wrapping paper. They have fun and playful patterns that pair well with wedding invitations as well as everyday envelopes. The hand drawn floral patterns are my absolute favorite!
From bold geometric patterns to whimsical watercolor to fun animal prints, Revel & Co has gift wrap sold by the sheet so you can get as little or as much as you need. I especially love their “shop by color” option on their website.
Each time I come here, I end up in the gift wrap aisle. The Container Store has some of my favorite wrapping paper, perfect for cutting into your own envelope liners.
Authentic handmade paper really makes for a beautiful envelope liner. It is super thick and has great texture, making your envelopes feel extremely luxe. I used World Market’s handmade paper for the liners I created for The Big Fake Wedding invitation suite.
TJ Maxx
I love perusing my local TJ Maxx for fun gift wrap. Often they don’t have many rolls in the same pattern, but you can find complementing papers to create different liners for your envelopes.
Michaels and Hobby Lobby
Scrapbooking paper works wonderfully for creating your own envelope liners! Both Michaels and Hobby Lobby have a wide variety of paper, so it is likely you can find something to match your invitations. The scrapbooking paper is also a very affordable option for envelope liners.
Do you have a favorite source for envelope liners that I didn’t mention? Please let me know in the comments!
*Indicates an affiliate link, which means if you make a purchase I will receive a small compensation. Note I ONLY share resources I would use myself!
So many of my clients find me online and I never get to meet them in real life. There’s something extra special about creating custom wedding invitations for someone I actually know, and maybe a little extra pressure too! However, I’m up for the challenge of making something unique for the bride who can’t quite find exactly what she’s looking for.
Dana is someone I’ve known for as long as I can remember and she grew up on the same street as I did. Although we went our separate ways after high school, we always somewhat kept in touch thanks to Facebook. I was super excited when she reached out and asked me to design custom wedding invitations! Dana had a strong Pinterest board and I could see her wedding theme immediately – first and foremost, lots of greenery, which I loved! She also pinned some wedding décor with rustic elements and a lot of neutral colors, including the “kraft” look. Most of Dana’s wedding pins were florals and dresses – I like to see what a bride is pinning a lot of, this is what is most important to her!
Taking elements from her Pinterest inspiration, we nailed down an initial concept – white paper with greenery elements. Dana chose to use the kraft envelopes to bring in the rustic and natural elements. We reviewed several different font options, with a fun script being the final result.
When creating custom wedding invitaitons, I love to be inspired by a bride’s Pinterest board! Without looking at other invitation designs, it’s great to get a feel for the overall theme by seeing images of florals, décor, and other non-stationery details. I’m super happy with the way Dana’s wedding invitations turned out and think this will be a very popular design that other couple’s can use for their weddings.
It’s been all weddings around here lately and I was excited for something new! My friends are having babies (yay!) and I wanted to give a unique baby shower gift. I’m anti-registry, because I like surprising people. Because I’m not a parent, I definitely don’t know what the right things are to buy for baby, other than the adorable clothes. Naturally, I felt like creating framed artwork for the nursery was the perfect gift. It’s unique and special, inspiring, and was a hit at the baby showers!
The quotes I wanted for the nursery prints were happy, uplifting words that would work for girl or boy. The colors were based on the theme of the nursery, mint and lavender for baby girl and grey and navy for baby boy.
The response, or RSVP, card is a very important little piece of paper included with your wedding invitation. Simply, your RSVP card is how your guests let you know if they will be attending your wedding or not. However, it can also be used to communicate some important information about whom is actually invited. Also, the RSVP card can be used to gather details on meal choices or even what songs guest would like to hear at your reception.
Guest Names
The RSVP card should have a space for guests to write their names. Traditionally, there is a line preceded by the letter “M”. This is for guests to sign their names including their title (Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss). As we modernize everything wedding, the RSVP card updates simply with “Names” to avoid any confusion.
Attending?
Options for guests to select whether or not they’ll attend your wedding are next. Essentially, the choices are “attending” or “not attending” but endless versions include:
Accepts with pleasure/Declines with regret
Can’t wait to celebrate/Will be there in spirit
Wouldn’t miss it for the world/Celebrating from afar
Get creative with your wording, just make sure it is clear to guests what each option means!
It is common to include a space for guests to write in the number who will be attending. This is helpful if a few people from a family were invited, but not everyone will make it.
Crystal Clear
Although guests should know exactly who is invited by the way the envelope is addressed, couples have opted to explicitly state this on the RSVP card. This helps keep any extras from being added on when there is a specific guest count in mind. The below phrase can be included on the RSVP card, with the bride and groom filling in the first blank before mailing.
“We have reserved ______ seat(s) in your honor. Number attending ________.”
Get Creative
If you have some extra room on the RSVP card and want to add an element of fun, add a line for guests to leave advice or a song request for the reception. Post wedding, it would be really neat to keep the RSVP cards with advice in a memory book. Check out the examples below for inspiration!
Please Respond By
Lastly, include a reply by date on your RSVP card. This date is typically determined by your wedding venue as to when they will need the final guest count. I recommend asking for your guests to return their responses before you actually need to confirm your headcount, just in case anyone forgets to respond!
Want to see RSVP cards in action?
Click to open for inspiration and customize to make your own!
I’ve attended one bridal show and with the experience I had, I promised myself that being a vendor at one wouldn’t be a goal for my business. To be honest, the bridal show gave me major anxiety and I wasn’t even the bride! It was very crowded, hugely impersonal, and full of stark white everything. Vendors were a little forceful in pushing brides to sign up for this contest, that email list, etc. It was more overwhelming than helpful and the bride I attended with didn’t leave with great impressions, surely not enough to book any of the vendors there.
The Big Fake Wedding is like the anti-bridal show. As the name implies, vendors come together to plan and throw a fake wedding. Guests attend a vow renewal ceremony of an actual couple, meet the vendors who put the wedding together, and party at the big fake reception!
When I was asked to participate as a featured vendor in The Big Fake Wedding, I accepted the offer almost immediately! I had a pretty good idea of what this event was about – I know a few people who have participated in previous events, followed The Big Fake Wedding on social media, and had seen their website. I also knew this genius concept was started in Atlanta and was super excited to be a part of the fun!
Prepping for the event was great. Expectations were set, but each vendor is able to truly make/plan/show off their creative vision! A mood board was provided with a theme and color palette. The theme for the Big Fake Wedding Atlanta was “jewel tones”. For the invitation suite, I choose some words I wanted the designs to evoke and created with those words in mind. Magic, playful, and rich were my mood words.
Keeping with the jewel tone color scheme, I created an invitation with a playful design and mounted on a gold leaf pocket with a topaz accent mat. I did two options for the envelope, because I’m obsessed with envelope liners and couldn’t pick just one! The first was made with handmade paper and had the most beautiful (magical!) gold accents, applied to a white envelope to really stand out. The other option was a simple, gold leaf envelope liner in the matching topaz envelope. I definitely think the final product encompassed The Big Fake wedding theme and my inspiration words.
These invitations can be customized! Ready to get started on your Big Day invites? Contact me now!
Vendors at the Big Fake Wedding were able to set up small tables in the Tunnel of Love. To set up my table, I made a canvas displaying some of my favorite wedding invitation suites and save the dates. I gave away wedding stationery timelines magnets and had a contest for free save the dates. Guests browsed the Tunnel of Love prior to the ceremony and during the reception. I was able to meet so many bride-to-bes and potential clients in person, it was wonderful! Typically, many of my clients find me online and I never get to see their face or hear their voice. It was really nice to see so many faces and get to speak with people. Getting to hear immediate feedback from the reactions of seeing the invitations was truly priceless. One bride-to-be commented that she had seen one of my invitation suites on Pinterest and pinned it to her inspiration board. Hearing that seriously made my day!
Being the invitation designer, I’m never present at the actual weddings. My work is done way before the event begins. The Big Fake Wedding provided me with the experience to connect with other vendors that I typically wouldn’t. It was inspiring to be surrounded by fellow creative and business owners. I loved hearing everyone’s story and visions for their businesses!
Overall, I would highly recommend participating in The Big Fake Wedding to any vendor and attending The Big Fake Wedding to anyone planning (or helping plan) a wedding. As a bride-to-be, being able to see a venue decorated makes a huge difference. It is also really nice to be able to hear the band, taste the food, and smell the flowers. The Big Fake wedding does a fabulous job of creating a truly inspiring environment!
I’ve noticed a serious issue in the world of paper products and the wedding industry! Ok, so maybe it’s not THAT serious, but it is something that still needs to be mentioned.
Let me begin by stating that I’m talking to industry professionals here. Dealers of invitations, bloggers of weddings, makers of cards, this is for you! Clients and non-industry people might find this useful, but I don’t hold these folks to the standard of people who work with stationery.
Yes, I said stationery. Unfortunately often confused with stationary. These words are homophones, meaning they sound the same, but have different spellings and different meanings. Maybe it’s my inner elementary school teacher coming out (yep, former second grade teacher here), but I cringe when I see a professional using the word incorrectly.
STATIONERY. It’s that beautiful paper, hand written letter, or set of thank you cards. Stationery is a noun. In school, I was told to remember stationery with an E because it has an Envelope. Check out my wedding stationery here!
STATIONARY. It’s fixed in place and not moving. Stationary is an adjective. Things that come to mind as being stationary – your house, a tree, the bike at the gym that’s not actually going anywhere. I suppose stationery can be stationary while it’s sitting on your desk! Read more about the origins of the words here.
The English language is weird. To be honest, so many people use “stationary” that I sometimes include it when tagging my wedding invitations on Etsy or as a hashtag on Instagram. I don’t want to miss out on a potential client because of one vowel. I do want to bring awareness to industry professionals of the correct grammar since I often see it used wrongly. We aren’t stationary and neither are the paper products we create. Let’s move forward!
