Question:
We filled out the form and mailed it in. It worked just fine. Just make sure it is exactly as you want it (capitalization, etc….) We ordered ours from Rexcraft, and we had no problems. You would think they will eventually do it through e-mail. Good Luck. Kelli
. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Has anyone ever order direct and if so which way did you and what do you > recommend??
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Hi Tara, I wanted to share the wonderful experience I had with ordering invitations with Invitations by Dawn. We faxed in our order on a Monday, they phoned me to confirm they had received it an hour later, and the complete order was delivered to me by Thursday of the same week! And – this is the best part – there was not one single error! They told me that their policy is if you are not 100% satisfied with the order, call them immediately when you receive the order, and they will fix it and send it to you again at no cost to you. Make use of their 1-800 phone number to ask them any questions you might have – I called them about half a dozen times before placing my order and they were always very polite and patient in answering my questions (I had worries like you before I placed the order). Hope this is helpful! – S 
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >I was just wondering if anyone has ordered their invitations through the >mail. I have a catoluge from Invitations by Dawn, we fell i love with one >invitation in it. I have seen it at those Party Stores that sell invites and >order them for you but they are aproximately $30 -$35 more per 100. I am >just wooried about acurracy. The catoluge gives you 3 options fill out the >form and either 1) mail it in an (and hope they read right) 2) fax it in >(and hope the fax is readable 3) call them and spell everything out. >Has anyone ever order direct and if so which way did you and what do you >recommend?? >Thanks >T~ >– >Tara & Barry >April 21 2001
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Thanks that makes me feel better I plan on ordering ours from there but I am always hesitant to order something not in person Tara — Tara & Barry April 21 2001
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi Tara, > I wanted to share the wonderful experience I had with ordering invitations > with Invitations by Dawn. We faxed in our order on a Monday, they phoned me > to confirm they had received it an hour later, and the complete order was > delivered to me by Thursday of the same week! And – this is the best part – > there was not one single error! They told me that their policy is if you > are not 100% satisfied with the order, call them immediately when you > receive the order, and they will fix it and send it to you again at no cost > to you. Make use of their 1-800 phone number to ask them any questions you > might have – I called them about half a dozen times before placing my order > and they were always very polite and patient in answering my questions (I > had worries like you before I placed the order). > Hope this is helpful! > – S >I was just wondering if anyone has ordered their invitations through the >mail. I have a catoluge from Invitations by Dawn, we fell i love with one >invitation in it. I have seen it at those Party Stores that sell invites > and >order them for you but they are aproximately $30 -$35 more per 100. I am >just wooried about acurracy. The catoluge gives you 3 options fill out the >form and either 1) mail it in an (and hope they read right) 2) fax it in >(and hope the fax is readable 3) call them and spell everything out. >Has anyone ever order direct and if so which way did you and what do you >recommend?? >Thanks >T~ >– >Tara & Barry >April 21 2001
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Tara…. Please I beg of you do not order for invitations by dawn I had a really bad experience with them and I am still dealing with it a month and a half later and a month before my wedding if you would like details email me I Have posted about this company before and got a lot of people who also told me they had problems as well as a friend of mine who also ordered from them……It is always your choice but I just dealt with them recently Promise and George July 8th 2000
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I was just wondering if anyone has ordered their invitations through the > mail. I have a catoluge from Invitations by Dawn, we fell i love with one > invitation in it. I have seen it at those Party Stores that sell invites and > order them for you but they are aproximately $30 -$35 more per 100. I am > just wooried about acurracy. The catoluge gives you 3 options fill out the > form and either 1) mail it in an (and hope they read right) 2) fax it in > (and hope the fax is readable 3) call them and spell everything out. > Has anyone ever order direct and if so which way did you and what do you > recommend?? > Thanks > T~ > — > Tara & Barry > April 21 2001
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Dawn is also Celebrations. They are in Hainesport, NJ a mere 15 mins from where I live. My sister worked for them when she was in college. If they mess up anything or you do not like the way it looks, they fedex you the corrected or additional things at no charge They are good to their customers.
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I ordered my invitations, reply cards, bookmarks, and napkins through the mail. I used the company Classic Canadian Weddings. I found them alot cheaper than most wedding boutiques or stores. I ordered samples of what I wanted to see, and went from there. I was satisfied with the overall result. The only thing I didn’t like was waiting until they got here, which only took a week because I had ordered them over a holiday weekend. Best of Luck on whatever you do, Tara & David July 15th, 2000 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->I was just wondering if anyone has ordered their invitations through the >mail. I have a catoluge from Invitations by Dawn, we fell i love with one >invitation in it. I have seen it at those Party Stores that sell invites and >order them for you but they are aproximately $30 -$35 more per 100. I am >just wooried about acurracy. The catoluge gives you 3 options fill out the >form and either 1) mail it in an (and hope they read right) 2) fax it in >(and hope the fax is readable 3) call them and spell everything out. >Has anyone ever order direct and if so which way did you and what do you >recommend?? >Thanks >T~
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>Has anyone ever order direct and if so which way did you and what do you >recommend??
Make sure you order a sample of the one(s) you are considering (and ask for samples of the whole ensemble too, not just the invite). The direct mail ones are often cheap knock-offs of the ones you see in stationery/party stores. If you can get over less quality paper, then its a good way to go. melissa to paul 09-24-00 a bubble-free, animal-release free, toss anything-free event http://www.bella-mag.com/
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I was just wondering if anyone has ordered their invitations through the mail. I have a catoluge from Invitations by Dawn, we fell i love with one invitation in it. I have seen it at those Party Stores that sell invites and order them for you but they are aproximately $30 -$35 more per 100. I am just wooried about acurracy. The catoluge gives you 3 options fill out the form and either 1) mail it in an (and hope they read right) 2) fax it in (and hope the fax is readable 3) call them and spell everything out. Has anyone ever order direct and if so which way did you and what do you recommend?? Thanks T~ — Tara & Barry April 21 2001
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Thanks for the information on your reply. I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what did you spend for the invitations. There are s many different companies and prices out there. I have noticed that most couples spend around $100-$200 on the invites for about 75 of them. This is why I offer a discount off of the engraved invitations because they can be very expensive when you go into a stationary store. Thanks, Robyn Rutland RSVP Invitations
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Some of the nicest invitations are on this web site. If you want a sample of the unique paper, just ask. It is beautiful and definitely not flimsy. — http://members.aol.com/greatbird1/cia/
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Kia– I agree with you that most of the invitation samples from mail-order catalogs are disappointingly flimsy. I discovered it was best for me to stay away from any invitation paper described as "vellum." Not that I begrudge anyone else these styles; I just really like heavy paper for invitations. I found Elaine’s mail-order catalog to be great. The samples I received were all nice and substantial. We chose a single-panel style, with a small scrollwork border. It’s really pretty, and the other elements (reply card, envelopes, etc.) were of similarly good quality. The prices are higher than the other mail-order companies, but much lower than engraved invitations. We just sent them out on Monday, and we’ve already gotten tons of compliments on them. So I definitely consider Elaine’s to be at the least middle ground. I don’t work for them, I just appreciate quality when I sees it! Jennifer marrying Dave, 10-18-97 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->! >We were inundated with catalogues, and we just ordered ours yesterday — >from a local stationers’. The catalogue invites were on horrifyingly >flimsy paper; there were also very few styles I considered tasteful (some >were suitable for something informal, but most were just >over-embellished). >Anyway, we spent literally ten times what catalogue invites would’ve cost >– they’re engraved, the paper’s good and heavy, but I still find myself > a >little irritated that there was nearly no middle ground, price and >quality-wise, between what I saw at local stationers and what I saw in >catalogues. >Other irritations: two envelopes were included whether we liked it or not >(admittedly not a problem with a great many, but), but something as basic >(or so I thought) as having the return address printed on wasn’t. >– > kia MENNIE > Hmm, Kia, > Maybe we’re just using different catalogs. The ones I’m using has sort of > like a la carte pricing where you can pick the package you want, how many > envelopes, whether they’re lined, whether the return envelopes are > adressed, what quality paper and engraving/printing you want, etc. And > they literally are at least 1/3 cheaper, depending on which style you > pick, than going through a stationer. I’m having a beach party reception, > so I found some really nice (really) invites with shells and starfish > engraved that will be perfect. But there was everything from tacky to > elegant. > — elena.
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->! >We were inundated with catalogues, and we just ordered ours yesterday — >from a local stationers’. The catalogue invites were on horrifyingly >flimsy paper; there were also very few styles I considered tasteful (some >were suitable for something informal, but most were just >over-embellished). >Anyway, we spent literally ten times what catalogue invites would’ve cost >– they’re engraved, the paper’s good and heavy, but I still find myself a >little irritated that there was nearly no middle ground, price and >quality-wise, between what I saw at local stationers and what I saw in >catalogues. >Other irritations: two envelopes were included whether we liked it or not >(admittedly not a problem with a great many, but), but something as basic >(or so I thought) as having the return address printed on wasn’t. >– > kia MENNIE
Hmm, Kia, Maybe we’re just using different catalogs. The ones I’m using has sort of like a la carte pricing where you can pick the package you want, how many envelopes, whether they’re lined, whether the return envelopes are adressed, what quality paper and engraving/printing you want, etc. And they literally are at least 1/3 cheaper, depending on which style you pick, than going through a stationer. I’m having a beach party reception, so I found some really nice (really) invites with shells and starfish engraved that will be perfect. But there was everything from tacky to elegant. — elena.
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I have a question: What about inviting people you work with? My fiance does not know whether to invite the people who work under (for) him. What is the protocol on inviting people who work for you? He is inviting the managers that he works for (they are pretty close anyway), but we don’t know whether to invite the others. We do not want to hurt anyone’s feelings.
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**I have a question: What about inviting people you work with? My fiance **does not know whether to invite the people who work under (for) him. **What is the protocol on inviting people who work for you? He is **inviting the managers that he works for (they are pretty close **anyway), but we don’t know whether to invite the others. We do not **want to hurt anyone’s feelings. My fiance and I work together, so this was kinda hard, but we only invited those we socialize with on a regular basis. Group gatherings for the occasional graduation or going away party don’t count – they’re almost mandatory for employment 
. It’s a fine line, but you’ve got to draw it. We work with over 100 people and there’s no way we could invite them all even though we both deal with these people every day. If there is a small group that goes to lunch regularly together…that’s a start. The Friday afternoon beer after work, that’s another cut-off. Inviting people just because they work for you is really hard though, because they may feel obligated to be there and to bring a gift – like their job is riding on making this good impression. Just a few thoughts to muddy the waters for you I’m sure! Amy — Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
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I couldn’t decide what to do about this either. I changed jobs about a year ago and have basically worked with the same small group of people since then. However, I don’t do anything socially with them and don’t even know their wives names! I chose to only invite people I work with that I do social things outside of work with (2) and my fiancee did the same for people he works with. I have also heard of people posting an invitation in the lunch room for people who want to attend. IMO, I would never attend a wedding where I didn’t receive a personal invite, but this may be a way to not offend anyone. I would say, invite the people you work with that you consider more than just co-workers. If people ask, just say your budget and guest list are limited and you couldn’t invite everyone. Jennifer September 28, 1996 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I have a question: What about inviting people you work with? My fiance > does not know whether to invite the people who work under (for) him. > What is the protocol on inviting people who work for you? He is > inviting the managers that he works for (they are pretty close > anyway), but we don’t know whether to invite the others. We do not > want to hurt anyone’s feelings.
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>I have a question: What about inviting people you work with? My fiance >does not know whether to invite the people who work under (for) him. >What is the protocol on inviting people who work for you? He is >inviting the managers that he works for (they are pretty close >anyway), but we don’t know whether to invite the others. We do not >want to hurt anyone’s feelings.
Both Doug and I are graduate students….in separate departments….and boy, will it be tough to keep the numbers down, what with fellow students, faculty, staff… We are definitely individually inviting our advisers, other students with whom we work closely, a few staff members and probably some of the rest of the faculty (particularly those on our grad committees!). I’m considering posting an invite in the faculty lounge to make it clear that others are welcome. I don’t know if this will result in a bunch of people coming….I doubt it. I guess even if all the faculty came, it’d be under 20 people. When we posted a mass invite for our housewarming party a few years back, only a few people showed up. So maybe if you don’t send formal, individual invites, people don’t feel that it’s necessary to attend. I know this probably raised more questions than it answered, but that’s my $.02. Genelle (& Doug) 5/31/97
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> We are ordering our invitations by catalogue and were wondering if anyone > has had any experiences with either Rexcraft or Invitations by Dawn? > Also, what are people going with–the photo lettering or the traditional?
I have not ordered my invitations yet. I have called to get samples sent. I asked about the difference between photo lettering and traditional. They told me at Rexcraft (I believe) that photo lettering can be different sizes, but traditional is one size. I am not saying that I understand their mumbo jumbo, but I you might. Good luck! And I would like to hear who people recommend for ordering invitations. Thanks, Julie (& Alby) August 15, 1998
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> > We are ordering our invitations by catalogue and were wondering if anyone > has had any experiences with either Rexcraft or Invitations by Dawn? > Also, what are people going with–the photo lettering or the traditional? > I have not ordered my invitations yet. I have called to get samples sent. > I asked about the difference between photo lettering and traditional. They > told me at Rexcraft (I believe) that photo lettering can be different > sizes, but traditional is one size. I am not saying that I understand > their mumbo jumbo, but you might.
That is also the explanation that Denise and Alan Fields give in "Bridal Bargains" — and my *only* association with that publication is that I checked it out of the Minneapolis Public Library last night! My understanding is that traditional lettering is like the old computer programs where your choices were Courier 10 pt or Times New Roman 12 pt — you picked from the short list and made the best of it (obviously, the bridal invitation fonts are *not* Courier but something fancier). Photo fonts are more like our TrueType or Adobe fonts, where you can scale them to different sizes and sometimes even loosen or tighten how close together the letters are. Photo fonts would work better with a more elaborate invitation design or with text that has "extra" lines compared to the basic model, because you get more flexibility to make the layout look good. I really like the Fields’ book, although reading it left me *very* glad that we’re not planning a terribly elaborate wedding! Wende
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We got ours from Rexcraft and I was really happy with the results. I got a lot of compliments on them. The customer service people were always helpful and friendly. We also ordered some extra stuff from them (cocktail napkins and favor boxes) and that turned out well, too. I chose the photo lettering (as another poster noted, I think they’re both thermography – the letters were slightly raised). There were more choices of fonts, and the font I really liked was one of the photo lettering ones. It was only a couple of bucks more. I highly suggest that once you narrow down your choices, order samples of the ones you’re thinking of (if time permits). Some that look great in the catalog weren’t so great in person. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > We are ordering our invitations by catalogue and were wondering if anyone > has had any experiences with either Rexcraft or Invitations by Dawn? > Also, what are people going with–the photo lettering or the traditional? > (I’ve only heard of thermography and engraved) > Thanks, > Rachel and Jack 7/25/98
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> And I would like to hear who people recommend for ordering invitations. > Thanks, > Julie (& Alby) > August 15, 1998
Well I just got my Carlson Craft invites today after ordering them through a gift/card store. One thing to keep in mind is that it takes much longer to order them than you’ll think…all the choices involved took us 2 1/2 hours to order them up, and we knew going in what invite we wanted as well as font. Make sure your fiance is there when you put the order together, because there are formality questions that they _will_ want a say in. When he saw his name with a Mr. in front of it he was like, No, unless you get a Ms. with yours I’m not going with a Mr. And one more thing, if you order napkins, order more than you think you’ll need. I only ordered 150 for a group of 75, and I got them today and saw I could have ordered twice as many. The surprise came in that I ordered them last Friday afternoon, and I received the call today that they were in…and I didn’t express order them. I’m very happy with the quality of them and not a typo anywhere. — Sarah & Scott – Sept. 6, 1998 "College is like high school with ashtrays." – David Letterman
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I have recently found a great invitation by Hearthoughts. Does anyone have any experience with this catalogue company? They came recommended from a colleague, as well as from a book I read called "Bridal Bargains." Any input? Thanks, Diane
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We are ordering our invitations by catalogue and were wondering if anyone has had any experiences with either Rexcraft or Invitations by Dawn? Also, what are people going with–the photo lettering or the traditional? (I’ve only heard of thermography and engraved) Thanks, Rachel and Jack 7/25/98
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Rachel- I recently received (and addressed ) an order of invitations from Invitations by Dawn and have been happy with my choice. There were no mistakes, and I think even if there were Dawn guarantees replacement. We aren’t quite finished compiling everything, but quantities seem accurate and I have been happy with the print quality. Incidentally, we ordered one of the styles that doesn’t require folding, which has been nice. If you have any specific questions, I’d be happy to help if I can. Good luck! Kathleen Sheil (w/Karl May 23, 1998) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > We are ordering our invitations by catalogue and were wondering if anyone > has had any experiences with either Rexcraft or Invitations by Dawn? > Also, what are people going with–the photo lettering or the traditional? > (I’ve only heard of thermography and engraved) > Thanks, > Rachel and Jack 7/25/98
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<snip> > Also, what are people going with–the photo lettering or the traditional? > (I’ve only heard of thermography and engraved)
Rachel, In almost all cases, mail order invitations are produced in thermography (raised print). The standard definitions for traditional vs. photo lettering relate to the adaptability of the type. Traditional lettering is produced from a master set of letters. The size of the letters will not be changed regardless of the amount of print or the size of the paper. Photo lettering is able to change in size (as seen on monograms, jumbo lettering on folded invitations, or notations of the names of the bride and groom). When comparing the two sets of typestyles, you may notice that the traditional lettering tends to be "simpler". Today, the lettering styles may be grouped under Traditional or Photo solely by their appearance and the Traditional choices may actually be adaptable. Check examples in the catalog or consult the printer for verification. Best regards, Susan Ondrick, JWIC Love Knots — Garland, Texas
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Any suggestions on discount invitation companies that have good quality?
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>Any suggestions on discount invitation companies that have good quality?
Send for the free catalogs from every invitation company in the bridal magazines. Then request a free sample of any invitation you like. You’ll be able to judge the quality of the actual invitation you want to use that way, and it doesn’t cost you anything except some postage or phone calls. Holly
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>we did ours just using Microsoft Word. They’re not as fancy as ordered
invitations I don’t think we should totally discount home-made invitations, especially with the quality of technology available today! Most home computer packages today are appropriate for even the novice to create very elegant wedding invitations. Ordered invitations are expensive–VERY expensive, in fact. But that doesn’t make them the best option. It may have been the case 30 years ago that home-made invitations did not have a professional appearance. But it’s not the case today. But some etiquette circles still suggest that making invitations is tacky, which I assume is because they lack knowledge of the quality of today’s software and are reluctant to relax the old standard that only ordered invitations are professional enough to send as wedding invitations. So what! Etiquette is a guideline, not a law. I think those who know the difference between ordered vs. homemade invitations wouldn’t bother to speculate as to the couple’s lack of manners but rather applaud their sense of creativity.
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>As for the count of beef vs. seafood, this is one area in which I do not >stray >from the etiquette experts. They all quite agree that what you serve is >sufficient if you have taken your guests tastes into consideration. It’s not >correct to issue a menu and ask your guests to decide on their preferences >today >for an event tomorrow.
I agree that it is a terrible idea to ask guests ahead of time what they want to eat at a future event….unfortunately, my reception site just told me that I have to do this! I’m understandably upset by this. I purposely chose a five-star hotel to hold my wedding in to avoid the tackiness that often happens at other places. I made the mistake of not specifically asking this question before, I guess. It’s too late to change the venue, so do you have any suggestions? Our menu choices are filet mignon, chicken wellington, and filet of salmon…..a combo plate isn’t an option. I hate having to include this info on response cards, but I don’t know what else to do, since the banquet manager just informed me they need a specific count….
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->we did ours just using Microsoft Word. They’re not as fancy as ordered >invitations >I don’t think we should totally discount home-made invitations, especially with >the quality of technology available today! Most home computer packages today >are appropriate for even the novice to create very elegant wedding invitations. > Ordered invitations are expensive–VERY expensive, in fact. But that doesn’t >make them the best option. It may have been the case 30 years ago that >home-made invitations did not have a professional appearance. But it’s not the >case today. But some etiquette circles still suggest that making invitations >is tacky, which I assume is because they lack knowledge of the quality of >today’s software and are reluctant to relax the old standard that only ordered >invitations are professional enough to send as wedding invitations. So what!
Actually, handwritten invitations are entirely proper. I think they would qualify as "home-made". The only reason engraved invitations enter into it at all is that it is often difficult to produce 300 or 500 handwritten ones. Engraving was considered a substitute for handwriting. If one’s handwriting resembles chicken scratches, it’s not difficult to find someone with a lovely hand to produce them. So expense is not really an issue. What I notice about computer-made invitations is the "Hey, look! I made these!" factor. If you have a selfish motivation for doing something a certain way (whether it’s producing invitations on your printer to show that you can or making favors to display your crafting prowess), some guests will sense this and be put off by it. Charleen
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I found some really colorful cards and invitations – they turned out real nice: http://www.gabrieleditions.com Hope this helps In article > You really can’t compare the home catalogue
invites to stationary store brands > like Cranes, William Arthur and Encore. The
quality of the paper and designs > are dramatically different. That said, the
prices are 3-4 times higher for the > stationary store brands. 125 thermographed
invites with response cards, return > addresses and a textured handmade liner cost us
about 800 dollars. Was it > worth it? to me it was.
Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
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>before, I guess. It’s too late to change the venue, so do you have any >suggestions? Our menu choices are filet mignon, chicken wellington, and >filet >of salmon…..a combo plate isn’t an option. I hate having to include this >info on response cards, but I don’t know what else to do, since the banquet >manager just informed me they need a specific count….
Is it too late to switch to a buffet that includes at least two or three entree choices? Buffet service with an abundance of food choices is really the simplest way around this problem, and although it may be more expensive, it’s generally well worth it. Can you simply estimate the number of your guests who are likely to prefer X, Y, or Z, and instruct the servers to offer everything that is available as they serve the meals? If you do this you will probably have to buy more meals than you actually need in order to ensure some choice for everyone. If neither of these options is acceptable, you can either ask for a meal selection on a reply card, which is admittedly awkward, but commonly accepted and probably preferable to allowing your guests no choice at all, or choose a single menu to be served to everyone. That single menus should probably be chicken, as many people do not eat red meat and many people do not eat seafood, whereas there are relatively few people who simply do not or cannot consume poultry. However, you can also choose beef or salmon along with substantial side dishes, so that anyone who does not like salmon can be minimally satisfied with salads and pilaf and vegetables. You’ll waste a lot of food and your guests won’t be as satisfied as if you’d offered a buffet, but you won’t be lynched or anything. We’ve all been to weddings where the food was more or less inedible (due to personal food allergies or aversions, or simply because it wasn’t very good quality) and everyone knows that a good selection of well-prepared food is a bonus, not an expectation. Holly
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> I agree that it is a terrible idea to ask guests ahead of time what they want > to eat at a future event….unfortunately, my reception site just told me that > I have to do this! I’m understandably upset by this. I purposely chose a > five-star hotel to hold my wedding in to avoid the tackiness that often happens > at other places. I made the mistake of not specifically asking this question > before, I guess. It’s too late to change the venue, so do you have any > suggestions? Our menu choices are filet mignon, chicken wellington, and filet > of salmon…..a combo plate isn’t an option. I hate having to include this > info on response cards, but I don’t know what else to do, since the banquet > manager just informed me they need a specific count….
Choose chicken wellington for all. It’s the safest bet. Tracy — Posted via Talkway – http://www.talkway.com Exchange ideas on practically anything ™.
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I’m made my invitations with he print shop software, I already had the paper from a wedding invitation kit I purchased at Compusa. The kit had very nice paper not a heavy weighted paper though and a software template, the template did have some grammer errors in it. I chose wording from the wedding invitation catalog and put the work together. I printed them on an ink jet printer and they looked great. Also it cost way less than $100 – I beleive i spent more money on postage stamps then I did for the invitations. I got compliments from almost everyone who received an invitation.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->we did ours just using Microsoft Word. They’re not as fancy as ordered > invitations > I don’t think we should totally discount home-made invitations, especially with > the quality of technology available today! Most home computer packages today > are appropriate for even the novice to create very elegant wedding invitations. > Ordered invitations are expensive–VERY expensive, in fact. But that doesn’t > make them the best option. It may have been the case 30 years ago that > home-made invitations did not have a professional appearance. But it’s not the > case today. But some etiquette circles still suggest that making invitations > is tacky, which I assume is because they lack knowledge of the quality of > today’s software and are reluctant to relax the old standard that only ordered > invitations are professional enough to send as wedding invitations. So what! > Etiquette is a guideline, not a law. I think those who know the difference > between ordered vs. homemade invitations wouldn’t bother to speculate as to the > couple’s lack of manners but rather applaud their sense of creativity.
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->we did ours just using Microsoft Word. They’re not as fancy as ordered >invitations >I don’t think we should totally discount home-made invitations, especially with >the quality of technology available today! Most home computer packages today >are appropriate for even the novice to create very elegant wedding invitations. > Ordered invitations are expensive–VERY expensive, in fact. But that doesn’t >make them the best option. It may have been the case 30 years ago that >home-made invitations did not have a professional appearance. But it’s not the >case today. But some etiquette circles still suggest that making invitations >is tacky, which I assume is because they lack knowledge of the quality of >today’s software and are reluctant to relax the old standard that only ordered >invitations are professional enough to send as wedding invitations. So what! >Etiquette is a guideline, not a law. I think those who know the difference >between ordered vs. homemade invitations wouldn’t bother to speculate as to the >couple’s lack of manners but rather applaud their sense of creativity.
For what it’s worth, I wasn’t "totally discounting home-made invitations". Ours looked fine, but as I said above, they weren’t as fancy as the ones you can order. The reference you quoted was specific only to the invitations we made, not home-made invitations in general. Just wanted to clear that up. I too agree that home made is fine. Obviously it takes a little more work, but the results can be beautiful. We were very happy with how ours turned out, and since it was for an informal, small wedding, it wasn’t too unappropriate. Also, people made a point to compliment how they looked, so I doubt if anyone really cared that they weren’t white/ivory engraved. Ariane
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>What I notice about computer-made invitations is the "Hey, look! I made these!" >factor. If you have a selfish motivation for doing something a certain way >(whether it’s producing invitations on your printer to show that you can or >making favors to display your crafting prowess), some guests will sense this >and be put off by it.
Maybe this is true, but for some people that "Hey, look!" may just be an exaltation of accomplishment. I know I just made up the first of my invitations, and I had to show everyone how cool they looked. In any case, there’s no reason to avoid making your own invites, if that’s what you want to do. This is YOUR wedding, so you should do what YOU want to do. I wanted to spend some time doing something that was enjoyable to me, and making my invite will be enjoyable. The other important thing is that if you make your invites, each and every one will be special, and that makes it all the more meaningful for you and the recipient.
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> I was wondering if one invitation style is more "proper" than the other. >(single vs folded) I really like the single look but my queen mother thinks >that the folded is better.
Well, way back when, a proper wedding invitation was issued on the woman’s personal stationery–beautifully handwritten and centered and so forth. A proper woman would have stationery in various forms, but her formal social stationery would be the folded letter sheet. Engraved invitations were to mimic the look of the handwritten invitations on folded letter sheets (handwritten is more proper, but engraving was not as hard on the old hands if you have a great many invitations to issue). So…technically, the folded invitations are the more traditional and formal–particularly if they’re plain (or paneled) and have formal third person wording. Single invitations are not improper. At most, they’re a bit less formal. But, a really elegant looking single invitation could certainly be construed as formal these days. Ericka Kammerer (who does indeed use engraved folded letter sheets for her own correspondence because she really, really likes them
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You really don’t need any special software to make your own invitations. Microsoft Word or another word processing software works just fine. I was recently in Staples, and they had kits for $24.99. It included 25 invitations and envelopes, and you could purchase more as you needed. I haven’t seen any oversized envelopes at Staples/officeMax, but maybe I wasn’t looking in the right place. I have so much time still, so it’s not too pressing yet. Today I happened across a *great* source for paper and the oversized envelopes you’re going to need. It was www.ledesktop.com. I am going to check around with some printer supply houses to compare prices. Here is another *fabulous* website which I have book marked. It is maintained by some alt.wedding readers, Ron and Debbie- http://home.att.net/~rsenecal/wedpage.html. Great invitation ideas there, I think I am going to do the transparent overlay thing. Fool around on your computer, make a few prototypes and see what you like. I decided since I am doing a lot of the work myself saving money, I am going to splurge on really nice, heavy paper. It will be a little more than if I went 100% frugal, but I think it will be worth it! Good luck! Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
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You really can’t compare the home catalogue invites to stationary store brands like Cranes, William Arthur and Encore. The quality of the paper and designs are dramatically different. That said, the prices are 3-4 times higher for the stationary store brands. 125 thermographed invites with response cards, return addresses and a textured handmade liner cost us about 800 dollars. Was it worth it? to me it was.
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>IMO, (and I am no expert), folded-card invitations appear to be less >formal than single-sheet. To me, the more folds in the invite, the >less formal. I know it’s not what all the ettiquette experts say, but >it is just my perception. Also, I think the simpler the invitation, >the more formal the event. (snip) But to me, >elegance is simple white (non-fold) card stock with black ink >Tracy >(Just my thoughts, which often aren’t in-line with the experts)
I happen to agree. I think that single panel cards make an elegant statement and would not hesitate to use them when an engraved invitation is not desired (they *are* rather expensive). And the etiquette experts agree with you: the more simple the invitation, more it speaks of elegance. The reason engraved invitations are on a single-fold card is simple mechanics. The engraving does not work on heavy-duty card stock often used for the panel cards (and there are those who will run their fingers behind the printing to check for the tell-tale engraved indention!). Hope this helps, Noe
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I’ll give you the etiquette "legal" first and then my personal take. A truly formal wedding will start with engraved invitations. To that end, they are engraved on single folded cards, not panels. This is because panels are usually much heavier and engraving does not work on such heavy card stock. A creative invitation does not necessary mean an event is less than formal. Many social events which are terribly formal start with the arrival of beautifully designed and lavish invitations. That said, some people are sometimes left clueless by the arrival of a fanciful invitation, but those people are usually the ones who do not receive a great many formal invitations in the first place. Please notice we are now talking about "events" and not "weddings." There are certain differences and expectations between the two in some people’s mind. Personally, I have received some wonderful invitations which were handmade and I treasure them. (The invitation using a barrel of monkeys was my favorite.) Personal opinion: If your guests will be able to discern without a doubt by the time and location that your wedding is formal, then I see no reason why a lavishly constructed invitation cannot be used instead of the engraved cards for your formal event and I seriously doubt you’ll find anyone who thinks less of you for doing so. As for the count of beef vs. seafood, this is one area in which I do not stray from the etiquette experts. They all quite agree that what you serve is sufficient if you have taken your guests tastes into consideration. It’s not correct to issue a menu and ask your guests to decide on their preferences today for an event tomorrow. Understanding your wanting to give your guests the option (which may be difficult with two highly appealing choices), some hosts opt to give guests both – not full-sized portions, but half+ portions of each. For some hosts, this is just out of the question with respect to the budget; therefore a difficult decision must be made, but if made carefully and in consultation with the catering staff, one can select a fine meal in which the overall majority of your guests will be absolutely delighted. Hope this helps, Noe
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>I am looking for good quality, discount invitations. Any information? >Also, any good computer programs out there to make invitation and to print >envelopes? Where do I get the special paper to do so?
If you don’t want to make them, Willow Tree Lane and Rexcraft are good mail-order companies with good-quality, inexpensive (for the most part) invitations. Both companies have a good reputation, from what I’ve been able to determine. You can find these companies by doing a search on an Internet search engine. We ordered 125 invitations from Willow Tree Lane and got the invites, envelopes with our return address printed on them, and inner envelopes for only about $87. -Amy
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In article > The most formal invitation is on a folded card. However, you should select a > style which is representative of the overall tone of the wedding.
So Noe, I am planning on making my invitations for our evening wedding. We are having 130 guests and a sit-down dinner at an exclusive country club.(from the reaction I get from people when I tell them where we’re having it, I guess it’s exclusive.) I’ll be in a ball gown, my groom in a tux, BMs in floor length gowns. I was going to buy some heavy stock paper and print a beautiful floral pattern on the stock, and then print the invitation on tranparent paper which is somewhat smaller than the card stock, and tie them together with a decorative ribbon. It is really an attractive invitation. We have to include a response to give the chef a count on beef -vs- seafood. Am I making an etiqutte faux pas? From the location of the reception, guests will know the level of formality, and the font will be quite formal as well. Should I rethink it? Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> In article > The most formal invitation is on a folded card. However, you should > select a > style which is representative of the overall tone of the wedding. > So Noe, > I am planning on making my invitations for our evening wedding. We are > having 130 guests and a sit-down dinner at an exclusive country > club.(from the reaction I get from people when I tell them where we’re > having it, I guess it’s exclusive.) I’ll be in a ball gown, my groom > in a tux, BMs in floor length gowns. > I was going to buy some heavy stock paper and print a beautiful floral > pattern on the stock, and then print the invitation on tranparent paper > which is somewhat smaller than the card stock, and tie them together > with a decorative ribbon. It is really an attractive invitation. We > have to include a response to give the chef a count on beef -vs- > seafood. Am I making an etiqutte faux pas? From the location of the > reception, guests will know the level of formality, and the font will > be quite formal as well. Should I rethink it?
IMO, (and I am no expert), folded-card invitations appear to be less formal than single-sheet. To me, the more folds in the invite, the less formal. I know it’s not what all the ettiquette experts say, but it is just my perception. Also, I think the simpler the invitation, the more formal the event. The invites with angels, and roses, and seashores, and cute little kids are all very very nice. But to me, elegance is simple white (non-fold) card stock with black ink (no matter what color the bridesmaids dresses are). I think what you are planning is fine, and it would tip me off that you were having a formal affair. Tracy (Just my thoughts, which often aren’t in-line with the experts) — Posted via Talkway – http://www.talkway.com Exchange ideas on practically anything ™.
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>I am looking for good quality, discount invitations. Any information? >Also, any good computer programs out there to make invitation and to print >envelopes? Where do I get the special paper to do so?
Office supply stores and craft stores sometimes sell entire kits to make invitations, which include the paper and software. The last time I was in Office Depot, a kit of 24 invitations (invites, cards, and thank you cards, I think) was about $20 or so. You could look in their paper aisle or ask, I’m sure a member of the staff will be able to help you. On the other hand, I don’t think a person strictly needs special software to write their own invitations. It might help, but we did ours just using Microsoft Word. We got the paper from Kinkos, and they also sell envelopes. They’re not as fancy as ordered invitations, however. Ariane
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I am looking for good quality, discount invitations. Any information? Also, any good computer programs out there to make invitation and to print envelopes? Where do I get the special paper to do so?
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All the stores around here order the invitations just as you would do from a catalog. I found that some of the shops really didn’t even know that much about the invitations. By ordering from the catalog you’re simply cutting out the middleman. I ordered mine from a catalog and they turned out lovely. -Kelly 11-27-99
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>She of course doesn’t want to order out of a catalog; only wants to go
with a stationer although we can get everything we need including thank you notes for $350! Alexandra (to Michael) February 5, 2000 We ordered our invitations from Willow Tree Lane catalog. We got 125 invitations, envelopes and inner envelopes for a grand total of only $87. (that’s right – eighty-seven dollars…we’re paying for most of the wedding ourselves, and had budgeted $150 for invitations….we came in way under budget on this one) They arrived within two weeks from the day we ordered them, and they are very beautiful. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with catalogs – they’re usually less expensive and the quality is good, from what I’ve seen. Rexcraft had some good ones, too, for only slightly more money. Amy (to Charles, 12/18/99)
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Neither is more proper, and there is nothing wrong with ordering from a catalog. I looked into both. Ordering from a catalog is MUCH cheaper. I got coupons in the mail for some local places. I went to check them out, and they were more expensive than the mail-order places even with the coupon! They all have the same invitations. Look at the catalogs, and you will see. We used Rexcraft, and we loved them! Our invitation did not fold, and that is really what we wanted, though it wasnt’ a huge issue. The invitation we chose just happened to be that way. Kelli – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I was wondering if one invitation style is more "proper" than the other. (single vs folded) I really like the single look but my queen mother thinks that the folded is better. She of course doesn’t want to order out of a catalog; only wants to go with a stationer although we can get everything we need including thank you notes for $350! > Alexandra (to Michael) > February 5, 2000 > * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * > The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!
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I was wondering if one invitation style is more "proper" than the other. (single vs folded) I really like the single look but my queen mother thinks that the folded is better. She of course doesn’t want to order out of a catalog; only wants to go with a stationer although we can get everything we need including thank you notes for $350! Alexandra (to Michael) February 5, 2000 * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!
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The most formal invitation is on a folded card. However, you should select a style which is representative of the overall tone of the wedding. As for thank you cards, please skip them. There’s no need whatsoever to order special cards with "Thank you" emblazoned across the front. (The well-known etiquette experts proclaim these cards to be improper.) Your sincere letter of thanks written on your personal stationery is far better. Hope this helps, Noe
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>I was wondering if one invitation style is more "proper" than the other. >(single vs folded) I really like the single look but my queen mother thinks >that the folded is better.
I really don’t know if one is more traditional or more "proper" than the other, but personally I prefer the panel type. They’re heavier paper and therefore look nicer and feel like better quality, even compared to a folded one of a similar type and price. Plus, with the folded ones, it always struck me as especially dumb that you’re not supposed to put anything inside the fold. What’s it there for then? A normal folded card has the important details on the *inside*. I guarantee you most people who receive folded invitations open them up and look inside — even if they actually know there won’t be anything in there, it’s an autonomous response to holding a folded card. And the inside usually doesn’t look very good; it’s like the wrong side of a dress with the seams showing. Anyway, ours were trifold, with printing on all three "panels", so there are other options. :-) As for ordering from a catalog, the mail-order catalogs have most of the same things the in-store catalogs do. In some cases the paper stock is from the exact same manufacturers. No matter where you order, be sure to look at and handle an actual sample (don’t choose based only on a catalog photo) so you can feel the quality and weight of the paper, examine how well the printing is lined up, etc. Quality and selection do vary, but it’s not true that mail order is always worse than in-store. Holly
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Does anyone know where to buy blank wedding invitations to print on
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Try a stationary store or a printing place. I know in my town, Basic sells imbossed blank invitations for $40/30, and the printing place next door, sells invitation-thick paper for $0.15. So if you can live without embossing, plain paper is much cheaper. Hope that helps. aubepine
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> Try a stationary store or a printing place. I know in my town, Basic > sells imbossed blank invitations for $40/30, and the printing place next
Also, you could try PAPER DIRECT (1-800-A-PAPERS). They have a modest selection of invitation, plain and printed designs. They also have a few products that would look great as a menu list and place cards. I have ordered other paper products from them and find their staff very helpful. Also, their delivery and biling were prompt. Hope this helps… take care, Mellissa Last
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Do I send invitations to the bridal party?
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Laranna wrote… > Do I send invitations to the bridal party?
Of course! You want them to come, don’t you? :-) — Joe Pucillo Baltimore, Maryland USA To reply by email, please remove the .xx from the address.
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> Do I send invitations to the bridal party?
If you think they’d like them as souvenirs, sure. If you see them frequently I would hand deliver instead of mailing them. It’s also a good idea to send them a written schedule closer to the wedding day so they know exactly where they have to be and when, including rehearsal and rehearsal dinner if you have one. Written directions and a good map if they are from out of townis also a good idea. gloria p
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> Do I send invitations to the bridal party?
Only if you want to be sure that they know the date, time and place. Ann
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I think you should.. so that they know they can bring a guest…
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Do I send invitations to the bridal party? > Only if you want to be sure that they know the date, time and place. > Ann
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Absolutely- just for the formality. Jen
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Do I send invitations to the bridal party?
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> I think you should.. so that they know they can bring a guest…
Receiving an invitation doesn’t mean you can bring a guest. Receiving an invitation means not only are you absolutely, positively invited, but here is all the information in writing so you don’t get too lost.
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I was assuming that you would write "Name" and "Guest" on the inside envelope. ?
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I think you should.. so that they know they can bring a guest… > Receiving an invitation doesn’t mean you can bring a guest. Receiving an > invitation means not only are you absolutely, positively invited, but here > is all the information in writing so you don’t get too lost.
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Frankly, I would consider doing this *only* if my friend "Name"’s SO was named "firstname Guest. People *I* would invite to such a significant event, would be 1) people I know and am close to (whether friend or relative) and 2) the people that I *know* are important to those in 1. In other words, "flavor of the day" is not someone I’d want witnessing my vows. That’s me (and I suspect a lot of folks getting married). A wedding is not a date event, no matter hat current and past sitcoms and comic strips would have you believe. Ann, donning flameproof overcoat
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I was assuming that you would write "Name" and "Guest" on the inside > envelope. ? > > I think you should.. so that they know they can bring a guest… > Receiving an invitation doesn’t mean you can bring a guest. Receiving an > invitation means not only are you absolutely, positively invited, but here > is all the information in writing so you don’t get too lost.
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If I ever went to a wedding where I only knew the bride and groom and couldn’t bring a "guest"… I would feel very uncomfortable.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Frankly, I would consider doing this *only* if my friend "Name"’s SO was > named "firstname Guest. > People *I* would invite to such a significant event, would be 1) people I > know and am close to (whether friend or relative) and 2) the people that I > *know* are important to those in 1. In other words, "flavor of the day" is > not someone I’d want witnessing my vows. > That’s me (and I suspect a lot of folks getting married). A wedding is not a > date event, no matter hat current and past sitcoms and comic strips would > have you believe. > Ann, donning flameproof overcoat > I was assuming that you would write "Name" and "Guest" on the inside > envelope. ? > > > I think you should.. so that they know they can bring a guest… > > Receiving an invitation doesn’t mean you can bring a guest. Receiving an > > invitation means not only are you absolutely, positively invited, but > here > > is all the information in writing so you don’t get too lost.
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> If I ever went to a wedding where I only knew the bride and groom and > couldn’t bring a "guest"… I would feel very uncomfortable.
More and more people seem to feel that way, but honestly– is it *that* difficult to simply meet and talk to the other people there? You feel you really need the crutch of someone you know always at your side at a social function? I know it means stepping a bit outside some people’s comfort zone to do that, though once it was considered an essential skill that all young men and women were expected to learn. But really, it’s not the obligation of your hosts to feed and entertain someone they’ve never met to spare you the agony of having to meet and socialize with all their other friends and family. After all, at least in this scenario, you at least are guaranteed to have something in common with everyone there– the bride and groom. You always have a perfect conversation opener: "So, how do you know the bride/groom?" And who knows? You might meet someone perfectly delightful at the wedding. Weddings can be a great place to meet people–you at least know they have *something* in common with you, which generally beats your odds at the local watering hole. Best wishes, Ericka
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YOU MUST. You don’t want strangers, whinos, or exs’ popping in, do you? Danielle – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Do I send invitations to the bridal party?
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If they were whino’s strangers or exs they wouldn’t be in my bridal party. Assuming my bridal party is going to show up just for the fact that they are my bridesmaids, groomsmen do I need to send them an invitation is my question – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > YOU MUST. You don’t want strangers, whinos, or exs’ > popping in, do you? > Danielle > Do I send invitations to the bridal party?
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> If they were whino’s strangers or exs they wouldn’t be in my bridal > party.
yeah sure, just wait till you pass the pina colada around, you’ll see the whino’s strangers and exs then. Don’t act like the queen of england either will ya’. > Assuming my bridal party is going to show up just for the fact that > they are my bridesmaids, groomsmen do I need to send them an > invitation is my question
The answer is YES. Clear enuff? gawd. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> YOU MUST. You don’t want strangers, whinos, or exs’ > popping in, do you? > Danielle > > Do I send invitations to the bridal party?
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>yeah sure, just wait till you pass the pina colada around
How VULGAR! Each guest should receive their OWN pina colada. Ron Ng Knows!
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>Noe Spaemme spake thusly >>Is it considered impolite to send invitations to the wedding ceremony >>only? >This is a perfectly fine plan and is done all the time. >*phew* >Of course, as Ericka has mentioned, it’s still how people perceive it >all that will bother us.
If you don’t tell, they shouldn’t find out and those that do find out shouldn’t give another thought about it. No one is owed an invitation. And if you’re planning to have a small celebration at the church anyway, then no one is snubbed from celebrating with you. Hope this helps, Noe
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> Ericka Kammerer spake thusly > t In some cases, it might be preferable > not to do as you plan. Just have a smaller wedding. Alternatively, > you could scale back the reception and do cake and punch for > everyone instead of a full dinner (or whatever) for only a few. > True. However, my fiance is from the UK, and a lot of his family and > our mutual friends will be travelling halfway round the world for the > wedding, so we’d like to have a little bit more than "cake and punch" > for them.
Another alternative, then, might be a cake and punch reception followed (later that night, or maybe even the next day) by a more intimate function with just his family or some such thing. > And, to be honest, we don’t have hundreds of close friends and > relatives. The people we’d be inviting to the ceremony and reception are > those near and dear to us. I’d be happy to keep it at that, except > there are quite a few (mostly workmates) who have jokingly indicated > that they will "crash" the ceremony if not invited. Both here and in > UK/Ireland it’s acceptable to get an invite to the "after party" – the > dance after the dinner. I’ve received several of these invitations, and > always felt a bit disappointed not to actually see the exchange of vows, > so thought that perhaps we could send ceremony (and/or party) invites to > those "less close". Or not at all, and still offend people!
You may be caught in one of those situations where things tend to be a little different between the US and the UK. In the US it is less common to do the "after party" invitation, so people aren’t accustomed to that. Also, I don’t know about the UK, but in the US, if you’re getting married in a church, it is technically a public event and *anyone* can come, with or without an invitation. Some people aren’t aware of that, though, and might feel hesitant to come. So really, the coworkers wouldn’t be "crashing" the ceremony at all, since it’s perfectly permissable for them to be there. > I think there’s no escaping the fact that having a > large wedding and a small reception creates two classes > of wedding guests–those important enough to go to the > reception and those who aren’t. > Hmm… this does concern me. Perhaps, as others have suggested, we > could invite people to the ceremony, by word of mouth?
That might work well for you. However, I wouldn’t even phrase it as an invitation, since it is actually a public event anyway. I would phrase it more in terms of saying that you’re sorry it’s a small wedding and you can’t accommodate everyone, but if they came to the church for the ceremony you’d be delighted to see them. If you have a significant crowd of people doing that, I think it would be wise to plan some time at the church after the wedding to serve some punch and maybe some cookies or something (if not cake) and budget the time to be there just a bit. (I think you mentioned something like that earlier?) Most likely, those people who aren’t going to the reception are going to angle for some of your time and make it difficult for you to get to the reception quickly, so it’s probably best to *plan* on it so it doesn’t skew the whole schedule too much. Best wishes, Ericka
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>>No, Ron, this is NOT vulgar. Check your etiquette books again. > Ron is right. If you invite someone to the ceremony, but not to the > reception, it’s a total slap in the face. > Jeremy
From "Emily Post Weddings": "For the church wedding, followed by a small or private reception, engraved invitations are issued to the ceremony, few to the reception." From "The Wedding Planner" by Diana Bright: "If your invitation does not mention the reception in its body — the usual form if you will not invite all guests to both the ceremony and reception — a reception card is enclosed with the invitations of those invited to the reception." From "Amy Vanderbilt’s New Complete Book of Etiquette": "When not all those attending the wedding are to be invited to the reception a reception card of the same stock as the invitations and about half the size is included with its tissue." — aMAZon "It’s never too late to have a happy childhood."
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> No, Ron, this is NOT vulgar. Check your etiquette books again.
Ron is right. If you invite someone to the ceremony, but not to the reception, it’s a total slap in the face. Jeremy
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> Hmm… this does concern me. Perhaps, as others have suggested, we > could invite people to the ceremony, by word of mouth?
It also depends on what type of congregation or protocol your religion follows; I know in many there are still published wedding banns in the weekly parish bulletin announcing a wedding, and that really a wedding ceremony is a public event to be witnessed by the whole community — this is more usual in the larger Catholic and Lutheran congregations where the issue of seating wouldn’t be a problem.
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Noe Spaemme spake thusly >Is it considered impolite to send invitations to the wedding ceremony >only? >This is a perfectly fine plan and is done all the time.
*phew* Of course, as Ericka has mentioned, it’s still how people perceive it all that will bother us. >For those persons who will be invited to an off-site celebration, you >would enclose a separate invitation with the ceremony invitation.
We do plan to have the reception (way) off-site, so a separate invitation would probably be required. — Maggie
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ally spake thusly >I know someone who had a small wedding. She didn’t send the people who she >couldn’t squeeze into the reception invites though – she called them or >visited in person. She explained the limits of her budget and that she >would love it if they felt like coming by the church. >People did not feel snubbed at all. >Good luck
Thanks Allison – perhaps we might do that. Although budget is part of it, I think neither of us really want a huge wedding. — Maggie
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Newcombe Design spake thusly >People don’t usually invite guests to the ceremony at all in the UK, it’s >taken for granted when you are invited to a day or evening reception you >will be invited to the wedding ceremony as well. I think people would be >confused if you send invitations for a ceremony only. Maybe you could invite >30 – 40 people to a sit down reception and then invite the rest of your >friends – less close family to an informal party with a BBQ or buffet – >maybe after your honeymoon. You should remember it’s your day, if you have >good friends and family they’ll understand, if they are offended then you >probably wouldn’t be able to win whatever you decide. Personally I would >speak to people individually explaining your reasons and then do what you >want or can afford. Have a good day
It’s mostly our workmates – we could always send a "general invite" to the ceremony for them. Although a few of them will be invited to the reception (therein lies the rub), as we know them a lot better. — Maggie
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Ericka Kammerer spake thusly > Is it considered impolite to send invitations to the wedding >ceremony only? …… >t In some cases, it might be preferable >not to do as you plan. Just have a smaller wedding. Alternatively, >you could scale back the reception and do cake and punch for >everyone instead of a full dinner (or whatever) for only a few.
True. However, my fiance is from the UK, and a lot of his family and our mutual friends will be travelling halfway round the world for the wedding, so we’d like to have a little bit more than "cake and punch" for them. And, to be honest, we don’t have hundreds of close friends and relatives. The people we’d be inviting to the ceremony and reception are those near and dear to us. I’d be happy to keep it at that, except there are quite a few (mostly workmates) who have jokingly indicated that they will "crash" the ceremony if not invited. Both here and in UK/Ireland it’s acceptable to get an invite to the "after party" – the dance after the dinner. I’ve received several of these invitations, and always felt a bit disappointed not to actually see the exchange of vows, so thought that perhaps we could send ceremony (and/or party) invites to those "less close". Or not at all, and still offend people! >So, the first question you ask is whether all these >people really *do* want to get dressed up and come see you >get married? Next, ask yourself whether they might prefer >to attend just the ceremony or attend the ceremony and a >simple cake and punch (or similar) reception? In other words, >you’ve already said that the reception is really just for >fun, so ask yourself *whose* fun.
Our families, especially our out-of-town guests, many of whom won’t have been to this country before. > I think there’s no escaping the fact that having a >large wedding and a small reception creates two classes >of wedding guests–those important enough to go to the >reception and those who aren’t.
Hmm… this does concern me. Perhaps, as others have suggested, we could invite people to the ceremony, by word of mouth? — Maggie
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>>Is it considered impolite to send invitations to the wedding ceremony >only? > How VULGAR! > Ron Ng Knows!
No, Ron, this is NOT vulgar. Check your etiquette books again. — aMAZon "It’s never too late to have a happy childhood."
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>No, Ron, this is NOT vulgar. Check your etiquette books again.
It is VULGAR when people know they aren’t invited to the party. Ron Ng Knows!
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>Is it considered impolite to send invitations to the wedding ceremony >only?
How VULGAR! Ron Ng Knows!
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>Is it considered impolite to send invitations to the wedding ceremony >only? >I think the most important part of our wedding is the exchanging of >vows. All the rest is decoration – fun, but decoration. Since we can’t >afford to have hundreds at our reception (more like 60), I’d like to >send invitations to just the ceremony to everyone else. And as a >thank-you for turning up, I thought we maybe could offer a glass of >bubbly (or orange juice) at the church after the ceremony. >Do you think folks would be offended if we did this?
This is a perfectly fine plan and is done all the time. Typically, cake and punch are offered at the church. Bubbly is usually limited to ginger ale since most churches do not permit alcohol. The only people who could be offended are those who are told about the other reception and further told they are not invited. Ergo, we do not discuss this other event at all to prevent others from accidentally finding out about it. Yes, some will find out most likely. But as long as you’ve done your best not to rub others’ noses in it, there is no offense. Your invitations would be worded in whatever format you wish befitting the formality of the event. In the lower left corner, you would state: "Reception immediately following the ceremony" For those persons who will be invited to an off-site celebration, you would enclose a separate invitation with the ceremony invitation. Hope this helps, Noe
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People don’t usually invite guests to the ceremony at all in the UK, it’s taken for granted when you are invited to a day or evening reception you will be invited to the wedding ceremony as well. I think people would be confused if you send invitations for a ceremony only. Maybe you could invite 30 – 40 people to a sit down reception and then invite the rest of your friends – less close family to an informal party with a BBQ or buffet – maybe after your honeymoon. You should remember it’s your day, if you have good friends and family they’ll understand, if they are offended then you probably wouldn’t be able to win whatever you decide. Personally I would speak to people individually explaining your reasons and then do what you want or can afford. Have a good day ali www.weddingstationeryetc.co.uk
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I know someone who had a small wedding. She didn’t send the people who she couldn’t squeeze into the reception invites though – she called them or visited in person. She explained the limits of her budget and that she would love it if they felt like coming by the church. People did not feel snubbed at all. Good luck Allison
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Is it considered impolite to send invitations to the wedding ceremony > only? > I think the most important part of our wedding is the exchanging of > vows. All the rest is decoration – fun, but decoration. Since we can’t > afford to have hundreds at our reception (more like 60), I’d like to > send invitations to just the ceremony to everyone else. And as a > thank-you for turning up, I thought we maybe could offer a glass of > bubbly (or orange juice) at the church after the ceremony. > Do you think folks would be offended if we did this? > — > Maggie
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> Is it considered impolite to send invitations to the wedding ceremony only? > I think the most important part of our wedding is the exchanging of > vows. All the rest is decoration – fun, but decoration. Since we can’t > afford to have hundreds at our reception (more like 60), I’d like to > send invitations to just the ceremony to everyone else. And as a > thank-you for turning up, I thought we maybe could offer a glass of > bubbly (or orange juice) at the church after the ceremony.
It is not improper to invite people only to the ceremony. To accomplish this, you include reception cards only in the invitations that go to people invited to the reception. > Do you think folks would be offended if we did this?
That’s another question entirely. If this would be unusual for your circle, some people may be offended, thinking that you’re just trolling for gifts (not saying you are–just saying I’ve heard people say that). If that’s the case, you might catch a lot of flak for this even though it’s not technically incorrect. In some cases, it might be preferable not to do as you plan. Just have a smaller wedding. Alternatively, you could scale back the reception and do cake and punch for everyone instead of a full dinner (or whatever) for only a few. It’s a tough call to make, but only you (with the assistance of friends and family) can figure out how this is likely to go over with your guests. On the one hand, you can’t (and shouldn’t) be held hostage to other’s expectations. On the other hand, you have to ask yourself why you’re thinking of having a larger ceremony and smaller reception–or why the alternatives (small ceremony and small reception or larger ceremony and larger, but simpler, reception) are not acceptable. I’m guessing that you feel you can only afford to entertain 60, but you want everyone else to be able to see you get married. So, the first question you ask is whether all these people really *do* want to get dressed up and come see you get married? Next, ask yourself whether they might prefer to attend just the ceremony or attend the ceremony and a simple cake and punch (or similar) reception? In other words, you’ve already said that the reception is really just for fun, so ask yourself *whose* fun. I think there’s no escaping the fact that having a large wedding and a small reception creates two classes of wedding guests–those important enough to go to the reception and those who aren’t. How people perceive this depends in part on where you draw the line. For instance, if you invite just immediate family out to dinner after the wedding, no one would think twice about not being included. On the other hand, if most people are making the reception cut and only a few are left out, this would probably annoy most people. In addition, people will take note of how elaborate the ceremony and reception are. If everything is opulent, the interpretation might be that you are more inclined to indulge yourself rather than reach out to all your friends and family. If, on the other hand, the ceremony and reception are less elaborate, people are more likely to assume that your limitations are more genuine. You have the right to invite whomever you like to your wedding and to your reception. That’s not even up for question. However, it’s inescapable that people will read something into whatever choices you make. You can’t allow everyone else’s expectations to run your life, so the fact that a few people will be miffed no matter *what* you do shouldn’t matter at all. But to the extent that your choices really do reflect your values and priorities, people *will*, understandably, take that into account. You certainly shouldn’t feel any pressure to spend more money than you’ve budgeted. No one has a right to force your hand there. The only question is whether how you’ve allocated the money you *have* reflects the values and priorities you wish to reflect. If so, you’re good to go. Best wishes, Ericka
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Is it considered impolite to send invitations to the wedding ceremony only? I think the most important part of our wedding is the exchanging of vows. All the rest is decoration – fun, but decoration. Since we can’t afford to have hundreds at our reception (more like 60), I’d like to send invitations to just the ceremony to everyone else. And as a thank-you for turning up, I thought we maybe could offer a glass of bubbly (or orange juice) at the church after the ceremony. Do you think folks would be offended if we did this? — Maggie
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great, but what if they don’t have a computer? i know it seems odd in this computer age but know lots of people that do not own a pc or have access to one. ~b
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>Perhaps one way you could >impart gift-giving information to those who do not know anyone else would >be to include a link on the website – say, "for more information, please >if your friend would OK that, or a relative, or even yours…then, a >person wondering about gifts could certainly take the initiative to *ask*. >If a particular guest does *not* take the initiative to ask, then maybe >that person isn’t interested in getting registry information? I mean, >that’s just the way I would think about it.
Well, that’s fine, but I don’t think there’s any real need to be *that* coy about it either. A button on the home page that says "Registry Info" (along with one for "Hotel and Out-of-Town Guest Info" and one for "Our Engagement Portrait" and one for "Map to the Reception" etc.) does the job. Anyone who doesn’t want to ask about the registry doesn’t click on that button. Maybe this is one of those regional/subcultural things? I mean, I certainly would never *volunteer* our registry info, especially not on the wedding invitation, but I didn’t feel the slightest hesitation or embarrassment about providing it when asked — and plenty of people did ask. Holly
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Actually, that is a really good idea! Thanks. Ally
. Perhaps one way you could – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> impart gift-giving information to those who do not know anyone else would > be to include a link on the website – say, "for more information, please > if your friend would OK that, or a relative, or even yours…then, a > person wondering about gifts could certainly take the initiative to *ask*. > If a particular guest does *not* take the initiative to ask, then maybe > that person isn’t interested in getting registry information? I mean, > that’s just the way I would think about it. > – > "So that’s 2 T-1s and a newsfeed….would you like clues with that?" > Net Access…The NSP for ISPs….The NOC that rocks around the clock.
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*Well, I think I will go the non-traditional way and put a website on the *invitation. I know that I would love it if there was a website on the wedding *invitations I get and a lot of my family members have internet access. Also, *what is wrong with putting registry info on the page?? A lot of people invited Well, personally – and this is just me, I specifically disclaim any interpretation of this statement which makes my words into a judgement of someone else – I would be embarrassed to put registry information on my website. If someone asks me what wedding gift I would like, my initial response has always been "i’d like to see your smiling face at the wedding!" If someone is insistent about it, or if someone flat out asks me where I am registered, I will tell them. But I certainly would feel very very awkward and uncomfortable coming out and saying "by the way, I’ve made a list of gifts I’d like, it’s at Store X." I’m not against the idea of a website, per se – in fact, I just had a correspondence with Noe regarding just this. Perhaps one way you could impart gift-giving information to those who do not know anyone else would be to include a link on the website – say, "for more information, please if your friend would OK that, or a relative, or even yours…then, a person wondering about gifts could certainly take the initiative to *ask*. If a particular guest does *not* take the initiative to ask, then maybe that person isn’t interested in getting registry information? I mean, that’s just the way I would think about it. – "So that’s 2 T-1s and a newsfeed….would you like clues with that?" Net Access…The NSP for ISPs….The NOC that rocks around the clock.
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>> I was wondering if it would be Ok to put a webpage address on the invitations? > The page would basically consist of all the info needed (directions, > destinations, placese of interest for out of state guests, etc…) as well as > short stories and pics of the wedding planning, etc…I was wondering if it > would be ok to put that at the bottom of the invitation? Allyson, >I can’t answer this from the etiquette perspective.
Please allow me. It’s permissible to indicate your choice of RSVP on the invitation by giving a phone number, mailing address, or e-mail address. But an invitation is not the place to present a "tell all" site. This becomes even more true if there is registry information on the site. A personal web site is, quite bluntly, vanity. This is not to be construed as an insult to the many people who have personal web pages. This is simply a statement of fact: a personal web page is an electronic mirror of the person who owns it. For a great many people, it serves no practical funtion other than to say "look at me". Some people choose not to make their web page known except privately to a family as a means of family communication. But this is not often the case with personal web pages. (Again, disclaimers for those who use a personal web site to assist business or educational ventures.) So the answer to this question, in terms of etiquette, is no. If guests need directions to the wedding, they are to be provided in the invitation. Everything else mentioned is not essential and has no purpose in an invitation. Hope this helps, Noe
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>So the answer to this question, in terms of etiquette, is no. If guests need >directions to the wedding, they are to be provided in the invitation. >Everything >else mentioned is not essential and has no purpose in an invitation.
Well, hrm. Many couples include information about local tourist attractions, for example, and the phone numbers of hotels where they’ve reserved rooms for their OOT guests, and similar helpful-to-the-guests information other than simply directions to the wedding. However, this stuff is ordinarily not printed on the invitation itself, but on a "map enclosure." I think a "wedding website" is probably not something I would bother to look at, but assuming I were, say, the beloved out-of-town great-aunt of the bride, I might like to get the hotel info and see an engagement photo of whatsisname that way — IF the website were well organized and presented in a way that I could ignore the stuff I didn’t want to see and get right to the part I did. If the invitation is very informal, I don’t see a problem with printing something like "For more information, see http://www.whatever" If the invitation is a bit more formal, I think I’d go with a "map enclosure" giving local directions, with a short note describing what additional info is available on the website at the bottom. Noe is quite correct that one simply does not mention the registry in the invitation itself. It’s presumptuous. (Incidentally, Ally, those who don’t find out by word of mouth with either simply go to the usual suspects and check the computer, or they’ll ignore the registry and buy you either some really ugly candlesticks or the absolutely perfect, unique, handblown crystal vase that you’d never find at The Big Department Store. :-) ) But a simple web address, pointing to a site where there is a list of places the couple is registered along with hotel information and so on seems okay to me. You just shouldn’t put, "To find out where we’re registered so you can buy us an expensive present, click on Ally.com". :-) Holly
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Do whatever you like! Sounds fine to me. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I was wondering if it would be Ok to put a webpage address on the invitations? > The page would basically consist of all the info needed (directions, > destinations, placese of interest for out of state guests, etc…) as well as > short stories and pics of the wedding planning, etc…I was wondering if it > would be ok to put that at the bottom of the invitation? ( I am not having a > very formal wedding…probably semi-formal) > Allyson > May 2000
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Well, I think I will go the non-traditional way and put a website on the invitation. I know that I would love it if there was a website on the wedding invitations I get and a lot of my family members have internet access. Also, what is wrong with putting registry info on the page?? A lot of people invited to the wedding do not know anyone so word of mouth (to find out where we are registerd) is not going to work. Sometimes I feel that wedding things are taken a little too seriously. Am I the only one to feel this way? Ally PS. I am not saying Noe is wrong…I am just saying it is wrong for me…please don’t take the above as an insult or flame
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> I was wondering if it would be Ok to put a webpage address on the invitations? > The page would basically consist of all the info needed (directions, > destinations, placese of interest for out of state guests, etc…) as well as > short stories and pics of the wedding planning, etc…I was wondering if it > would be ok to put that at the bottom of the invitation? ( I am not having a > very formal wedding…probably semi-formal) > Allyson > May 2000
Wow, cool idea! I might have to do this also.
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I was wondering if it would be Ok to put a webpage address on the invitations? Allyson > May 2000
These days, I think it is important to look at the changing times and, though normally very old fashioned, I would think that it would be a great idea to give this information to the guests. Instead of printing it on the invitation, I would include a separate card (business card sized) with a note on it that says something like, "We welcome you to use our website to get more information about hotel accomodations, directions, and other fun facts regarding our celebration, etc, etc" You can get a bazillion of them printed for under $20 at a local copy center. The only other thought would be to make sure you offer direction information and other vital facts to people that don’t have a computer. It’s not yet THAT universal. > Erica
Marrying Christopher on 1-23-99
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>I was wondering if it would be Ok to put a webpage address on the >invitations? >The page would basically consist of all the info needed
I think it’s a great idea but should not be the only way folks can get the info. You need to have hard copy backup for those who don’t have access. ag No, he’s not a funny looking Jack Russell. He’s a beautiful Smooth Fox Terrier.
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I was wondering if it would be Ok to put a webpage address on the invitations? The page would basically consist of all the info needed (directions, destinations, placese of interest for out of state guests, etc…) as well as short stories and pics of the wedding planning, etc…I was wondering if it would be ok to put that at the bottom of the invitation? ( I am not having a very formal wedding…probably semi-formal) Allyson May 2000
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> I was wondering if it would be Ok to put a webpage address on the invitations? > The page would basically consist of all the info needed (directions, > destinations, placese of interest for out of state guests, etc…) as well as > short stories and pics of the wedding planning, etc…I was wondering if it > would be ok to put that at the bottom of the invitation? ( I am not having a > very formal wedding…probably semi-formal) > Allyson > May 2000
Allyson, I can’t answer this from the etiquette perspective. But, do keep in mind that not everybody owns computers. Consider the people you are inviting. Personally, this wouldn’t do any good for my family or friends because I’m the only one with a computer…fiance’s family, on the other hand, can’t survive without ‘em! Just a thought… Joy
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My BF and I are getting married in Dec. I Boston. Ma. The wedding is not going to be a tradional one and I would like any ideas that anyone has for invitations.. He is wearing a Zootsuit and I am wearing a black dress from the 40s-50s. I havent found one yet but still looking…
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>I will hand print your envelopes in any color
SPAMMER. Ron Ng Knows!
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What about the invitation written on blank sheet music paper? A small record with the invite glued to it? A few… Jen JEF 2 REH 9-29-01
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> What about the invitation written on blank sheet music paper? A small record > with the invite glued to it? > A few… > Jen > JEF 2 REH 9-29-01
Pity that it must be a record (to suit the rest of the wedding) as opposed to a CD. You might at last have a use for all those AOL coasters! — aMAZon "It’s never too late to have a happy childhood."
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>Maybe they met at Disneyland. Or work for Disney. Or maybe their pet names >for >each other are Mickey and Minnie.
Or maybe they’ve bought into the commercialized brainwashing and haven’t an idea in their empty heads. Ron Ng Knows!
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Maybe they met at Disneyland. Or work for Disney. Or maybe their pet names for each other are Mickey and Minnie. Jeeezz Ron so cynical. Michelle – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->I was wondering if anyone knew where I might be able to find Disney >fiance and myself have not yet set a date. We both love Disney and His >characters. I have found some Mickey & Minnie, and 1 Cinderella. Kinda >looking for Winnie The Pooh invitations. > This doesn’t sound like a wedding, rather, it seesm like you are describing a > five year old’s birthday party. > Ron Ng Knows!
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I was wondering if anyone knew where I might be able to find Disney fiance and myself have not yet set a date. We both love Disney and His characters. I have found some Mickey & Minnie, and 1 Cinderella. Kinda looking for Winnie The Pooh invitations.
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>I was wondering if anyone knew where I might be able to find Disney >fiance and myself have not yet set a date. We both love Disney and His >characters. I have found some Mickey & Minnie, and 1 Cinderella. Kinda >looking for Winnie The Pooh invitations.
This doesn’t sound like a wedding, rather, it seesm like you are describing a five year old’s birthday party. Ron Ng Knows!
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I, too, visited a greeting card store (like Hallmark) to look through giant books of invites, and was very dismayed to see the cost – the greeting card shop prices were DOUBLE the price of the exact same ones we’d found in Willow Tree Lane’s catalog. And to be truthful, I could not tell you what the quality was of even one single invitation I’d ever received to someone’s wedding. I mean, don’t we throw out most invitations we receive in the mail? I don’t even think I kept a copy of my brother’s. As far as David and I are concerned, the only purpose our invites serve is exactly that – to invite. So if we can mail-order invites at a cheaper cost, we’re more than happy to do so, leaving us extra money to spend elsewhere. Just my $.02 Katherine & David, 6-22-96
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>Well we went out to order invitations last weekend at the local stationary >store. We found two designs that we really liked which were both priced >at about $100 for 100 invitations. >Then I went home and found the EXACT SAME DESIGN in my mail order >catalogs that I recieved through Bride’s magazine for $60 for 100 invitations. >So what do I do? I know Bridal Bargins suggests not doing this but WHY?
I found the same invitations that we fell in love with in a mail order catalog, in a stationary book at Party City. It’s a regular Carlson Craft book so the quality is the same as from a printer and since they discount all invitations 30% the price worked out to be exactly the same as it was from the mail order house. If you have any chains like that near you it might be worth taking a look. HTH, Joanne (& Gregg) 8-5-95 "Today’s youth; hopped up on crack cocaine, tar processed heroin, opium and…POMADE!!!!" Tom Servo, MST3K
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: Well we went out to order invitations last weekend at the local stationary : store. We found two designs that we really liked which were both priced : at about $100 for 100 invitations. : Then I went home and found the EXACT SAME DESIGN in my mail order catalogs : that I recieved through Bride’s magazine for $60 for 100 invitations. : So what do I do? I know Bridal Bargins suggests not doing this but WHY? : Is the paper bad? Is the customer service bad? Will I have to fight As I recall, it’s a quality issue — paper, and printing quality. : with them if the order is incorrect? : Has anyone used these mail order invitation companies or know someone who has? : HELP this has to be done ASAP! : -Rosemary Hoskinson : 8/5/95
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Excerpts from netnews.alt.wedding: 28-Mar-95 Invitations by Rosemary > store. We found two designs that we really liked which were both priced > at about $100 for 100 invitations. > Then I went home and found the EXACT SAME DESIGN in my mail order catalogs > that I recieved through Bride’s magazine for $60 for 100 invitations. > So what do I do? I know Bridal Bargins suggests not doing this but WHY? > Is the paper bad? Is the customer service bad? Will I have to fight > with them if the order is incorrect?
I’ve received several mail-order invite catalogs, and have visited a stationery store. Although the same designs are available in both places, from looking at the samples provided with the catalogs, I’d say that, yes, the quality is much poorer when ordering from the catalogs. Keep in mind that I’ve only seen samples from about seven mail order companies. There may be some for which this does not hold true. For example: An invitation which uses only one side of one page will often come on nice cardstock when ordered from a store, but most samples I’ve seen in the catalogs use heavy paper folded in half for the same design. In essence, it looks like a card that is blank inside. Some people may not mind this, but I’m one of those sticklers for detail that would prefer to pay one dollar per invitation more for the better quality. The way I see it, this will be your guests’ first impression of your wedding. I also prefer the fact that, in a store, you can have an experienced professional helping you one-on-one with your decision. I know that many catalogs offer this service over the phone, but, to me, it’s just not the same as getting the help in person. Heather (& John) March 30, 1996
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Please E-mail me too. I am planning on ordering from one of the mail order catalogue’s. Of course, I have been warned not to by the print shops. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Has anyone used these mail order invitation companies or know someone who has? > HELP this has to be done ASAP! > -Rosemary Hoskinson > 8/5/95
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>Well we went out to order invitations last weekend at the local stationary >store. We found two designs that we really liked which were both priced >at about $100 for 100 invitations. >Then I went home and found the EXACT SAME DESIGN in my mail order catalogs >that I recieved through Bride’s magazine for $60 for 100 invitations. >So what do I do? I know Bridal Bargins suggests not doing this but WHY?
I’m curious about this too. I went with a stationery store/printshop, but I kind of feel like it wasn’t worth it. For 250 invitations with all the trimmings (response cards, informals, lined inner envelopes) it was $500! Ouch. And I’m not really convinced the quality was all that great… the edges of the invitation cards were trimmed slightly raggedy (just a wee bit, not a big deal). Then again, they got the order exactly right, just as we specified, so maybe that’s where the quality comes into play. But I think it’s the same catalog that you can get at home! So what’s the diff? Supposedly you’d want to pay extra going through a stationer because of the expert advice s/he’d give you. I dearly love our stationer, but she didn’t really help us at all. Actually the opposite: she convinced my mom (who went alone to place the order) to change some of the things I’d specified and we had to call them and change it back to the way I’d intended. All you need in the way of expert advice for wording and such is available in the literature… I recommend Emily Post’s books, or many other wedding-planning books (as I’ve said before, I really like Beverly Clark’s "Planning a Wedding to Remember"). Anyone else? – Barbara
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Well we went out to order invitations last weekend at the local stationary store. We found two designs that we really liked which were both priced at about $100 for 100 invitations. Then I went home and found the EXACT SAME DESIGN in my mail order catalogs that I recieved through Bride’s magazine for $60 for 100 invitations. So what do I do? I know Bridal Bargins suggests not doing this but WHY? Is the paper bad? Is the customer service bad? Will I have to fight with them if the order is incorrect? Has anyone used these mail order invitation companies or know someone who has? HELP this has to be done ASAP! -Rosemary Hoskinson 8/5/95
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if you decide to go through a local stationary store because of paper quality, i recommend that you give them a lot of time, too. josh and i bought paper from paper direct and designed our invitations ourselves, but we decided not to print them ourselves. we brought them to a local print shop and i was *very* disappointed with their work. of course, at that point it was too late to yell at them, refuse to pay for their shoddy workmanship, and order more paper from paper direct. we were already two weeks late to send out our invitations! let me tell you, i was shocked that my little HP inkjet printer could do a better job than a professional shop. — –vicki (marrying josh 5/21/95)
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Hi, I too am thinking of ordering my wedding invitations from a mail order catalogue (the one(s) we want are from Dawn in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – I don’t know if they are the same). We requested a sample of an invitation that we had seen in a bridal store and as far as I can tell, there is no difference in the quality of paper. The envelopes may be different but what does it really matter in cost is an issue. The invitations were almost $30 dollars cheaper and I don’t see what having an additional middle man (the bridal store) will be of any advantage. If there are problems with the invitations you are still going to worry, wouldn’t you rather talk to the company yourself? I know I would. Anyway, because I’ve been debating this issue for a while I thought I would share my thoughts. Christine (and Dean – Oct.7/95) — Christine A. Browne "Akuna Matata" University of Calgary The motto for my upcoming wedding
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>Then I went home and found the EXACT SAME DESIGN in my mail order catalogs >that I recieved through Bride’s magazine for $60 for 100 invitations. >So what do I do? I know Bridal Bargins suggests not doing this but WHY? >Is the paper bad? Is the customer service bad? Will I have to fight >with them if the order is incorrect?
Usually the quality of the paper is less than the invites you would order through a stationery store. We ordered our invitations through Dawn (mailorder) and were quite happy – the extra expense for ‘good’ paper wasn’t worth it to us. It’s up to you. As for customer service – Dawn did slightly mess up some of the wording I wanted (I didn’t want the standard formal wording) and I called to correct it and they sent the corrections out within the next week with no problems, hassles or anything. It was a quite pleasant experiance. So if you want to go mail order I do recommend Dawn. If you want higher quality paper then order through your stationery store. Carrie (& David) 16 June 1995
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Hi, I’m planning on ordering my invitations thru a mail-order company. How far in advance should I order them? How long does it take from the time of placing the order til the time the order is actually delivered? Thanks Laurie
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I’m getting married in November and my fiance and I would like to send really cool invitations to our guests. Does anyone know where we can buy invitations that areprinted on interesting papers. Or if not if there is a store we can buy th epaper at and then make our own invitations. Also if anyone knows of a good florist in Pgh. Your suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Ann
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>I’m getting married in November and my fiance and I would like to send >really cool invitations to our guests. Does anyone know where we can >buy invitations that areprinted on interesting papers.
I’ve seen very interesting invitations designed by a company called "Elite." Some of their special designs that I can remember off the top of my head are: * Invitations printed on plain paper with lace around them * Invitations printed on paper with leaf patterns (I’m not sure if they are real leaves or not) embedded in them. The texture of the paper is rougher, more like handmade paper, if I recall correctly. * This one my fiance and I really liked. The invitation itself is made of two pieces of paper, cellophane on the outside and some beautiful paper with patterns on them on the inside. The text is printed on the cellophane, but you can see the pattern of the underlying layer. I know that I’m doing a terrible job describing these invitations. I guess you’ll have to see them in person. The bad news is that they are very expensive — the ones we liked were around $500 for 100 invitations (invitations only. This does not include any of the response cards, thank you notes, etc.) The book _Bridal Bargains_ listed some info for companies that custom design invitations. If you want to information, e-mail me. Jennifer — Jennifer Chu Department of CIS University of Delaware Newark, DE, USA
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Organization: Temple University X-Newsreader: NNR/VM S_1.3.2 I’m getting married in November and my fiance and I would like to send really cool invitations to our guests. Does anyone know where we can buy invitations that areprinted on interesting papers. Or if not if there is a store we can buy th epaper at and then make our own invitations. A friend had announcements done on handmade paper from a company called Paper Journey. Call 800/827-2737 to have them send you a catalog. Also if anyone knows of a good florist in Pgh. Your suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Ann Danielle [& Larry] May 29, 1994
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Hi All! Does anyone know of good companies that have catalogs for invitaions/programs/etc.? I’m trying to get catalogs to browse through. Any suggestions would be welcomed. Thanks in advance. Carol
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Carol, We got our invitations and announcements from Mitchel’s Formal Wear. We love them and they even give you 20% off! Good Luck Jennifer and Jason 6-25-99
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If you just want to browse, I know that our kinko’s store has a ton of catalogs to look through, but I don’t know if they have the best prices. Sarah > Hi All! > Does anyone know of good companies that have catalogs for > invitaions/programs/etc.? I’m trying to get catalogs to browse through. > Any suggestions would be welcomed. Thanks in advance. > Carol
– Sarah and Jim July 1, 2000
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I called Rexcraft and got a catalog within two weeks. It has a lot of designs. Their number is 800-635-3898. They also sent the samples I asked for within a week. > Hi All! > Does anyone know of good companies that have catalogs for > invitaions/programs/etc.? I’m trying to get catalogs to browse through. > Any suggestions would be welcomed. Thanks in advance. > Carol
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We got ours from them!! They were great!! Their catalog is large. They also have a web site. www.rexcraft.com Kelli – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I called Rexcraft and got a catalog within two weeks. It has a lot of > designs. Their number is 800-635-3898. They also sent the samples I asked > for within a week. > Hi All! > Does anyone know of good companies that have catalogs for > invitaions/programs/etc.? I’m trying to get catalogs to browse through. > Any suggestions would be welcomed. Thanks in advance. > Carol
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