Personalizing a DIY Wedding Invitation

My sister’s wedding weekend is officially over. We managed to pull it together in less than three months and for less than $5,000. Although, the savings were huge, we did not skimp on the chic details.

Let’s start with the invitations. We went back and forth. We thought about designing our own, we searched etsy and found some beautiful designs, and we even thought about using a local printer. In the end, we went with a classic diy kit from Joann’s. Not only was it classic, and elegant, but we also had a coupon for 40% off. Luckily for us, this wedding was small. (But print out a few coupons, make a few trips, and you could save big!)



Note: The invitations we used were slightly different. It’s always important to go to the stores. They always have more options than you will see online.

Now for my brides that scoff the idea of having such a generic invitation for such a grand event as your wedding, let me give you my best tip on dressing up a basic invitation. Nothing says personal like your a wedding monogram. It sets the tone for the event, and it’s a simple way to add consistency. We went with a digital monogram from Etsy. She created the digital logo for only 6.00! We used this logo on the programs for the Engagement dinner, the wedding programs, menu cards and other touches that helped create a cohesive link to this wedding. You could also purchase a Monogram Stamp from your local print shop or Expressionary.com

Ten tips to make your invitations set the town, for a fabulous wedding.

1. Take your time. If your rush it will show.
2. Make sure your hands are clean. Sounds simple enough, right.
3. Use glue dots. I know its tempting to bust out your kid’s Elmer’s School Glue, but trust me…You will see the difference.
4. If you don’t have beautiful penmanship, save yourself and your guests by using mailing labels.
5. Make sure you include postage on your RSVPs.
6. Make sure your postage is pretty. The post office has pretty postage. Also check out perfectpostage.com
7. Make sure you include your return address!
8. Make sure you have enough postage on your invitations.
9. If you are having a small wedding, don’t feel bad about emphasizing the importance of RSVPs and adhering to the number of guests invited.
10. Check out this post about wedding invitation etiquette and basics.


Next wedding post, I'll talk about the details...and when to splurge.

Breakfast at Tia's - My Top 5 for Your Tiffany Wedding

Ok, so not really... And I guess I must be honest, I've never even seen the movie. But I do like the sound of a Breakfast at Tia's brunch type doo hickey.

While I'm planning my Breakfast at Tia's I wanted to be honest... I got the ideas from a few friends and friends of friends that have used the Tiffany theme for their bridal showers and weddings. I've always thought that it was a beautiful color palette, ever since my girl Toni Braxton tied the knot in 1998.




On to my list of my favorite things for the modern Tiffany Bride...

1. Invitations: Modern Tiffany
Wedding Paper Divas has a lot of nice invitations. This invitation has the Tiffany blue, but the black & white toile adds a modern spin to the them.

2. Favors: GO Green

What better way to show your commitment to each other, than by showing your commitment to Planet Earth. These Seed Cards frolm Beau-Coup are a great way of going green, being chic, and still carrying out the Tiffany theme.

3.Bridesmaid Gifts: Jewelry

Jewelry is always a nice touch, especially with a Tiffany theme.
But a customized box like this gives it a contemporary edge.

4. BridesMaid Dresses

Saw this dress on David's Bridal. It seems very modern day Audrey Hepburn.

5. Reception Decor

This picture is from Garcelle B.'s Baby Shower. I think the colors are perfect and the decor is simple and elegant.

Hope you enjoyed this post. For more Tiffany themed inspirations check
out these blogs:

http://www.weddingbycolor.com/weddings/color/blue

http://queencitybride.blogspot.com/

http://www.favorideas.com/wedding-themes/beach-themes/aqua-blue-wedding-theme/

http://www.thoughtfullysimple.com/blue-wedding-ideas-tiffany-blue/

Bellies,Bears, & Blocks

Last fall, I helped throw my sorority sister’s baby shower. I went to PosePrints.com to create the cute avatar above of my line sister for the advice box.The theme was teddy bears. The colors were blues and browns.

For the Invitation, I found a photo album template from Microsoft Office, teddy bear images from a google search, and a digital scrapbook page for the background to create this look.

My decoration idea was to have teddy bears everywhere. I rounded up all my bears, borrowed a few, and checked out the local Goodwill and scooped up a few more. I purchased a variety of 12 x 12 scrapbook papers to add a little more color to the tables. On the snack table, I took a page from Amy … and purchased different size glass containers and filled them with various candies in our party colors.

I knew I wanted to find a favor that was adorable, unique and affordable. I purchased plain white favor boxes and used ribbon, scrapbook paper, and tissue paper to create an individual treat for all the guests. The box contained the teddy bear soap, and a lotion sample from Mary Kay. The total costs to make my favors were about 1.30 per person.




I created large blocks with diaper boxes, packing paper, scrapbook paper, and crepe paper.

To view pictures from my pre-shower planning click here

DIY Wedding Invitations

A few posts ago, I showed you guys my friend's cutie patootie Engagement Announcement. Well their wedding is slated for May 2009, which means that there will be more wedding posts!

Right now, they are shopping for wedding invitations. Who knew that there were a million options. I'm not sure of their budget just yet, but here are some of my favorites.

There are many DIY Kits for Wedding Invitations. I have a few ideas on how to make your wedding chic, even if its on a budget.

Even though you are purchasing DIY invitation kits, take it to a professional printer. For about .07 per invitation, Office Depot will print your invitations for you. Checkout mountaincow.com, target.com, or your local Michaels.

1. Proofread and Spell Check your invitations. Nothing says homemade like "Weding Cerimony."



2. Match your color scheme. If your wedding colors are blue, do not have a purple invitation. It will confuse your guests...that like to color coordinate for your big day.



3. Etiquette is everything. Even if you are an untraditional bride, please make sure you have the right wording. Real Simple.com has a great article.



4. Less is more. If you can not afford the invitation of your dreams, don't embellish keep it simple.

Some of my new favorite invitation sites include:

• weddingpaperdivas.com


• rexcraft.com


• papershouts.com
  

Smilebox

A few months ago my girlfriend got engaged. You know what that means, wedding planning, bridal showers, and all that goodstuff. She decided to send out an engagement announcement.

I'm old school. I immediately thought about all the dainty and beautiful invitations that would announce their whirlwind romance to the world. She chose to share their love through what else...the internet. She put me on to a site called Smilebox. It is like Hallmark E-cards meets digital scrapbooking...on steroids.

Here's her blog post from "The Hostess Chick Network"

Now, I'm usually not one to totally rip off of someone elses idea. But when my fiance proposed July I just had to snag this nifty idea...

Rewind to spring '08. I'm just plucking along through my email when what do I spy?

Subject: K & E's Engagement!

When I opened the email, I had my very own little smilebox waiting for me. "Smilebox you say? What on earth is a Smilebox?" I know, maybe I'm a dinosaur when it comes to the internet, but I had never heard of such a thing.

Well, turns out, the Smilebox is a really chic way to send out annoucements, postcards, and photo books to friends and family on a dime.

I opened the photobook and a cascade of beautiful happy couple photos came pouring out. It even had romatic music too!

So as I'm weaping for joy and maybe feeling a slight twinge of jealously, I make a mental note to myself..."When he asks, remember this site!" And I did. Just a few months later, I was on my computer putting together my very own Smilebox.

Now there are some key features to the Smilebox that you ought to know:

- Its customizable. I picked a template that I liked. It even allowed me to move around the page formats and some of the seemingly static decor.

- It has great music options. FREE is always my first choice, but they have some really wonderful music if you pay the nominal $2.99 for a premium Smilebox. Not bad in comparison to paper invitations!

- It allows you to add text. I went with a short "Story of US" and added some details about the proposal. Of course, you can customize anyway you like.

The proof in in the pudding chicks! And I certainly got rave reviews for my Smilebox engagement announcement. So if you're looking for something fun, unique, and thrify you might want to try a Smilebox....

Check it out.