The Importance of the Invitation

On this blog, we've talked about the value of hiring a planner, the importance of the venue, the tasty options for cakes, stylish dress options, and getting fit to name just a very few blog topics, but we have not discussed the importance of your invitation!

Not only is your invitation the first declaration of your wedding that many of your guests will see, it also sets the theme, colors, and expected formality or fun factor for the event. But, before we get ahead of ourselves, let's cover the basic functions of the wedding invitation ~

- The Who: No, not the band from decades back, you!

- The What: The ceremony and/or the reception

- The When: Day, Date, and Time

- The Where: Venue(s), City, State

- The Why: Well, we're assuming because you love each other!

Wedding invitation packets have expanded to include a menagerie of addition information - maps, general event timelines, lodging info, places to see and things to do, and, in some cases, registry information. Most guests these days are connected to the Internet so we encourage our clients to stick with the formal invitation, the reply card and envelope, and an information card. The information card directs guests to the custom website for the bride and groom. The custom website offers so many options, that we'll leave that for another post.

Any generic wedding invitation can supply you with the basic information above, but you need for your invitation to imply a bit more about your event. Your wedding should be as unique as you are and the invitation design should be reflective. An elegant country club wedding should signal the more formal event while the woodland/beach/disco/etc wedding should reflect their own uniqueness. This is accomplished easily enough, but not through off-the-shelf invitations. For many of these companies, "custom" means adding your names to one of their 100 design options - Did you know that there are over 2 BILLION weddings a year in the US alone? Even if there were 5,000 off-the-shelf invitations options, that means there are lots and lots of brides using your same design :(

Details creates one-of-a-kind invitations designed specifically for your personality, event style, theme, colors, and budget and then never resales that design - WOW! I've shared a few of our designs below, some of which are still in the "comp" stage (think sketches), and have tried to give a brief synopsis of the unique event.







The groom is a corporate pilot.  These are two of several options presented for the invitation.



Presented as an option for a formal pink and black wedding.  However, the designs are being revisited to incorporate the groom's love of hunting.  Still staying with pink and black though!

The designs above are available for purchase.



We get lots of requests for pink and black :)



Peonies are a key component for the wedding.  This design is still available for purchase since the client chose another design.



Blue and roses were two elements that were tricky to incorporate, but I believe our design blends them well.  The client is pleased and has purchased the invitation, information card above, response card, matching thank you cards, and place cards.



<><><><>

<>

<><><><>

This outdoorsy couple loves to fish together so we designed this piece to match their passion, their colors, and their budget.  Invitations, respond postcards, and thank you cards were purchased.

The save the date above and invitation below were submitted as a possibility for this elegant black and tan country club reception.  This design is available because the client has chosen the floral design below.

Although still in the planning stages, this invitation is expected to have their names stamped in gold foil and the floral design custom embossed on the invitation folder.

These are just two elements to a very popular invitation!  The multi-layered piece included the two layers shown as well as two additional layers (a map and an information layer).  All elements were secured with red eyelets to the top of a red folder with the tree line custom laser cut and folded up from the bottom. Matching thank you cards were also purchased.  The layer below offered a perf across the top as well as between the response card and ski discount for easy removal.

Another formal country club wedding and reception, but on a more limited budget.  The bride's colors were ivory and coral so we were very careful to achieve the right color - not too pink, not too orange.  Just one of the many perks of custom design.  Save-the-dates, invitations, thank you cards, response cards, place cards, and rehearsal menus all coordinated incorporating variations of the same design.




Call us to schedule a complimentary initial consultation to learn about our custom designs.  From high-end to budget, we'll help you incorporate just the look and feel you want.