In an effort to work through as much as we can as early as we can in a stress-free environment, John and I have started thinking about invitations and paper products. We figured this was something we could work on and then just let sit until we were ready to have them printed, so we didn't feel rushed to make a decision. We are also trying to coordinate our save the dates, invitation suite, and the paper products that will be at the event itself (programs, menus, escort cards, table numbers, etc...) so the sooner we decide on a motif, the sooner we can start working on those bits and pieces.
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| Via Pinterest.com |
The paper products are also something that we both care about more than most people might; I've had friends and loved ones point out to me that it's just a piece of paper that will likely be thrown away after the information is entered into someone's calender, but I disagree. Whether it's intended or not, I firmly believe that the invitation sets the tone for the wedding and can do a lot to raise the excitement level. For most (if not all) guests, it will be the first tangible part of the wedding they encounter.
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| via Pinterest.com |
Like most couples, we've been using Pinterest for inspiration. The pictures you see throughou this post are things I've found on Pinterest (although I tried to cite the original creators in instances where I can figure out where the image came from). I've also found loads of helpful information on websites like www.marthastewartweddings.com, www.weddingbee.com, and even online invitation retailers. I didn't know very much about invitations before starting this venture. I was perplexed by what was ok to print on an invitation and was gauche, what inserts were, why one might choose a pocketfold over simply stacking a few pieces and putting into an envelope, what types of fonts were traditional, how to address envelopes, what an inner envelope is, etc... I'm starting to feel like I have a pretty good handle on what some of the options are, but it is still overwhelming at times. John and I looked high and low for invitations that included all of the elements we'd fallen in love with, but didn't see anything within our price point that we adored, so we've started designing our own invitation suite.
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| Via Pinterest.com; originally from www.sweet-paper.com |
It's just in the beginning stages, but I'm really excited about the prospect; I've found several companies that will print the invitations for us, and we are strongly considering having them letterpressed or foil stamped. I love the idea that we are so intimately involved in the entire process of designing the invitations. If this really is our first opportunity to set the tone for the wedding, then I want absolute control over every aspect of the invitation (maybe that's the control freak in me talking, but I don't care). I want to choose the paper, the ink colors, the printing method, and the font! I want to give everyone a glimpse of what my vision is. Furthermore, we are planning on using a lot of paper products at the wedding itself, so it will probably end up becoming a strong decorative element; we don't want one of the strongest aesthetic elements of the wedding to be something we don't feel strongly about.
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| Via Pinterest.com |
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| By Fides Design via zazzle.com |
So, what has the design process looked like so far? We started by looking at inspiration on Pinterest and wedding blogs. We then started looking at invitations that we could order to see if we found anything close to what we had in mind. Finally, I sketched out an idea of what my ideal invitation would look like, and John is working with me to create the design in Illustrator. We have a "rough draft" of the invitation, and are working on choosing fonts right now (easier said than done); I've been combing through free fonts and downloading every option that gets close to what we have in mind; we'd like to do a classic, intimidating, bold font for our names, and a more "period" looking typeface for the information. Finding two fonts that work with each other as well as with the graphic, geometric design of the invitation has been a challenge! Once we finish this part of it, we'll have to begin experimenting with adding a color and printing tests on different colors of paper, and then we can move on to designing the rest of the suite. It's not a process for the faint of heart, and I'm sure there's a better way to do it than we are (obviously neither of us is a professional invitation designer, or even graphic designer), but it has been a fun hobby for the last week or so.
