Many of my brides have been asking me who I'm using as my wedding vendors and I'm here to share! First of all, let me clarify that I will not put up with bad customer service (there is just no reason for it) so all of my recommendations are HIGHLY recommended.
If you didn't know, we decided to move our wedding date up 9 months to January 28th, 2012 (original date: September 29th, 2012). Why? you ask… Why not? I was sick of waiting and decided that since Justin and I met in the winter and got engaged the winter after meeting, that it's only fitting to have a Winter Wonderland Wedding!
(Below: Our first picture together on the ski trip where we first met… yes… we didn't know each other… or did we!? hehe)
When I was searching for invitations I wanted something that represented our personality as a couple, not just words. What did we like to do together? SKI & SNOWBOARD of course.
I checked out Wedding Paper Divas and the Paper Source for inspiration. I browsed the web everyday looking for the perfect invite and while I found some pretty neat invites, nothing spoke to me. I then began my search on Etsy and it wasn't long before I found Loo Bird Press. I emailed the owner, Katy, expressing interest, but letting her know that invites had to go out ASAP because I just moved the date up. "Not a problem" Katy replied and worked to get me the finished product within a week. She was so easy to work with and provided a great end product that really shows our vibe.
Since the invites had to go out before our food tasting, we had to put the bare minimum food description!
What did I learn from the invitation process?
1. You should really hire a calligrapher or someone with exceptional handwriting. Since I was in a rush, my mother&sister-in-law helped me, and while we did an OK job with the tools we had, I would really recommend a professional or a printer!
2. Make sure you proof read your invites 10 times, at least! There is nothing worse than spelling your own last name wrong on your wedding invite!
3. I found it helpful to research different Typography to get a sense of what style appeals to you and what look you're going for.
4. MAKE SURE YOU PUT POSTAGE ON THE RETURN ENVELOPE!!! Talk about embarrassing, Justin and I had a bit of miscommunication and our invites got mailed out with no return postage!!! Mortified, I emailed all of my friends and family letting them know I wasn't being cheap and that we made a mistake. Luckily they're the greatest people I know and everyone laughed and totally understood.
Learn from my mistakes :)
Unfortunately we were limited on the number of invites but if I could invite you all I would!
Peace, Love & Photography xo