{Picture Credit:: Kelly Hornberger Photography}
As you are planning your wedding, selecting the perfect color palette and defining your style for that perfect day, you want to make sure that you set the tone for this amazing fête, and no better way than with the perfect invitation! I know what you are probably thinking...."everyone throws the invitation away!" Well, not everyone...but yes, most people may, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't make a lasting impression about your wedding. That little packaged envelope will say everything about what to expect for your wedding, whether it will be a fabulous beach wedding, a luxurious black-tie affair or a whimsical celebration!
When creating your invitations, seek the assistance of a professional, someone who will help you in designing the look and feel of your special day. Your wedding isn't going to be a cookie cutter celebration, so why should your invitations be one? A couture invitation doesn't mean it will cost you thousands and thousands of dollars, it means, it will be an invitation designed especially for you and your fiance!
When talking to a professional, ask them for some feasible alternatives...especially if you are the DIY bride. Have a professional design and print your invitations and you can assemble and add any final embellishments. Don't be afraid to ask for ideas to your invitation provider. If you have some crystals, feathers or ribbons you want to use for embellishment, present your ideas to your designer and let them show you how to properly accessorize your beautiful invitations!
Now, when it comes to postage for your invitations, please be sure to add a stamp to your return envelope. It is in bad taste to have your guest add the stamp. If your invitations professional will not be assembling, addressing and/or mailing out your invitations, please be sure to visit your local USPS office and get your invitation weighed! You want to make sure you have the proper postage, especially if you will be personalizing your stamps...nothing is worse than having to add extra stamps on your envelope that may not match your personalized stamp! When you are at your local USPS, please be sure to ask them the price difference of domestic and international postage rates, as they will vary!
Lastly, when you are dropping off your invitations to be delivered, please make sure your lovely invitations are hand-cancelled. "Why", you ask? Well, to avoid your beautiful invitations to go through the sorting machines and automatically cancelled. Hand cancelling reduces the risk of damage to your invitations, especially if your invitation is thick, has added embellishments, such as a jeweled buckle, or even finished with a beautiful wax seal. In Houston, not all USPS offices will offer hand cancelling services, but I know for a fact, the downtown location WILL hand-cancel your invitations. Don't worry, hand-cancelling your invitations will not incur any extra charges.
For those of you who are in the process of mailing out your invitations, please be sure to use either a Forever stamp on your return envelope or the new .46 cents stamp, as prices will go up effective, January 27th!
On our next Wedding Planning 101 feature, we will discuss the etiquette of addressing envelopes!
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