Slightly obsessed with invitations!

futuremrshp

Hi ladies!

So when I started planning a few months back and such, I didn't think invitations would be a big deal.  I was able to choose save the dates, no problem, needed no proofs or anything--- sent the bad boys off and called it a day.

Now I'm going through the invitations and have been receiving samples and haven't been 100% blown away.  And then I saw another woman's invites that I absolutely loved.  I learned more about paper in a 3 day period in an effort to find out how to duplicate them... Now I'm understanding that invites are quite a bit of money and that part is slightly disappointing me-- but not too much.  I just know what I'm working with.

Have any of you started out not caring too much about your invites but now absolutely adore them?  Or is it just me? They are so pretty!  LOL!

Knottie79829663

Yes! I thought the same way until I realized I couldn't afford the $5 invitations that I wanted lol. They are beautiful. My mother snapped me out of it though

ShesSoCold

I looked at invitations for months. Found gorgeous pocket folds that I thought I HAD to have. Tried to justify the cost ($500) and couldn't. I finally got over myself and spent less than $70 total. The ones I ended up picking were really pretty but not super over the top amazing. Nobody saves them anyway.

floridabride44

I had a similar experience... I had a very level-headed "these are going to get thrown away" attitude, until I ordered free samples from 384934 places and hated 90% of them. Then I started to obsess. Suddenly I couldn't handle the thought of having invitations that weren't perfect. Luckily I came back to reality pretty quickly and ordered some from Wedding Paper Divas that I absolutely love. 

STDates were much easier for me, too, which is funny considering those tend to go on people's fridges for 6-ish months, while invitations might get saved for 1 or 2 months until the wedding and then get tossed!

AddieCake

I was the opposite. I obsessed in the beginning and then got a grip.

ohannabelle

futuremrshp said:

Hi ladies!

So when I started planning a few months back and such, I didn't think invitations would be a big deal.  I was able to choose save the dates, no problem, needed no proofs or anything--- sent the bad boys off and called it a day.

Now I'm going through the invitations and have been receiving samples and haven't been 100% blown away.  And then I saw another woman's invites that I absolutely loved.  I learned more about paper in a 3 day period in an effort to find out how to duplicate them... Now I'm understanding that invites are quite a bit of money and that part is slightly disappointing me-- but not too much.  I just know what I'm working with.

Have any of you started out not caring too much about your invites but now absolutely adore them?  Or is it just me? They are so pretty!  LOL!

I get this. I love good paper, and I love beautiful print work, and really admire and enjoy various fonts and typefaces, so the whole invitation thing was a hell of a fun experience. Like falling down a wonderland rabbit hole of pretty pretty things. 

So enjoy all the design and fun out there in the world of printed matter, but remember that the number one primary purpose of an invitation is to convey written information as clearly and conveniently as possible. Nobody else in the world will care about and appreciate your invitations nearly as much as you.

(Except me, and people like me. I actually love getting nice invitations. They're like opening presents. Ooooh, look how pretty my name looks, and oooh, look at the pretty ribbon. And I admire everyone's fonts and take the time to enjoy the design, and I say, oh, that's nice paper, good choice, and stick them on the piano to admire for days afterwards. I'm sure I'm in the minority, but not alone. Most people read the information, and they're good. But I don't think it's wasted effort. If you enjoy it, and don't mind spending a little extra, hell yes, have fun! Loved the whole process and learned many things.)

kmedeiros89

I have been somewhat obsessive over my invite recently too...I totally get what your saying about not wanting to spend a fortune on the invitation I couldn't do it either. Soooo I ordered some inexpensive pocket folds and belly bands to dress it up and then actually had a local high school's graphic arts department print my actual invite super cheap (a little over $10 for all of them!) They look great and cost less than half of what some people spend

megmal06

I totally understand! I haven't started looking yet because I'm so nervous about falling in love with really expensive ones, but there has got to be a happy medium out there! I love the idea of the HS graphic arts class making them. Smart!

JoanE2012

We choose to keep costs down with invitations and spend elsewhere (hello bora bora!).  I'm also a huge fan of classic styles, so we picked a nice classic invitation (no pockets or fancy ribbons), had the reception card, response card, inner lined envelope and outer envelope.  Sure, there were gorgeous invitations out there, but I just couldn't wrap my head around spending $500+ on invitations.  We were extremely happy with our choice.

badbnagdway

I love good paper. I love the thick matte with letter press. But I chose to stick to my original budget of $350 for all paper (save the dates, invitations and thank you cards) rather than to blow it and spend $500 on invitations alone (we needed a reception insert and a response card so we were looking at about $5 per invitation minimum on sites like weddingpaperdivas). I like the stuff I got from Vistaprint and I like that I didn't have to go over budget on it. 

futuremrshp

@JoanE2012 Where did you order your invites??? 

@badbnagdway I hear you.  I just did not expect to love good paper as much as I did when I started looking for the invites!  Crazy!!!  I'll check out Vistaprint for sure!

badbnagdway

futuremrshp said:

@JoanE2012 Where did you order your invites??? 

@badbnagdway I hear you.  I just did not expect to love good paper as much as I did when I started looking for the invites!  Crazy!!!  I'll check out Vistaprint for sure!

They will send you samples. Vistaprint's designs are mostly not as awesome as other sites. I ended up designing my own invitations and uploading them. I preferred the linen paper over the other choices. I also upgraded the envelopes, their envelopes are kind of lame, but then again they get torn up. 

I hear you, good paper is really nice to touch. A lot of the sites do have deals pretty often. You might also check your local area for people who do design and printing. 

JoanE2012

futuremrshp said:

@JoanE2012 Where did you order your invites??? 

@badbnagdway I hear you.  I just did not expect to love good paper as much as I did when I started looking for the invites!  Crazy!!!  I'll check out Vistaprint for sure!

@futuremrshp - The company name was Birchcraft.  They have binders of invitation samples in Party City and Hallmark (as well as other brands), so we were able to see the invitation and quality in person.  Party City gives 30% off, but we were able to get it cheaper still by ordering online from a local store.  We paid about $220 for 100 invitations, reception cards, RSVP cards/envelopes, inner lined envelopes and outer envelopes.

porkchops926

Dear lord why, why did I look at this post?! Now I will be spending my entire Saturday ogling the Birchcraft website.