Invitation help needed!!

slthomas611

Hi everyone,
So this past weekend my fiance' and I went looking for invitations. We went to 3 different stores and wasn't really thrilled with anything we saw. So we conclued that we will have to go to a custom shop and get it done. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on where to go? We went to a store in bucktown and wasn't impressed so I am looking for any suggestions.

Also, with our wedding being over a year away I was wondering when I should be sending out my save the dates. Probably 85% of our guests are out of town so I didn't know when they should go out.

Thanks in advance for any advice and thoughts on eiether!!

Golfer09

Etsy or I would highly recommend a vendor I have used, Twin Ravens Press.  They are based in Oregon but in this virtual world invitations don't necessarily need to come from a local vendor.  Please check out their website for examples of their work - all custom!

MrsPaps

Depending on when your date is (ie if a holiday weekend or in the summer months) I would send your STDs a year out and then your invites about 2 months out depending on when you need final numbers to your vendors by.

aimers1525

I sent my save-the-dates out in the middle of November for my May 14th wedding. I DIY'd my invites, so I don't have a recommendation there, sorry!

hz80408

STD 8-10 months unless it's a holiday-wknd if the large majority of guests require flights.

Would you consider DIYing your invites?  I went to stores but what I wanted was so expensive I DIYed them for about 25% of the prices I was quoted

kellym050370

Tammy from Marry Me Designs.  She works out of her home in Aurora but is FABULOUS.

slthomas611

Thanks for all the help!! DIY'ing them is an option..as long as I can convince my fiance' thanks for all the timeline suggestions, I am still so clueless on all this wedding stuff

ZenInMotion

I'm using Swiss Cottae Designs out of New York for my Save the Dates and Invitations.  She's done a lot of Chicago brides and has been awesome to work with so far!  Her portfolio is on here website.  GL!

ZenInMotion

Whoops *Swiss Cottage Designs

samnathaw

I LOVE Frankie at Village Paperie in Roscoe Village. I'm not sure where you're located but she is fantastic!

PenelopeSnuz

I used Sarah Drake Design, and got SO many compliments.  She was really really great to work with!

windycityjhawk

i used Exclusively Weddings for my invites. i can tell you, i lost sleep for about the entire week before they arrived, because it made me so nervous to order such an important component of the wedding, ONLINE. they turned out so perfectly, that i had to reply to this post to share my experience! they look absolutely professional, ive had countless people compliment me on my invites, and the best part is...they were so inexpensive compared to other quotes i got from stores. one thing i loved is you have the option to view digital proofs (for small, but worth-it, fee) before the invites go into production, so if there are any errors you can correct them before its too late. mine were fine in the proofs, but i still wasnt convinced til i received them in mail. totally flawless, and they arrived quickly. id 100% recommend exclusively weddings for invites and i keep telling all my friends!