Nevada-Las Vegas

Invite problem...long post!

Hi friends! I have an invite problem and I'm not sure what to do.

We hired a graphic designer to make/print our invites for us. I have known her for awhile as she has made blog designs and Christmas cards for me. When the FI and I got engaged her and I talked about invites and when we should get started on them and whatnot.

Flash forward almost a year, the graphic designer and I started talking at the beginning of November, she told me that as soon as she received payment from us we would get a digital proof a week later, and once edits were made, she would move on with the printing. The FI and I agreed we wanted to send them out the first week of January so people wouldn't confuse them with Christmas cards (all of our guests know when the wedding is). We paid her on November 23rd. A week came and went and we didn't see a proof. I emailed her on the 3rd and asked about the proof, she said she would get it to me no later then the weeks end. Sunday (9th) evening came and I was getting impatient, so I emailed her and she said they were almost done and I would have a proof Tuesday evening (11th). TUESDAY EVENING CAME...AND WENT! I emailed her Wednesday morning (12th) and she said she has lost everything she had worked on and was having to start over. I called FI, cried through it and kept my cool and told her no problem, just to get them done ASAP as I needed to send them out no later then the first week of January.

She kept her deadline this time and we finally got a proof of just the invite on Friday the 14th, we got an RSVP proof on Monday the 17th and info card proof on the 18th. We finally got proofs and everything done on the 18th. She told me the envelopes would be to be by the 24th (which they were) and invites would be to us no later then the 26th (THEY WEREN'T HERE!!!).

On the 26th (yesterday), I sent her an email asking when she thought they would be here and she said that she didn't want to stress me out over the holiday but that the printer she was going to had their printer break down and they were in the process of getting it fixed. When she sent me the message on the 26th, she said that she had called the printer that morning and they told her the printer was FIXED and that they should be working on them ASAP. I sent her a message this morning and asked her if there was an update on the invites and she said they told her she should have a proof this afternoon and that I was a top priority of theirs and that she would keep me updated. I sent a message a little bit ago asking if there was an update and she said they didn't call her this afternoon but that she would call them first thing in the morning. 

She still doesn't have a proof and I still don't have my invites, in fact they aren't even being printed yet. I've stressed to her so many times how important it is that they go out the first week of January, as I'm already cutting it close. My FI's parents are coming to town from Mexico for a week and we are hoping to send invites home with them to deliver.

She promised to overnight them to me as soon as they were printed and I even offered to have them printed locally to me if I had to. I'm kind of lost at what to do and don't have a back up ready even if I needed it.

What would you do? I know, shame on me for not getting the ball going earlier. I thought for sure everything would be okay considering we had talked about the timeline way in advance. 
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Re: Invite problem...long post!

  • I have no idea why the font changed in the middle of my post, how annoying! Tongue Out
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  • Id you have the proof... I would AT LEAST have a backup plan in place. Hopefully she will have them done.. and just a question.... the first week of Jan..... do u mean like Jan 1-5th...or the full first week in Jan... I know that sounds trivial.. buy that time diff does make a diff... just to make sure there is no misunderstanding for everyone involved.. u know.
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  • I would take a deep breath and give her a little more time without asking for updates.  It sounds like she is actually working on things so it's not like some vendors who disappear and stop all communication.  She's probably just not the most organized person or has a primary job and this isn't it, which is interfering with the schedule.  Doesn't sound like she's going to leave you with nothing so I'd give her a week and bug her again on the 2nd or 3rd.  If she overnights you'll still be able to send by the 7th which won't be a huge difference in days.

    Married in Vegas - June 2011


  • Sending lots of positive vibes but just to be on the safe side have you thought about looking into a backup plan? For a professional she sure does miss a lot of deadlines. Sure things happen and things go wrong but it sounds like one excuse after another. Best of luck, keep us updated!
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_invite-problemlong-post?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:91Discussion:d9b12810-f931-456d-8e9d-dea266bcaf6aPost:5d472b78-5be1-4322-925e-0d09c0335a35">Re: Invite problem...long post!</a>:
    [QUOTE]I would take a deep breath and give her a little more time without asking for updates.  It sounds like she is actually working on things so it's not like some vendors who disappear and stop all communication.  She's probably just not the most organized person or has a primary job and this isn't it, which is interfering with the schedule.  Doesn't sound like she's going to leave you with nothing so I'd give her a week and bug her again on the 2nd or 3rd.  If she overnights you'll still be able to send by the 7th which won't be a huge difference in days.
    Posted by vegasgroom[/QUOTE]

    I agree with VG.
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_invite-problemlong-post?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:91Discussion:d9b12810-f931-456d-8e9d-dea266bcaf6aPost:6c2b4e5e-9c17-4bf8-a402-21d355786580">Re: Invite problem...long post!</a>:
    [QUOTE]Id you have the proof... I would AT LEAST have a backup plan in place. Hopefully she will have them done.. and just a question.... the first week of Jan..... do u mean like Jan 1-5th...or the full first week in Jan... I know that sounds trivial.. buy that time diff does make a diff... just to make sure there is no misunderstanding for everyone involved.. u know.
    Posted by nursing2u[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>I will look into a backup plan, but the thought of having to spend more money on invites makes my eye twitch. Lol</div><div>
    </div><div>The FI's parents leave on the 6th, so we were hoping to have them and ready to go by then to send with his parents and out to everyone else. I know a few days make a huge difference, I just thought for sure we'd already have the invites and I wouldn't be stressing over it.</div><div>
    </div>
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_invite-problemlong-post?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:91Discussion:d9b12810-f931-456d-8e9d-dea266bcaf6aPost:5d472b78-5be1-4322-925e-0d09c0335a35">Re: Invite problem...long post!</a>:
    [QUOTE]I would take a deep breath and give her a little more time without asking for updates.  It sounds like she is actually working on things so it's not like some vendors who disappear and stop all communication.  She's probably just not the most organized person or has a primary job and this isn't it, which is interfering with the schedule.  Doesn't sound like she's going to leave you with nothing so I'd give her a week and bug her again on the 2nd or 3rd.  If she overnights you'll still be able to send by the 7th which won't be a huge difference in days.
    Posted by vegasgroom[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>I agree and am planning on stepping back a little in hopes that it all works out, but I'm the kind of person who works well with dates and deadlines. Don't give them to me if you can't meet then, especially for something important. She doesn't have another job, her primary job is her graphic design business, the sad part about this all is that her and I have actually become friends over the years, so I'm trying to not be that mad or stressed over it.</div><div>
    </div><div>I at least need them by the 6th because that's when FI's parents leave back to Mexico.</div><div>
    </div>
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_invite-problemlong-post?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:91Discussion:d9b12810-f931-456d-8e9d-dea266bcaf6aPost:c7eebaf5-75e6-4b97-9cdd-f21f7a7628f8">Re: Invite problem...long post!</a>:
    [QUOTE]Sending lots of positive vibes but just to be on the safe side have you thought about looking into a backup plan? For a professional she sure does miss a lot of deadlines. Sure things happen and things go wrong but it sounds like one excuse after another. Best of luck, keep us updated!
    Posted by PreDempsey[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>Thanks! I thought the same thing about deadlines and missing them. She emailed me this morning and said the proof from the printer was done and looked great and that they were going to give her a quote sometime this afternoon. <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-undecided.gif" border="0" alt="Undecided" title="Undecided" /></div><div>
    </div>
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  • edited December 2012

    " I sent her a message this morning and asked her if there was an update on the invites and she said they told her she should have a proof this afternoon and that I was a top priority of theirs and that she would keep me updated. I sent a message a little bit ago asking if there was an update and she said they didn't call her this afternoon but that she would call them first thing in the morning."

    This is what I'm thinking of when I say, "Calm down." This is her primary business, which means she has other clients, probably dealing with similar issues. "This afternoon" can mean anytime between noon and five, depending on other clients and wrenches in the works. You need to be patient. Jan 6 is over a week away, and all that has to be done is the printing, which will only take an hour or two.

    If the printer still isn't fixed during the next week, which I highly doubt, she can always give you the proof and a refund for the printing portion so you can have them printed at Kinko's, or she can take it to another printer herself.

    I know she's your friend, but I really hope you signed a contract; otherwise, you have very little recourse if something goes wrong.

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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_invite-problemlong-post?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:91Discussion:d9b12810-f931-456d-8e9d-dea266bcaf6aPost:b737d8df-edd7-4e27-9fa5-759037d32b28">Re: Invite problem...long post!</a>:
    [QUOTE]" I sent her a message this morning and asked her if there was an update on the invites and she said they told her she should have a proof this afternoon and that I was  a top priority of theirs and that she would keep me updated. I sent a message a little bit ago asking if there was an update and she said they didn't call her this afternoon but that she would call them first thing in the morning." This is what I'm thinking of when I say, "Calm down." This is her primary business, which means she has other clients, probably dealing with similar issues. "This afternoon" can mean anytime between noon and five, depending on other clients and wrenches in the works. You need to be patient . Jan 6 is over a week away, and all that has to be done is the printing, which will only take an hour or two. If the printer still isn't fixed during the next week, which I highly doubt, she can always give you the proof and a refund for the printing portion so you can have them printed at Kinko's, or she can take it to another printer herself. I know she's your friend, but I really hope you signed a contract; otherwise, you have very little recourse if something goes wrong.
    Posted by Sorcha77[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>You're quoting something that happened and refers to yesterday. As I stated in the orginal post, I've offered of print them locally to me, and I'll still do it if I have to. The printer is already is already fixed, which I already stated as well.</div><div>
    </div><div>I've been plenty patient and continue to still be patient as I haven't sent her anything but asking for updates. Her original quote did not say it would take over a month to get everything done, if it had, I wouldn't be so worried. If she had met all of her deadlines from the start, we wouldn't be in this position to begin with.</div><div>
    </div><div>Everything is documented in emails and we paid through paypal. If everything falls through, I'm pretty sure I'm covered.</div><div>
    </div><div>It's so easy to tell other brides to calm down and be patient but if they were YOUR invites, I'm sure you'd be freaking out just as much too. 

    </div>
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  • i know i would be freaking out :) i say  when next deadline is due and passed and nothing i would say then keep asking for updates.  i would wait till end 1st week jan just like email stated.  on good note the printer is fixed so maybe end weekend you will get update. :)
  • She just called me and said the printer had the proofs ready for her and that they told her they would be ready on Monday. She's going to send me the proofs so that way I can send those with the FI's parents.
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  • That is AWESOME.. she seemed to really be involved, and not just talking out the side of her neck...lol...

    I am glad everything is working out for you
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  • yay thats cool :) and she seems to be staying on top of it even with lil issues going on. 
  • edited December 2012
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_invite-problemlong-post?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:91Discussion:d9b12810-f931-456d-8e9d-dea266bcaf6aPost:1baa3496-b590-424a-aac0-807b7558bdb7">Re: Invite problem...long post!</a>:
    [QUOTE] It's so easy to tell other brides to calm down and be patient but if they were YOUR invites, I'm sure you'd be freaking out just as much too. 
    Posted by abigaildeanna[/QUOTE]

    I found it easy to tell my own bride to calm down when she got worried about things throughout the planning process. <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" />  I planned most of our stuff and tend to take things in stride, she's more of a worrier.  My mindset is no sense worrying about something because it's not going to change the outcome and if things fall through, all you can do is work around it or go to plan B, even if plan B doesn't exist yet.

    Our invites were about 10 days late and calligrapher took two weeks longer than expected.  Wasn't much we could do about it.

    Married in Vegas - June 2011


  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_invite-problemlong-post?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:91Discussion:d9b12810-f931-456d-8e9d-dea266bcaf6aPost:ad7c6fef-cfec-4c3f-8aee-ffc7f3d097f9">Re: Invite problem...long post!</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Invite problem...long post! : I found it easy to tell my own bride to calm down when she got worried about things throughout the planning process.   I planned most of our stuff and tend to take things in stride, she's more of a worrier.  My mindset is no sense worrying about something because it's not going to change the outcome and if things fall through, all you can do is work around it or go to plan B, even if plan B doesn't exist yet. Our invites were about 10 days late and calligrapher took two weeks longer than expected.  Wasn't much we could do about it.
    Posted by vegasgroom[/QUOTE]

    <div>I'm definitely the worrier in the relationship too. My FI has really kept me grounded through all of us, plus I'm doing most of the planning.</div><div>
    </div><div>I really just needed to vent and get it off my chest, so I posted it here.</div><div>
    </div><div>I know everything will come together in the end and things have been smooth sailing from the start, something was bound to stress me out to the max.</div>
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  • It won't stop here, vendors love to do things that will bother you all the way up to wedding day, and then all the worries disappear. Smile

    Married in Vegas - June 2011


  • Don't take what I said personally. I was trying to help you breathe, not criticize you.

    Additionally, we HAVE had some hiccups along the way, but I'm not a worrier. At the end of the day, we'll be married, and that's all that matters.
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