Archive for the ‘Wedding Planning’ Category

What to Include in Your
Letterpress Wedding Invitation Design

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Because we like to help you decide on what design and style of letterpress wedding invitations you want, I thought I would create a quick check list of items that brides often include in their invitation sets. This way, when you are thinking about type of invitation set you should order, you will know exactly what you want:

  • Directions to the Venue or map
What to Include in Your <br/ >Letterpress Wedding Invitation Design Photo

Kourtesis Letterpress Wedding Invitation Design - Directions Card

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  • Attire suggestions, if any

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  • A schedule or timetable for the day’s events

What to Include in Your <br/ >Letterpress Wedding Invitation Design Photo

Jessica Letterpress Wedding Invitation Design - Make it a Weekend Card

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  • Dinner options and or requests for special dietary needs
What to Include in Your <br/ >Letterpress Wedding Invitation Design Photo

Laura Letterpress Wedding Invitation Design - RSVP Postcard

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  • Directions to the wedding website. Many brides are including detailed information about their wedding online and simply directing their guests there via an invitation

What to Include in Your <br/ >Letterpress Wedding Invitation Design Photo

  • Phone numbers or email addresses for any further queries

Good luck with your wedding invitation selections!

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

An Amazing DIY Wedding Idea
Do It Yourself Flowers in the Desert

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

I had the amazing opportunity over New Year’s weekend to attend the wedding of one of my best friend’s sister in Joshua Tree, California. This bride and her family were some of the most DIY savvy people I have ever seen when it came to planning her wedding. From invites to flowers, the wedding dress and music, this bride took ‘do it yourself’ wedding to another level.

DiY wedding corsage

Even though the wedding invitations were not letterpress (they were still beautiful though ;) ), I was thrilled because the DIY flowers that this bride made for the corsages, boutonnières, and even her own bouquet were simply spectacular!

DiY Wedding Bouquet

Using different colors of glossy construction paper, the bride and the bridesmaids set out to make the most personal, distinctive, winter desert bouquet that quite possibly this world has ever seen. This was a feat of amazing DIY dexterity!

DiY Wedding Boutineer

There is nothing quite like the feel of a completely original, do-it-yourself wedding. The flowers were the most vibrant in the desert, and the ceremony was extraordinarily creative and fun. Several of the guests commented later in the day that this was the most beautiful wedding they had ever been to.

Blessings on your marriage Annie and Neal!!!

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

DIY Brides Wedding Planning Countdown:
What to Do and When

Friday, February 19th, 2010

It’s the wedding planning season and time to prepare for your wedding celebration. For those of us without a wedding planner, I have decided to create a quick month by month check list of all the major things that need to be planned. Everything from venues to wedding invitations:

1 Year Before Your Wedding Ceremony

If you haven’t done this already, picking a day, place and time is probably the first thing you should do. Make sure to reserve the wedding venue for both the ceremony and celebration, because these places tend to be reserved well in advance and dictate a lot of the future planning details.

5-9 Months

It’s now the time to start looking for the other elements of your wedding celebration. Caterers, photographers, DJ’s (or decide on an Ipod w/ a stellar play list ;) ), florists and wedding gowns should all be picked by this time.

3-5 months

Now is the time to start thinking about wedding invitations. Whether your wedding invitations are going to be letterpress, offset or digital, picking the design and printing style that you want is important. Think of matching the venue, season or wedding theme with your invitation set. Also, if you haven’t picked your wedding rings yet, now is the time to do it.

2-4 months

Get the final headcount for your guest list and mail out your invitations. The optimal advance notice to give your guests is 12 weeks, so aim for as close to that as possible.

2-4 weeks

Check to see who has not returned their RSVP and contact them to get a better idea of exactly how many guests will be coming. See if your wedding rings are ready yet and order your wedding programs, menus, table markers and placecards now.

0-2 weeks

Get the final guest count and pass this information along to the caterers. Make sure everyone in the wedding ceremony has their proper clothes and finalize your vows (make sure he does too…).

The Day Before

Do Not Panic! Tomorrow will be the most wonderful day.

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Dessy’s Pantone Wedding™ Color Guide is HERE!
194 New Colors for 2010 Brides

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

The Dessy Group, a wedding and bridesmaid dress manufacturer, recently partnered with the folks at Pantone Inc. to produce the first ever Pantone Wedding™ Color Guide. It is a beautiful array of new 2010 wedding color selections that are conveniently arranged by color tone.

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Photo courtesy of The Dessy Group

This wedding wheel of colors is an essential tool for brides that want to match the colors of their gowns, bridesmaid dresses, flowers, table linens and, most importantly, their letterpress invitation sets! You can order from Dessy individual swatches for $10 or the whole book for the very reasonable price of $35.

When you stop to think of how much time, thought and consideration goes into planning the color schemes for most wedding celebrations, everything from invitation designs to corsage selections, having one book that you can quickly reference and make notes in can be a lifesaver.

I am so excited that this wedding color guide is finally available. I cannot wait to start integrating the unique color schemes and combinations into our new letterpress wedding invitation designs for our brides. Dresses, flower selections, wedding decorations, paper, ink and invitations will never be the same!

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

We Print Letterpress Marriage Vows
Stylish New Idea
In the World of Weddings

Friday, February 5th, 2010

I love letterpress printing. When it comes to wedding invitations, there really is no better way to set the tone and generate authentic excitement from your guests than by choosing letterpress. The texture, the unique designs, the matching envelopes (and sometimes liners) combine in a scrumptious aesthetic that is supreme among invitations.

However, I also understand that many boutique letterpress printers do charge a premium for their services, and in this economy they can become expensive (though they not have to be!).

So what’s a bride to do? If you really love letterpress printing, but cannot afford a full invitation set, consider having your wedding vows printed with letterpress. This way you can frame them and display them for years to come. They can be a constant reminder of the love, commitment and respect you each have for each other, and will look absolutely gorgeous too.

We Print Letterpress Marriage Vows <br/ > Stylish New Idea <br/ > In the World of Weddings Photo

If you and your spouse to be are feeling adventurous, it would be a wonderful treat for your guests to have your wedding vows printed with letterpress and included along with your thank you cards. If the thought of sending your vows to everyone may seem a little much, it is always possible to include them only in the letters to your closest friends and relatives.

We Print Letterpress Marriage Vows <br/ > Stylish New Idea <br/ > In the World of Weddings Photo

This way, you can share your feelings and give your guests something to remember your marriage celebration by, a small, stunning pledge filled with memories and joy.

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Saying Yes to a Dress (or Two)

Friday, January 15th, 2010

One of the things I was most excited about for the wedding was picking out a dress.  I looked for about 4 months in magazines and online, and after my finals were over in April, we actually started looking.  I first went to Priscilla of Boston (in Boston) by myself to get an idea of what I liked and what I didn’t like.  I found a few that were beautiful, but unfortunately they were out of my price range, and I also wasn’t ready to commit on my first trip.

After that, I checked out a few shops in Atlanta when I was home visiting.  We went to two shops, Priscilla of Boston (again) and New Natalie’s Bridal.  We found a contender at each shop, a Priscilla and a Maggie Sottero, one that was significantly over-budget and one that was well under.

Here is the Maggie Sottero Oakley:

Maggie Sottero Oakley Wedding Dress

I decided to get more opinions from a few of my bridesmaids back in Boston.  I was unable to find a shop in Boston that carried the style of Maggie Sottero that I liked, so we headed back to a Priscilla’s as well as to another local shop, Country Weddings in Hingham.  We eliminated the Priscilla’s gown, but we loved Country Weddings, and I found a serious contender, an Alvina Valenta that came in rum pink, an ivory color with just a hint of pink.  I wanted to wait for my mom to come up and help me decide, so I waited until May when she had a trip planned.  We visited Country Weddings on the Friday and then drove to NYC to Kleinfeld.   Our consultant was friendly but I couldn’t help but feel pressured.  Long story short, I ended up ordering a dress, a Henry Roth Gown.

Here is the Henry Roth:

Henry Roth Wedding Dress

After I got home I started having nightmares about my dress, and after a week or two I decided to call and see if I could put my dress on hold until I could come back and try it on again.  I scheduled my appointment for mid-July.  I had a new consultant, and she seemed to get what I was going for and was totally fine with staying in my budget.  She proceeded to bring me a plethora of dresses, most of which I didn’t care for.  I even joined her in the dress stockroom and picked out a few.

Just as I thought that we were running out of options and that I was either going to have to settle for one that I had already tried on, but she came through at the end and pulled out a dress that was completely gorgeous and exactly what I had pictured.  A Pnina Tornai, with all of the features that I wanted.  It was a gown that had been canceled too late after it was ordered, so it was technically a sample gown although it was brand new and never tried on.

I was afraid it wouldn’t fit, as a lot of the samples are very small, but it was just about one size too big, and the perfect height with the shoes that I had already purchased for the wedding!  I couldn’t believe it.  The dress was still a bit out of my price point, but Joan the manager and my awesome consultant Moriah were able to get the price down to almost exactly what I had set for myself as a maximum budget.  I won’t be showing a picture of mine, but here are some of the other beautiful dresses that Pnina makes (as seen at Kleinfeld):

Pnina Wedding Dress

Pnina  Wedding Dress

I love my dress and I am so excited to wear it!

Elizabeth

5 Different Ways to Print your Wedding Invitation
Letterpress, Offset, Thermography, Foil or Digital
How to Decide on Cost, Style, Texture and Color

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

When it comes to your wedding invitations there are a lot of designs, styles and printing methods to choose from. Depending on what you want your invitation set to look like, it is important to understand the differences that each method provides. While there are some price differences, the advantages, appearance and overall quality of your invitation can also vary greatly depending on how you choose to have them printed.

To help you make the right choice when it comes to your wedding invitation set, I am going to give you a brief overview of the different methods of printing:

Letterpress

Letterpress printing is a timeless art that harkens back to an age of craftsmanship, elegance and uniquely creative designs. It creates a distinct impression into the paper that no other printing method can provide. Also, advances in the industry allow most letterpress printers to create just about anything that other more ‘modern’ technologies allow.

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Rana 1 Letterpress Wedding Invitation Design

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Offset Printing

Standard offset printing can also be used to make your wedding invitations. The color range is limitless and the end result is a conventional, yet beautiful, invitation. Also, printing other elements of the invitation set such as the RSVP, Map or Thank You card  with offset is a great way to decrease the cost of printing an extraordinary invitation with one of the other, more dynamic techniques.

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Sakura Letterpress Wedding Invitation Design

Click here for free samples

Thermography

Thermography printing was created to emulate engraving. Thermography is a method that employs offset printing, and while the ink on the invitation is still wet, powder is sprinkled on and melted to produce the raised effect. This creates a noticeably textured surface.

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Foil Stamping

While most brides do not typically create their entire invitation set with foil stamping, I would be lying if I said that has never been done. However, usually foil is used to highlight names, monograms or invitation themes. There are countless colors to choose from (no, you do not have to choose just gold or silver) and the shimmering difference that foil stamping provides is instantly noticeable.

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Avani Letterpress Wedding Invitation

Click here for free samples

Digital Printing

The technological advances in the digital printing industry are shocking. The least expensive and fastest way to make your wedding invitations, high speed digital printers produce great results. They are especially useful if you wish to have a photo included in your invitation set. Likewise they work well to bring down the costs of wedding invitation sets by creating amazing RSVP and maps where letterpress, foil or thermography is not necessarily needed.

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Jacqueline Wedding Invitation Design

Click here for free samples

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Invitations with a Personalized Feel
Why To DIY your Wedding
And a How to Video to Boot!

Monday, December 28th, 2009

Your wedding ceremony is going to be one of the most transformational experiences of your lifetime. Many brides (and grooms too :) ) dream about and plan their wedding day years in advance, even if they are not yet sure who their special someone will be.

In an effort to make weddings more personalized and special, many brides are turning to the powers of Do It Yourself (DIY). This added experience of creating intimate aspects of your wedding celebration and ceremony add an extra special zeal to the occasion.  From wedding favors to flower arrangements, table decorations to invitation sets, the powers and possibilities of Doing it Yourself are limitless.

While I certainly do love flowers, and unique favors and table arrangements are always a favorite of mine, I am here to tell you how easy and amazing adding personalized touches to your wedding invitations is.

We recently created a video that demonstrates the step by step process to measure and cut your own wedding invitation envelope liners. For those of you that would rather read the instructions, or do not have speakers, I have included a short description of the procedure. Enjoy:

After clearing a space to work on, place one of the envelopes you eventually intend to have inserted onto a safe cutting surface.

Using a straight edge and art knife trim off 1/8th of an inch from each side of the envelope. This is the part where you need to be careful.

Then cut off 1/8th of an inch from both the edges of the envelope flap that have the adhesive.

Now you have your liner template. You can use this to cut as many additional liners as needed.

Remember, if you are going to cut a large quantity (50+) it may help to either cut a template from cardstock or ask your local printer to use their industrial cutter. Depending on the project, one of these two options can end up saving you a lot of time.

Once you are done cutting your liners, you may want to consider viewing this instructional video detailing the proper way to insert an envelope liner.

Thanks for watching!

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

To DIY or not to DIY
How Gocco and Table Top Letterpress Printing
Might be More Trouble Than it’s Worth

Monday, December 21st, 2009

I was recently surfing around some online letterpress printing forums when I stumbled upon a really interesting thread that was started by a bride to be. While I typically really do like a lot of DIY projects and typically support brides, grooms or anyone that wants to take things into their own hands, I was surprised and actually humbled by this discussion.

A bride was asking for advice about gocco and table top letterpress at home printing. While the responses were directed towards different aspects of in home printing process, there was a general warning that everyone voiced.

They said that buying a home letterpress kit with supplies, paper and inks combined with the time and energy that it takes to effectively operate a hand held machine can be costly. One person lamented that after several days of working with an in home printing press, they eventually gave up entirely and went to a professional printer. Another mentioned that there are online letterpress wedding invitation specials from professional printers that are nearly the same cost as the supplies and equipment needed to do it yourself.

Some of the respondents did mention that designing your own invitation and sending it to a printer can be a safe alternative, a process that I whole heartedly agree with. However, before you set your heart on a specific design or idea, check with your printer first. Depending on the printing process you choose for your invitations, there may be specific guidelines you may need to follow to produce printable art.

But just in case you still have any reservations about the difficulties of DIY printing, feel free to see what those that have toiled with the process have to say.

Making portions of your wedding invitations yourself can be fun, creative and self esteem building project, but just make sure you know what you are getting yourself into before you start.

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Who to Include on the Wedding Guest List
Fun Ideas for a Courageous Bride

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Having a sense of humor about your wedding plans is a good thing. It reduces your stress level and helps put small problems and conflicts into perspective. That is why when thinking about who to send your wedding invitations to, you should feel free to be inventive. Go out on a limb and invite some people you would love to have attend, even if you are pretty sure they will not respond. At the very least, it will make for a funny story and memory for years to come.

I recently met a bride that invited the Obamas to their wedding. I had never heard of someone inviting the president to their ceremony, but I had to applaud the cleverness of that idea.

While I am nearly certain the presidential family had to decline, I am sure in their response letter they sent happy wishes for the couple to be.

If you want to mail an invitation to The White House and see what the Obamas say, make sure to do it well in advance (about 6 weeks):

The Honorable Barack Obama and Michelle Obama

The White House

Greetings Office Room 39

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20500

If you send an invite to the White House you’ll get a personal response signed by the president and first lady.  On the off chance that they accept, how amazing would that be.

Good luck!

Written by Nick

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.