Congratulations Mallory!

Mallory is the winner of 100 letterpress printed save the date or wedding invitations via our Pinterest giveaway!

Mallory’s cards will be printed with soy-based ink in the color of her choice on Crane’s 100% recycled cotton Lettra. Congrats again Mallory! We’re so excited for you and your upcoming big day!

Be sure to keep your eyes out for more contests coming up on our blog in the future!

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Written by Katie

Wording Your Wedding Invitation Series Part 1 of 2

Ok brides, we all know that wedding invitation wording is very important. Wording wedding invitations is also one of the most common areas that our brides have questions about. I understand that finding the proper style, etiquette and a design that you like are all very important aspects of your wedding invitation wording process.

To help you find the wedding invitation design and wording that will proclaim your wedding plans as personally as possible, here are a couple ideas that might help:

Work with Professionals

When wording your wedding invitation, nothing can make this process any easier than working with professionals that understand your specific nuptial needs. No matter how beautiful or custom your wedding invitation design looks, your wedding invitation wording can make or break your guests’ first impressions of your wedding celebration.

Casual

click here to request free samples of South Beach

Formal

click here to request free samples of Rana

Depending on your wedding’s level of formality, funk or fun, your wedding invitation wording should reflect these differences. Whimsical wedding themes necessitate a different style of wedding invitation wording than black tie affairs. Make sure that your whoever is printing your wedding invitations knows exactly what type of event you are planning and so they can word accordingly. Again, making it even more important to work with professionals that help you turn your dream design into reality.

Up next in Part 2 of the series, I have a couple more ideas about how to word your wedding invitations that you are sure to love.

Written by Katie

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Take me out to the ball game…to say “I do!”

Good news for all you Bay Area brides! The San Francisco Giants won the world series of baseball! I love going to games at AT&T Park and seeing different marriage proposals light up on the big screen. That got me to thinking, how cool would it be to get married on the diamond? It’d be a home run, no doubt!

We have to wait until next year for the 2011 baseball season, so start planning that sports-themed spring wedding! Customizing letterpress wedding invitations is a popular way for brides to have more control over the letterpress printing process. I am not going to lie; I am beginning to dream of the SF logo as the monogram for my future wedding invitation.

Photo Courtesy of sfgiants.com

For a lot of couples I know, a mutual love of a sport is one of the things in their relationship that provides a healthy balance of teamwork, celebration and—depending on what team they’re rooting for—competition ; ). Think about how you could incorporate your favorite team’s logo, colors, or stadium into your baseball-themed letterpress wedding invitation, wedding ceremony and more!

Written by Katie

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Divine Ideas for Wedding Invitation Poetry

Every bride likes beautiful and romantic poetry, especially when it is written (or read) in her honor. Which is why including poetry in your letterpress wedding invitation set is a wonderful idea that will set a celebratory mood for all your wedding guests.

Wedding Invitation Poetry

Adding poetry to a wedding invitation is a time honored tradition. Wedding invitation poetry provides a personalized touch to your invitation set that is as classic as it is romantic. When designing your wedding invitations, consider the impact of a couple lines of your favorite love poem.

Wedding Ceremony Poetry

Some couples like to include small portions of the poetry from their wedding vows or wedding celebration toasts into the wedding programs or wedding invitations. This is a great way to set the celebratory tone and pique your guest’s interests for what is yet to come.

Wedding Program Poetry

Another way to add a passionate charm to your wedding ceremony is to include some wedding poetry in your wedding program. This is a perfect way to express your feelings and tell all your guests how much you love your mate.

Poetry can be incorporated into your letterpress wedding invitation set in a variety of ways. Remember you do not have to include the entire poem and sometimes adding small segments can create a more dramatic effect. Good luck and let those creative juices flow!

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Here at Invitations by Ajalon we love printing letterpress wedding invitations and being gentle with the environment. For us and for our letterpress wedding invitations, being green is not just a snazzy slogan but a way of life. That is why we are so excited to announce to all those eco-savvy brides that love the awesome aesthetic of bamboo paper that we are offering wedding invitations with bamboo paper.

Bamboo paper is a beautiful choice for wedding invitation stationery. The unique texture of bamboo paper coupled with the sustainable nature of the bamboo plant create a wonderfully green wedding invitation resource.

Send Me My Free Samples of Lucky Bamboo

Even when it comes to letterpress wedding invitation printing, bamboo paper is sure to make a strong first impression. Your guests will love the bamboo paper, you will feel great about choosing a sustainable, eco friendly wedding invitation stationery and the earth will thank you in long run.

So for all you eco-chic minded brides thinking about wedding invitation stationery, make sure to consider the amazing qualities of bamboo paper.

Send Me My Free Samples of Lucky Bamboo

After ordering her bamboo paper letterpress wedding invitations, Becky said:

“Just wanted to let you know I received our invites, etc and they look beautiful! Especially the blue foiling and background/blind printing on the invitation portion, we love them!!!

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Spread Word of Your Wedding Ceremony with Bilingual Wedding Invitations

Sometimes, and especially here in culturally-diverse California, it is difficult to print your letterpress wedding invitations in one language without feeling like you are excluding half of your guests. Many modern brides are opting to use bilingual wedding invitations to announce their nuptials, making sure that all guests feel welcome.

There are several ways to make bilingual letterpress wedding invitations.

Some brides choose to send two separate invitations to their guests, ensuring a level of comfort to those who may not speak the couple’s prominent language:

Send Me My Free Samples of Allison

Other brides choose to print both languages on one card, making a statement to everyone invited that their wedding ceremony will be a multi-cultural one.

Send Me My Free Samples of Jessica

The inclusion of a second language in letterpress wedding invitations is becoming increasingly popular, as it offers a way to effortlessly communicate small details and necessary information about your special day to a diverse audience.

Written by Katie

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Renew Your Vows like a Celebrity

Have you ever noticed how celebrities seem to renew their vows almost every year? I keep hearing about JLo, Mariah Carey and Heidi Klum announcing their wedding vow renewal ceremonies, and all I can think of is ‘I wonder what their wedding vow renewal invitations look like?’ They are almost certainly printed with letterpress, and I bet they are custom-crafted artisan-style invitation sets.

The beauty of letterpress printing is it is so versatile. It is the perfect printing method to announce important events like weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, graduations and of course, wedding vow renewals.

After a little more searching I was able to find what appears to the actual letterpress wedding vow renewal invitation that Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony Muniz sent to their guests. It looks like this celebrity wedding vow invitation is gold foil stamped with some beautifully designed sparkling glitter on the edges. While it is beautiful, and quite possible very expensive, you too can have the quality of letterpress printing at a very affordable price.

photo courtesy of people magazine

If you are planning on renewing your vows to your partner, consider inviting your guests in style with letterpress wedding vow renewal invitations. No matter what the design, style, colors or paper choice, we will work with you to find a design that you like at a price that you can afford. And your guests will certainly be impressed

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

How to Choose the Right Wedding Invitation Wording and Style

Choosing the right wedding invitation style and wording is a very important part of the overall wedding invitation design selection. Deciding how you want to word your wedding invitations helps you to set the tone for your wedding celebration and guides your guests’ expectations.

Before wording your wedding invitation, it is important to decide on your overall wedding invitation writing style. When working on this, think about what kind of wedding ceremony you are planning. Will your wedding be a traditional service or a modern celebration? Are you going to need bilingual wedding invitations, or are there several different cultural events you need to inform your guests about? No matter what your wedding style, there is a wedding invitation writing style that will properly announce your plans.

Formal wedding celebrations require a more formal wording style. You should include wording about dress code requirements (i.e., “Semi-Formal Attire” or “Black Tie Required”) and specific guest instructions.

Send Me My Free Samples of Emily

Semi-formal weddings allow for more diversity and freedom in the wording of the wedding invitation process. Fun fonts are used, unique and personal phrases can be employed and the whole style of the wedding invitation is much looser and unique:

click here to request a free sample of our Malulani Design

Wedding invitation wording ranges from formal to fun. Depending on the level of tradition you are planning for your wedding, it is important to offer a clear picture of your wedding ceremony by the way you word your invitation.

Deciding how to wording your wedding invitation is an important process. It can be formal, fun or festive, but most importantly it needs to reflect your style of ceremony and indicate to your guests what they should expect.

After receiving her wedding invitations, Milene said :

“The invitations, reply cards, etc are absolutely beautiful. I love everything about them! I can’t thank you enough for the spectacular job, as well as your extraordinary flexibility and attentiveness.”

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.

Wedding Wording for your Whole Invitation Package

The wording you choose for your wedding invitation is as important as the design you choose, and finding a way to have them compliment each other is vital. However, knowing what the proper etiquette is when it comes to wedding invitation wording is a constant question brides have.

To help you understand the slightly complicated nature of wedding invitation wording, here are some examples of how each portion of your wedding invitation set should be worded:

Wedding Wording for the Invitation Card

Who – You and your future husband. You may also want to include parents’ names.

What – A wedding, a reception, a dance, etc.

When – The date of your wedding. Don’t forget the year!

Where – The location where the ceremony will take place. Also include directions to the reception if this is in a different location than the ceremony.

Send Me My Free Samples of Emily

Wedding Wording for RSVP Postcard

Include a box to indicate if they will attend or not as well as a space for the number of guests they will be bringing. Likewise, you will want to include your return address for their easy response.

Send Me My Free Samples of Orchid

Destination Wedding Invitation Wording

For destination weddings, it is important to add maps to your wedding invitation set. Maps come in a variety of styles and sizes, but the important things to add are road names and major landmarks.

Send Me My Free Samples of Kira

After working with us to word her wedding invitations, Cindy said: “Hi Trish, I just wanted to send you a quick email to thank you for all the help and tell you how wonderful my invitations turned out. You are the best!”

Invitations by Ajalon
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Can Virtual Wedding Invitations Beat Letterpress Printing?

Shortly after the iPad came out, there were videos circulating all over the internet with people doing very strange and innovative things with their new toys. One of my favorite videos was of a couple whose officiant used an iPad to remember his notes and direct the ceremony.

“I now pronounce you man and wife. At this time, George is going to update his Twitter and Facebook Status…”

While this is a funny clip and a creative idea, what this video asks us to consider is whether or not technology should fully replace traditional forms communication. What most specifically interests me is the question of whether or not virtual wedding invitations will ever replace hand crafted paper wedding invitations.

I think not.

The artisan style and palpable quality of letterpress wedding invitations is par excellence, and the deep impressions that they make upon your guests cannot be mimicked by any other method. In the world of social networking, streaming videos and instant email messages, a physical wedding invitation still goes a long way to say that you care.

Invitations by Ajalon
View our letterpress wedding invitation gallery.