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The Wedding
Vision
These are some of the images that inspired our ideas with the general feel, the fonts, or formats.
Inspiration
Font
Monogram
Invitation Wording
These are four common Catholic invitation wordings. A Nuptial Mass celebrates two sacraments: Sacrament of Eucharist and Sacrament of Marriage. I've bolded the words that denote both of them.
Mr. & Mrs. [bride's parents]
& Mr. & Mrs. [groom's parents] request the honour of your presence at the Nuptial Mass uniting their children [bride] & [groom] in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony [date & time] [church] |
The honor of your presence is requested
at the celebration of the Nuptial Mass as [bride] & [groom] are united in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony [date & time] [church] |
Mr. and Mrs. [bride's parents]
request the honour of your presence at the Nuptial Mass uniting their daughter [bride] & Mr. [groom] son of Mr. and Mrs. [groom's parents] in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony [date & time] [church] |
Together with their families
[bride] & [groom] request the honour of your presence at their marriage in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and the celebration of the Nuptial Mass [date & time] [church] |
Stamp
I got a custom stamp made where I uploaded my monogram as a jpg from etsy JLMould. I chose her acrylic stamp with sticky backing so I could buy my own acrylic block from Hobby Lobby to save even more on shipping.
Map and Directions Insert
8 Days A Week Designs drew out the map and give detailed directions. DIY brides may find Wedding Mapper a great help. Below are pictures that inspired us.
Envelope
Calligraphy was a hobby of mine as a little girl. I always admired their beauty. I couldn't spend a lot of invites and use office labels to deliver them. But calligraphy was out of budget. To make a compromise, we're going with digital calligraphy from etsy EllasPaper using Burgues Script by Ale Paul.
Return Address
Below is the stamp that I've bought called "Vaughn." There are many boutiques that carry PSA Essentials products but I used expressionery with a 40% + free shipping coupon code that you can Google.
Seal
I am going to put a wax seal in gold of a fleur de lis, nailing my French theme. I like the feel like it came from a different epoque when letters were delivered by carriage. My hope is for our guests to feel the same charm and elegance of past writing.
For this to come true, I bought the wax at Letter Seals because faux wax is easier where I would stick it into my glue gun, as opposed to the traditional wax, where I would light up the wick with a lighter. The faux wax is also cleaner, cracks less easily, and won't fall off in the mail. Each wax stick makes 10-15 seals.
For this to come true, I bought the wax at Letter Seals because faux wax is easier where I would stick it into my glue gun, as opposed to the traditional wax, where I would light up the wick with a lighter. The faux wax is also cleaner, cracks less easily, and won't fall off in the mail. Each wax stick makes 10-15 seals.
Inspiration
{Craft How To Blogs}
{Craft How To Blogs}
Stamp
I love stamps. For brides who actually want to use old stamps, you can find them at face value using this website. (At face value, that means a 15¢ stamp from 1950 still has the postage rate of 15¢ valued today.) Be prepared to glue a lot.
At the time of this writing, Summer 2011, these are the stamps available that we'll be using to emphasize our vintage theme. They're ordered from most to least value:
For other brides not so obsessed, consider getting your invitations hand cancelled. Machines print bar codes on the envelopes. If you got them cancelled my machine, there will be a bar code on the envelope; and by hand, the stamps would just simply by marked like blow. This keeps it clean and neat.
hand cancelled
{eHow}
{eHow}
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Etiquette Tips
1. never write your registry info or even the word "gift" or "donation"
2. never write "adults only"
TIP: Evening begins at 6 o'clock.
TIP: "Request the honor of your presence" and "request the pleasure of your company" are not interchangeable. The difference is that the first is reserved for a wedding in a house of worship or at least is of a religious nature. The later is more appropriate for a wedding not in a house of worship.
TIP: Cardinal directions, like NE, should be spelled out. For example, it will look like this: 241 Northeast 64th Street
TIP: Outer envelopes go "Mr. & Mrs. John & Amy Smith" and inner envelopes go "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."
TIP: To invite children, this is the recommended format:
Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith
Susan, Jim, and Janice (listed oldest to youngest, no last name necessary)
123 Main Street
Anytown, USA 12345
TIP: Never write "adults only" anywhere on the invitation. That should already be denoted by how you address your inner envelope.
TIP: If you want to be precise in your RSVP language, one idea is to write "___ seats have been reserved in your honor" and fill in the number yourself.
TIP: Don't address your envelope as "and guest." If you don't know the name of your guest's guest, find it out. If you can't find out, address the invitation to your friend only and then include a small hand written card inside letting your guest know he or she is welcome to bring a guest and to respond with that guest's name.
TIP: To invite a couple who is not yet married, list the woman's name first and then the man's on the next line with no "and" in between.*
Ms. Jane Jones
Mr. John Smith
123 Main Street
Anytown, USA 12345
*The exception is for gay and lesbian couples
TIP: If you invite someone to the bridal shower or bachelorette party, you should invite her to the wedding, too.
TIP: Never mention the word "gift" or "registry" anywhere on the invitation. Even "no gifts please" or "in lieu of gifts, please donate to" are unacceptable. The only place a registry can be mentioned is on wedding websites. Otherwise, it must be passed only by word of mouth, typically by the MOB and the BMs.
TIP: Tradition is that whoever is hosting will be the return addresser; in other words, the person who handles the guest list. But if you want to be ambiguous as to who lives at the return address, you can write, "The [Bride's Last Name-Groom's Last Name] Wedding."
TIP: Below would be the way to traditionally organize your invitations.
Planning Tips
TIP: It's best to mention about accomodations with OOT guests in advance before it goes to print, or else, you run the chance that your OOT guests will not like the hotel you chose for them. Then all the work to reserve rooms and get a special rate for them would be wasted.
TIP: It's not necessary to send vendors an invitation. The only vendor who gets an invitation is the officiant or celebrant, since they would be seated as a regular guest at the reception. The rest will be working. However, some people like to give the photographer an invitation so that he or she can photograph it.
TIP: The respectable time frame to send invitations is 6-8 weeks.
TIP: Why does the reply card have a line that like this: "M ___________________"? That line is where the guest writes his or her name. The M is for the first letter of most titles (Mr./Mrs./Ms). Guests who have a non-M title (Dr.) will cross out the M and write their title and name.
TIP: The RSVP date should be 2-3 weeks before your caterer or venue needs the final head count.
TIP: For fire code reasons, make sure you factor in not only your guest count but also the wait staff and other vendors who may be there.
TIP: If your paper is dark, you may only be able to use white ink, which is not compatible for home printers.
TIP: According to The Knot, the average number of extra envelopes needed in case of addressing mistakes? About 20%.
TIP: It's not necessary to send vendors an invitation. The only vendor who gets an invitation is the officiant or celebrant, since they would be seated as a regular guest at the reception. The rest will be working. However, some people like to give the photographer an invitation so that he or she can photograph it.
TIP: The respectable time frame to send invitations is 6-8 weeks.
TIP: Why does the reply card have a line that like this: "M ___________________"? That line is where the guest writes his or her name. The M is for the first letter of most titles (Mr./Mrs./Ms). Guests who have a non-M title (Dr.) will cross out the M and write their title and name.
TIP: The RSVP date should be 2-3 weeks before your caterer or venue needs the final head count.
TIP: For fire code reasons, make sure you factor in not only your guest count but also the wait staff and other vendors who may be there.
TIP: If your paper is dark, you may only be able to use white ink, which is not compatible for home printers.
TIP: According to The Knot, the average number of extra envelopes needed in case of addressing mistakes? About 20%.
Budget tips
TIP: The most affordable letterpress service I found was Letterpress Chicago at an amazing $500 for 125 invitations. Just have to design your own invites.
TIP: To know exactly how to budget for postage, at least 1 preferrably 2 invitations (to get the average) to the post office to get a quote. Use the exact post office you plan to go to as quotes may fluctuate due to the varied rate on hand cancellation.
TIP: It costs much more in postage to send a square envelop vs. a rectangular one.
TIP: If the mail carrier detects a bump in the envelop from where a bow, rhinestone, or wax seal is, he may charge an extra per invitation. The envelopes will then have to be hand cancelled instead of by machine. If you are on a budget, make sure the invitation is completely flat.
TIP: To know exactly how to budget for postage, at least 1 preferrably 2 invitations (to get the average) to the post office to get a quote. Use the exact post office you plan to go to as quotes may fluctuate due to the varied rate on hand cancellation.
TIP: It costs much more in postage to send a square envelop vs. a rectangular one.
TIP: If the mail carrier detects a bump in the envelop from where a bow, rhinestone, or wax seal is, he may charge an extra per invitation. The envelopes will then have to be hand cancelled instead of by machine. If you are on a budget, make sure the invitation is completely flat.
Vietnamese tips
TIP: The Vietnamese invitation is an announcement while a Western invitation requests the guest's presence/company. If you are having bilingual invites, just be aware that you can either translate word for word or keep to the tradition of each culture.
TIP: If you are DIY printing in Vietnamese, make sure you download the free fonts from Viet Unicode at the top under Publishing, Display, or Script. Only these Unicode fonts have the proper typographic ligatures. Do not use the "Symbols" in Word.
TIP: If you are addressing your envelopes in Vietnamese, you should use Kinh Gui or the abbreviation KG in place of the word "To." KG signifies that you are sending it to an "honorable recipient." (But be consistent and don't mix the two languages. For example, don't write "Kinh Gui: Mr. & Mrs." Write "Kinh Gui: Ong Ba.")
TIP: The words "Le Thanh Hon" means the groom's ceremony, which is typically the Mass or the service. The words "Vu Quy" means the bride's ceremony, which is usually the reception. If the ceremony and the reception are going to be in two different places on two different dates, you should write both "Le Thanh Hon va Vu Quy."
TIP: There are two ways to address: formal and informal, with the informal sounding warmer and less distant.
Formal:
KG: Cu Ong va Cu Ba Nguyen Van Duc
Ong Ba Truong Huu Hung
va gia dinh
123 Main Street
Anytown, USA 12345
Informal:
KG: Ong Ba Nguyen Van Duc
Chu Hung & Co Thuy
va hai em Van & Cuc
123 Main Street
Anytown, USA 12345
TIP: If you are DIY printing in Vietnamese, make sure you download the free fonts from Viet Unicode at the top under Publishing, Display, or Script. Only these Unicode fonts have the proper typographic ligatures. Do not use the "Symbols" in Word.
TIP: If you are addressing your envelopes in Vietnamese, you should use Kinh Gui or the abbreviation KG in place of the word "To." KG signifies that you are sending it to an "honorable recipient." (But be consistent and don't mix the two languages. For example, don't write "Kinh Gui: Mr. & Mrs." Write "Kinh Gui: Ong Ba.")
TIP: The words "Le Thanh Hon" means the groom's ceremony, which is typically the Mass or the service. The words "Vu Quy" means the bride's ceremony, which is usually the reception. If the ceremony and the reception are going to be in two different places on two different dates, you should write both "Le Thanh Hon va Vu Quy."
TIP: There are two ways to address: formal and informal, with the informal sounding warmer and less distant.
Formal:
KG: Cu Ong va Cu Ba Nguyen Van Duc
Ong Ba Truong Huu Hung
va gia dinh
123 Main Street
Anytown, USA 12345
Informal:
KG: Ong Ba Nguyen Van Duc
Chu Hung & Co Thuy
va hai em Van & Cuc
123 Main Street
Anytown, USA 12345
Resources
Etiquette Guides
Crane and Co. Etiquette
Emily Post Etiquette
Martha Stewart Etiquette
Paper supply
Cards and Pockets
Printing Methods
The White Aisle's guide to printing methods
Stamps and Embrossers
Expressionery NOTE: Watch for coupon codes for 30-40% off. They're always at least one out there.
Rubber Stamp Champ
Wilshire Graphic Press
Letter Seals
Free font downloading
Free Vietnamese fonts
Da Font
Font
Eli Fonts
1001 Fonts
Free downloadable invitation templates
Download and Print
Wedding Chicks
Cheap downloadable invitation templates
One Heart Weddings
EM Papers
Help for making DIY tri-fold pocketfold invitations
Wedding Bee DIY Board
Help for making maps on MS Word
Map help
Wedding Mapper
Some recommended stationery companies
William Arthur NOTE: high budget
Gem Printing NOTE: these artists can make knock-offs of William Arthur for cheap
Invitations by Dawn NOTE: medium budget
The White Aisle
Letterpress Chicago NOTE: an affordable letterpress I came across
Ann's Bridal Bargains NOTE: low budget
Michael's Brides NOTE: low budget, DIY
AP Printing NOTE: Vietnamese invitations
Crane and Co. Etiquette
Emily Post Etiquette
Martha Stewart Etiquette
Paper supply
Cards and Pockets
Printing Methods
The White Aisle's guide to printing methods
Stamps and Embrossers
Expressionery NOTE: Watch for coupon codes for 30-40% off. They're always at least one out there.
Rubber Stamp Champ
Wilshire Graphic Press
Letter Seals
Free font downloading
Free Vietnamese fonts
Da Font
Font
Eli Fonts
1001 Fonts
Free downloadable invitation templates
Download and Print
Wedding Chicks
Cheap downloadable invitation templates
One Heart Weddings
EM Papers
Help for making DIY tri-fold pocketfold invitations
Wedding Bee DIY Board
Help for making maps on MS Word
Map help
Wedding Mapper
Some recommended stationery companies
William Arthur NOTE: high budget
Gem Printing NOTE: these artists can make knock-offs of William Arthur for cheap
Invitations by Dawn NOTE: medium budget
The White Aisle
Letterpress Chicago NOTE: an affordable letterpress I came across
Ann's Bridal Bargains NOTE: low budget
Michael's Brides NOTE: low budget, DIY
AP Printing NOTE: Vietnamese invitations
My Vendors
Stationery
Wedding Program Clip Arts: Catholic Resources
Monogram: TBD
Design: 8 Days a Week Design
Paper and invitations: Amo Ink | Reading Bridal District, Cincinnati, Ohio
Return Address Stamp: PSA Essentials
Wedding Program Clip Arts: Catholic Resources
Monogram: TBD
Design: 8 Days a Week Design
Paper and invitations: Amo Ink | Reading Bridal District, Cincinnati, Ohio
Return Address Stamp: PSA Essentials
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