Welcome to my first blog post! I think this is going to be one of the most important blog posts for couples to read through to understand a wedding collection in and out!
A lot of couples wonder what needs to be included in their wedding invitation collection. What are the main things needed in a collection, what add-ons they should incorporate, and also what other little details they should keep in mind when designing the whole collection with their stationer. What is great about a wedding invitation collection is how customizable it is for you, right down to the font choice. This blog breaks this all down for you into sections explaining what you need, what I recommend, and the little details.
First section: The Essentials | The Needs
Second section: The Recommended | The Suggested
Third section: The Details | The Chefs Kiss
The Essentials | The Needs
The Invitation: Well, this speaks for itself. The invitation is the main subject of the whole collection. It is the “brand” of your wedding, your sneak peek for guests to see what the vibe/theme is of the whole special day coming up. The information on the invite is, of course, your name(s), the date, time, location(s), and if there's a certain wedding attire. There are certain do’s and don'ts when it comes to the wording of the wedding invite. Don’t worry that is where I come in and help with the wording of the whole invite.
The RSVP: This is how you communicate with your guests. This is a way for you to ask if they are happily accepting or regretfully declining to attend your event. Another fun thing about RSVP cards is you can put multiple questions on one card. Not just asking if your guest can come or not. Asking about the meal choice they would like, dietary restrictions, a song they would like to dance to, any advice for the newlyweds -the list can go on. Some couples though, do not want to worry and have the hassle of waiting for an RSVP Card mailed back to them, so they opt for a QR Code RSVP Card which is a new and modern way for guests to respond!
The Details Card: To me, this is a need but to some, this may be a recommendation. A Details Card helps you give your guests extra information for your wedding day and/or travel details. For example, if you have guests coming out of town this is where you would list the hotel where you blocked off rooms for your guests and the code they use to book. Also, this could be a good idea for directions to the venue, church, rehearsal dinner, or any event that you have going on. What is cool about Detail Cards is that if you need to list a bunch of information or break it down, these can be printed double-sided!
The Envelopes: This holds down the fort. You have the invite envelope of course which will hold everything listed above. The second envelope you would have is the RSVP envelope for your guests to mail back your RSVP Card if that is the option you wish to do. BUT, you can have more than just those 2 envelopes. You can have an envelope that holds everything together and then an envelope that holds that one! Wow, that’s a little bit of a tongue twister in itself! I can explain this further once we start planning your wedding collection all out haha!
The Recommended | The Suggested
The Reception Card: If you are holding your reception somewhere separate from your ceremony, this is a good option to have an additional information card for just that part of your day! It can be overwhelming with a bunch of information on one card for many different parts of your day, so this is a great option for you to break it up for your guests to digest the information. This card can hold street addresses, directions, parking, contact information, your wedding website link, or anything else your guests need to know to get the celebration started!
The Accommodations Card: Are you planning a destination wedding for all your loved ones to attend? This card will be perfect for you to add to your wedding collection. It can have the dates of the week you are planning to travel, the wedding date, hotel information, and contact information, rates for airlines and hotel(s), group rates, “please book by” date for your event(s), and fun things to do while they are visiting that destination as well. This can fall under the "Details Card" category as well.
The Map Card: A map card is always a fun, unique attribute to your wedding collection. It can be the map of your destination wedding or even just the city you are getting married in! It can introduce fun spots for your wedding guests to visit while they are traveling up or down to you, or map out your fave destinations for them to see! A Map card can be a good piece of art to include (illustrated, digitalized, painted, and printed).
The Extra Invite: Some couples have a wedding weekend, which can include multiple events throughout the three to four days. This can be for the rehearsal dinner for the night before, the send-off brunch the day after, the after-party, etc. This card also does not have to go in every single invitation either. You can order these in smaller quantities so they can go into certain invites to specific guests.
The Envelope Addressing: I can not say enough, that I HIGHLY recommended you ask me to do your wedding invitation addressing. You can definitely do this part of it if you wish, but to keep everything in order and take another thing off your plate is for me to do your addressing. You are probably wondering - “Ummm you don’t know where anyone lives” Haha, don’t worry I would give you a formatted sheet to list all the guests you want to invite and then I would use that to address all your envelopes. It keeps everything organized and the design consistent.
The Details | The Chefs Kiss
The Envelope Liners: Envelope liners are a fun way to up your envelope game. Once your guests open their invitation and see a little sneak peek of what the venue looks like due to a drawing/illustration, or even just a pop of color, this is a fun thing to include to elevate your collection design. These are my favorite things to add to a collection because once you open the collection it is just WOW.
The Belly Bands or Ribbon: To keep your invitation collection all together instead of just placing it into the invite envelope is to get a plain or printed belly band or a nice ribbon to tie it together. This is a way to keep it organized as well so it does not shift in the envelope when being mailed (which it never shifts anyway lol).
The Wax Seals: Ahhhh, wax seals. My favorite add-on, a little detail in a wedding collection. You have so many options when it comes to choosing the type of wax seal you would want for your collection. The size, the shape, a personal monogram, a saying, a picture, anything! It just adds that little touch of love to the whole collection.
PHEW, and that is it! I know it can be a lot but I hope this breaks it all down for you and does not seem overwhelming to you. If you have any questions feel free to contact me and I will be happy to guide you through the process of making your wedding collection.
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