The Truth About How Much Your Wedding Invitation and Reception Should Match

Posted by Imbue You in Ask Imbue You | 0 comments

Imagine this.

You’re planning your wedding and it’s time to search for invitations. You’re not done planning your actual wedding, though. Everyone says invitations are important because they are the first thing your guests see.

How can you pick them before you’ve finalized your wedding details? And now you’re confused, and worried about doing this important thing wrong.

But you may not need to imagine.

You may be searching for invitations before you have completely nailed down your wedding day details.

And if you are confused about how much your wedding invitation should match your ceremony and reception, don’t worry. I’ve got the answer for you.

Most likely you’ve found a venue, narrowed down bridesmaid dresses (if you have those) and chosen flowers.

Plus, you have a good sense of what kind of wedding you want, whether that be elegant or casual, rustic or carnival.

Well, then good news! Frankly, that’s all you need.

Getting this far means that you have your wedding colors, mood and theme. That’s the essence of your wedding to capture on your wedding invitation, specifically:

Wedding Colors

Often you’ll have 3 to 5 colors you are using on your wedding day in dresses, flowers and décor. Choose 2 to 3 of them to feature on your invitations. When selecting them think about which of the colors best represent your wedding and its mood.

Wedding Mood

You can capture your mood in your colors, the invitation design, the wedding wording and even the fonts.

When I work with a couple on a design in our handmade wedding stationery shop, I always want to know the mood first. It helps me think through fonts, how to present the wedding details in the wording, and even how much of a color to use.

Wedding Theme

If you have a wedding theme, such as vintage or beach, it’s great to show that on your invitation.

It’s part of what you’re inviting your guests to. After all, you’re not just inviting them to your wedding. You’re inviting them to your vision of what your wedding will be.

Ok, now it’s your turn. What colors, mood and theme will you capture on your invitations? And let me know how you are choosing invitations in the comments below.

RePost: Fun with Bookmarks at Your Wedding

Posted by Imbue You in Ask Imbue You, Our Designs | 0 comments

Whether or not you are having a book or library themed wedding, bookmarks are a fun way to add the personality of book lovers to a wedding. They are certainly unexpected, and bookmarks have a keepsake quality that’s perfect for weddings.

There are so many ways to add them to your celebration. These are a few ways we’ve created for others:

Bookmark Invitations

How cute would a bookmark invitation for a rehearsal dinner, bridal shower or engagement party be? There is enough room to fit typical invitation text and even RSVP information.

Bookmark Save the Dates

Many couple like their save the dates to be a little unusual and with more fun than the invitations get to be.

Bookmark Place Cards

If you are naming your table after favorite books, or sharing favorite quotes with your guests, bookmark place cards fit in perfectly.

Bookmark Wedding Favor

As wedding favors, bookmarks can leave your favorite quotes or a special message of thanks with your guests.

Bookmark Wish Cards

Great at showers or receptions,  wish cards are a chance for guests to give the couple advice, congratulations and good wishes for their life together.

See more of our bookmark save the dates, and more ideas for a book themed wedding.

{All photos by Imbue You. Written by imbueyouido.com, the blog of Imbue You and Imbue You Wedding}

Wedding Stationery Calendar

Posted by Imbue You in Ask Imbue You | 0 comments

I’ll let you in on a secret: I think wedding planning is a little weird.

For me it’s the expectation that normal people with normal jobs that have nothing to do with weddings are expected to become fluent in what to do when and the best way to do it.

I think that’s asking at lot.

So at least for stationery planning, which I do for a living, I’ll try to make it easier for you. I’ve pulled together an ideal calendar of what to do when for your invitations and the rest of your wedding stationery, with some tips and advice along the way.

7 to 8 months before wedding

• Start shopping for save the dates, or decide to make your own
• Shop for wedding website and start creating
• Start pulling together guest list and addresses

Tips and Advice:

What wedding stationery do I need?
What your destination wedding guests need to know

4 to 6 months before wedding

• Mail save the dates (send as early as possible for destination and holiday weddings)
• Start shopping for invitations, or decide to make your own

Tips and Advice:

Tips for addressing your invitation envelopes (also applies to save the dates)
Are you making these 3 creativity sucking mistakes when selecting wedding invitations?

3 to 4 months before wedding

• Purchase wedding invitations, or start making your own

Tip and Advice:

When is the right RSVP by date?
Where do I put reception information?
Alternative wedding invitation wording
Formal wedding invitation wording
Love quotes for wedding stationery

6 to 8 weeks before wedding

• Mail invitations
• Start shopping for wedding programs and reception stationery, or decide to create your own

Tips and Advice:

What stationery do I need for my reception?

4 to 5 weeks before wedding

• RSVPs start coming in
• Start finalizing numbers for wedding programs and reception stationery
• Rehearsal dinner invitations are sent out

3 weeks before wedding

• Finalize wording for menus, programs, signage and other reception stationery
• Finalize seating plan
• Purchase or create wedding programs, seating chart, place cards, table numbers and other reception stationery

Tips and Advice:

Sample Wording: What goes in a wedding program?

1 to 3 weeks after wedding

• Write and mail thank you notes

Tips and Advice:
The stress free guide to writing thank you notes

So take action now. Where are you on this timeline? And how are you doing? If you are a little behind, that’s ok. Use this timeline to get ahead of the next task.

Spread the love. Share this stationery timeline with any couples you know who are getting married. Hopefully it will be a sanity saver.

{Photo: custom wedding stationery by Imbue You}

What to Do When Your Venue Has a Distinct Color Palette

Posted by Imbue You in Ask Imbue You, Color Advice | 0 comments

Kelly and Tim loved the wedding venue they choose: Cevíche, a Tapas restaurant in Orlando, Florida.

There was only one problem.

It had a very distinctive look with dark wood and red walls. And they just weren’t sure how that was going to work with their Mexican wedding theme.

This is a common issue for couples I work with through Imbue You, my custom wedding stationery studio. They want a special, personal wedding that has a pulled together look. They love their venue, but aren’t sure how to make it work with their colors and theme.

Unless your budget includes a décor line item to drape the room and overlay the floors, there are 3 ways to overcome this issue.

1. Bridge the Colors

Luckily for Kelly and Tim there are many ways to do a Mexican wedding theme.

So I suggested “Mexican Hacienda” as a way to mix the Old World traditional look of the restaurant with the culture and design of Mexico. I even wrote a theme board for how to achieve this look.

The restaurant provided a rich red, and Kelly had already chosen a navy for her bridesmaid dresses. The tableware had an antique gold look, so the color palette became red, navy and deep champagne printed on a metallic ivory cardstock.

2. Match the Colors

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. That’s the idea here. If Kelly didn’t already chosen navy bridesmaid dresses, she could have added chocolate brown to her palette. And that would have worked nicely as well.

3. Go for Neutral Colors

Since the venue was so rich with color, another choice would have been to aim for taupe, ivory and champagne and create a neutral palette to work with the room.

Now it’s your turn. Think about your wedding venue. Does it have powerful colors that you simply can’t ignore? If so, come up with your color plan. And report back in the comments.

{photo credits: restaurant: Cevíche; invitation by Imbue You}

Cure Wedding Planning Overwhelm: Create a “Don’t Like” List

Posted by Imbue You in Ask Imbue You | 0 comments

Justin calls me a picky eater. I don’t like gelatin-like foods (so gummy bears are out), or mushy foods (so rice pudding is a no) and I absolutely can’t stand eggs.

But I think I’m a happy eater. I know no matter how awesome an omelette looks, I’m never going to like it. So I find something better for me.

When there are so many choices in the world, like what to have for breakfast or which wedding reception place setting to choose, knowing what you don’t like can often bring you closer to something you’ll love.

That’s a recipe for a more personal and meaningful wedding, which is what you want, right?

So get it on paper or ipad. When pulling together your “don’t like” list remember to include:

Pet Peeves: I’m working with a bride now who doesn’t like ampersands. It was the first thing she told me, and I loved it. I loved it so much, it’s the reason you are reading this article right now. Now she knows that if a design can’t be adjusted without an ampersand to simply move on.

Moods and Feelings: Many of our custom destination wedding stationery clients tell me that they don’t want anything “too formal”. Knowing that, I can adjust the fonts and wording to create something classic, but not too traditional.

General dislikes that can lead to more specifics: The most important thing is to get started. So if you have something general that you don’t like, such as “anything too feminine” you can narrow it down to “no pink” or “no lace” later on.

So say it loud and proud. What are your wedding don’t likes? Go talk to your sweetie and make your own “don’t like” list. And share any Ah-Ha moments from your list in the comments below.

{Photo: handmade journal from Re-maker}

Wedding Welcome Bags – 7 Tips for Making Your Out of Towns Guests Feel at Home with Your Welcome Bag

Posted by Imbue You in Ask Imbue You | 0 comments

With lots of goodies and helpful items, wedding welcome bags are a great way to help your out of town guests feel at home and fall in love with where you are getting married. It also makes you an awesome host! And that sounds like a good plan, right?

But what are the best things to put in your welcome bags to make your guests feel comfortable? Here are 7 tips to guide you in the right direction.

#1: Add your own personal touch

Your welcome bag is a great place to share favorite snacks and local specialties. It’s also a great way to pull guests into the design and feeling of your wedding. So think about making your own labels for water bottles, and adding wedding colors and special tags to your bags.

#2: Don’t forget emergencies

Prepare for the unexpected. Include emergency contact information for some members of the wedding party, location of  local hospital and numbers for local police just in case.

#3: Write a personal note of welcome

Depending on the number of out of town guests, you may not be able to personally hand write each note. But it is a nice personal touch to personally sign each note. That will truly make your guests feel welcomed, and set the stage for a more personal wedding experience.

#4: Help guests recover from your wedding

Ok, party animals, you know who you are. Your wedding is going to be a lot of fun, it might go later than expected. Hey, the fun might even get a little out of hand. Wouldn’t some aspirin, antacid or a hangover cure be nice? Don’t you owe that to your nearest and dearest?

#5: Let guests know what to expect

Even if you have a very robust wedding website with lots of information, it’s still nice to include a run down of events you might have planned, when and where they start, and any special tips on style of dress.

#6: Have fun with your packaging

There are so many fun ways to pull your welcome bags together…and they don’t even need to be “bags” at all. You can decorate paper bags with ribbon and tags. Or get personalized tote bags that guests can reuse. Extra large favor boxes are fun, and also can be decorated with ribbons and tags. Or a welcome basket would be an unexpected touch for a rustic or vintage wedding.

#7: Think beyond your wedding

Help your guests enjoy the wonderful place you have picked to get married. Include local maps, local things to do with best times and tips if you have done them before. What are your favorite restaurants, best parks for an afternoon stroll, things they shouldn’t miss before they leave?

Bonus Tip:

One way to make your guests feel comfortable is to match the design of your bag with your wedding or your wedding theme. The easiest way to do that is with coordinating favor tags.

Browse a variety of wedding favor tags for beach themes, Mexico weddings, Indian weddings, rustic and vintage styles here. Add your own wedding colors and notes to customize them for your guests.

Brought to you by Imbue You, the home of romantic wedding stationery.

{Photos: muslin bag by Be Collective; tag by Imbue You; favor box by The Favor Box}