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It’s usually the first thing people see that sets the tone for your wedding.  As you’re planning, it takes up time and thought.  There are so many directions you can go, things you can do.  And yes it adds up.  I won’t sugarcoat that.   Invitations are expensive and often the thing that people skimp out on.  I am here today begging you not to do this.  Please don’t think you can just whip up something quick in Microsoft Paint.  You definitely can do that and many things similar, but it won’t have the same effect.  I want to welcome good friends of mine Buck and Kelly Insley.  They own and operate Salinson Creative, out of Frederick MD.  They are AMAZING!!! Seriously though, I used them for our styled shoot turned vow renewal and I was blown away.  Kelly and I have worked together so many times this past year despite never meeting in person.  We have Skype dates and talk on the phone like sisters.  I knew when I asked if she’d be down for an interview, she’d jump on that.  They are all about education couples to make the most out of wedding budgets and those dreams.

You’re totally right–really nice invitations are a big investment, but all the same a good and important one! Invitations are so important because they are the first pieces to set the tone of your wedding to your guests. For example, this could mean depending on how formal or informal your invitations are, could reflect that vibe to your guests and it can be quite confusing if you were going for the opposite; if you were having a black tie affair wedding but your invitations screamed informal or aren’t detailed enough, your guests will assume any kind of suit or even khakis will be okay. YIKES.

Now let’s compare florals to invitations; florals get thrown out shortly after because they will die soon. Or let’s say a wedding cake; that gets eaten and then you only have pictures to show it off. Invitations though, are a keepsake that your guests and YOU will be able to cherish for the rest of your lives. Put them in a shadow box! So, invitations are just as important to invest in as everything else is.

Couples usually say, “well they [invitations] will just be thrown out anyways, so I don’t want to waste our money on that.” However, we have heard that more guests keep our clients’ invitations rather throwing them away because they are THAT nice. If your invitation is something your guests see all the time or is off of a common invitation website, then yeah, they will probably get thrown out because it’s nothing unique and representative of you. In the end, you still spend a couple hundred dollars on them.

Kind of feeding off of question #2, it is still possible to have an amazing invitation suite without the sticker shock–there are tons of options on different paper qualities, printing, and embellishments. Can’t afford to have it all? Then skip the pocket enclosure or the ribbon (even though both are to die for—all the heart eyes), or choose a different kind of paper for the printing. A lot of couples think skipping an RSVP card will save a lot of money. Skipping them will not save much money in the end, and I am very old school with those, even though a lot of things are turning to digital. (But that opens up a completely different topic!) Plenty of small business invitation designers also provide semi-custom designs that are still unique than going to a large website. Just because you see one estimate price doesn’t mean that HAS to be your price–there are ways to pick and choose what you want or don’t have to have.

That’s a hard one! Of course we are really known for our watercolor floral designs with custom calligraphed or hand lettered names, and I honestly never get tired of them. We always try to make each one different for each couple that represents them and their wedding. Line drawing florals are becoming a more popular item on our radar too which have been fun in the past. Although we do other designs such a minimalist or modern, watercolor and line florals will always have my heart.

Supporting small businesses is so important and mean the WORLD to the entrepreneurs you choose. It truly makes a huge impact on them than people realize. Going with a small stationery business gives couples a personal experience that large invitation company websites cannot provide.

Kelly + Buck Insley