1. People say invitations are a big investment-why do you think they’re so important?
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.
2. What do you wish you could tell couples who want killer invitations but don’t feel great about spending money on the quality (instead of like Vista Print or Zazzle)?
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.
3. What are some ways to still have an amazing invitation suite without the sticker shock of a house payment?
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.
4. What’s your favorite kind of invitation suite to design?
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.
Bonus question–Anything else you want to add?
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.