Getting the look for less is all about little “cheats” here and there that allow you to pack a punch without feeling it in your purse. As you design the paper suite for your wedding day, consider having an artist or calligrapher pen something just for you and your fiancé. Whether you choose a monogram, an abstract design, or just your names, the artwork will add a unique and custom element to any part of your paper suite from save the dates to parting gift tags.

This client chose custom calligraphy artwork for their names, multiple ink colors, and an interesting envelope liner, but opted for thermography, a printing process that is significantly less expensive than other options. The result was a stunning invitation set at a fraction of the cost of engraving or letterpress.

This client chose a custom two-color design, employing both their first names in calligraphy. This design was used on the save the dates as seen here, and later on their cocktail napkins.

Similarly to our other two clients, this bride chose to have her custom artwork thermographed on her save the dates, her wedding invitations, and her programs.

All three of these clients worked with Blue Moon Events, the exclusive calligrapher for Dulles Designs, and William Arthur to create these paper pieces.

Calder Clark, Blue Moon Events

The Look For Less is a regular feature on our blog.  We’ve reached out to leading wedding planners to get their expert advice on how to get a great look at your wedding, without breaking the bank.

I was especially thrilled when Blue Moon Events from my much loved hometown of Charleston, South Carolina agreed to write today’s feature.  If you are considering a destination wedding, Charleston’s beautiful architecture and southern charm make it an ideal choice.

Blue Moon Events is a boutique wedding planning and design firm in the heart of downtown Charleston. From couture correspondence to parting surcees, every aspect is created and managed by their team of experts.  Andf you want to spend some time dreaming this morning, check out their look book. There are some beautiful ideas within!

Today’s wedding invitations come in a dizzying array of styles and colors. From fun and funky to sophisticated and elegant, the invitation can set the tone for your whole wedding. Whether you chose casual or formal, simple or elaborate, one thing’s for sure, invites can take a big bite out of you budget.  Did you know that about 5% of a wedding budget goes towards  invitations?  Custom invites from boutique stores will average significantly more.

Do-it-yourself invitations can be a great option for those of you who have some extra time to devote to assembly, and want to save some money in the process. Gone are the days when DIY meant hours and hours of work, cutting, folding, gluing, and inserting. Today’s DIY invites are user friendly and easy to create on any home computer/printer. We’ve searched the net and come up with some fresh, stylish and affordable DIY invitations we think you’ll love.

This beautiful and elegant invitation from InviteSite features a gatefold design, lustrous silk paper with silver dots and closes with a mocha chocolate double-faced satin ribbon.  All DIY invitation sets from Invitesite offer an invitation card, rsvp card and envelopes. Pre-cut, print ready paper and printing templates make it easy to create the finished product . They also offer lots of “how-to” tips as well as instructional video. Prices run around $3 per invite (not including RSVP card).

Want a design that’s all your own? These sophisticated and modern invitations come from EnvelopperInc. If you have an eye for design and want to start from scratch, EnvelopperInc. has a wonderful assortment of high quality papers, envelopes and ribbons. They offer a fabulous selection colors as well as finishes; metallic, textured or vellum. Mix and match colors, sizes and ideas, to suit your style. Visit their Gallery room for invitation inspiration.

I love these invitations from Do-it-youselfInvitations.com. They are fresh, simple and fun. Perfect for a Spring or nature-themed wedding. The invitations, RSVP, and Thank You cards are set up two or more per page to help conserve paper. Simply print the file onto card stock or your choice of paper, cut them to size using the cutting guides as instructed, and your done! You can even go a step further by attaching them to a fancy paper backing and adding ribbons or charms. Make them your own!

These gorgeous invitations are DIY from Martha Stewart Crafts. Compose and print your stationery from your computer, then decorate it with stamps, punches, and embellishments (sold separately). Create a theme by carrying a design element through your invitations, favors, decorations, and thank-you cards.

A few more words of wisdom about DIY invites:

Make sure you give yourself plenty of time and room for error. Work backward from your wedding date and plan to mail the invites out 6-8 weeks in advance. You will most likely make some mistakes when creating the first invitation (or two) so plan on extra time for labor and extra materials for trial and error. Have patience and know that once you get the hang of it the assembly should move along more quickly.

Recruit friends to help. Do you have a few girlfriends who are crafty and would be willing to lend a hand? Why not plan a girls night in, open a bottle of wine and start the assembly line. Turn what could be a tedious chore into a fun get together.

When designing, work backwards. Start with your envelopes. Imagine creating the most gorgeous (and labor intensive) custom invitations and then realizing that your envelope is 1/2 inch too small! Also, sometimes finding just the right color can be difficult. Know all your materials before you get too far into the process.

Print out drafts of your design and proofread… again and again!
The invitation size and appearance may vary a bit from what you see on your computer screen. Seeing it all on paper is a great way to make sure everything is easily readable, and for you to be able to make needed adjustments. Have several people proofread your invitations before you print everything out. Especially people who have never seen it before — a fresh set of eyes is an invaluable resource (and more likely to catch a mistake than you, who has seen it a million times). Read every. single. last. word. Spell-check is not always dependable when it comes to something like an invitation, where you use locations and names of places that won’t be caught whether it’s spelled correctly or incorrectly. Invitations, even DIY invites, are expensive. Too expensive to dump in the trash because of a spelling error or typo.

Good luck! What could be more of a “labor of love” than DIY wedding invitations? So enjoy the creativity and satisfaction that comes with any DIY project. Know that once you’ve created that perfect invite, your are one step closer to you special day!

Sources Weddingbee.com. Check out Mrs. Cupcake’s  helpful hints about DIY invitations.

Like many of today’s brides, you might be considering adding some green elements to your wedding.  Invitations are a natural place to begin, as they can set the tone for the entire event. Some of you may even be considering going “paperless” in an effort to show your true color: green!  Despite advances in information technology and concerns about sustainability, there is just something to be said for the beauty and tradition of a paper invitation.  Search the web for eco-friendly stationary and you will find an endless supply of choices.

Here’s one that stands out among the rest: BellaFigura artisan letterpress shop. This New York based print studio creates amazingly beautiful invites with an environmentally friendly focus. Their gorgeous letterpress wedding invitations are printed on 100% cotton (tree-free) paper in a wind-powered, carbon neutral facility.  On top of that, they donate 1% of all their sales to support their favorite environmental causes.

We love their creative and artistic styles, which run from traditional to modern.  Each one says something unique about the bride who choses it…. Check out some of our favorites below.

The Deveril

Inspired by traditional engraved invitations, this design has a timeless elegance and understated beauty.

Circolo 2

This modern design is bursting with energy, flair and style. The bride who choses this style is confident and fun loving.

Printemps

A delicate beauty. This invitation evokes embroidered silk trimmings, looping tangles of trailing flowers, fondant and buttercream sculpted garlands.

And my personal favorite…..

The Lovebirds

This is so sweet and fun! This “lovely” invitation intertwines beautiful script with playful lovebirds.  Doesn’t it make you happy?

In addition to the invitation, each design offers reply cards, postcards, letterpress thank you notes, wedding programs and more.  Customize your design with over 45 inks and more than 40 fonts to chose from.  Being green never looked more beautiful!

I recently received an email from Trish at Ajalon Printing & Design.  They are a small, family-owned letterpress printer in Northern California whose focus is wedding invitations.  They are currently offering an amazing price on 100 letterpress invitations – 100 for only $398 (the going rate is actually anywhere from $670-1086,  yikes)!

Ajalon has 34 different styles at this great price.  So it is definitely worth checking out.   Here are some of my favorites: