• • • Where Custom Printing meets DIY • • •

By Jeanie Thatcher

Many customers believe that printing invitations with us is an “all or nothing” deal. What many people don’t realize is that we can do the printing and you can bring them home and add your own special touches to make them even more unique. We had a very creative bride, Amie, come to us with the perfect ideas for her “sailing away in the sunset” wedding. The best part is that she created some pieces herself and we helped her create other pieces.

Save The Date:

Save-the-Date pocketfold invitation with a photo of the couple

The bride came to us after previously using blank Envelopments products to create her own save the date. I believe that 4 x 5 is the perfect size for a save the date. She used the 4 x 5 Signature Landscape pocketfold to display the save the date information and inserted a picture of the couple in the pocket to add a more personal touch for her guests. Between the contrasting colors of the C2 Goodnight stock, the C4 Classic Ecru ABA04, the added striped ribbon, and the Swiss dots envelope liner, this STD gives the guests a slight taste of what other well-thought-out designs will be sailing their way.

Invitation:

Boxed Wedding Invitation featuring a map on the inside lid flap

We were very pleased to see the final result of the invitation! First off, getting a wedding invitation that looks like this when the box is opened only triples the excitement from the Save-The-Date. There is no question as to the theme of the wedding, because of the repeated use of blue and white striped ribbon and a starfish tied with rope on the front.

Wedding Invitation shown Open

When the invitation is opened, the “ocean sunset” created by the lower pocket perfectly complements the elegant invitation above. At the top, the use of the alternating C3 First Snow and the C2 Goodnight stock to layer the invitation, combined with the blue ink of the invitation adds depth to the invitation. The striped ribbon peeking out from behind the edge also helps with adding a 3D effect as well as giving symmetry.  The pocket is, in my opinion, the best part of the whole invitation. It creates a visual sailboat, complete with waves in the front. It is even more impressive that the sailboat doubles as the RSVP card. It is just perfect. I think every piece the bride created is perfect for the style of her wedding.  We printed the invitation and RSVP card, and the bride did all of the assembly (layering, ribbons, etc.), die-cutting of the circle sun and blue waves, and folding of the Sail/RSVP card.

Wedding Day Ensemble:

The wedding day ensemble was just as elegant and sophisticated as the previous pieces shown.

Guest Bag full of goodies

Close-up of the adorable die-cut welcome seals for guest bags

The welcome bag has to the be the cutest bag I’ve seen! It has so many different elements  that were pulled together to create a festive welcome for the guests! The simple use of a yellow backing on the “Welcome to St. Pete Beach” tag helps it to pop out, and the string tied to the stick poking out of the bag gives a sense of “handmade with love”. Let’s not downplay the 4.1.11 embroidered into the handle that definitely gives it that final finishing touch.  The “welcome tags” were printed and die-cut by the bride on matching stock to coordinate with the invitations and save-the-dates.

Fan program interior bound with an eyelet

The program was printed in blue ink on the same First Snow metallic white cardstock as the rest of the pieces used for the wedding. This program was unique because it also doubled as a fan for the guests to cool themselves off with during the ceremony. 6 blades of 4 x 9 cardstock were held together by an eyelet with a festive rope tied through it.

They were placed in a 4 x 9 Portable Pocket for protection and an added creative touch with coordinating ribbon and rope tied around them. Wouldn’t you be excited to carry this program around and fawn over every detail? I would!

We designed and printed the programs, and assembled the eyelet, while the bride added the finishing touches of ribbons and rope, and put them into the pockets.  The “life-saver” tag was designed by the bride.

The bride designed her own place cards for the reception which she tied to starfish (above). I thought it was a super cute addition to the tables. She also designed coordinating Table Cards (below)

Table Cards designed by the bride helped guests navigate to their tables

Overall Impression:

My whole life, I have always been excited by coordinated, well designed pieces. This entire ensemble for the sailboat wedding is perfect for my paper addiction and has me way too excited when I look at the pictures. Everything fits together perfectly and the continuity of using of C3 First Snow, C2 Goodnight, C4 Classic Ecru ABA04 and the blue striped ribbon throughout all the pieces is refreshing to a designer, like myself.