Invitations: color card stock

This is a good example of a simple black ink design printed on a colored card stock. Instead of printing the background color- the card stock is raspberry pink. This way, you don't spend a ton of money on ink, but still get a nice look.

This example wedding invitation is 5x7 inches. The design is also actually loosely based on a save the date design from the website:



As you can see, the save the date's swirl surrounded oval is the main idea for the invitation design.

Another new invitation design

This is another invitation design that was mostly a customer's idea. For her save the date magnets, we ended up using a photograph of two daisies, persimmon and yellow, which she wanted to incorporate into her invitation design. Our end result is this invitation design with a persimmon border and the photograph of the daisies placed in the corners. This is a 5.5x8.5 inch invitation; The size allows for the incorporated flowers, the border, and the extra text she wanted to include

A free sample pack of printed magnets

After 5 years of business, customers have made it obvious which magnet sizes they love the most. Given the numbers of extra magnets I have left over from orders over the years, I am now offering a free pack of samples to interested customers for the most popular sizes. This free sample pack will be available now through August.

http://www.savethedateoriginals.com/FreeSamples.html

It's About Time

Considering that Save the Date Originals started out based solely on wedding save the dates, it's about time that I set up an informative central page for this on my website.

Check it out:
http://savethedateoriginals.com/SavetheDate.php

This page currently features 4 articles:
1) What save the dates are
2) What's popular these days
3) Some Q&A
4) Mailing out save the date magnets

Small magnet pricing

As of yesterday, the small (business card sized magnet) pricing was restructured a little bit.

This minimum quantity is now 75 for orders. Also, this magnet size can now be ordered in 25's below 200, and in 50's below 400.

Quantity & Price 75 for $40	Cost Per Magnet $.54	Shipping cost $5.05
100 for $50	$.50	$5.45
125 for $57	$.46	$5.65
150 for $62	$.42	$6.05
175 for $67	$.39	$6.45
200 for $72	$.36	$6.85
250 for $85	$.34	$7.20
300 for $100	$.33	$8
350 for $110	$.31	$8.50
400 for $120	$.29	$9
500 for $135	$.26	$10

See some save the date & other designs here:
http://savethedateoriginals.com/SmallDesigns.php

Read the general informational page about this magnet size here:
http://savethedateoriginals.com/SmallMagnetInformation.php

Winter holiday and Christmas themed save the dates

A popular winter themed small save the date design: The snowman and snow-woman.

I have decided to remove the winter/Christmas themed page on the website for now, and move these designs into their appropriate sections. These section includes not just wedding save the dates, but also same family oriented card and magnet designs.

In the future, each section (cards, magnets, by size) will have options to separate out designs by theme and design trends for viewing (such as, summer, winter, fall, calendar, flowers, butterflies, hearts, and more). Because so many of my designs could easily fall into multiple categories with just a small change (such as colors) this will not be a quick conversion. Thus, in the meantime, the Christmas/Winter theme designs will be merged back into the website.

Response cards

My invitation section still needs a lot of development. My focus still really is on save the dates- invitations are often created for customers who have previously ordered save the dates with me.

But I plan on getting back to work on the wedding invitation section within the next month. That development is going to focus on the main invitation card, and those designs. What additional cards people may need will vary, and be designed on a case by case basis.

RSVP cards are one thing that I do not spend any time creating a design archive of. When I am working out an invitation design with a couple, I just ask them about what they have in mind for their RSVP card, and design it to work with their invitation card.

Because most of the bride's and groom's I am working with don't really have a lot of experience with wedding invitations and rsvp cards and everything involved in wedding stationery, there is the occasional request for examples of what other couples have done. If you've never seen an RSVP card, how would you know what to put on them? Because of this, I have finally, gone through some of my recent folders to grab a few examples.

Your basic response card is typically going to include:
1) an RSVP-by date
2) a place for the guest, or the couple, to write the guest's name(s)
3) a line or box for people to check off whether they can or can not attend

Naturally, there are various ways to word that. Ever seen the "can attend with bells on"?

One thing you may see on a RSVP card that sometimes confuses people who have never been to a wedding is this:

M______________________________

The M is to cue (the guest) to write down "Mr. such and such" or "Mrs. such and such". This is an older idea, used to indicate that the bride and groom would like you to present your name formally.

These days couples will often just go with:

Name: ___________________________

It's also not uncommon to add in dinner selection options. And, a place for the couple, or the guest, to write in the number of people attending. (With so many couples paying for their own weddings, guest numbers are critical). Another thing I've seen, is a place for guests to mark off which event they are attending. Sometimes people want a count for the rehearsal dinner. Sometimes people are having two ceremonies or receptions, and are letting the guest choose which one they can/will attend.


Your RSVP card layout is also going to depend on the size of the card, the design, whether you are going with a double sided rsvp card, whether you are going with a rsvp post card, and of course, how much information you want to gather....



5x3.5 inch examples:










5.5x4.25 inch examples:








Examples of double sided rsvp cards and postcards:

Sales

The first in a series of Spring and Summer sales has been posted; Discounts on two popular magnet sizes, 4x3.5 inch and 4.1x2.6 inch magnets. This sale applies to orders placed May 20th through June 20th.

http://savethedateoriginals.com/Sale.html

The next two sales are expected to be:

1) A discount on the "Simple" line of 5.5x4.25 inch cards (black and white designs).

2) Free address labels with orders of small magnets, magnet holders, and envelopes.

But this may change.