Refridgerator magnets? Yes. Wedding invitations? Yes.

Not for the first time, I recently found myself working on a fun set of magnetic wedding invitations! The couple had gone with traditional printed card wedding invitations, but then had to change their plans. For the second set, they wanted to do something different and fun.

A watery pirate map themed 4x7 inch magnet design:

Save the Date vs Event Invitation

Save the dates are a newer idea, and after hearing about them, sometimes couples will get confused, and then try to blur the lines between save the dates and invitations.

Save the dates should be completely separate from invitations; You can do without an save the date altogether, but mixing a save the date and an invitation is no good.

Wedding invitations are the formal, official invitation that lays out the event in detail, and asks the guest to respond with whether or not they will attend. Wedding invitations should be sent out 2-3 months in advance.

Save the dates are an informal note that should, for the most part, stick to just the names and date of the couple. Save the dates should be sent out 5-10 months in advance.


On the invitation side:

Even if your wedding invitations will also be informal feel, this doesn't mean that you should send them out without asking for guests to respond in some way, or that you should send them out too far in advance.

Trying to throw a large event without a guest count is likely to lead to trouble with excess guests, or waste, if you prepare for far more than arrive. Make your life easier by getting a rough guest count. You may want to skip response card, but could still easily ask guests to respond via telephone.

Sending your invitations too far in advance has it's own pitfalls. You may think that all of the details are nailed down, but if you haven't signed all of your important contracts (venue!) and hired an officiant, it is not time to send out the invitations.


On the save the date side:

No response should be requested. Asking guests to respond so far in advance, without all of the details of the event, is jumping the gun! Keep these simple- don't include the venue location, or the time of the wedding. For the most part, save the dates are just supposed to be a fun extra.

Naturally, not every wedding and situation is the same, and their will be exceptions.

If your event will be in the middle of a major holiday or local festival, it is a good idea to include this on the save the date- save the dates actually are at their most useful in such cases. And if your save the date is for a destination wedding, it is actually a good to pack in a bit more information about where & when the event will be, and how to get there.

Moment to Moment

New Jersey couples, newly engaged and planning your wedding? Check out Moment to Moment events.

http://mtmevents.com/

Moment to Moment will work with a variety of budgets, and can plan more than just your wedding (have a fabulous bridal shower or engagement party with their help!).

Check out reviews on their Wedding Wire storefront:
www.weddingwire.com

Baptism Invitations

A baptism is a special and spiritual event, one to share with family. This post is about a baptism invitation I worked on recently.



We have a simple text-based design in dark navy, printed on a cream linen card stock, with rounded corners. The invitation itself is the popular size for small and economical invitations- 4.25x5.5 inches. To add something special, though, the couple included a 2.6x4.1 inch magnetic favor of their adorable baby boy.

This set is still light enough that it can be mailed out with a regular stamp.