The invitations have arrived and you’re ready to rock and roll! But what’s the next step?
Before you assemble and stamp your invitations, you’ll want to make sure you’re sorting your invitations in the proper order. To make it easy, we’ve broken down the process into 5 easy steps:
Layer your pieces in order largest to smallest – start with the invitation or the largest card on the bottom, then layer any medium-sized cards (like a directions card, events card, or accommodations card) on top of the invitation. Continue with smaller cards – a reception card followed by a reply card envelope and reply card would go next. Any petite cards – like a website card – would go on the very top.
Insert all of your pieces printed side up into your inner envelope. The pieces should slide into the envelope with the flap pointing to the right.
Tuck your inner envelope, flap down, into your outer invitation envelope. This way, when your guest opens your invitations, the first thing they’ll see is their addressed inner envelope.
Use the bottle of envelope moistener provided with your invitation order to wet the gummed edge of your outer invitation envelope. Use enough to moisten the seal, but don’t overdo it – you don’t want soggy envelopes!
After you’ve sealed your envelopes, we recommend placing a heavy book or two on top of the stack to ensure all of your envelopes are securely sealed. We don’t want the invitations coming unsealed in the mail!
And that’s it! Happy mailing! Be sure to say tuned for our next post giving you the 411 on anything and everything postage related.
Today we’re excited to share a guest post from a real Bella Figura bride: Renee Walsh, founder of Wiithyu! Wiithyu is a great new service designed to make wedding planning fun and easy, with the option to make it collaborative, too (invite your mom, your bridal party, and anyone else who’s helping plan your big day!). Manage wedding checklists, customize wedding templates and collaborate and plan with your whole wedding party. Since Renee is an expert when it comes to making the wedding planning process fun, easy, and straightforward, we’ll let her take it away with some planning advice for ordering your wedding invitations!
Selecting your wedding invitations is one of the tasks you’ll have the most fun with while planning your wedding! Like your wedding, it too is also a multi-step process requiring a good bit of organization and coordination. Here are our tips to help you prepare and enjoy everything from designing your invitation all the way to mailing them.
Do your research: Before you call your invitation specialist, do some research to help figure out what kind of invitations you want and the general style you’re going for. Look at photos, order samples, and narrow down to your favorite choices – we like to recommend picking your top 3. This will help direct the conversation you have when speaking with your stationer to create your perfect invitation.
Ask away: Not sure what kind of envelope linings are available? The difference between paper weights or inks? Your printer will, and they’re more than happy to answer any and all of your questions. Your invitation is the first glimpse your guests will have of your big day, so make sure you’re asking what you need to to get what you want.
Be prepared: We recommend finalizing your guest list at least 2 weeks before you go to your printer – this way, you won’t have to pay for additions after your order is complete, or for excess invitations that won’t be used. If you’re having your envelopes digitally addressed, make sure you have full names, titles and complete mailing addresses, and use the template provided to you to save time. If you plan to work with a calligrapher for your envelope addressing, make sure you book that service in advance, and find out how the calligrapher needs your list formatted.
Review & repeat: “Checking it twice” is not just for Santa Claus. Make sure to review and proof every single piece in your order, and do it more than once. Final approval is always your responsibility, so once you say OK, it means OK.
Measure twice, mail once: Take a fully assembled invitation set to the post office and have it weighed before purchasing your postage – you’d be surprised where a few cents can creep up. Once you know the measurements and the weight of your invitations, you can select the appropriate postage and even customize it!
https://youtu.be/tZyJQf7Imm0
Assembly required: Assembling your invitations is the most fun DIY project during planning. A well-organized and systematic approach is best. Your invitations will be labeled and packaged by piece. Set up a clean work station and take your time. This is a great opportunity to check your guest list with the guest envelopes to make sure everyone and everything is accounted for. If you’re short on time and it’s in your budget, you can take advantage of assembly services – Bella Figura offers this service, as do many stationery boutiques!
Ship shape :Take your invitations to the post office and wait in line – it’s worth it, we promise. It’s better to have a postmaster take your invitations directly to be hand canceled than to leave your precious pieces in one of the drop-off bins. This ensures that every piece of mail is submitted at the same time and doesn’t get crimped or damaged.
Have fun & enjoy: Don’t forget to have an invitation addressed to you and yours. It’s so much fun receiving meaningful mail and to get your own wedding invitation is just as exciting. Receiving all of your reply cards is like getting a present every day – you’re going to love getting them and saving them as keepsakes to look back on.
Many thanks to Renee for these helpful tips! Be sure to check out Wiithyu for more planning inspiration!
