Special Announcement

Hello Friends!
Happy new week... We've had several changes going on behind the scenes. And I'm finally excited to announce that Elegant Custom Invitations will henceforth be known as Isabella Invitations!!!!

Why the change?
This has been something I'd wanted to do for a couple of years now. 7 years ago when I started the company, I chose the name "Elegant Custom Invitations" because it reflected the style of invitations/stationery I wanted to create. This hasn't changed. We still design and create "Elegant Custom Invitations". However, it's a pretty generic name. Anyone can say they create "elegant custom invitations". So I knew I had to change the name to create more of a brand. The challenge was the transition. I was so close to doing the name change last year but when I looked at the amount of work that needed to be done and the amount of time I had (or did not have as the case may be). I elected to postpone it till 2013. Here we are today and I'm proud that we have finally made the transition. There's still some work going on behind the scenes but the change is now in effect!!! WOOHOO!!!

Where did the name "Isabella" come from?
My mom (of blessed memory) was "Isabela" and I've always loved that name. I didn't have to think about it twice when I decided to effect a name change. It had to be Isabela. Her name had only 1 'l' but I knew most people doing a search would mostly likely spell it as "Isabella". In order to make it easier to spell, I added the 2nd 'l'. There's the short story :)

New Web Address: www.IsabellaInvitations.com
Our blog has also been moved from here to www.IsabellaInvitations.com/blog

See you on the new blog!!!

Mabel & Bryan's Day of Stationery

Hello All,
Hope you had a lovely weekend! I realized last week that I haven't blogged in a bit. It's been quite a very busy season. So I thought it wise to do a short post. I'm excited to share Mabel's Day of stationery. She contacted us a couple of months before her wedding to help create unique programs for her May wedding. I love when brides let me be creative and come up with some for them. Below are some of the day of items we created for her. Mabel and Bryan were married in May in Sugar Land, Texas. We wish them many happy years together!

Ceremony Programs
We decided to foil stamp the cover of the programs in Gold

We decided to foil stamp the cover of the programs in Gold with the insert pages in Ivory but with Gold and Blue ink

Seating Chart
We also created a seating chart for the Wedding Reception. Since Mabel and Bryan had over 700 guests, we created 2 charts for the Reception.

I hope to be back soon with more exciting stuff. Enjoy your week friends!!!

Unique Laser Cut Invitations/Stationery

Hello Friends!

I hope you're having a great week so far!!!

 

So, the laser cut wedding invitations we did for Debbie & Antonio have been getting a lot of buzz. We met Debbie and Antonio through her mom (the MOB), Teresa. Teresa is the owner of Cindy's Palace, a gorgeous event and catering venue located in Richmond, Texas. Debbie has seen the lasercut invitation and fallen in love with it. She didn't want anything else (lol).

 

Because Debbie and Antonio live in Oklahoma, most of the work was done virtually. Without further ado, below are the wedding invitations and day-of stationery we created for their October 2012 wedding. The ceremony took place at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart while the reception was of course at Cindy's Palace!

 

The Invitation 



photo credit: Bedazzled Photography

The invitation when open

We also lined the envelopes with the same champagne color as the laser wraps

The ceremony program was done entrely in Spanish since the couple had a full Catholic Mass in Spanish

The menu cards were a single panel flatcard which were tucked nicely into napkins at the reception

photo credit: Laurie Perez Photography

The menu cards

photo credit: Laurie Perez Photography

 

Debbie & Antonio's wedding invitations were featured in the February 2013 issue of Weddings in Houston magazine.

 

Hope you enjoyed the post. Enjoy the rest of the week folks!!!

Current Invitation Special Offers

Hello Friends!!!
I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Don't forget our current promotion on GORG custom invitations is still on. Hurry and take advantage of this special offer before it's gone!!!
Offer expires on March 30, 2013.

Schedule a complimentary consultation today to view our products in person. You can schedule a consultation directly online by at http://elegantcustom.genbook.com or by calling 281-506-2521. We look forward to meeting with you!

Checkerboard Invitation Sale

Also, don't miss out on the Checkboard sale currently on. Click below for details

Use promo code: MARRIAGE13

Order online by clicking here

Below are some of our custom work!!! Visit our online gallery. We have lots more displayed in our Galleria area office studio.

Arinola and Yemi Pocketfold invitation

 

Kim and Charlie Layered Flatcard with Pebbles backing

 

 

Checkerboard Wedding Sale!!!

Hello Friends,
I'm excited to announce that Checkerboard, our online catalog product is have a wedding sale. Buy 75 invitations and get 25 invitations free. Offer valid through March 31, 2013.

Use promo code: MARRIAGE13

Order online by clicking here

Below are some of the GORG wedding invitations in the checkerboard albums. Order and personalize the invitations directly online (http://www.einvite.com/wedding/wedding-invitations/?CoBrand=0PA51J). Happy shopping!!!

 Name: Coronet

 

  Name: Bravado

 Name: Beloved

 Name: Festival

  Name: Festival

 Name: Gilded

 Name: Lex

 Name: Lex 

 Name: Luminesce 

 Name: Luminesce  

 Name: Onde

 

  Name: Silken

 Name: Sashay

 

Happy weekend!!!



Top 5 Wedding Invitation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them!

Whether you're having your wedding invitations custom designed or ordering from a catalog, purchasing invitations can be a detailed process. Between the timing, cost calculations and diction, it's hard not to lose track of something and make a mistake. Below are five things you definitely want to avoid:

1. Have Realistic Budget Expectations
Avoid the wedding invitation "sticker shock" with proper planning and research. Before you get your heart set on the "perfect" invitation, determine your estimated number of guests as well as your bottom-line budget. Also, don't forget to consider the cost of postage and any additional stationery you may need (such as thank-you notes, programs, menu cards etc) when making calculations. Most newly engaged brides are unaware of how much wedding stationery cost. Check out my post here on having realistic expectations for invitations.

2. Don't Procrastinate!
A very common mistake in the wedding invitation process is not allowing enough time to choose, purchase AND print the stationery. Wedding invitations should be mailed six to eight weeks in advance, and production often takes up to 4 weeks for custom invitations and 5 - 7 business days for catalog invitations. So when should you order them? We say no less than six months just to play it safe. You will also avoid last minute stress and rush fees by planning ahead.

3. Order the Correct Quantity
When placing your order, be sure to account for late additions to the wedding, lost invites and keepsakes. It's generally suggested that you order 10-15% more invites than you think you need. Quick tip: Avoid ordering too many invitations by organizing your guest list by couple and family rather than individually. There are so many guest list tools available on the internet eg. The Knot, GetMarried etc. Ordering fewer invitations can result in unnecessary stress and more money to get additional quantities. In most cases, it costs more to order invitations in smaller quantities than it does to order them in bulk. And it is almost inevitable that you would have last minute guest additions, lost invitations or forgotten guests. Make sure to start on your guest list early and order extra invitations.

4. Avoid Typos
Proofread, proofread, proofread! Ask your family members and friends to read over your invitation proof a gazillion times, and even when they have given you the thumbs up, look over it one more time. How embarrassing would it be to send out an invitation with your mother-in-law's name spelled incorrectly? (Can you say mortifying times ten?!?)

5. Use the Right Postage
This one seems like a no-brainer, but don't assume your invitations require the standard postage amount. Compile one complete invitation including any enclosures, and take it down to your local post office to have it weighed before placing postage on the envelope. You should also ask the post office about any upcoming postage increases as you may need to buy the Forever Stamp, which is good no matter how many increases are made through the U.S. Postal Service.

I hope this helps you as we prepare for the 2012 wedding season.

Detail credit: GetMarried.com and Elegant Custom Invitations