"People just throw the invitations away"

I have been longing to write this post for sometime now but have been too busy to get to it. As we begin a new wedding season, there isn't a better time than now to post this.

So, I've been on a mission (lol). I cringe every time I hear brides say, “the invitation is just paper, people will just throw it away”. My first response to that has always been “people will only throw out trash”. Those that know me personally know that I’m not much of a salesperson; I suck at it!. But I find myself sometimes turning into one when I hear such comments, trying to explain the idea/purpose of invitations. I feel like I have a duty to change the mindset of what your wedding/event invitations are each time I hear those statements.

Your invitations set the tone for your wedding/special event! It gives your guests a foresight into what to expect at your wedding. The invitation is the first thing your guests receive about your wedding (in most cases - if you did not send out save the date cards) and it is one of the things that remain with them long after your wedding is over. Sending invitations to your guests make them feel special, honored and gets them excited about your big day. If you give people a piece of paper or some shabbily made invitations, guests do not expect anything different from the last wedding they attended.

• Why do you pay for beautiful flowers / decorations that neither you nor your guests get to take home after the event? Because of the ambience the flowers / décor create.
  
• Why pay so much for a dress you probably wear only once!? Because all eyes are on you at the wedding and you want to feel the most fabulous.

Well, your invitations are no exception. Attention should be paid to every detail of the event. So what if all your guests don’t keep them. They don’t keep the linens at the reception, nor the flowers at the church. As long as it accomplishes that which it was intended for. Which is – set the tone for your special event, provide guests with information, get guests excited about your event.

You don’t have to get the fanciest invitation or break the bank just to send out invitations. You should choose quality invitations that reflect your personal style and personality. If you're going for a simple classic style, there are a number of quality catalog invitations out there that you can select from. If you’re unable to find something in the catalogs, you can elect to have a custom invitation made for you by working with an invitation designer (like yours truly lol).

Sometimes, I find that most brides see the very fancy invitations and immediately fall in love with them. However, once they hear the price, they assume “I can’t afford beautiful invitations”. Well, the key is to set a "reasonable" budget (yes, reasonable). You can only set a reasonable budget if you know what quality invitations cost. For example, if you have a $500.00 budget for 200 invitations, then it might be unreasonable to expect to get custom Pocketfold invitations with 3 enclosures for that price. If you are creative, you could DIY your pocket invitations for that price. However, you might be able to get beautiful flat card invitations with enclosure(s) for that price. Or an invitation suite from a Catalog Album. There are quite a number of different Catalog albums out there.

All couples are different and have different budgets. What is considered "expensive" to one bride fits perfectly into another's budget. So, let your stationer know what your budget is and you would be steered in the right direction on what fits within your budget without compromising on quality.

So what have we learnt?

• Set a reasonable budget


• Be open minded about the different invitation styles


• Sending elegant, gorgoeus invitations to your guests does not mean breaking the bank


• Always remember your invitations are meant to set the tone for your big day, so don't send invitations your guests wouldn't care to keep or wouldn't feel bad throwing in the trash.

Not one to leave you without a picture, enjoy the silk folder below.


Hope you have a fabulous week!!!

Exciting Stuff!!!

Happy New Year!!! Hope you all had a nice start to the new year. The Bridal Extravaganza Show was this past weekend and it was a huge success. Our booth was bustling with exciting brides, grooms and their families as they begin or continue on this 'fun' process of planning their big day. You can view some pictures of the show on our facebook fan page.

We are excited to announce that we have added another gorgeous Catalog Invitations Company to our collection. Checkerboard is a family owned and operated designer and printer of invitations for every single one of life's special occasions: weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, relocations, birthday parties, births. The albums have a nice collection of gorgeous invitations suites. Schedule your complimentary consultation today to view some of the Checkerboard Catalog Albums in our studio. You can view some of their collection online here.











So, What is the difference between Custom Invitations and Catalog Invitations?
Difference between Custom and Catalog Invitations
Custom Invitations are invitations that are designed and handcrafted especially for you and your unique event. Throughout the custom-design process, you choose the colors and style and design options that suit your specific needs. Your stationery creation will be a direct reflection of your style and taste. The possibilities are endless with custom invitations hence it is almost impossible to maintain a printed “catalog”.


Catalog Invitations are distributed by a third party (invitation stationer like us) who helps you select your invitation and places an order on your behalf. When you shop from a catalog, you are choosing from predesigned styles and layouts, but by changing your ink color and typeface you may be able to create an invitation reflective of your event. After your order is finalized, it is printed and shipped from the catalog company and sometimes requires assembly. We are an authorized dealer of the Carlson Craft Catalog Invitations and Checkerboard Catalog. For the Carlson Craft Catalog Invitations, pricing for each invitation is available online (next to each invitation).

Special 10% Discount Offer
For a limited time, we are offering the Carlson Craft Catalog Invitations at a 10% discount. Discount applies to select Carlson Craft Catalog Invitations. Offer not valid on Cranes by Chloe Album and Monique Lhuillier Album Invitations. Offer expires on March 31, 2011. Contact us for more details. You can also order the Carlson Craft Catalog Invitations directly online by going to www.elegantcustominvitations.cceasy.com or by visiting our studio.

We also have a special discount offer on our Fabulous Custom Invitations. Contact our studio for more details at 713-408-9407 or via the website www.myelegant-invitations.com.
Visit our online gallery to see some of our past custom invitation work.

Enjoy the week!

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year from Elegant Custom Invitations! Thanks to our many clients, partners and fans, we have been so blessed and have had much fun and excitement in 2010. We can't wait for all that 2011 has in store!

See you in 2011!!!

Some of the great families I work with!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend by yourself, with friends and/or with families?
Over the years we have been blessed to work with some great families through their wedding and special ocassion planning process. One of the things I love the most is the joy that comes with working with these families through the course of several months leading to their big day. I especially love working with Mother - Daughter duos - I think this is such a special relationship.

Angeni & Naren
The Agrawals are one of such special families we were blessed to meet this year. I got to work with Dad, Mom, Bride and Bride's sister. They have such a close bond and they - yep all 4 - made decisions together on every detail of the wedding invitations. I was first contacted by Mr. & Mrs. Agrawal and we immediately set up a time to meet. They loved the "Renee & Damien" style invitation but wanted their daughters (who were not present at the 1st meeting) to see the invitations. Since they hadn't decided on the wedding colors, the invitations set the colors for the day.
One of the biggest compliments [I think] a client can give other than referrals is to include you in their guestlist. It shows they appreciate you well enough to share their day with them. The Agrawals returned to give me an invitation to the wedding and I thought that was very special!
I attended the wedding ceremony which took place at the Intercontinental Houston and it was spectacular. There was so much color and lots of bling!

The wedding invitation was a Large Pocketfold with Satin Ribbon and a jewelled accent. The enclosures were the Mehndi, Sangeet and Response cards.


The wedding invitation


Escort Cards


Ceremony Programs


Courtney & Shawn
I was introduced to Courtney and her Mom, Mrs Redmon by awesome wedding planner, Alia Rdissi of Belle of the Ball. The Redmons are another special family that we met this year. They were awesome to work with. We worked with them on all their wedding stationery from the save the date cards to the thank you notes, cocktail napkins and everything else inbetween.
Here we go:

The Invitation was a large Pocketfold style with a Satin Ribbon accent




The Escort Cards were envelope style with the guests names on the front




We created circle menu cards that went under the Clear Silver beaded chargers at the reception.


Cocktail Napkins


Ceremony Programs were Folded cards with satin ribbon accent




Table Cards


In case you didn't notice, yes, the colors were silver and black with accents of red :)

Enjoy your week everyone.

Kisha's Couture Silk Invitations

I had the pleasure of working with [yet again] another fabulous out-of-town bride. I remember the we were setting up our booth at the July Bridal Extravaganza when I began communicating with Kisha. She initially wanted the "Penny Jackson" style invitations for her October wedding. Very quickly, we added the silk boxes to the ensemble. Kisha was one of our easy going and pleasure-to-work with brides. The end results speak for themselves. The silk boxes are the luxurious one-of-kind boxes with wood construction. The purple ribbon really pops against the Ivory Silk Boxes! Kisha & Victor were married at the Bellagio in Las Vegas last October.

The invitation was a Layered Flat Card with a Satin Ribbon accent


Response Card


The boxes were closed with gorgeous jewelled embellishments.





The Silk Boxes were wrapped in tissue and placed in box mailers for delivery to guests



The boxes were ready to go and I almost didn't want to mail them!


That's all folks. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Wedding Invitations

Hello Everyone,
Again, I've been a pretty bad blogger and it's simply because I've been super busy. I apologize for the lack of images. So here we go, below are some invitations from months ago. Enjoy

"Jessica & Mario"
I began communicating with Jessica via email earlier in the year. Yes, she's one of our many out-of-town brides we never get to meet. She went with the Box Mailer style boxed invitations with the jewelled accent. Jessica was married in Disneyland in October.



The boxes were mailed with custom stamps that we designed. A nice way to complete the look!




Escort Cards



We also created the Table cards that went into frames for the reception


Shayla & Romario
Shayla was another one of our out-of-town bride that we [unfortunately] never got to meet but communicated via email and telephone. She loved the "Birthday Dinner" invite from our online gallery. We replicated that with a little twist. Her wedding colors - crimson and gray - really made the invitations pop. She and Romario were married in October in Tennessee and their wedding was fabulous!

The invitation was a folded card with a satin ribbon accent with patterned cardstock.


Inside the Invitation


Reception Card



Layne & Michael
Here's one from some months ago I never got to post. Working with clients during their wedding planning process means getting to work with the families in most cases. This is one of the joys of being in this industry and we have blessed this year to have worked and still working with some wonderful brides and their families. Layne and Michael were married in Cabo San Lucas this summer.

The invitation was a side Pocketfold.




Well that's all for now. Take care everyone!

From June with Love

Hello Blog family!
I apologize I've been away for a minute. It's just been a little crazy around the studio. Phew there were so many weddings in June.
Without further ado, I'll dive right into some invitations from June and July.

Breanna & Josh
I worked primarily with Breanna's mom on her invitations. This is another couple I never met before but fell in love with our work from the website. After consulting via email for some time, we moved right into the design phase. Breanna's invitations and wedding stationery were simple yet very classy. She wanted a bit of rhinestones on all the stattionery. The couple got married in June at a Country Club in Kentucky.

Invitations were Layered Flat cards with satin ribbon accents


Single panel menu cards


Folded Programs with ribbon accent


Tent Table cards with rhinestones



Caitlin & Josh
Caitlin was another one of our simple, classy brides and she wanted her invitations to reflect that. Her invitation was a Large Layered flat card. We completed the print with Thermography print and lined the envelopes with patterned paper. Caitlin and Josh were married in June at the Woodlands Country Club.

Invitations


Invitations with Lined Envelopes


Response set


LeKeya & Bert
We also had the opportunity of working with a very lovely couple, LeKeya & Bert on their ceremony stationery. The couple chose invitations from a catalog but wanted us to create something nice for the day of stationery. They both really liked the stationery we did for "Brooke & Dirk". They were both very laid back and were such a joy to work with. They were married in June at the Chateau Polonez.

Single Panel Tea length Menu Cards


Folded card Programs




Courtney & Matt
Courtney was referred to us by one of our past clients - Alma & Gary. I met with Courtney and her very sweet Mom. And we began working on her invitation design. She really loved Brooke & Dirk's wedding invitations. So we created something similar yet different. Her invitations were Pocket style invitations since she had 4 enclosures. She was married in July at the breathtaking Bell Tower on 34th.

The Invitations


Front of the Invitations



Ayesha & Chinedu's Silk Box invitations
And finally but most definitely not the least, the process of Ayesha & Chinedu's Couture Box Invitations. You may remember the post here and here about Ayesha's stationery. We completed the invitation look in Thermography print and the pick really popped with the print. Ayesha & Chinedu were married this July in Negril, Jamaica. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Beginning stages with the brooches


Since the wedding was a destination affair in Jamaica, the invitations were created using woven paper


The response set


Completed Silk Box Invitations


The Silk boxes were placed into box mailers for mailing.


We also created Menu cards and Ceremony Programs for the event. Ayesha decided to keep the ceremony stationery a bit simple.


The images below were taken by Ayesha for Bedazzled Photography


Open view of the Silk Boxes.


Ok, I think I almost made up for being absent for so long with this one post :). Enjoy the week everyone!