Vacation!

Jeana will be on vacation (on the beach!) from 7/3 to 7/11. She will be answering all calls and messages. Have a great 4th of July!

2 New Invitations!

Here are 2 new invitations that I have been working on. The first has a rhinestone monogram and the second has a thread monogram. Hope you enjoy!

Question: Do I really need Save the Date Cards?

If you are inviting guests who live out of town, you are having a destination wedding, or are getting married on a busy holiday weekend, the answer is yes. Save the date cards are announcements to your famiy and friends telling them the date of your wedding, asking them to reserve the day for you. They also are a fun way to get your guests excited about your wedding.

Accommodations and travel reservations for your guests will be far less expensive if booked in advance. Guests also need advance notice to request vacation time from their employer. The minimum amount of time to send out Save the Dates is 4-6 months prior to the wedding, and the maximum is 12-15 months in advance. You may want to match your invitations, or make them a more fun annoucement, or include a photo. Some options are cards with envelopes, postcards, or magnets. Magnets are great because they serve as a consant reminder.

Items that must be included are the bride and groom's names, the wedding date, and location (city and state). Also add the line, "Formal invitation to follow", so your guests know they will be getting more details closer to the wedding date (invitations should be sent 6-8 weeks ahead).
It is recommended that you send out of town guests travel, hotel, car rental, and special events or area attraction information for them to plan. Most hotels will let you block a number of rooms for your guests to reserve at a discounted rate. Make sure to tell guests to mention your wedding when booking.

New Invitations

Here are some new invitations I have been working on for 2 couples.

First are the invitations I did for Jessy Jarrous and Jeff Oslin. Jessy and Jeff had some trouble choosing between a tea length invitation and a single layer with vellum invitation. I made 2 samples for them (1 of each style, so they could make their decsiion). They ended up picking our Single Layer Invitation in Metallic Opal with a patterned vellum to lay on top. Jessy was fixed on having a bow, so we added a black satin ribbon in a bow to the top of the invitation, tied around the invitation. We also did insert cards to match in the metallic opal stock and metallic ruby outer envelopes for a pop of color.

The second invitations shown here were for Andrea Bees. I met Andrea at a restuarant to go over our invitations since she lives in Columbus, and was on her Spring Break in Cleveland. She is getting married in Cleveland, so she chose vendors in Cleveland as well. Andrea really liked our patterns, a black and white one in particular, and her color was lavender. I made a triple layer invitstion. The bottom layer was a lavender stock, the secind layer was a black and white patterned paper, and the top layer was her invitation in metallic ice gold, with black ink. We added a satin bow in tropical lilac. Andrea saw our triple layer sample which had a lined outer envelope to match the pattern, so she decided to go for that as well.

Another item to mention, these 2 girls chose 2 very low-cost invitations, and they turned out beautifully. We show you that you don't have to spend a lot to have wedding invitations you love.

Sun Sentinel Article

A story about JDK Invitations is in this week's Sun Sentinel. Check it out!
http://www.cleveland.com/sun/pdfs/sunsentinel.pdf
To view the whole story, see the Sun Sentinel

Here also is a blog about the story:
http://blog.cleveland.com/thesun/2009/04/avon_lakebased_jdk_invitations.html

Saving Money with JDK Invitations

You don't have to cross anyone off your guest list to save money on your wedding invitations. Here are 10 of our suggestions that can help you save money, but still beautifully set the tone for your wedding.

1. Go with a less bulky invitation style, such as our single, double, or triple layer invitations...as low as $140 for 100! While pocket invitations are great and keep insert cards organized, they also add more weight, which means more in postage. Now that postage rates are going up again, this will be a big help for your budget. Choose from any of our low-cost add-ons to dress up our layered invitations - such as ribbon, paperbands, rhinestones, customized designs, etc.
2. Try a mailable invitation such as our Pochette or "Petal" invitations. These enclose the invitation and insert cards, and act as an outer envelope, so another outer envelope is not needed, therefore saving money. These invitations include a clear seal to close the invitation for the mail.
3. Use our RSVP postcard instead of an RSVP card with an envelope to save on postage. Adding a postcard stamp is a lot cheaper than a first class stamp. Or you could totally eliminate the RSVP card by printing RSVP info on a seperate card--adding an email address or phone number to respond to. You would not need to stamp anything except your outer envelope!
4. Hand deliver invitations to people you see often to save on postage.
5. Choose a standard size invitation - we offer a lot of nice square styles if your heart is set on them, but the postage for a square style is unfortunately more.
6. Put your reception information on the bottom of your formal invitation. Especially if the ceremony and reception are at the same venue, this would eliminate the need for a seperate reception card.
7. None of our invitations include inner envelopes, which are more of a relic from the past that an invitation necessity. By not using an inner envelope, there is less bulk in the outer envelope, which means less postage.
8. Proofread, proofread...proofread! Have at least 2 other people read over your invitation and insert cards when you receive our sample proof. Errors found after invitations have been printed will be more costly.
9. Use black ink for your invitation and insert cards, which is already included in the price.
10. Call us and schedule an appointment to find out how you could save even more money with JDK Invitations. We will make suggestions to make sure you stay within your budget.

Question: Traditional or Contemporary/Modern Invitations?

Wedding Invitations have changed a lot through the years. In the past, invitations were either white or ivory. While beautiful, they were also very plain. Todays invitations are truly a reflection of the couple. Color, patterns, and creative graphic design play a huge role in todays invitations. Most also include some sort of accessory, such as ribbon, lined envelopes, a seal or tag with the couples names, and even rhinestones to name a few. You can let your creativity run wild. We have all of the creativity, materials and know-how to make sure your invitations exceed your every expectation. It doesn't have to be expensive either! --we work with any budget, big or small. We also will work with you with any ideas you may have. We have recently worked with a groom who is an artist, to add a watercolor that he painted to his and his fiance's invitations.

Also, we are giving 10% off to those who order before May 1st, so contact us today!

www.jdkinvitations.com