Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Coordinating Wedding Stamps USPS



Your invitations are finished, envelopes are addressed, now it's time for adding the postage (btw - don't forget we print on envelopes:). With many of our couples making a valiant effort towards keeping everything matching, our suggestion is to keep the theme going by using stamps that follow suit with their invitations.





Your first step is to see how much your invitations will cost to ship. If you have a reply card with an envelope your postage will be $0.45 (until the Post Office decides to raise it, again). If you have reply post card your shipping will be $0.32 - same thoughts, respectively. *Note to self: if you are trying to stay within a budget a reply post card is a good way to save some cha-ching. Once you've taken your invitation to the post office to be weighed you will probably be looking at $0.45, $0.65 or $0.85 for shipping cost. Now here comes the fun part...deciding on which stamps to showcase on your envelopes. Every year the post office has a "Wedding" stamp, usually one for the $0.45 stamp and another for the $0.65 stamp.




Currently the $0.45 stamp is white "wedding roses" and the $0.65 stamp is the "wedding cake". There is also a "love" $0.45 stamp that is another common postage option.


Or, you can always do what we love to do and think outside the box!!! Take this for example, say you're have a beach wedding (one of our specialties while living at the beach and all) or you might be having something of the nautical persuasion, there's the $0.45 Edward Hopper stamp, a sailboat sailing the seas.





Or if you are going with an eco-friendly wedding theme there's the "Go Green" $0.45 stamp.


While there are many options for $0.45 stamps, your options are a bit limited for the $0.65 and $0.85 stamps. Besides the $0.65 "Wedding Cake" stamp there is the "Baltimore Checkerspot" butterfly stamp or if you're interesting in including your furry family member in the wedding there's the "Dogs at Work" stamp. The $0.85 stamps are also very limited. There is the "Glacier National Park" or the "Birds of Prey" - WOW with so many options, which one should you go with? BARF!

Do not let having to choose a single stamp restrict you. If there is a certain stamp you like, but it doesn't come in the right amount you can easily pair up a few stamps and only spend a little extra money to get a stamp, and look, you like. For example, if your invitation requires a $0.85 stamp and you don't like either of the two options the post office has to offer, consider spending a couple more cents to have everything match. Use two $0.45 stamps, spending $0.05 more per invite, leaving you to spend only $2.50-$5.00 for 50-100 invites.




Our Ticket to Broadway invitation with Love stamps


If you really want something a bit more personal you can get stamps made at zazzle.com. Create your own personal stamp, or browse their numerous categories, for stamps that you can coordinate with your invitations. They have 137,000+ stamps under the wedding category alone. There is an up charge for zazzle stamps. Stamps come in sets of 20 and can cost $0.95+ per stamp (for a $0.45 stamp) so plan and budget accordingly.




Our Miami at Twilight invitation with Miami Skyline stamps by Zazzle.


If you are shipping outside the United States you will need to pay air mail prices which are currently $1.05, there is one stamp available for that price, the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania stamp. Do you need to put postage on the reply card for other countries you ask? No. The postage rates are not exchangeable. Simply leave the stamp off the reply card envelope or reply post card and your guest will have to pay for the postage in their county. 

For more information and pricing for envelope printing, please contact us at:

For more stamp options visit the following websites.

Zazzle website: www.zazzle.com

USPS website: https://www.usps.com/


Friday, June 22, 2012

Ticket to Broadway


We LOVE LOVE LOVE themes and were super excited to work with Tanya and Eric on their Broadway theme wedding invitations. With Tanya being a drama teacher, it was only natural for her to want a theatrical influenced theme (Eric was quickly on board:). It was our duty to create something unique to make their guests feel as if they were being invited to the biggest show of the year! Each guest name was printed on the outer tag of their invitation - what a great way to get your own personalized show ticket to this Broadway wedding event!!!


Here's what this Broadway event invitation included:

The invite is printed on a cream shimmer card stock and backed with a deep red shimmer paper (the red curtain, if you will:) The same cream shimmer card stock is used for the information card, reply card and outer tag. Since this Broadway theme was so unique, we wanted to not only add the physical details necessary to convey a ticket,  the formatting and wording had to be perfect to sell these tickets. Notice the wording on the invitation: "A Wedding Starring", "One Night Only", "curtain at" and "enjoy the show". Did you check out the comedy and tragedy masks on the reply card? All of these quaint details that are carried throughout their Broadway themed wedding invitations truly convey a show ticket to their guests. With help from our bride and her knowledge on theater we were able to personalize this extremely unique, super fun and one of a kind wedding invitation. The ivory, red and black colors of this invitation and overall style of can easily be transformed into a Hollywood Movie Star Wedding, an Old Hollywood Glamour Wedding, Roaring 20's Theme Wedding, 1930's Vintage Wedding, 1940's Theme Wedding or just about anything glamorous you can dream up!

This Roaring 20's Movie theme invitation set can be purchase in our Etsy Shop below:
 
 
 
For more information and pricing on a Ticket to Broadway please contact us at: 
 
 



Stay seated - more matching items coming soon!!!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Summer Weddings

Having a summer wedding seems virtually ideal for most. The weather is practically predictable and most family members and friends have plenty of vacation time readily available to request off for your special day. Although the weather is a GREAT reason to plan your wedding during this season, there are sooooo many things to take advantage of that will heighten the loveliness of your wedding day.

LOCATION - LOCATION - LOCATION

Beach

If you're having a beach wedding, implement natural colors into your scheme by using blues, greens, tans and creams for dresses, decor and accent colors. Having a sand ceremony, instead of using a unity candle, is a beautiful and unique way to use the elements around you while symbolically demonstrating the two of you becoming one. You can display sand filled vases with candles for radiant, and easy, centerpieces.



Garden

If you have a property with ample space and land to comfortably fit your guest list a garden theme wedding might be perfect for you. Garden weddings can be far more whimsical and romantic than any high dollar venue (if done right:) Think: lanterns, birdcages, vines, branches, mason jars, old coffee cans, trellis, clay pots and ALWAYS have a tent as a back up plan.        
 P.S. No need for an aisle runner when you have fresh green grass!




TIMING IS EVERYTHING

The sunset is an amazing back drop and setting for a wedding day. You can coordinate the time the sun sets into a good portion of your ceremony when having an outside wedding, or booking a venue with a spectacular view. Keep your photographer in the loop by giving them a timeline with key times to take important wedding party and family photos. When planning your nuptials always keep in mind daylight savings time...it could really make or break picture times.




GO LOCAL

You may have had orchids or hydrangeas in mind for your bouquet and centerpieces, but if they're not in season, or local to the area, you're gonna pay - BIG! Check with local florists and grocery stores to see what's in bloom and you may be delightfully surprised to see what's at your disposal and for a lot cheaper. Same goes for produce, check with local farmers to see what crop will readily available at the time of your wedding and implement these delicacies into your menu - this may entirely change your dessert choices, wedding cake flavors and hors d'oeuvres . Don't hesitate to ask the chef or venue manager about how to get the biggest, and best, bang for you buck!



    

BE FLEXIBLE

It's understandable that everyone wants their dream wedding, including the perfect flowers and food, but when it comes down to saving Benjamin's, I think we're all in agreement that some areas we can be flexible.

Check out the invitations below each blending beautiful colors together - perfect for Summer:



Fun in the Sun



http://www.flickr.com/photos/invitationsbythisandthat/

Southern Belle

 

Barefoot in the Sand



    The Knot



    For more information and ideas on Summer wedding invitations
    please visit This & That Creations at:
    www.invitationsbythisandthat@live.com