Save the Dates!
Cooking is a passion of both of ours, so Josh thought it would be really cool if we spelled out our STD wording using spices.
HOW WE DID IT
We went to Produce World, a local ethnic discount grocer, where bulk spices are ridiculously cheap. We bought big tubs of each of the spices and the total came to around $6! I swear, we will have paprika til the day I die from this one project! The final product consists of dried cilantro (SAVE), dried chili powder (THE), paprika (DATE), and cloves (3-26-2010) laid out freehand on my cutting board.
We dug deep to find the Art Director in each of us and set up culinary props along the sides in about a million different configurations before we were happy with it. It's a fine line between cluttered and not enough! We both love wine, so we poured an extra glass of the red we were drinking, a clove of garlic, Josh's favorite chef knife (which I was unsure about using at first, but it ended up pulling the whole thing together), a pinch bowl full of the paprika, some extra piles of the spices, and some spice bottles.
We snapped a bunch of pictures with different lighting and angles with my digital camera, uploaded the one we liked best to VistaPrint, designed the back layout (I designed the monogram on Word and found the flourish on VistaPrint image library), and ordered 100 postcards for free! I also ordered 10 magnets just to have for us and a few of our family members. In hindsight, I would have done this in a separate order, as I probably could have gotten them for free as well.
FEEDBACK
They were a big hit with everyone! Since it's very well known how much we love to cook, everyone liked to see such a personal and meaningful STD. The photo shoot was a really fun memory for Josh and I, and it was a nice way to show our passion to all of our guests.
COST BREAKDOWN
100 Postcards: Free
Upload Picture: $2.49
Design Proof: $1.39
Color Design on Backside: $6.99
Magnets: $9.74
Shipping & Processing: $7.54
75 postcard stamps: $21.00
TOTAL: $49.15 (Would be $39.41 without the magnets)
LESSON LEARNED
When designing a postcard, keep in mind that the post office will stamp at the top of the postcard. We forgot about this and the stamp went over my FIs name. Keep the top and bottom margins thick so you can avoid this problem.
HOW WE DID IT
We went to Produce World, a local ethnic discount grocer, where bulk spices are ridiculously cheap. We bought big tubs of each of the spices and the total came to around $6! I swear, we will have paprika til the day I die from this one project! The final product consists of dried cilantro (SAVE), dried chili powder (THE), paprika (DATE), and cloves (3-26-2010) laid out freehand on my cutting board.
We dug deep to find the Art Director in each of us and set up culinary props along the sides in about a million different configurations before we were happy with it. It's a fine line between cluttered and not enough! We both love wine, so we poured an extra glass of the red we were drinking, a clove of garlic, Josh's favorite chef knife (which I was unsure about using at first, but it ended up pulling the whole thing together), a pinch bowl full of the paprika, some extra piles of the spices, and some spice bottles.
We snapped a bunch of pictures with different lighting and angles with my digital camera, uploaded the one we liked best to VistaPrint, designed the back layout (I designed the monogram on Word and found the flourish on VistaPrint image library), and ordered 100 postcards for free! I also ordered 10 magnets just to have for us and a few of our family members. In hindsight, I would have done this in a separate order, as I probably could have gotten them for free as well.
FEEDBACK
They were a big hit with everyone! Since it's very well known how much we love to cook, everyone liked to see such a personal and meaningful STD. The photo shoot was a really fun memory for Josh and I, and it was a nice way to show our passion to all of our guests.
COST BREAKDOWN
100 Postcards: Free
Upload Picture: $2.49
Design Proof: $1.39
Color Design on Backside: $6.99
Magnets: $9.74
Shipping & Processing: $7.54
75 postcard stamps: $21.00
TOTAL: $49.15 (Would be $39.41 without the magnets)
LESSON LEARNED
When designing a postcard, keep in mind that the post office will stamp at the top of the postcard. We forgot about this and the stamp went over my FIs name. Keep the top and bottom margins thick so you can avoid this problem.
Programs
So, I've seen this general idea featured on the Knot and I'm sure some Knotties bios, but I can't remember whose, so I can't give credit specifically. However, it's a pretty general design. We wanted to continue with the Square Within A Square theme inspired by my engagement ring.
We found some pretty cream cardstock with sage flourishes that match our colors and venue perfectly and used our 40% off coupons, so it was about $15 altogether. I bought some plain sage and cream cardstocks at JoAnns, also with a 40% off coupon. I stamped our B onto the cream cardstock and embossed it. And we used some Moss Offray ribbon, also using a 40% off coupon at JoAnns. We used photo mounting squares to secured the cardstocks together, punched out half holes at the top, and threaded the ribbon through.
We found some pretty cream cardstock with sage flourishes that match our colors and venue perfectly and used our 40% off coupons, so it was about $15 altogether. I bought some plain sage and cream cardstocks at JoAnns, also with a 40% off coupon. I stamped our B onto the cream cardstock and embossed it. And we used some Moss Offray ribbon, also using a 40% off coupon at JoAnns. We used photo mounting squares to secured the cardstocks together, punched out half holes at the top, and threaded the ribbon through.
Invites
These are the wedding invitation kits we bought from Office Max. Simple and boring, but it was the right color, a lot cheaper than ordering invites, and I knew I could spice it up a bit!
The detail of the punch - it both cuts out the pattern and raises the paper. I love it!!
Our "B" stamp that I embossed for the invite envelope. God I love embossing!!!
The invite and outer envelope.
The Directions insert. I used blank postcard paper from OfficeMax, designed and printed the inserts using Word, and punched the corners. Both the Directions and Accomodations cards were double sided and contained written directions, a map, general info on accomodations, and the contact info for each of the 3 hotels.
My mock up invite! All I did was buy a corner punch and I think it makes all the difference in the world! A boring invite to start with, and elegant final product!
RSVP Card. Since we are not inviting children and want to avoid as many awkward conversations as possible post-RSVPs, we are going to write the name of each person invited and they will mark Attending or Not Attending. Below that we have also stated how many seats are reserved in their honor.
Our fancy shmancy stamp for the back of the envelope...also embossed of course! But I think I might move it down so it's not on the flap at all, and just the return address will be on the flap.
The RSVP Card and envelope.
"Will You Be A Reader?" Notes
We each asked an Aunt to read a passage during our ceremony. I made these note cards and wrote a heartfelt note inside. They were both thrilled and loved the effort and thought put into the cards!
Guestbook
We designed our guestbook on MixBook, which was super easy. If I didn't have a wedding album in my photography package, I would have designed my own on MixBook. In keeping with the cooking theme, we made the guestbook to resemble a cookbook featuring pictures of our culinary creations that we made together. Guests were encouraged to sign in the "recipe card" areas. It was very cute and everyone adored it!
Menus
We designed the menus on VistaPrint using their Rack Cards. I ordered them in 3 batches so that I could get them for free and only pay S&H. I punched all the corners to tie it in with the invite design. Again, everyone was impressed with the cohesiveness of the details.