Delightful Invites

About Save the Date Cards

2009-10-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

Save The Date cards are an excellent and affordable way to inform or remind others of your upcoming special day. You may have many expected guests from out of town who need time to make travel arrangements, or you may have scheduled your event during the holiday season or during a time when others typically have a lot of social engagements. If you are having a weekend wedding or successive events, you will want to give your guests plenty of advance notice. Either way, Save The Date cards can help ensure that others are able to attend your event, or simply serve as a reminder for your more absent-minded guests!

Save The Date cards can be simple, listing only your names and the date and location of the event. However, your Save The Date cards could also include important messages about special aspects of your event that guests may need to prepare for. For example, indicating an adults-only event on your Save The Date card allows parents to make prior arrangements so that no one has to miss your special day.

When planning a destination wedding, Save The Date cards can offer necessary travel information. There is no standard form for Save The Date cards, they can be as elegant and formal, or whimsical and informal as you like! In addition, many companies will print Save-the-Date cards that coordinate with your custom invitations or theme.

So, if you are looking for an easy way to announce your special event, Save The Date cards are the way to go

Looking for wedding flowers in Southern California?

2009-03-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

It's not often that Delightful Invites writes about something other than invitations and stationary. However, recently came across an amazing floral designer in Southern California and knew we had to blog about it.

Meet Ali Eli Florals!

With a passion for design, Ali Eli Florals provides arrangements from modern to traditional; small, simple and intimate to grand and elegant. Specializing in wedding arrangements, Ali Eli Florals understands that wedding flowers should be an expression of you. Every bride is met with a personal consultations with exceptional attention to detail.

Give Ali Eli Florals a call today at 619-913-4019 and tell them Delightful Invites sent you!

More the just invitations!

2009-03-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

Delightful Invites is so much more than Invitations. In fact, we feature thousands of complete line of party accessories, address labels, greeting cards, personalized note cards and notepads.

www.delightfulinvites.com

Anna Post says...

2009-03-07T23:29:00.000-08:00

The Washington Post is currently running "Wedding Week 2009". Anna Post, Emily Post's great-great-granddaughter wrote a column about Wedding Etiquette. Below are excerpts regarding invitation etiquette.

Boston, Mass.: Hello Ms. Post,

How early before the wedding is it customary to send out Save The Date cards? We will know our wedding date roughly 18 months beforehand -- will people appreciate the early head's up or is that weird? Thank you!

Anna Post: It's okay to send them out as early as that to be sure that people get you on their calendars. (Especially if it's a destination wedding, so that people can hopefully save on airfare). That said, balance your timing to also build momentum and excitement for the wedding -- you don't want someone to forget!

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San Diego, Calif.: Thank you for taking my question Ms. Post.

Is it appropriate to invite guests to a bridal shower who will not be invited to a small wedding?

Anna Post: No, all guests invited to any pre-wedding party (shower, engagement party, bachelor/bachelorette party) do need to be invited to the wedding. The only exception is for work showers, or in the very, very rare case that all the guests who might attend such a shower clearly understand they will not be invited.

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Washington, D.C.: This is a post-wedding question. What is an appropriate (and realistic) time frame to send out your thank you notes after the nuptials? I know I have exceeded my grace period, but I am curious as to just how bad it really is...

Anna Post: It's best to have them done within three months (the year is a myth -- sorry!). That said, finish up your notes, no matter how late (even years). Just be sure to add a brief apology for the delay!

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Washington, D.C.: Do you have any thoughts on sending thank you notes to vendors that you use for a wedding after the event? We sent thank you notes to the ceremony officiants and the reception site organizer, but not to the florist, band, cake company, etc -- we weren't super impressed with them, but thought they did a good job (we did give some of the vendors tips) -- just curious about the proper etiquette, if any.

Anna Post: It's never wrong to send a thank-you note. As they were contracted for a service, it's not required.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I am getting married at the end of March. We are receiving RSVP cards, and while we addressed envelopes just to the individuals invited, I have received some back where the person added the name(s) of children. We do not want nor can we have everyone's children at the wedding. What is the best way for me to handle this?

Anna Post: Ouch! It's a shame they didn't understand how to read an invitation (or worse, chose not to respect it). As a refresher, the place to make clear who is invited (or by omission, not invited) is on the inner envelope. If a couple's names are there, but their children's names are not, then the kids aren't invited.

In your case, call them up and explain, even if you did things right: "I'm so sorry if there was any confusion, but we aren't including children at the wedding. We hope you understand, and we hope you can still attend." Those last words should be your final ones -- "we hope you can still attend." That's the goal after all. Just don't make exceptions -- it's not fair to those who did find childcare.

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Detroit, Mich.: Dear Ms. Post, I will be holding my wedding at a mosque where a modest attire is expected. Most of my guests will be Muslim like us and so will know this, but some will not. How can I give them this "how-to-dress" information with the invitation? Thank you.

Anna Post: In this case, because it's to pay respect to a religion, enclose the information on a separate card and send with the invitation. There is no formal wording for this, but use something along these lines: "For guests of the mosque, please..." or "We respectfully request that attire for guests of the mosque be..." and then invite guests to call with any questions. It's possible your mosque has addressed this before, so I suggest asking them for wording, as well.

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Thank yous: At a recent shower the hostess gave each guest an envelope and asked us to print our addresses "to help the bride write her thank you notes". I was appalled by this (having hunted for addresses for probably 300 notes for my own showers/wedding). Is this the new thing to do? Of course, then the hostess drew a couple of envelopes and awarded door prizes, but still, it's not okay, is it?

Anna Post: No, this is not okay! Thank you for asking. If you are put in this position, be a good guest and go along with it. But I would strongly dissuade anyone from ever doing this at a shower. Using a guest book to collect addresses or having a prize-draw are both just fine -- it's asking guests to address their own envelopes that isn't.

Thank-you notes should always be handwritten, and that includes the address. (And they should be sent for gifts given as a bridal shower, even if the bride thanked the giver in person.).

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gifts: I hate it when I read "gifts are required." Gifts may be expected and desired, but the idea that one must bring a gift as an entry ticket or send one even if they can't attend is rude and presumptuous. When I invited people to my wedding it was because I wanted to share my day with them. We appreciate, enjoy, and say thank you for gifts, but they are gifts! One of my daughter's videos had the line "a gift that required is not gift at all!" I hope she remembers that when she gets married some day!

Anna Post: It's never okay to print "gift required" on a wedding invitation. In fact, there should never be any mention of gifts on an invitation, even "no gifts, please." The focus should only be on sharing such a big day with those you love. Registry information is spread by word of mouth, and can also by placed on wedding websites.

On a Budget? You Can Still Have the Wedding of Your Dreams

2009-03-07T23:18:00.000-08:00

Looking to save money on your wedding? Let Delightful Invites help you select invitations you will love and fit within your budget!

From WashingtonPost.com
By Sharon McLoone
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 17, 2009; 7:51 AM

So you're engaged. When you're in love, it doesn't matter that the economy is dragging and employment is sagging. But even in the best of fiscal times, there's nothing wrong with a little creativity to keep costs down.

When I was planning my wedding, my fiancé was an ensign in the Navy and we had just bought a house. Finances were tight, but they always are in every stage of life. So we tapped into our network of friends to plan our big day.

Everyone has friends with skills. Two graphic-artist friends of mine designed and printed our invitations and wedding programs as their gifts to us. On our wedding invitation we asked each guest to bring a flower. Friends and family placed them in vases all over the county-owned mansion where we got married. That's one of my favorite memories of my wedding: I enjoyed how each guest discussed which flower they brought and why.

Lisa Hazell runs a small wedding planning business out of her home office in Orange, Va., after her first job working at a lobbying firm in D.C. coordinating events. Most of the weddings she's coordinated over the last couple of years have been first marriages with the couples in their late-20s/early 30s.

She's seen a definite change in wedding planning recently related to the sour economy. A couple of years ago weddings in the D.C. metro region were averaging about 150 to 200 guests but now most couples are choosing to have smaller weddings not exceeding 100 guests, she said.
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Hazell offers tips for wedding planning that keeps things special on a tight budget:

Be careful channeling your inner Martha Stewart

Many brides believe they can save costs by taking a tip from Martha Stewart by getting crafty. While it works to do some things ? you can't do everything. "Many brides want to purchase [craft supplies] and put things together but run into difficulty when you take on too many tasks at one time," said Hazell. She has seen brides intend to make their own bouquets, centerpieces and more"but then time runs out on them and what sounded like a great idea turns into a stressful one." Many also thought they would save money by purchasing supplies at art and craft stores, but didn't realize the cost of some of those items. That can lead to calling a florist to make centerpieces, for example, at the last minute, which amounts to a huge expense.

Look for natural settings

If Mother Nature has done her work, a natural setting like a vineyard won't require much decorating. Hazell has seen more fiances "gravitating toward less" when it comes to wedding planning. She also likes vineyards because they often have great package deals bundling alcoholic beverages, caterers and the venue.

Time is of the essence

The cost of a late morning or early afternoon wedding is drastically less than if you had an evening wedding, especially for events in a standard hotel ballroom.

Creative caterers

"Be flexible with your menu and allow your caterer to be creative," says Hazell. I was lucky enough to have my mom -- a baking fiend -- to make my wedding cake.

Photos

Many couples are choosing photographers who will supply their wedding photos on a disk so that they can choose the photos they want and have them printed "at a more convenient time" when they've fattened up their bank accounts again. Our photographer was a friend of a friend employed by National Geographic who did weddings as freelance on the side. The downside we found was that his candid shots were great, but the portraits less so.

Music

It's cheaper to have a DJ as opposed to live band, but a live band "will generate more excitement for your guests," according to Hazell. She said instead of having an 8-piece band, cut it down to five. But she's also seen band fees increase recently because of higher costs of transporting equipment like microphones, instruments and speakers. Got any friends who can play a musical instrument? My mother-in-law tapped her professional pianist friend to play the ceremony's music at our wedding.

Flowers

I went to a wedding of a couple who trimmed costs by sending friends to a flower farm to cut a wheelbarrow full of Gerbera daisies on the morning of their wedding. Hazell says if you prefer to use an actual florist, consider the color scheme over the flower type. "A good florist should be able to provide you with alternative flowers."
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Attire

Bridal shops are having great sales because of the economy, says Hazell. "If you're flexible and not particular on a name brand you can find great deals," she said. There are also consignment shops for bridal wear.

Whatever a couple decides, "weigh all options and don't make any hasty decisions," Hazell said.