Archive for tips & inspiration
Congratulations… from the President
The first time I addressed an invitation to the President of the United States, I did what I always do when seeing someone famous on a client’s guest list… I stop everything and go and show Mr. K. The 2nd and 3rd time I addressed an invitation to the President, Mr. K didn’t seem all that amused and it suddenly dawned on me that this is no coincidence - my clients can’t be expecting the President to show up at their wedding.
So I did some research on what exactly was Room 39 at the Greetings Office in The White House, and I must start off by apologizing to my American friends for my ignorance. It’s actually quite common to address an invitation to the president. Just don’t expect the President and first lady to make a guest appearance at your wedding. What you’ll get in return is a congratulations card from the President, which makes for a lovely keepsake.
Shown here is the envelope of a New York City couple, addressed to President Obama in our newest style, Penelope. I love the toad motif that is letterpress printed onto these Crane Lettra envelopes.
The double envelope
The use of double envelopes (outer & inner) dates back to the time when invitations were delivered by hand. Back then envelopes would be left unsealed for courtesy reasons. With the invention of the postal service, the unsealed inner envelopes would be placed into larger sealable envelopes. Today, some couples choose to keep the tradition of the inner envelope.
There are different ways in which you could address an inner envelope. The formal approach would be to use titles and no first name (ie. Mr. & Mrs. Smith). Another approach is to think about what you would call your guest if you called them on the phone… Dad or Dr. Jones or Sam?
Calligraphy in Olivia:
Rubber Stamping
Rubber Stamps are a great cost effective way to include handwritten calligraphy into the return address for your invitations or response envelopes. Any of our calligraphy styles can be turned into a stamp. Available in either a wooden handle stamper or self-inking.
Shown here is a stamp of our newest style… Claire
The price is as follows:
Wooden Handle: $39.00
Self Inking: $49.00
Stamps can be purchased via our BigCartel store or by emailing us directly at info@barbarakua.com
A DIY Photobooth
When it comes to DIY and a wedding I normally think about invitations, favours, programs, etc. But have you ever thought about making your own photobooth?
I recently attended the wedding of Mr. K’s cousin and the groom did just that. When I heard he was going to make his own photobooth I originally thought it’d just be a computer, camera and a printer, with an operator standing by. But I was wrong. Mr. K’s cousin took DIY to the next level by actually making the entire booth! The craftsmanship of it was amazing. It worked just like a real photobooth you’d find in a mall. Simply press the button, 4 shots will be taken and previewed on the screen and then pick up your prints from the slot on the side. It was a huge hit!
Seals of Love
I love wax seals!
According to wikipedia, wax seals were used in the 16th century for security purposes. They prevented tampering and proof that a letter was actually from the real sender. Today, wax seals are no longer needed for such purposes but can still be used to add an elegant touch to your wedding invitations.
Here are some tips to get you started:
1. You need to purchase a stamper to create the impression. Michaels has a selection of inexpensive stampers in wedding symbols (love doves, hearts, bells, …) and alphabet initials. If you want something more unique or one custom made you can check out Ebay or Etsy.
2. Purchase faux sealing wax for use in a mini glue gun - Faux sealing wax is flexible and won’t crack like real wax. Michaels also sells this type of wax, but has limited colours. I have purchased from Seasons Creationson Ebay before and they have a ton of colours to choose from.
3. Don’t make your seal too fat- If you do then your envelope will be over-sized and you’ll have to pay for extra postage.
4. Rub a bit of cooking oil onto the stamper - I’ve found that after using the stamper a few times, it’ll begin to stick to the wax. Rub a bit of oil onto the stamper - just a little is all you need and the stamper will peal off the wax easily
5. Buy extra envelopes - It may take a little bit of time to get use to the stamper and wax at first. Be sure to buy some extra envelopes because if you don’t get tip 4 right (see above) then you may end up ripping some envelopes when trying to pull the stamper apart from the wax.
6. Buy pre-made wax seals- If you’re not in a DIY mood you can always purchase pre-made wax seals. They’re like stickers you just peel off and stick to your envelopes.
Invitation Mailing 101
So now that you have your wedding invitations in your hands, read these tips before you go ahead and stuff each one and place them in the mailbox. These tips are based on my own personal experience and since I’m Canadian there’s references to Canada Post. For those readers that are south of the border or beyond I’m sure you can relate this to your own postal service.
1. Get your full invitation suite weighed at the post office - I’ve heard numerous horror stories from brides that have affixed a standard postage stamp without realizing that their invites were over-weight or over-sized. There’s information on the Canada post website about what is considered standard weight and size but it can get a little confusing. Your best bet is to take your invitation to a postal outlet and get it weighed by those who know best.
2. Pick a stamp that matches your invites - I’ve received invitations with the Canadian flag stamp (Canadians I’m sure you know what I’m talking about) before and honestly, unless you’re going with a patriotic or red & blue theme I don’t think it’s the best looking stamp for a wedding invitation. Especially when you do have other options. Canada Post changes their postage stamps from time to time. Right now they have a lovely Rhododendrons flower stamp that might match some invitations. When I was getting married they had peonies!
3. Number your RSVP cards- If you’re having your guests mail their response cards back to you, be sure to number them so you can easily refer the number back to your guest list. You’ll be surprised at how many guests will reply with just their first name (or no name at all) and if you have several “John’s” on your list then you might have trouble figuring out who RSVP’d. To save yourself the headache, add a discrete number to the RSVP card or envelope.
4. Consider hand-cancelling your personalized stamps - If you ordered a personalized postage stamp you may want to consider getting them hand-cancelled by a post office clerk. Normally stamps are machine-cancelled meaning a machine will mark up each stamp to prevent it from being re-used. So if your personalized stamp is a pic of you and your FI then you might end up with black lines on your faces. If you have your postage hand-cancelled by a post office clerk then they will personally stamp each postage stamp in the corner. Bare in mind, depending on which post office you go to it can be a big stamp on your envelope. I didn’t like the look of the stamper my post office had so I just let my postage be machine-cancelled. Also, there’s no guarantee that your hand-cancelled postage won’t be machine-cancelled too!
Checking your list
A question commonly asked for address calligraphy is “How should I send the guest list?” Each calligrapher has their own preferred format. Mine is a numbered list in a word processor format such as .DOC. I request this file format (and not a speadsheet) because it’s easy to just press the “center” button to help visualize the centering for the addresses. It’s one of my little tricks! I also perform the lettering as it appears so do check your spelling, abbreviations, titles, etc. An example is on the ‘Faq’ section of my website
Miss or Ms.?
Calligraphers are often asked by their customers how they should address their envelopes. Should they use titles? Where do they include the names of children? Can they write “and guest?” There are many different etiquette “rules” out there but really it is up to you how you wish to address your envelopes. You may choose to use titles (Mr., Mrs., Miss, etc) or decide on a more informal route and use abbreviations (St., Rd., ON, etc.).
If you do require some assistance, the Crane’s Online Wedding Blue Book is an excellent resource for Addressing Etiquette 101. But do keep in mind that at the end of the day it is your wedding, so address your invitations as you wish.
