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Wedding Planning 101: Invitation Etiquette Tips and Advice from MagnetStreet

August 28, 2014 | Junebug Weddings

Heart-shaped Wedding Program  Fan from MagnetStreet

So, you’re newly engaged, now what? Sending out save the dates, invitations, and thank you’s requires planning and an understanding of wedding invitation etiquette. Heidi Markgraf from MagentStreet, an invitation design company, is here to help us better understand.

Pocket Wedding Invitation + Save the Date from MagnetStreet

How to Choose Your Invitation:

“The best way to choose your colors is by using our online editing tool to play with a variation of them on your favorite wedding stationery designs. To see your colors in person, request a Color Palette along with free wedding invitation samples to be custom-printed and mailed directly to you. After you’ve received your personalized samples and are convinced of your colors, the next step is to order a fully embellished wedding invitation–including enclosure items. Since you’re setting the tone of your wedding with your wedding stationery, you want to be fully confident in the quality, colors, and design of your suite. Order just one invitation and give yourself the peace of mind in knowing that your design is the one!”

color palette

How to Address Your Wedding Guests:

“Address your wedding guests and the invitation envelopes in the style and tone of your wedding. Following basic etiquette is a good rule of thumb. Generally speaking, you’ll want to find out which guests have professional titles and which guests prefer to go by their maiden name or hyphenated names, etc. Traditional etiquette also suggests that you do not use abbreviations for street names, states, and professional titles. Before you commit calligraphy pen to your envelopes, see examples for inviting your single, married, unmarried, and professionally titled guests below”

Here are a few examples:

Single guests

Miss Jane Doe

555 West Street

New York, NY 55555

Single + Guest

Miss Jane Doe

and guest

555 West Street

New York, NY 55555

Unmarried Couple

Miss Jane Doe

Mr. John Doe

555 West Street

New York, NY 55555

Married Couples

Mr. and Mrs. John Doe

555 West Street

New York, NY 55555

For information on how to address professionals with titles, MagnetStreet has a handy list of different title examples.

Wedding Thank You Cards from MagnetStreet

When to Send Your Wedding Invitations:

“Wedding invitations should be mailed 6-8 weeks ahead of the wedding date. Although much has changed with invitation etiquette, this target send date has generally remained the same. If you’re mailing out of state or overseas, make sure those invitations go out even earlier. Make it easy for your guests to respond– put a stamp on your RSVP postcards or envelopes. Did you know that square shaped wedding invitations have a higher mailing cost? Take one of your fully assembled wedding invitation envelopes to the post office to have it weighed prior to purchasing your invitations. No surprises there!”

Thanks so much to our friends over at MagnetStreet for their helpful tips and advice on wedding invitation etiquette. They have also created a simple and easy to use wedding planning checklist that’s sure to help you plan your wedding with ease!

xoxoCarrie

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Hand-Crafted Vintage Picnic Wedding

August 28, 2014 | Junebug Weddings

same-sex picnic wedding vintage ceremony decor

Refreshingly original and bursting with vintage charm, Marissa and Lauren’s vintage picnic wedding was captured beautifully by Nordica Photography. The couple strove for a simple, relaxed wedding, which was certainly achieved by the casual picnic blanket seating plan. Their unique wedding elements, including everything from the non-traditional vintage fashion to celebrating at Pagliacci’s Pizza to finish off the night, are an excellent example of how to include fun personality in your wedding.

The Couple: Marissa and Lauren

The Wedding: St. Ann’s Academy, Victoria, BC

The Inspiration: We wanted a hand-crafted, simple, vintage picnic that was light and breezy.

St. Anne's Academny Victoria wedding venue

quirky picnic wedding baskets

creative wedding catering ideas, picnic baskets

same-sex wedding bride getting for the wedding

same-sex wedding bride getting ready portrait

bride getting ready portrait, vintage dress

quirky bridal style with vintage dress and boots

same-sex wedding bridal fashion jacket and fedora

quirky same-sex wedding portrait

St. Anne's Academy venue, same-sex wedding couple's portrait

vintage mint and pink picnic garden wedding decor

picnic blanket wedding seating plan sign

casual same-sex picnic wedding ceremony

unique vintage same-sex wedding ceremony

unique vintage same-sex wedding fashion

 

intimate and sweet same-sex wedding ceremony

casual picnic blanket wedding reception

casual picnic blanket wedding reception seating

same-sex wedding ceremony rings

vintage same-sex wedding ceremony kiss

picnic wedding live accordion music

picnic wedding reception bubbles

adorable reception fun masks for children

same-sex couple wedding picnic blanket dining

creative wedding dining with picnic baskets

same-sex wedding outdoor couple's portrait

sentimental same-sex wedding couple's portrait

same-sex couple's portrait with beautiful natural landscape

quirky picnic wedding horse and carriage

unique couple's transportation, horse and carriage

gorgeous waterfront landscape couple's portrait

beautiful waterfront same-sex couple's portrait

same-sex couple's reflection portrait

quirky same-sex wedding reception at Pagliacci's Pizza

same-sex couple's reflection portrait

romantic same-sex wedding city portrait

The Wedding Team:

Photographers: Cole Roberts of Nordica Photography with Brian Van Wyk
Ceremony & Reception Venue: St. Ann’s Academy
Officiant: Sarah Nakatsuka of This Vibrant Life Ceremonies
Wedding Dress: Vintage find via Etsy
Bridal Accessories: Boots by DKODE
Live Music: Mary Ross
Transportation: Tally-Ho
Rings: Vintage finds via House of Savoy

Thank you to Marissa and Lauren for sharing your wedding with us!

Looking for more vintage inspiration? Be sure to check out January and Rory’s old-fashioned wedding!

xoxoOlivia

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Creative Wedding Guest Books

August 27, 2014 | lexi

Don’t like the thought of your wedding guest book gathering dust over the years? Try something less traditional and more personal by creating a guest book worthy of displaying in your home or somehow using in the future. We hope you can gather some inspiration from these alternatives to the run-of-the-mill guest book.

texas

Magan Blasig of Urban Grey Photography

Try using something that you could turn into a piece of art, such as a crafty wall piece, like this Texas shaped hardwood wall art above. Have guests sign their well wishes, and showcase your favorite state and guest book in your home. You’ll have a great memory hanging on your wall for years to come!

jenga

Photo by L Hewitt Photography

Love playing games? Turn your favorite game into your guest book and all future games will bring back fun memories of your wedding day. Jenga is the perfect game for this, as the wood blocks are long lasting and just the right size for a congratulatory note!

GUESTBOOK

Photo by Kate Miller Photography

Have guests leave a visual signature by incorporating some sort of photo guest book. You’re more likely to keep these photos than a few pages of signatures. Remember, a photo is worth more than 1,000 words, anyways!

champaigne

Photo by Freixenet

Find a fun bottle or your favorite drink and have guests sign their well wishes to you. On your anniversary, you can drink up and reminisce as you read over your guests’ words of wisdom, congratulations, and humorous anecdotes.

leafprint

Photo by Nine Photography 

Have guests leave their mark with a fingerprint and each signature will truly be unique. The overall effect is artistic and creative. You can also use your fingerprint guest book as a wall piece for your home.

We hope you found some inspiration in these creative wedding guest books. Just remember to keep it personal and useful!

 

xoxo

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