1st Impressions Invitations

Why attend a Bridal Show?

2012-01-09T13:05:00.000-08:00

Why attend a bridal show?

For any couple in the Las Vegas area looking to get married in the next year and a half, a bridal show is a quintessential tool! Imagine every vendor that you might need to talk to, from floral arrangements to wedding gowns, invitations to bakeries, multitudes of wedding and reception locations to so many talented photographers, all in one location. This is opportunity to bang out all your wedding needs in a short and concise amount of time. You will be able to talk directly to wedding professionals and see samples of their work.

Bridal shows can be over-whelming, so below are some suggestions to make the experience fun and get the biggest bang for your time and effort:

1) Make a list of the most important items to you for your wedding – the products and services you need most. When you arrive at the show, visit those areas of vendors first (look over the included map at check-in).

2) Keep your time frame in mind: locations often book up to a year in advance. Wedding gowns need to be ordered and tailored, requiring around 6-7 months. Invitations take up to 8 weeks to design and print and you will want to send them out 2-3 months in advance of your wedding. Visit your most time-sensitive vendors first to ensure you have plenty of time to put everything together for the wedding.

3) Prep labels with your name, address, phone, email, and wedding date prior to attending – most vendors collect information from clients for prizes or further information following the bridal show. Having labels pre-done will keep your hand from cramping from writing down your information over and over.

4) Collect business cards from vendors you are interested in and keep them separate from your goodie-bag: you may not remember every person you talked to, so keeping a reminder will assist you after the fact.

5) Take your time; bridal shows can be over-whelming, so enjoy each booth, talk to each vendor and really get an idea of who each business is. Plan to take several hours to walk through the show.

6) Know that every vendor is there to assist you with your planning so do not be afraid to ASK QUESTIONS! While you have never had this experience before, the vendors have experienced multiple weddings and can help you with all your concerns.

7) Bring any major decision makers with you so they can see first hand what services and items are available. The more decisions you can make at the show, the more items you can check off your planning list. If you are the major decision maker, bring someone you trust, like a parent, a best friend, etc, for a different perspective.

8) Wear comfortable shoes and bring your calendar! You will be walking a lot and making appointments, so be prepared!

9) Most of all – enjoy the show! There will be prizes given away, lots of food to taste, and multiple bridal fashion shows to enjoy!

For more information about the upcoming shows, please visit our website www.1stinvite.com for links to Bridal Spectacular (Jan. 20-21 at Cashman Center) and Beautiful Bride Expo (Jan. 29 at the Rio) and for discounts on your show tickets!

Postage Rate Increase: Do you have enough Postage?

2012-01-05T16:27:00.000-08:00

Postage increase January 2012!

Attention all Bridal Couples preparing to mail out your invitations!

There is a postage increase beginning January 21^st, 2012. Your RSVP envelopes, assuming standard stamp will be increasing to 45 cents. Buy your “Forever” Wedding Stamps now (looks like two roses) and save a penny on each stamp! Outside postage will be increase incrementally based upon weight and size:

MAIL INCREASE HIGHLIGHTS:

* Letters (1 oz.) – 1-cent increase to 45 cents. Used most often for RSVP envelopes.

*Single-piece letters additional ounce rate – unchanged at 20 cents. Look for New 65 cent stamps with a wedding cake on them.

*Postcards – 3-cent increase to 32 cents. Used for RSVP postcards.

*Letters to Canada or Mexico (1 oz.) – 5-cent increase to 85 cents and more for larger invitations.

*Letters to other international destinations – 7-cent increase to $1.05.

*Parcel Post: Used often for large or thick invitations will increase by 2.1% or on average it will cost approx.. $1.76 - $1.94 depending on size and weight.

Make certain to put enough postage on your RSVPs, even if you are sending your invitations prior to Jan. 21 – you want to ensure that the RSVP comes back to you! (32 cents for postcards, 45 cents for traditional sized RSVP, and 65 cents for square or unusual sized RSVP)

Bridal Show Season 2012!!!!

2011-12-22T12:26:00.000-08:00

January is a special month in Las Vegas as it marks the beginning of

BRIDAL SHOW SEASON !!!

There are two very big bridal shows coming up in January: hands-down they are the best way to find all your possible vendors all in one spot. Every part of your wedding, from the invitations (make sure to stop by and see us!) to ceremony and reception locations to photographers, florist, and so much more, will be at both of these! Please see below for more information about the upcoming shows and links to tickets. Wear comfortable shoes and I'd suggest making pre-made labels with name, email, phone #, address, and wedding date to hand out to vendors you are interested in and want more information from!

Bridal Spectacular

January 20-21, 2012

Friday 6 pm to 10 pm Saturday 11 am to 5 pm

Cashman Center

850 N. Las Vegas Blvd. Brides have been attending our bridal show at Cashman Center since 1991. We don't have to say we are the largest or the best, because our reputation stands on it's own. This bridal event has everything you need to plan your wedding. Hundreds of wedding professionals, dazzling fashion shows, prizes, cake tasting and more. A bridal show is the best place to start planning your wedding, our next event is Jan 20 & 21 at Cashman Center. Open Friday 6PM to 10PM and Saturday 11AM to 5PM 100,000 sq ft wedding wonderland! -courtesy of bridalspectacular.com

Find out more information and purchase tickets at www.bridalspectacular.com

For tickets to Bridal Spectacular: click here!

Use promo code PCJ2012 to receive $5 off your tickets!

Come See us at Booth 528!!!

Beautiful Bride Expo

Sunday, January 29, 2012

11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino

Las Vegas, NV

Over 200 Wedding Professionals on hand to help with your every wedding need!
Huge Vegas Style Fashion Shows
Free Prizes throughout the Show!
Battle of the Bakers
Catering Contest
Gown Giveaway
The Great Las Vegas Gown Sale!
Advance Tickets On Line!
Free Self Parking!
Complimentary Valet Parking!
And everything you need to plan your wedding... - courtesy of Lasvegasbride.com

Find out more information and purchase tickets at beautifulbrideexpo.com

For free tickets to the Beautiful Bride Expo: click here!

Come see us at Booth 315!!!

Best Invitations in Las Vegas 2011!

2011-12-14T15:33:00.000-08:00

December 6, 2011; Las Vegas, NV:

1st Impressions Invitations is honored to announce that we have been named "Best Invitations 2011" by the Las Vegas Wedding Awards. It is an honor to be named as one of this prestigious group of people! Thank you so much to all the brides and grooms and vendors that voted! For more information about the wedding awards, please read below...

Via http://lasvegasbride.wordpress.com

Sixteen years ago, we [Las Vegas Bride] launched the first Las Vegas Wedding Awards with Toys for Tots… Over the years there were many winners… and today, you can still see some of the awards hanging in some of the old-timers offices and shops around Las Vegas… And starting today, there’ll be more awards to display through-out the valley.

The Las Vegas Wedding Awards is a culmination of honor, recognition, and appreciation of those who have made a difference in the Las Vegas Wedding Industry.

It’s about those who have demonstrated exemplary professionalism with dignity and respect… and more importantly, make most of us proud to be in this business.

The awards are open to voting every year, from January 1st to November 15th, online at LasVegasBride.com/awards.

Fairytale Winter Wonderland

2011-12-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

Nicole and Mark had fallen in love and married years ago, but without any pomp and circumstance. To celebrate their love and marriage, they decided to renew their vows in lavish, fairytale kind of way.

With their renewal ceremony in December, the couple could have chosen traditional holiday colors, but Nicole loves the color purple and wanted to really play with that. This couple had a great affection for Disney; both the playfulness and magic that exist in all the fairytales. We wanted to capture that feeling while keeping the entire stationery suite formal. We opted for shades of pearl white, lavender, rich royal purple, and silver combined with rhinestones and metallic card stocks for a rich, formal, winter feel. I custom designed three different disney-esque logos that we used throughout the wedding, including on their photo booth and gobo lighting. All the logos were done a little abstractly, to keep the feeling formal and mature.

Some of the highlights:

* The children were included on the invitation as the hosts of the reception: such a sweet honor to their children.

* Rhinestones, Rhinestones, Rhinestones! We created the feeling sparkling snow by adding rhinestones of several sizes to all the stationery: the invitation, ceremony programs, table names, etc.

* The place cards were such a brilliant idea: the brain child of Deborah James of Pinup Bride, we crafted individual vellum circles for the charger plates with each guest's name and corresponding color of "Tink" and snowflakes to the meal choice (pink = beef, purple = pasta, red=tuna, etc) underneath a glass plate.

The entire event would not have been possible without the expertise of Pinup Bride, Enchanted Florist, Lighten Films, Emerald and Queensridge, and so many more! It was an honor to be a part of this event!

Winner of Brides Choice Awards 2011!

2011-01-25T11:06:00.000-08:00

Las Vegas, Nevada – January 25th, 2011 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce 1st Impressions Invitations has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for Invitations and Wedding Stationery! Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation. 1st Impressions Invitations stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year. “WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud 1st Impressions Invitations for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.” We are happy to announce that 1st Impressions Invitations is among the very best Invitations and Wedding Stationery within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011. For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/1st-impressions-invitations-las-vegas/1f13510bda4afaef.html For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com. About WeddingWire, Inc. WeddingWire.com, the nation's leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives local businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. Businesses that join the WeddingWire Network appear on WeddingWire.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), ProjectWedding.com and Weddingbee.com (both part of eHarmony), and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS).

"The Planning Place": Seminars at Bridal Spectacular!

2011-01-18T13:06:00.000-08:00

Bridal Spectacular: January 21-22, 2011! For any bride looking for every possible vendor necessary for your wedding, the Bridal Spectacular in Las Vegas, NV offers you an opportunity to meet with the some of the best in their fields! An exciting addition to the Bridal Spectacular this year is "The Planning Place"! Spearheaded by 1st Impressions Invitations to be a learning venue for any and all the brides who attend the show, it will feature learning seminars from some of the best in their fields, on numerous aspects of the wedding planning process, including flowers, invitations, wedding planners, choosing a location, and how to plan for your honeymoon! Come see us and learn all the ins-n-outs for your wedding planning at Cashman Center, 850 Las Vegas Blvd North, January 21-22! Get $10 tickets on-line at www.bridalspectacular.com and make sure to stop by our booth #528 or "The Planning Place" on Saturday, January 22nd at 1:45 to learn all about Invitations at the Seminar, "Wedding Invitations 101" 1st Impressions Invitations will be there in booth #528 with a variety of invitations and favors from our portfolio and ready to answer any questions you might have! We will also be giving away a visa debit card to one special bride - please stop by and say hello!

In the News!

2011-01-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

Las Vegas, Nevada, January 18, 2011- 1st Impressions Invitations, a Custom, Service-Based Wedding Stationery company, is proud to announce another featured wedding story in Las Vegas Bride!

In the last year, 1st Impressions Invitations has been involved or featured with "Real Brides" in more than 1/2 of the magazines printed. Most recently, the company was part of the dream team for Jessica and Tony, featured in the January/February 2011 issue. "It is an honor and privilege to be a part of these featured weddings," owner Cathy Colbert said, "Each one of these bridal couples had such a sweet story and each vision was a new inspiration and design concept. I am so pleased that such a variety of invitations and ideas were featured!"

About 1st Impressions Invitations: Created in the summer of 2007, 1st Impressions Invitations is the brain child of Cathy Colbert, an artist and professionally trained dancer, originally from the mid-west, transplanted into Las Vegas. Cathy saw a need for a custom experience when shopping for her own wedding: "The stationery process can e so completely over-whelming that I saw a need for a personal relationship with the Brides. I so wished that someone had been there to hold my hand and help take my ideas and create a beautiful, unique stationery portfolio for me and I thought, 'Why not help others?" With a core mission to provide clients with a full-service experience and individual, unique, hand-crafted stationery items, 1st Impressions Invitations is dedicated to quality, integrity, and a comfortable, easy design process for its clients, both bridal and all other special events. Learn more at http://www.1stinvite.com/.

"Magnetic" Impression

2010-08-30T15:32:00.000-07:00

This bride and groom wanted to make sure their guests had an easy and fun way to remember their upcoming nuptials. The wedding is in late fall so we used shades of brown and cream for the card stock and pocket fold, giving the invitation a warm, milk-chocolate feel -rich and luscious. We used a lovely graphic of two swallows kissing combined with golden swirls throughout.

The main attraction though was a well placed magnetic save the date for the guests: we added a magnet square to the back of the outer placard, transforming the front of the invitation into a useful and fun magnet for the guests' refrigerators. We added a small note inside on one of the inserts to ensure the guests knew about the included magnet and ended up with both a very pretty and useful invitation project!

One Moment in Time

2010-08-13T15:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes one moment can determine an entire theme for a wedding...

A recent bride started planning for her wedding by looking for her bridesmaid dresses. The dress that caught her eye for her girls was a dramatically different and beautiful gown in a brilliant grassy green with a large painted flower across the bottom right side of the dress in shades of amber, cream, and orange. It was sensational. Once she showed me a picture of the dress, the design for the invitation was apparent: we opted for a fun font, reminiscent of the playfulness of the dress with a large petalled orange and yellow flower as the backdrop for the bottom left hand corner of the invitation. We opted for a torn cream linen card stock layered on a metallic pearlized green card stock in a similar shade to the dress. By using similar lines, design, and color, we were able to transform the dress into an invitation portfolio meant to make a lasting impression on all of their guests.

It's Bridal Show Time Again!

2010-08-05T15:33:00.000-07:00

For any bride looking for every possible vendor necessary for your wedding, the Bridal Spectacular in Las Vegas, NV offers you an opportunity to meet with the some of the best in their fields.

This year, at the AUGUST 20-21st Show, there will be an avenue of ideas based upon the seasons, showing new innovative ways to use color. There will also be a vintage display of dresses, which should be beautiful!

Doors open at 5pm onf August 20th for "Date Night" - grooms are encouraged to attend and again on Saturday from 11am-4pm. There will be fashion shows and it is a great opportunity to really chat with all the vendors.

1st Impressions Invitations will be there in booth #521 with a variety of invitations and favors from the portfolio and ready to answer any questions you might have! We will also be giving away a visa debit card to one special bride - please stop by and say hello!

Words of Advise: [care of Bridal Spectacular Blog Post] "Debra Hansen, Show Producer, states “It’s important to plan on attending for a minimum of four hours to take all this in. Many couples come together on Friday night for date night as the groom gets in free and then the bride returns on Saturday with her family and friends.” This two day event will bring over 1,000 brides face to face with Las Vegas’ best wedding professionals. Tickets are available online at http://www.bridalspectacular.com/ for $10.00 or at the door for $15.00."

Timeless Art

2010-08-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

This invitation portfolio was in the timeless color combination of Red, Black, and Ivory. The ivory, as opposed to traditional white, lent a softness and creaminess to the wonderful contrast of red and black. We opted for a matte linen card stock for all the pieces for an added element of texture and elegance. After creating a custom graphic for the couple, we repeated it throughout the invitation: starting on the front placard, on the invitation itself, and across the inserts offering continuity throughout the invitation. The graphic continued on the ceremony programs and finished up as the front to their thank you notes. The graphic, in combination with the linen and black and red, pulled the entire invitation portfolio together creating a beautiful and elegant keepsake.

Lake Side Formality: Let Nature In!

2010-07-27T11:21:00.001-07:00

This bride and groom are getting married lakeside and wanted an invitation that reflected both a nature-inspired, but formal and different invitation. The grooms’ request was unique: he owned a paisley tie that he really enjoyed and wanted to incorporate paisley into the invitation. Originally, we tried using paisley clip art as part of the design in the formal invitation, but it just seemed to lack the formality we had hoped for. The bride came across a RSVP card on-line that had been de-bossed; the exact opposite look of an embossed invitation, or essentially the text was punched into the cardstock as opposed to being raised off the cardstock. After looking over the idea, we opted to use a local die cutting company who took our very untraditional verbiage, arranged in a quirky and unexpected way, and created foiling dies that they punched with great pressure into a thick, creamy, partially-post consumer recycled cardstock. The de-bossing of the invitation gave it a formal presence and made it come alive with the added texture of the de-bossing and foil.

To keep a natural feel at the same time, we tore the edges of the invitation and used recycled envelopes in a lovely speckled cream paper. To maintain formality too, we used a bronze pocket fold co compliment the colors of the foiling text shimmer, but still kept nature in the invitation by using faux tree leaves as the outer placard of the invite. In the end, we ended up using a beautiful paisley patterned paper to line the envelopes to keep the grooms desire for paisley part of the mix and created a formal, natural invitation, perfect for a lakeside wedding and reception.

Rock-n-Roll Wedding!

2010-07-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

From the first moment I met this couple, I knew their invitation project was going to be one of the most interesting, fun and unique invitations I have designed to date. While challenging design wise, it is also super rewarding as the end product is just fantastic! The bride and groom both love music and concerts and wanted to make their guests feel like they were being invited to the rock concert of the century for their wedding! We used several fonts and photoshop grunge scratch brushes to accomplish this look, complete with the groom being the "mystery" guitar player in the background of the invitation: from a picture of him playing with his band. Made to look like a small rock poster, or club handbill, this invitation has blown their guests away. To complete the package, we created a "tix-master" style rsvp , aka "Weddingmater". It compliments the rock poster genre and the right edge is perforated to seperate, just as an actual ticket would. The final cherry on top is the custom designed stamps for the envelopes: using the guitar with wings and their names. This invitation and couple truly deserved a standing ovation: this Rocks!

Winner of 2010 Bride's Choice Award!!!

2010-01-19T14:46:00.001-08:00

Las Vegas, Nevada, January 19, 2010 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced 1st Impressions Invitations has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Invitations and Wedding Stationery. The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds. 1st Impressions Invitations is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. “We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.” We are happy to announce that 1st Impressions Invitations is among the very best Invitations and Wedding Stationery within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™. For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/1st-impressions-invitations-las-vegas/1f13510bda4afaef.html. About WeddingWire, Inc. WeddingWire is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools in the Weddings section of www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Fun and cute RSVP ideas!

2009-11-05T21:35:00.000-08:00

A great way to add personality and fun to your invitations is with a fun RSVP! Just by adding a little laughter to you response cards, your guest will feel even more inclined to attend! The following are some fun ideas to add to your RSVP text: 1) "__gladly accept; wouldn't miss it for the world & ___regretfully decline; but will regret it fir the rest of our lives!" 2) "__gladly accept __regretfully decline __regretfully attend __enthusiastically decline __decline to respond but will ultimately attend" 3) "__attend; be there with bells on __decline; have bell-phobia!" 4) "__attend; be there rain or shine __decline; don't own an umbrella and burn easily!" Hopefully the above samples can help you brainstorm for some fun, tongue-in-cheek ideas for your own RSVP. Remember, this is the biggest party you are ever going to throw and while it is a formal occasion, there is no harm in havig a little fun too!

The Nearlyweds' Project: Part Two-Design

2009-11-04T21:56:00.000-08:00

After my initial consultation with Jennifer, I came home to search out appropriate shades of cardstock and paper, start designing a good "j+t" logo and use all the information she had given me to create a fun, modern, yet formal invitation for her and Tedd.

I started by creating the "bones" of the invitation: the basic text and trying out different fonts to see what fonts looked good with it. As crazy as it sounds, certain text and words look better in different fonts than others and I was looking an "ooh" factor with it. The text of the invitation is the main piece of artwork for the invite: from what it says to how it is laid out.

After playing with the text, I could start playing with the shape of the invite and creating different "j+t" or "j&t" etc logos. I used cream and a light gray as the text background and used different colors of purple, dark gray, and black for the text with little pops of lime green. One thing that I have seen recently that I love is the use of different fonts with-in the text to highlight certain words- we all use different text of bolding or different colors for the bride and groom's names, but why not use different text for the date, or time, or place of the wedding. I also love useing quotes to highlight the love between the two people. As the wedding is going to have a bit of an "Old Vegas" feel, I used quotes from some of the celebrities of that era.

To help keep the whole thing fun and fresh, we played with some different ideas on the RSVP: using sayings like "Accept-be there with Bells on/ Decline-have Bell-phobia" or "Accept-Wouldn't miss it for the world/Decline-Regret it for the rest of our lives" etc. Using humor hits your guests with all the emotions: initial Love and Happiness, pull at your heartstrings upon seeing the invite to laughter at seeing the RSVP: who wouldn't want to part of an occasion that is going to be so loving and fun?!?

After the initial creation of the text and shapes: its color time! What color looks best as a trim to a particular invite or as background or is it better as an envelope, etc. During the initial design process, it is all about creating different ideas that can be melted together afterwards into a new and ideal project. Keep watching to see how the rough ideas become something fantastic!

How to kindly and properly "uninvite" children from your wedding

2009-11-03T21:39:00.000-08:00

Let's talk about children: to invite or not to invite? This has become a topic of major concern for several of my bridal couples. Let's face it: weddings are expensive and sometime the venue is not appropriate for children. How can you tactfully say " we would prefer no kids?" I have come up with a couple of different options for my brides and perhaps they can help you too: 1) on the invite use the verbage " we politely request that no children attend" at the very bottom of the text. 2) on the RSVP include the line "kindly refrain from adding or substituting guests as space is limited" 3) on the RSVP include each guests name at the top with the line "we are reserving __ spaces for you at our reception" : this option makes it clear that ony Mr. And Mrs. Smith are invited, not their children as you are only holding two spots for them , for example. 4) you can get very direct by adding "adults only" or " we request adults only" or "adults preferred" 5) for one client, she was getting married in a nightclub, so her invite and RSVP both included the line "proper identifcation will be required, must be 21 and over" It can be difficult to ask your guests not to bring their little ones. Sometimes it is better to hire a babysitter than figure out a polite way to tell your cousin that her children can't attend!

Nearlyweds' Project: Part One-Consulation

2009-10-31T11:16:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

It has been a very busy Fall and alas, it has kept me from blogging as often as I should! However, I am excited to start a brand new series: The Nearlyweds Project! Over the next several months, join me from start to finish as I go through the complete design to production process with a bride!

Allow me to introduce my test subject: Jennifer Bartol! Jennifer has previously worked for Fashion Show Mall for quite sometime and is the new editor of Las Vegas Bride, Dining Out, and Las Vegas Woman. She is engaged to Tedd Florendo, a local News Man and is the author of http://www.thenearlywedsblog.com/. I was referred to Jennifer from a mutual friend and we met for the first time two weeks ago at a Coffee, Tea Bean in Green Valley.

We spent an hour and a half discussing everything: from ideas to colors to important items to add to the invites to etiquette and what is polite verses what is not proper to add. Her colors: deep purple/eggplant, slate gray, lime green, and cream. I immediately started thinking of the lime green as a pop of color, using shades of gray or cream for the basis, and purple as the text color possibly and background.

Most important to note: Jennifer is young and fresh and hip. She brought me a couple samples of things she liked out of magazines. I immediately noticed that all the items she liked had very simple, clean lines, block type fonts, and mostly all lower-case for a more modern feel. She also really loved the idea of "j+t" in some form or another.

After looking through my sample pack of different sizes and looks, we settled on a few items: #1) shape would either be completely square or a longer thinner rectangle, #2) she liked the idea of a thin border of color around the outside of the text, #3) she wanted it to be formal, modern, but also a little fun. #4) We needed to politely included a line or two about the cocktail reception and the need for proper attire as well as kindly ask for no children to attend: this can be a very sticky topic as you do not wish to offend anyone, but weddings are expensive and a cocktail lounge reception is not an ideal location for children.

Now it is up to me to take all of these ideas and make something new and different and specifically created for Jennifer and Tedd! Keep watching for new parts of the project as we proceed and check up on Jennifer at her blog for updates on her wedding process!

POSTAGE WARNING FOR BRIDES

2009-09-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

Warning for All Brides: Be CAREFUL about the cost of your postage!!!! This was an email from one of my brides who has graciously allowed me to print it onto my blog. After the newest stamp hike, there have been some issues with postage amounts. BE CAREFUL: GET A SECOND OPINION OR USE ONLY THE MAIN POST OFFICE OR BOTH! Things to note: if it is square, regardless of size, or has a bump from ribbon or a braid or whatever, it has to go in a different machine and you will need extra postage, period. Also, hand the invites over the counter and politely ask them to be hand-canceled, particularly if they are very fragile. I often address and mail the invitations for my clients and due to issues just like the one below, I only use the main post-office in Las Vegas, located on Sunset between Eastern and Las Vegas Boulevard, because some of the smaller post-offices have quoted me incorrectly for postage. Thankfully, I have caught the issue prior to mailing by getting a second opinion at the main post-office. My basic philosophy is, when in doubt or not certain if it is enough, over-postage: it is better to pay 20-44 extra cents per invitation that have them returned for lack of postage and have to pay more than double! Thank you to Nicole for sharing this story: may this help others! "Hi Cathy, I just wanted to tell you something so this doesn't happen to anyone else who might have our size envelope [6.5 square] for their invitations. After we picked up the invitations from you I took one to the post office to get the stamp amount. The guy said $0.64 and I purchased really cute love stamps online for $0.64 cents...one stamp..yea! We had the envelopes hand addressed by a friend and put the stamps on, we even embossed our return address on the back flap (yeah we got into it). We took the finished product down to the post office to mail and the clerk said there wasn't enough postage on them. We needed an additional $0.24 to make $0.88 total. Needless to say the guy at the first post office gave me the wrong information. Since the postage increase this past May a letter is not a letter is not a letter. The envelope was about 1/4" too large and was now considered a flat. I had to just buy $0.28 cent stamps in the same love motif and stick them on. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but wow what a day. Just thought that might be of some help since some people don't really know how to do their jobs and in hindsight I would have asked for a second opinion."

Sea-Side Menu Cards

2009-08-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

Let's talk Menu Cards!

Menu cards are a nice touch to your reception table and help inform your guests what delicious food they are about to partake in. They can be simple and sweet, pretty and layered, or 3 dimensinonal works of art. However, they can also work double duty, by being personalized: they become instant place cards. While it may be a little more expensive to add the individual names to each menu, it will save you a bundle in additional place cards and helps save on additional card stock-great for mother earth too.

This particular batch was for an elegant "sea-side" wedding. In addition, we added paper napkin rings with the bridal couple's monogram which brought the entire ensemble together.

Layered Ceremony Program

2009-07-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

This particular bride had an elegant beach wedding in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. While we used the passport invite for her invitation, we wanted to play up the colors of the wedding of pastel yellow, navy, and white for the Ceremony Program. The base of the program is two layers of cardstock with the yellow peaking out behind the program to accent the yellow ribbon bow at the top. The white base is folded over at the top to give the program more stability and to create a display for the ribbon. By making it layered, the entire item stays compact in size, but is able to hold a lot of information. There were a total of 5 layers: the Title Page, Ceremony Page, Sand Ceremony Page, Wedding Party Page, and a beautifully written Thank You Page at the back. We used a picture of the “Arches,” a famous land-mark seen from their wedding location, for the title page, as it had been utilized throughout the wedding stationery, to keep the entire wedding coordinated. What a pretty and elegant way to present the ceremony to your guests!

Newsarticle Invite

2009-07-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

A friend recently sent this to me and I love it and would love to try this for a bride! The entire invitation looks like a combination of a news article and notes from a history class. The idea of putting your entire love story into an invitation is genius! Why not let your guests know your whole history together-it makes the entire experience very personal and great fun: what a great idea!

Calendar of Love

2009-07-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

This bride and groom have been together since grade school, so their love story is a true testament to the power or your 1st love! This wedding is going to be a great celebration of their lives together and the bride and groom wanted to make sure to send out Save the Dates that caught the attention of their guests!

I used one of their engagement photos in combination with a cute calendar, the heart marking the date of the wedding, to make this pretty Save the Date. By putting the date into calendar format, the guests have a mental picture of the wedding date that helps make it easy to remember, and by adhering a magnet to the back, the Save the Date can easily sit on the refrigerator, so that the guests see it everyday. It is cute and elegant, informative and fun, and easy to remember!

Box of "Angels"

2009-07-02T10:59:00.001-07:00

I recently designed this option for a potential client and just had to share as it is such a cute idea!

By using a box, decorating the outside and adding three dimensional elements on the inside, this becomes a real show-stopper. This particular bride will be taking her fiancé’s last name of “Angel”. To play up on that, I designed different wings and used a really beautiful saying about Angels: We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another. ~Luciano de Crescenzo. Her colors were brown and baby pink and I used different metallic pink papers against a dark, luscious brown to really make the invitation elements pop. I placed the formal invitation on a bed of sparkling white tissue paper and feathers, as if angels wings and clouds themselves were inside the box and took the quote and raised it off the inside of lid surrounded with feathers. The final product is a package of pure Angelic delight that will astonish and amaze her guests! (Please note, this is just one of the ideas created for this client and the client has yet to determine which option she will be using for her wedding)

Passport Invitations

2009-07-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

Getting Married Abroad? Love to Travel and want to share that with your guests? Friends from all over the world? Whatever the reason, the passport invitation is a unique and endearing way to let your friends and family know about your upcoming wedding! This invitation is perfect for destination weddings: it is an homage to the official Passport with everything from your picture on the front laminated inside cover with all your information to Visa pages with mock travel stamps. The other great option about this invitation is its flexibility: we can add all the information your guests need for itineraries, hotel accommodations, flight information, local travel ideas, etc, etc. Since it is a booklet, this makes it easy for your guests to have all the pertinent information at their fingertips in a convenient and adorable package! The RSVP can be the last page of the passport as a tear away sheet or as a separate card, created to look like an airline ticket! The cute level of this invitation option is through the roof! The outside cover can be created in any color, any theme, designed for you and your wedding! If you are looking for an interesting option for your wedding, the passport will make a huge impression on your guests! For ideas and more information, contact Cathy at: cathy@1stimpressionsinvitations.com http://www.1stimpressionsinvitations.com/

No More Boring Save the Dates

2009-07-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

When you are planning for such a special event, such as your wedding, you often want to give out of town guests plenty of notice to make their travel plans. A great and increasing popular way to do that is through save the dates. While the invitation is often quite formal, Save the Dates have the unique opportunity to be funny, quirky, and different. They can be as simple as a card with your names and wedding date, or as complicated as a message in a bottle, tiny calendar, or deck of cards! The possibilities are endless and it is a moment to make a statement about you as a couple. It is also a great opportunity to send your guests information about travel arrangements or a website to help them with their plans. When my husband and I married, we sent out small champagne bottles that I customized with personal labels. While expensive to ship, the response was out of this world and everyone talks about those Save the Dates to this day, four years later! Look for different and interesting options for your Save the Dates; make a statement and a 1st Impression that your guests will remember for a lifetime! For ideas and more information, contact Cathy at: cathy@1stimpressionsinvitations.com http://www.1stimpressionsinvitations.com/ formerly First Dance Cards