Using One Envelope for Your Invitations

As much as I love paper, I am a huge fan of using a single, pretty envelope for wedding invitations. It saves trees and some greens on your part. In light of this, I guarantee that I broke some rules when addressing the invitations for our wedding. I totally dig this outer envelope for an entire family designed by Pretty Pen Jen. So cute!

Photo: Pretty Pen Jen

I am Tacky...Just Like the Back of the Labels That I Want to Stick On My Invites.

I am still having the "do I or don't I?" debate on addressing the envelopes. I am using kind of shiny envelopes (Paper Source stardream metallic line), so I am wondering if preventing smears will be a royal pain. Also, I can't sit still for very long. Even if I did two invites a week until August, it would require me to sit at the kitchen table patiently twice a week. And that doesn't happen. Even for five minutes. So, in light of this, I played around with a few label configurations this weekend.

Option 1: 5" Labels from Paper Source

Although I like these, I've used these before and printing on them is kind of a pain. You need to find the center of each label and tape it to an 8.5"X11" template. And it still didn't necessarily align. I am a little gun shy about using these.

Option 2


Option 3: 5" Labels with Address Printed on 2.5" Labels and some 1.25" Labels

I'd have to do the math on this one. It might add up to cost as much as calligraphy! A plus side of the 2.5" labels is that I already have all of the addresses in layed out from the save the dates. I'd have a few changes to make to add the "and guest" and spell out the names correctly, but that Id be 95% finished.

Option 4: Address Printed on 2.5" Labels and some 1.25" Labels, No 5" Label
(This is my favorite layout. Andy concurs.)

I'll have to rotate the dots to accommodate the postmark. I can guarantee that the post office near my office would laugh and possibly spit in my face if I asked to use the hand cancel stamp.

Option 5: Wrap-Around Labels
(This is my second favorite.)

I also tried some mockups of wrap-around labels a la Martha. I was too lazy to come up with a dot pattern for the draft, but you get the jist. (Can you tell that I am tired of fighting with dots?)

Designer Imposters

The current plan for addressing the wedding invitations is to use large circle stickers with printed addresses to match our stationery design. However, after reading several posts stressing the importance of calligraphy, I decided to explore my options before blindly committing social suicide.

I recently ordered a sample of Laura Hooper's work on etsy. I have to admit, seeing my name so beautifully scripted on a USPS Priority mail envelope did woo me. My first thought was "OMG. OF COURSE I need calligraphy!" But, by the morning, I was back to thinking that it was too expensive. I certainly appreciate the art form and it's purpose in the grand scheme of the event, but at the end of the day, I am buying wedding shoes on ebay and veils on etsy. A budget's a budget.

I started a discussion on The Unbrides Network to get some opinions and a gauge of my gaucheness. Justine Ungaro suggested that I check out Pretty Pen Jen. Jennifer Cota's work is both adorable and affordable. And it also had me thinking that I could try my hand at calligraphy. "Try" being the operative word.

Pretty Pen Jen's Aubrey Font:

Image: Pretty Pen Jen

My attempt at an "inspired by" font.

When I showed my six pages of samples to Andy, he said, "Ugh, I don't know." My work didn't even warrant a "I guess it looks nice." It looks like a 5-year-old girl was trying to be fancy on the invites for her "tea party" for Tickle Me Elmo, the cast of High School the Musical, and Hannah Montana. The post office would probably scan all of them for explosives.

I hope that if Pretty Pen finds this in a Google search or something, she doesn't get mad at me for butchering her style. I'd hate to be sued or chastised over such a bad knock-off. Ha, Ha. I'm leaving the art to the artists from now on. I hope that my gocco attempt goes better.

P.S. I have a BRAND NEW Calligraphy for Dummies book if anyone needs one. It's too late for me to return it. I've never even cracked the spine. Leave a comment or e-mail me if you're interested in buying it.

P.S.S. The Save the Dates are in the mail! I'll post some pix later in the week after people start receiving them. I think that only a handful of my friends and family read this blog, but I feel like I should leave at least a little surprise for them.