by | Aug 7, 2013 | DIY Invitations Ideas, DIY Wedding Invitations
When it comes to their DIY weddings, brides and groom focus on getting all the details ready from the DIY wedding invitation to the honeymoon. It’s seldom that they put much focus on what post-wedding details they need to take care of afterwards, such as sending out thank you cards and proper etiquette when sending them. Today, we look at what your DIY thank you card can be, and how you can say “Thank You” to your guests who graced your special day and bestowed a lovely gift too.
These are not the ‘Thank You’ tags you might want to include with your wedding favour or bomboniere, but the actual card that is sent via mail to your guests, usually with a personal note, handwritten by you or your newly wedded spouse. People might assume that sending over a thank you card is merely etiquette, but in actuality it also shows your guests and people who attended that you appreciate the time and effort they put in by making it to your big day and sharing your happiness and memories. When you are opting to send a DIY thank you card, the gesture shown towards thanking your guests is even more cemented.
Essentially, since your thank you card is considered part of the wedding stationery, though a post wedding item, it should have the wedding theme carry through to its design as well. Therefore, consider this fact when you are purchasing invite card kits and materials to create your DIY wedding stationery. You might not be able to fathom how many thank you cards you will actually need as you cannot estimate how many will be attending. Some brides and grooms feel that it is best to wait till it’s closer to the wedding day, and after the reply cards have been received. This way, you will be able to budget how many people will be attending, and order the DIY thank you card kits with a 20% buffer, just in case there are last minute responses or human errors while creating your DIY thank you card. You can then accent and embellish your DIY thank you card as you see fit, with the wedding invitations and stationery theme in mind, to keep things flowing.
When it comes to etiquette concerning thank you cards, it’s always a good idea to send across your thanks as soon as you can. These types of cards are easy to write and need not be too lengthy. However, it is always nice to consider including any of the following in the thank you notes.
1. The Recipients Name and Salutation
2. Use of the words “Thank You” as well as the specific name of the gift
3. Saying something nice about the gift, and/or how you plan on using the gift(s)
4. Add a personal note
5. Signature line
A good example of a thank you card wording is as follows.
Dear Lucy,
Thank you for the beautiful picture frame. It’s just so pretty. It’s now home to one of our honeymoon pictures on John’s bedside table. We are settling in just fine in our new home at Castle Hill. Let’s meet up for coffee soon.
Love,
Mia & John
by | Jun 26, 2013 | DIY Invitations Ideas, DIY Wedding Invitations
Wedding planning is an exhilarating time with so much to be done and thought of. You probably want to do everything yourself, and you can, especially if you have decided to be a DIY bride! You can easily start with DIY wedding invitations and stationery, and work your magic through to decor items such as unique backdrops, cute accents and much more. These elements can take after the theme you have set in your DIY wedding invites and stationery, but firstly, you will need to work on the items you will need to craft them! Let’s find out what you can use to make your life, as a DIY bride, easier when doing up the invites and other stationery.
Your handmade wedding invitations can fall into several categories, one being where you start from scratch by purchasing the paper and card stock and use various tools and techniques to make your DIY invites come alive, or you can purchase the likes of pre-cut, folded and hard cover wedding invitations and use accessories, embellishments and layers to add to the look you have envisioned. When trying to decide on which path to take, consider the time and effort that each one will take, and whether you have the tools and equipment with you to carry it out.
With pre-cut DIY wedding invitations, you are allowed the convenience of using cards that are already cut and scored to start on your creative process, with the shape, size and fold of your preference. This way, you have full control of how your beautiful DIY invitations will come about from that point onwards. It is the same with DIY hard cover wedding invitations, where you are provided with quality invitations made out of card stock that is sturdy and luxurious, which are folded to a certain sizing, and is available with a matching envelope. Some options even come with a little pocket on the inside to carry various wedding invitation accessories such as reply cards, directions and accommodation cards and so on.
Accessories that you might need to move forward with the envisioned look might include the likes of flat cards and inserts, die-cut shapes (if you want to keep things interesting and fun), stickers, embellishments, appliqués, trims, envelopes and not to mention tools such as paper cutters, scissors, rulers, bone folders, choice of adhesive, and even the likes of scoring/embossing tools too. With right tools and materials, you can make something beautiful happen with your DIY wedding invitations!
by | May 29, 2013 | DIY Invitations Ideas, DIY Wedding Invitations
Weddings are beautiful affairs, and it takes careful planning to make it so, from the wedding attire to the invitations, decor and much more. When you’re opting for a handmade wedding, items such as DIY wedding invitations and stationery, the details that goes into the decorations, and even food and beverages plays a big role. You might want to stay on top things, while still being trendy and sophisticated. One such trend would be to use metallic and pearlescent accents in the right amounts with your wedding design, starting with the wedding invitations and taking cues for the theme from it.
Pearlescent Paper
The best way to add some glitz and glamour into your wedding would be to start off by using wedding invitations designed and created with pearlescent paper. What this essentially involves is that the paper or card stock being used for your DIY wedding invitations has a slight sheen to accompany your colour choices. At DIY Invitations, the following are some of the paper/card stock available to you to create your masterpiece wedding invitations with an elegant and sophisticated look.
- The Shimmer Collection
- Champagne Shimmer
- Silver Shimmer
- Ivory Shimmer
- The StarDream Collection
- StarDream Opal
- StarDream Quartz
- StarDream Crystal
- StarDream Silver
- The Sparkle Collection
These paper and card stock to be used for DIY wedding invitations and stationery are available as flat cards and inserts, folded wedding invites, pre-cut cards with and without layers, die-cut shapes as well as pre-cut wedding stationery accessories such as place cards and so on, in order for you to carry on the theme of class and finesse through the wedding stationery.
Metallic Accents
When it comes to adding accents, it’s a great idea to use some sparkle and glitz with the likes of metallic accessories. Anything that shimmers will do, from paper to cloth and even faux jewellery to gilded accessorises such as feathers and seashells, silver, gold or bronze ribbons and lace, embellishments such as sequins & rhinestones, metallic paint & dust, and more. You can use these accessories to add to the look you are striving for with your DIY wedding invitations and accessories.
Using Foil with DIY Invitations & Stationery
Another way to add a touch of shimmer to your DIY wedding invitation would be with using foil, whether as an accessory or embellishment, or even with foil printing put up to the task of creating a sophisticated look. You can even opt to keep your DIY invitations crisp and opt for foil envelopes, or vice versa.
by | Apr 26, 2013 | DIY Invitations Ideas, DIY Wedding Invitations
Each and every one of us celebrates life in our own way, whether it’s a baby’s arrival, a birthday, an achievement or union, and not forgetting those extra special anniversaries that come by each year. We usually celebrate these milestones and special events with our loved ones and close friends, and do it with a party or function. So, when it comes to that, you will need invitations, and if you are either budget conscious or just plain creative, it may be good thinking to opt for DIY invitations to create beautiful handmade creations to your tastes.
The DIY Invitations Process
There are many ways to come about DIY invitations. Some may say first start with the paper, so you will look around for the best choice of paper stock, or even card stock for those who prefer a hardy material for their creations. This would mean already knowing the vision of the outcome of your invitations, in terms of shape and size, the quality of the paper/card, and not forgetting the most important thing, what the design will entail. Purchasing paper stock would mean you will have to fold it to your liking, add the necessary touches, print, embellishments, appliqués and whatever you may want to add to the DIY invitations.
However, there are alternatives to this as well, and that would be to purchase DIY invitations that are readily available for your creative touch. These include the likes of invite cards that are folded and are available in the prerequisite shapes, size and colour, and not to mention the quality of the paper finish too. All you will need to do moving forward would be to add the printing and embellishment details. Some DIY invitations retailers provide printing services, where you may edit your invitation wording and other details depending on your order requirement, and have it ready for you, so that all you will need to do would be to add the accessories and additional touches. It also means you will need to pick out envelopes for your DIY invitation packages as well, which are available in bulk depending on your need.
There are other options too, handmade invitations that are done up by designers according to your taste and liking, for a truly professional finish, and comes paired with DIY envelopes too. You also have the option of opting for hardcover invitations, which are available in different styles such as pocket invitations and are accompanied by a matching envelope that suit the texture and finish of the card stock used on the invitation.
Types of DIY Envelopes
There are various types of envelopes for your choosing and are available in wholesale amounts to suit your requirement. These envelopes come in a variety of shapes and finishes, such as the below mentioned.
Envelope Shapes
- Square (150mm x 150mm)
- DL
- C6 (115mm x 162mm)
- 11B (90mm x 146mm)
- C5 (162mm x 229mm)
- 5×7 (130mm x 185mm)
- White Linen
- White Shimmer
- Ivory Shimmer
- Silver Shimmer
- Champagne Shimmer
- StarDream Silver
- StarDream Opal
- StarDream Crystal
- StarDream Quartz
Envelope Paper Textures and Qualities
