Scheduling a wedding involves great planning tools. Devoid of careful and strategic preparation, this joyous occasion can become a horror of stress and turmoil. Countless bridal couples have realized that a well-prepared save the date announcement can significantly make simpler wedding preparation and help you to savor your wedding to the utmost.

Found below are a handful of straightforward tips and suggestions on using save the date announcements effectively:

Make your wedding planning objectives very simple

The number one aim of planning a successful wedding is to get your family and invited guests from one point to another with as little stress as feasible so you can enjoy your wedding day. Lots of people think of this to be a silly coordinating principal, but if you consider it and – more significantly – take the recommendation, you will alleviate much needless aggravation for both yourself and your invited guests. Specifically, appropriate and practical guidance supplied to your family and friends prior to the wedding will eliminate needless follow-up by a minimum of 80%. A timely save the date announcement is a great way to start applying this program.

What’s the function of a Save the Date Invitation?

Lots of people think that a Save the Date announcement is only a convenient method to let guests know the big date of your wedding. While this is definitely useful, a well-planned save the date announcement may also incorporate additional information to help guide your guests into making their travel arrangements. As you have already booked the wedding ceremony and confined where the wedding dinner will take place, you can employ the save the date announcement to include additional travel details for your invited guests. For instance, places to stay information, nearby airports and other practical travel advice will certainly encourage many of your guests to schedule their travel arrangements as fast as possible.

What advice can be added to a Save the Date Card?

In a nutshell, you will incorporate as much critical information as is feasible to encourage your guests to act at once. Clearly, selecting your airplane reservations ahead of time may help to save money and assuming you have made necessary arrangements with inns in the area to grant special room rates, this too can be further incentive to take action. Contributing a little extra information on possible sight-seeing jaunts, sports activities and local sights may be able to be effective to whet people’s appetite for an entertaining weekend.

When should the Save the Date Cards be sent by mail?

Although save the date announcements are not always necessary for every occasion, most bridal couples find them to be helpful certainly if guests are traveling from far off locations. As a general rule, save the date announcement may be mailed anywhere from 6 months to a year in advance of the date for your wedding.

The primary function of the save the date announcement is to inspire guests to act now. While it isn’t a substitute for the personalized wedding invitation, your card might include a lot of useful information fashioned to entice your invited guests to act now well before they are sent a wedding invitation. Getting your family and friends from Point A to Point B effectively is certainly done with a well-conceived save the date card.

This article has been authored by SPMay who writes frequently about wedding invitation trends for Houston Weddings -

Vera Wang is definitely an icon within the fashion business. Her fashionable styles and her completely unique sense of style have long elevated the bar for wedding gowns and women’s vogue. Quite a few years ago, Vera turned her eye to wedding invitations and fine stationery. Joining up with William Arthur, Vera announced her own distinctive line of stationery which incorporates components from the fashion business, her exclusive oyster-colored cardstock and even a specially created envelope.

Early in 2012, Vera completely renewed On Weddings, her signature wedding invitation album. Her brand new samples features 35 exclusive wedding stationery ensembles, offering many more colors and an astounding selection of fanciful designs and Vera’s focus on more conventional designs. Vera Wang On Weddings demonstrates the traditional yet modern and complex beauty that’s made Vera Wang a fashion icon.

Found listed below are a few of the remarkable unique attributes you will discover in Vera’s new On Weddings launch:

• Painted Edge – Fresh to Vera Wang On Weddings, Vera Wang will likely be featuring heavy-weight card stock with custom-painted edges, in dozens of ink colors. A true declaration of luxurious, this painted edge style is etched in Lapis and Gold. The monogrammed wreath provides a nod to traditions, while exposing a whimsical feeling.
• Garden Lace Folder – This astounding pattern is inspired by both Vera Wang’s Ready-to-Wear and wedding selections. A fancy garden of flowers and a mesh of laser-cut wide lace cut away to disclose an exciting range of background colors. From Raspberry, Peony and Saffron to Grass, Lapis and Indigo, this imaginative and tactile invitation speaks to the refined detailing within Vera Wang’s collections.
• Letterpressed Heart – Dazzling and fashionable, the phrasing for this fabulous invitation is situated within the clutches of a lovely over-sized heart. The playful cross-hatching on this invitation accentuates the tactile character of letterpress printing, while the peony ink provides an overt femininity.
• Gold Border -This magnificent design features a wide band of gold foil on both the card edge and the envelope flap. The font is at once stunning and soft. Shown engraved, this modish invitation is certain to intrigue.
• Black Paper – Last fall, Vera Wang enraptured the fashion world along with her Spring 2012 collection of black wedding gowns. Here, precisely the same excitement and appeal is replicated on cardstock. Gorgeously imprinted in a proprietary calligraphic typeface, this invitation marries spirit and elegance.

We clearly encourage visiting a stationery store in your area to check out Vera Wang’s On Weddings directly. If this is not convenient, see Vera on the internet and I’m sure you will agree that the new release is very wonderful.

This article has been authored by SPMay who writes frequently about wedding invitation trends for Houston Weddings -

Arranging your wedding day is not impossible, however it takes self-discipline. Short of working with a wedding consultant, a number of engaged couples as well as their families may take control over organizing their wedding event by employing wedding papers correctly. A save the date card can be a most effective vehicle that will help arrange your wedding.

Immediately after setting the date for the wedding service with the church or synagogue and identifying the location for your wedding dinner, the important days for the wedding event have been confirmed. Equipped with that important information, numerous engaged couples employ a save the date announcement to give their guests a “heads-up” to make their airline travel arrangements.

Although many will elect to send out a fairly simple announcement – frequently with a photo of the engaged couple – asking their guests to schedule their reservations, other people employ it to share useful travel information. As an example, lodging details, nearby airports and, possibly, a wedding web site can be included with your save the date invitation.

Engaged couples are frequently under the erroneous perception that the save the date announcement has to be matched with the wedding invitation together with other wedding papers. While worthwhile, this assumes that one has already figured out what wedding invitation they want to use. This is generally far from the truth.

Skilled stationers propose using a more casual save the date invitation that conveys a feeling of excitement for the approaching wedding. While a photograph of the wedding couple can be a popular option, bridal couples will select a seaside motif for the island wedding, a colorful leaf for a fall wedding and, possibly, a snowman for a winter wedding.

There are many hundreds, if not thousands, of choices for save the date invitations. Nearly all couples think it is quicker to pick a theme that captures the excitement of your wedding day to narrow down the invitation solutions.

For people who possess a somewhat more time to plan, experienced stationers advocate adding helpful travel and accommodation details with their save the date card.

Sheila May is a founding member of the Stationers Guild and writes regularly about wedding invitation trends and how save the date cards can be used to help plan one’s wedding ceremony.

This article has been authored by SPMay who writes frequently about wedding invitation trends for Houston Weddings -

When thinking about a wedding ceremony your wedding invitation has to take the lead. Yet, a number of other wedding functions that frequently demand a different invitation. In particular, save the date cards, rehearsal dinners, bridal showers and bridesmaid teas often demand a unique invitation. If you are lacking inspiration or just simply confused as to where to begin, the answer to your needs has just arrived at leading personalized stationery boutiques all over the United States.

Crane & Co. recently released its all new Social Occasions Album, an album containing numerous examples of Crane’s marvelous designs highlighting the company’s unsurpassed craftsmanship. This collection signals a most welcome change in focus at Crane given that it returns to its unique traditions of creating fine stationery and custom invitations and announcements.

This latest Social Occasions Album includes samples of wedding invitations, save the date announcements, Bat Mitzvah invitations, birthday and company event invitations along with a great assortment of reply cards, menu cards and social correspondence. Many of the invitation samples are embossed, but Crane’s experienced artists and craftsmen are also adept with letterpress along with other kinds of impressing.

For those of you planning a wedding celebration, Crane’s Social Occasions Album is definitely worth having a look. Even though a few selected invitation samples will not be suitable for your wedding ceremony; the text of the invitation, font styles and ink colors can all be adapted to reflect the theme for the wedding event.

With just a little imagination, most invitation samples for significant birthdays or corporate events can often serve as a design template for a wedding reception, groomsmen party or some other wedding event. Working with an accomplished stationer in your town who carries Crane’s new Social Occasions Album can assist you to create your own distinctive custom invitation design.

Reaching deep into its roots in the time the American Revolution, Crane has created a dazzling assortment of invitations and announcements, reply card sets and engraved stationery that is breathtaking in its design and sophistication. See your local stationery store now or visit Crane & Co. at their online store.

Sheila May is the owner of Therese Saint Clair and writes frequently about regional and online wedding invitation trends and the importance of save the date cards.

This article has been authored by SPMay who writes frequently about wedding invitation trends for Houston Weddings -

William Arthur just launched their Truly Wedding Stationery Collection. At a price that is 20% lower than that William Arthur’s popular wedding lines, the Truly Collection is likely to capture the fancy of bridal couples seeking out attractive wedding stationery and traditional invitations at a reasonable cost. Young couples looking for wedding invitations in Houston or online wedding invitations, will definitely find a distinctive invitation that echos the magnitude of the celebration.

With plenty of of styles and color options to select from, the Truly Collection is a way to buy top quality wedding invitations, save the date cards and other wedding papers at an economical price. With wedding spending budgets tight, bridal couples are advised to have a look at the completely new Truly designs from William Arthur. Available online or in fine stationery retail outlets across the the country, the Truly Collection is an endeavor by William Arthur to provide an appealing and well-priced wedding invite for bridal couples with a limited budget.

William Arthur, well-known printer of elegant stationery, recently launched the Truly Collection by William Arthur, an interesting new selection of wedding stationery developed for the budget conscious bride that has a sense of style. “Truly is created to possess a wide appeal, so that any bride discover something she loves,” says Karen Herzig, designer for the new William Arthur album. “The aesthetic ranges from classic to modern and colorful.”

Truly Collection by William Arthur provides digital and thermography printing having a broad selection of color choices for inks, ribbons and envelope linings. Bordered invitations can be found, showcasing the sharp, lovely embossing that William Arthur is recognized for. Lively, distinctive fonts and design motifs enhance timeless modernism of the collection.

Selling prices for wedding invitations in the Truly Collection by William Arthur Collection are typically 20% below William Arthur’s high-end weddings albums, providing these wedding paper stationery suites offered to a large group of bridal consumers. To view the new Truly Collection, take a look at a stationery retail store in your community. for more useful information. Better still, if you are preparing a wedding, find out you can use a save the date announcement to help plan a wedding event.

For over 60 years, William Arthur is well known for creating fine stationery. The company’s merchandise is developed and created in West Kennebunk, Maine, where they enjoy the advantage of seaside living with easy accessibility to towns from Portland to NYC. Deeply knowledgeable about high-end printing and the many nuances of fine writing papers, William Arthur’s staff artists and craftspeople are passionate about quality, together with both old-world and state-of-the-art printing techniques. At William Arthur, employees are dedicated to making the organization a fantastic place to work, and also to ensuring that each and every customer is pleased with the end product.

This article has been authored by SPMay who writes frequently about wedding invitation trends for Houston Weddings -

Internet research can be a practical and fast approach to finding information. On the other hand, the amount of readily available information and facts are so sizable that it’s not easy to determine what information and facts are vital. For illustration you’ll find in excess of 20 million results of the search phrase “wedding invitations” on Google. Precisely how many of these search engine results are pertinent? Can you truly determine if the information you get is informative or simply a sales hype?

Found listed below are simple techniques which you may will probably like prior to buying your wedding invitations on the internet.

Online Wedding Invitations Primer to help save You Money and use Your Time Intelligently

1. Tighten Your Online Search with Qualifiers: Instead of employing a broad key word phrase like “wedding invitations” attempt something which lessens the scope of your search. As an illustration, “letterpress wedding invitations,” or “custom invitations” will significantly reduce the amount of search results and maybe guide you toward better sources of choosing the wedding invitation of your dreams.
2. Use a neighborhood Search Qualifier: There is actually a prevalent belief that searching on the internet will lead to far better tips to assist you craft your wedding invitation. This just isn’t the truth: search results for something as custom-made as wedding invitations are often manipulated towards those website marketing companies that have done a far better job optimizing their website for search. The former Ceo of Google refers to the internet to be the “cesspool of information.” One method of countering this deceitful information and facts are to introduce a zip code qualifier. For example, if you live in the Houston area,, type in the search keyword phrase “Houston wedding invitations” in the Internet search bar and you should find community stationery retail stores where you live that specialize in fine stationery and custom made invitations.
3. Check for save the date invitations which happen to be also made available through independent dealers: One way of soon establishing if you are dealing with a respectable firm on the internet is whether or not they also sell through well-known independent store dealers. Printing companies that distribute their products through independent sellers are more likely to possess an established reputation in the market and offer their potential customers the ability to shop locally or online. This is an unmistakable sign that you’re not dealing with a johnny-come-lately printer.

Whether you want to shop locally or order online, be sure you look at the options very carefully. If you want a genuinely distinctive wedding invitation, it’s best to buy with an expert stationer in your town.

Sheila May is a founding member of the Stationer Guild and writes regularly about regional invitation trends and buying invitations online.

This article has been authored by SPMay who writes frequently about wedding invitation trends for Houston Weddings -

The first indications show that the 2012 wedding season appears to be one of the strongest in recent history. While the overall economy continues to be weak, young couples who’ve delayed their wedding seem to be proclaiming that next season is when they finally decide to get wed.

Considering this, wedding specialists are starting to release new styles and designs awaiting the wave of new weddings that should start in early January. Top printing company and designer William Arthur is kicking off 2012 with a bang with two overhauled wedding albums along with the upcoming release of Vera Wang’s new wedding invitation designs. Color, dazzling new designs and invitations that incorporate both classic and modern designs are prominently featured in William Arthur’s wedding line.

Most of all, William Arthur offers you countless invitations which may be printed in letterpress, engraving or thermographic inks. These printing options give the client the choice of selecting a printing style that reflects their needs and budget.

William Arthur provides many creative designs at affordable prices and certainly should be on every bridal couple’s short list of “must see” wedding invitations. Also, there’s a great line of save the date invitations and personal stationery.

Find local wedding resources where you live to check out their line at a store or shop for wedding invitations online.

This article has been authored by SPMay who writes frequently about wedding invitation trends for Houston Weddings -

Wedding etiquette specialists lately have experienced renewed discussion on whether the gift registry really need to be shown on your wedding invitation. The easy and proper answer is: “Of course not!” One professional stationer who claims to have advised countless bridal couples to make custom wedding invitations asserts that “not one has decided to incorporate gift registry details or URL to their wedding invitation. It truly is cheap, offensive and just poor manners.”

Suggesting a present or monetary contribution on your wedding invitation detracts from the value of the celebration. Although many insist that it’s “convenient” to list a bridal registry within the wedding invitation, efficiency is not a substitute for proper etiquette and good taste. Why not just pick-up the telephone, call the parents or the bridal pair and extend your best wishes then inquire where they’re registered. It is simple, quite personal and has worked effectively for countless years.

In lots of situations, bridal couples will be sending a save the date announcement that may contain travel and accommodation suggestions. If you plan to create a wedding website, it is now considered appropriate to include the wedding website address within the save the date announcement or on the supporting wedding papers.

Some will argue that this protocol or etiquette is dated. Quite the contrary, good etiquette is never out of place. If we carry on and emphasize “convenience” and “efficiency” in dealing with our personal relationships, we take away the happiness and majesty from these landmark events within our lives.

In a nutshell, including gift registry information in your wedding invitation is not recommended and, indeed, many guests are likely to consider the idea impolite and most inappropriate. There are a lot of methods to go around that small problem with good planning.

Sheila May is the owner of Therese Saint Clair and writes frequently about wedding invitations in the New York Metro area and Save the Date Cards.

This article has been authored by SPMay who writes frequently about wedding invitation trends for Houston Weddings -

Those shopping for wedding invitations have a tendency to believe that paper quality is considered the most relevant price consideration when picking an online wedding invitation. Even though the craftsmanship of the paper is important, other elements such as the printing method, quantity of ink colors and additional touches generally play a far more important factor in defining the total price of your custom wedding invitations.

Many quality printers make use of cotton fiber, high-grade wood fiber which has been accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council or a mixture of both the cotton and wood-based fibers. While these papers are certainly of a higher quality than re-cycled papers that a good number of market as “tree-free, these top quality papers frequently cost a tad bit more but are definitely well worth the slight premium. Besides that, these papers are typically considerably more “environmentally-friendly” and substantial than most papers offered on the internet that claim to be “green” or “tree-free.”

Factors that tend to increase the price of printed wedding invitations are the weight of paper, darkly-colored papers and the quantity of ink colors utilized in printing the invitations.

The paper weight: Quite a few wedding papers offered on the internet are printed by commercial printers. Generally, paper with a weight above 120 pounds cannot be sent by means of a commercial printer or ink-jet printer. Subsequently, a heavy wedding invitation can just be printed using engraving, letterpress or, in some instances, with thermographic inks. This old-fashioned printing method is likely to boost overall prices, but will make a significantly more spectacular invitation.

Paper Color: Most wedding invitations are printed on white or ecru colored papers making sure that ink colors resonate. However, there is a trend in the direction of bold-colored papers. In these instances, strictly using a more pricey printing procedure like engraving tends to work to produce the proper contrast connecting ink colors and darkly-colored papers.

Ink Colors: While flat-printing, lithography and digital printing will work with papers less than 120 pounds in weight, more conventional printing techniques are demanded for heavier papers. When this happens, each color needs to be applied in a separate press run, thereby increasing costs.

If shopping locally for wedding invitations, it’s usually most desirable to consult a seasoned stationer who will help you choose the very best wedding invitation styles and designs and papers for your financial budget.

This article has been authored by SPMay who writes frequently about wedding invitation trends for Houston Weddings -

Sending a prompt and personable thank you card for wedding gifts is simply sensible social manners. However, numerous wedding couples are seemingly not aware of the best time to do this, what stationery to use as well as the appropriate form of personalization to use with their notecards. Indeed, wedding manners pundits seldom are in agreement about the etiquette concerning wedding thank you notes.

Most experienced stationers acknowledge that it’s a only a question of common-sense and good manners. As an example, several wedding manuals claim that the bridal couples have “up to six months” after the wedding ceremony to acknowledge a gift.

This six month grace period simply just doesn’t seem sensible. Presents received by the bridal couple needs to be personally acknowledged as soon as possible after receipt. While nearly all bridal couples, specially the fiancee have a lot on his or her plate, it only takes about a few minutes to put in writing a nice personalized note saying thanks to someone for their gift. Acting promptly is much valued by the gift-giver since it confirms you have gotten their wedding gift.

Regarding personal correspondence, it’s usually wise to get your own private stationery instead of a common “Thank You” note card. Customized stationery utilizing your name or monogram embossed on the fold-over note or half-sheet letter is much more flexible and beneficial over a pre-printed thank you card.

Typically, ladies have used fold-over notes and gentlemen correspondence cards, but today’s modern day woman is also happy with either type of stationery. Although some bridal couples will engrave their personal stationery with both their first names and often their family name, it’s thought to be improper to use one’s married name on stationery until you are actually married.

There are many attractive papers and printing choices to develop truly elegant personalized stationery. Stationers recommend that both the groom and also the bride ought to have their very own personal correspondence as it is still useful even after penning all those wedding thank you notes.

Sheila May is a founding member of the Stationers Guild and writes on a regular basis about personalized stationery and wedding invitation trends..

This article has been authored by SPMay who writes frequently about wedding invitation trends for Houston Weddings -