Marrying the Navy

Saturday, April 4, 2009

DIY Wedding Invitations - Part 2

My original post about our wedding invitations was all rainbows and sunshine - girls crafting and laughing together, having a wonderful Saturday, with a pile of perfectly assembled invites ready to be mailed at the end of the day. This post is going to bring us back to reality - the costs of creating your own wedding invitations.

First up, the supplies:

Paper... all of the paper came from an online company that I would recommend wholeheartedly. The site is PaperandMore.com, and they are the best value I could find. Very low prices, and great customer service. The shipping costs were very cheap, so I could justify having the items shipped instead of buying them in a store somewhere.
- 150 Champagne Metallic Pocket Folder
- 100 Sheets of 8.5x11 Bronze Metallic Brown Text Paper
- 100 Sheets of 8.5x11 Champagne Metallic Text Paper
- 100 Sheets of 8.5x11 Champagne Metallic Cardstock

- 4 Bar Champagne Metallic 3 5/8 x 5 1/8 Envelopes (these are the smaller RSVP ones)
- A-7 Champagne Metallic 5 1/4 x 7 1/4 Envelopes (full invite suite envelope)

This was the bulk of the expense for the invitations. The pocket folders were .80 cents each, an absolute steal if you know what pocketfold invites usually cost. Total cost for the paper? $305.85 That also meant I had some scraps leftover to use on future projects (escort cards, etc.).

Other major supplies:
- Cherry Blossom stamps (purchased 2 to have a spare, $14.77 each with shipping)
- Ink Pads (Stampin' Up in Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, and Regal Rose; $5.95 each)
- AdTec tape rollers adhesive (approx. $2.99 per double refill pack)
- paper trimmer ($19.99 Walmart)
- return address stamp (ordered from Etsy, $15.99)
- RSVP address stamp (ordered from Vista Print, $9.99)

Adding it all up, the invitations cost about $400, not including the postage (outer envelope needed a 59 cent stamp, and the RSVP envelope was a regular first class stamp). I could have saved money in several places along the way. For instance, had we made RSVP postcards, that would have cut back on postage. Handwriting the return addresses on the envelopes instead of creating custom stamps would have saved a bit of money (though the stamps saved us a ton of time).

So, was it worth it? For me - yes. I love paper crafting, so making my invitations was a wedding project I was not only capable of undertaking, but also one that I took joy in doing. Being a crafter, I could justify the costs of many of the supplies, (like the stamps and ink pads), since they're items that I'll use again. Plus, I had a wonderful time creating them, which made all the hard work worth it.

[Editor's Note: If you have any specific questions about how I made the invites, or questions about getting the supplies, please feel free to email or leave a comment - I'm more than happy to share anything I've learned throughout the process!]

Friday, April 3, 2009

Brevity is a Sign of Genius

So I think I've figured out my wedding vows. While driving around with NavyGuy today, Kelly Clarkson's latest ditty came on the radio, and I was struck with inspiration:

No? Too blunt? I thought maybe the guests would appreciate my succinctness...

Decisions, Decisions...

Now that we've entered the "t-minus two months" range to the wedding (50 days to be exact but who's counting?), it seems like every time I turn around, there's some other decision that needs to be made. Up until this point, I could hem and haw, and put off final decisions about little details - and even big items - until later. Time is a ~~excuse~~ luxury I no longer have.

So, today's choice? Packaging for the favors. I'm going to hold off on the exact item to keep a few guests in suspense, but the packaging for said item has been the DIY project of the week. After many revamps in the actual label design, we've finally settled on the sample pictured below:
The label will feature the ever-present cherry blossom stamp. Now the big to-do has been over the color of the boxes. The two shown above are our final choices - pink or brown. (Note: if those boxes look a little sketchy, it's because they are... they were templates I made up using scrap paper - the real ones will look less flimsy... hopefully.) So while the rest of the world worries about the housing market and keeping their job*, I'm debating pink or brown.

Pink box pluses: I {heart} pink; they'll show up more prominently when sitting on the dark brown table cloths.

Brown box pluses: NavyGuy hates pink; the pink ribbon looks really nice under the cream colored label.

Basically it comes down to, either going with what I want, or being a good fiance and sparing NavyGuy from more pink. Anyone want to throw a wrinkle in the decision? Am I forgetting a plus (or minus) to one of the two colors?Here's the boxes from the side view; the ribbon will loop around the box and be attached at the top underneath the label, thus hiding the seam.

*Yes, I'm 100% aware that box colors are utterly trivial when compared to people's homes and livelihoods. However, at the moment, I have a home and some semblance of employment, so I can devote energy to worrying about this. If you don't have a home or employment, and are bothered that I'm using MY time to worry about wedding favors, then I say to you - what the hell are you doing spending your house/job-hunting time perusing my silly blog!?!

Navy Briefing of the Week - Slang Part 3

Chow
Food. Grub. Meals served on base are regularly served in the "chow hall" or diningroom. Sometimes used as an abbreviation for having eaten at chow hall.
Mugs: What did you have for lunch?
NavyGuy: I went to chow.

Dixie Cup
The canvas white hat enlisted sailors wear with their dress uniforms. Also nicknamed a "dog dish," "squid lid," or "Mason jar top." The picture below should be self-explanatory.(Note: NavyGuy, as an officer, does not wear one of these. Which is a little sad, cuz wouldn't he look adorable? :)

Thursday, April 2, 2009

I Knew I Could Count on Ya'll

Here's a big thank you for your help in narrowing down my clutch choices! (I always suspected my readers had strong opinions on accessories, but the purse post confirms it.)
I'm still deciding between #2, 3, and 6, but am aiming to order one this weekend. This is your last chance to plead the case of one of these fab purses :)

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Wedding Day Clutch

Time to vote for a purse for the big day! I know that it's highly unlikely that I'll be carrying it around myself that day - that's what I have ~~gullible friends~~ personal attendants for. However, I would like to have a very clearly identifiable clutch for a few VIP items... my chapstick/lipstick for the day, cell phone, vows, etc, so that there is no confusion and lost item drama.

I also however, would like something from the day that I can use again. Except for the times I plan to throw on my veil while vacuuming, most of my wedding day attire isn't really suitable for everyday life (though, how cool would it be to find an occasion when you could wear the dress again!?! If Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe could do it, why not the rest of us?). A clutch that doesn't scream bride could legitimately pop up again for other special events, making it a more justifiably purchase. Hence, I've picked out some pretty and colorful options from Etsy - the handmade mecca.

Please leave your vote in the comments!

New Craft Blog Love

Found a new craft blog that I had to share for my crafty readers out there: Clean and Simple Stamping. (It can also be found in my blogroll.)

These girls get it. They describe "clean and simple stamping" as consisting of three things:

1. clean design and balance
2. quick to produce
3. wow factor

Isn't that what we're all looking for when it comes to making cards? I made three cards today in less than an hour - that might be a new record. The girls provide sketches, tips, tricks, hints, and samples of cards that are straightforward, creative, simple, and beautiful! I am so inspired by their ideas, and it's just the kick in the pants that my crafting needed; I've been bogged down as of late with wedding designs (which consist of pink, brown, cream, and/or cherry blossoms...), so my creative mojo was suffering. Consider my mojo revived!

Each of these cards was inspired by one of their layout sketches: