I am in love with the latest free download from The Wedding Chicks and just had to share for all my DIY brides!

The FREE  Bunting Invitation Suite comes with everything that you need to make your wedding beyond cute. The wedding invitation download includes your wedding invite, a response card along with escort cards for your guests and table numbers.  They are available in your choice of pink, blue, green and purple to blend in with your wedding decor.

You can customize even further by getting creative with your paper selection. Remember to check out all that The Wedding Chicks have to offer with more custom wedding downloads and of course be sure to stop by the boutique and pick up a custom tee shirt for you, your bridesmaids and your groom. Enjoy!

Finding the perfect words for your wedding invitations can be difficult, especially with complex family and budget structures. Hello Lucky, a specialty letterpress printer and design studio, offers 30 ways to word your wedding invitation as well as beautiful letterpress samples to go with each one.

Here are three common variations:

Bride’s Parents Host—Formal (Religious venue)

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hudson
request the honor of your presence

at the marriage of their daughter

Jennifer Kelly
to
Eric Lucas Fitzgerald

Saturday, the seventeenth of May
two thousand and eight
at half past four in the afternoon
Saint Mary Star of the Sea

977 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA
Reception to follow

Both Sets of Parents Host—Formal (Secular venue)

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hudson &
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Thomas Fitzgerald
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their children

Jennifer Kelly
and
Eric Lucas

Saturday, the seventeenth of May
two thousand and eight
at half past four in the afternoon

Chatham Bars Inn
Chatham, Massachusetts

Dinner and dancing to follow

Couple Hosts—Casual

With joyous hearts
we invite you to attend
the wedding of

Jennifer Kelly Hudson
to Eric Lucas Fitzgerald

Saturday, the seventeenth of May
two thousand and eight
at half past four in the afternoon

Chatham Bars Inn
Chatham, Massachusetts

Dinner and dancing to follow

Be sure to check out Hello Lucky for more invitation needs.

• Keep a log: Use my Guest List Template to help you track gifts as they come in. This template is great because you don’t have to go searching for the person’s address — it’s all on one spreadsheet! As you send your thank you notes, check them off the list.
• Use nice stationary: Invest in something classy that matches your wedding theme. Just as your save the date or invitation sets the tone of your wedding, a thank you card, leaves the last impression.
• Be timely: Write each thank you card as the gift is received. A good rule of thumb is don’t use your gift until you have thanked the person who sent it. This gives you incentive! Within two weeks is appropriate. Use the two week rule for after you’ve returned form your honeymoon as well.
  
• Make them personal: Address the person by name, mention what the gift was and how you will use it your lives or why you love it. If applicable, say how you enjoyed seeing that person at the wedding/shower, etc.
• Double thank: Your note should start and end with a thank you
• Share the responsibility: Have your fiance/husband write to his family and friends and you to yours

Below is a sample thank you note to get you started:

Dear Aunt Betty,

Thank you so much for the waffle iron. We are excited to use it to make our favorite blueberry waffles together in our new home. It was great to see you at the wedding. We hope to see you again soon. Thanks again for your generosity!

Love,

Sally and Bill

Photo credit: William Arthur Fine Stationary

First, you’ll need to put your entire guest list into one concise spreadsheet. Each row should be one household that is to receive an invitation, i.e. The Smith Family or Mr. and Mrs. Brown. The first column should be index numbers. Fill numbers down your entire spreadsheet: 1-# of households/invitations. The next column should contain the full mailing addresses, including formal names, as your outer envelopes are to be addressed. In the next column, list names for the inner envelope (as you address the person(s), i.e. Aunt Sally). You’ll then want to have a ‘number’ column that includes the total number invited on that index, i.e. ‘5′  for Mr. and Mrs. Smith and their 3 children. Next to this, have an RSVP column. As your cards come back, you will update this column with the number reserved on each one. You can also add columns for hotel rooms needed, rehearsal dinner invites, email addresses or any other notes you may need.

Download my template here to get started. This template also includes a sortable list for tracking gifts received and thank you cards sent. It’s even complete with a tab to list children and totals for your guest and plate count.

Once your guest list is complete, you can address and send invitations. Here is where we add a step that will save you time and heartache. Have a copy of your guest list printed out as you are stuffing, sealing and stamping. Before you put the RSVP card in to be mailed, turn it over, and using a fine-point, black pen, write the index number of that guest in the bottom right-hand corner or another inconspicuous place. Pencil can rub off or be erased, so be sure to use something permanent that won’t smear! (I’m addicted to the Sharpie pens).

Now, as the cards come in, even if you can’t read your fiance’s third cousin’s hand writing and there is no return address, you can track the index number on the card back to your spread sheet and know exactly where it came from.

Letterpress is a method of printing in which the type and/or images push ink into paper. The visible depth of the characters depends on both the stock of paper, typically a thick cotton, and what is being printed.

It is one of the oldest and most intricate printing techniques that dates back to the invention of movable type by Johann Gutenberg.

Letterpress stationary is an elegant addition to any wedding. The average cost is about $10 per invitation, going up to much more. Of course there are many variables that affect cost, such as the number of pressed pieces (reply cards, envelopes, etc.) and the number of colors used. A custom job, will require set up fees for making plates. There are also many shops, such as Papyrus, that offer template designs for a lower price.

Beyond elegance, an added benefit of letterpress stationery is that the products are usually “green” and offer less of a carbon footprint than other printing alternatives. This is due to the cotton (tree-free) paper being used and the amount of human power, which cuts back on mass production.

This documentary on YouTube about Firefly Press, in Somerville, Mass. is a wonderful demonstration of the art. John Kristensen, Firefly’s proprietor, guides viewers around the press and discusses why he is so devoted to the fading technique.

Where to get letterpress stationary in Dallas:

Bell Invito
Missing Q Press
Inky Lips Press