Wedding Blog

I posted about my dilemma on DIY vs. taking the vendor route for my fan programs awhile ago. I’d have to say I was leaning towards the vendor route BEFORE the post, but then with the encouragement of WeddingBee readers, I decided to research just how much work would be involved in the DIY process.

There were Microsoft Word templates available, but I wanted something a little fancier than just simple text (I know I know, I’m creating more work for myself). That’s when I came upon Susanne of Cards de Luxe.

One look at her work and I fell in love. I thought I scoured the web for samples of fan programs already, but clearly I missed hers! Check these out:

I love her use of the bottom tip of the fan. Designers often concentrate on the top or body of a fan program and neglect the area around the eyelet hole, which can be just as interesting as well! The second one with the grass is simply adorable. Too bad my colors aren’t green, or my decision would have been made in an instant!

I eventually decided to take the DIY path and stick with it. However, one of my worries was the time in cutting. True, I could just use a paper slicer to cut the straight sides and use scissors to round the edges. But 65 programs with 5 petals each is A LOT.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tomato was being a dear and calling up various print shops to see if they offered cutting services. Rates averaged at about $200+, which was too high for us, considering we only needed 65 programs. Most of the cost is in the setup, so if you have a few hundred programs to make, that’s one option to consider.

Finally I took a reader’s suggestion and e-mailed Susanne, asking her if by any chance she offered some sort of cutting services as I was interested in making my own fan programs. She was immediately responsive and said she did. For $140 (special for Weddingbee readers she said), not only will she provide cutting services for 100-200 programs (if you have less than 100 programs like me, she may be able to lower the cost), but she will provide you with a single-fan template in either Word, PowerPoint or Illustrator (which you then design), and help you reformat to a double-fan template format to print from.

It was super easy and she was incredibly helpful when I had questions. I loved how quick she would respond to my e-mails, which is absolutely crucial as a vendor! She was also super friendly throughout the process. A lot of times I think I scare off vendors with my blizzard of questions, but she didn’t seem to mind at all.

Here are my templates:

Front

Second petal

Third petal

Fourth petal (my favorite!)…I tried to make the written conversation sound like When Harry Met Sally.

Here’s what it says:

How It All Happened

He said: I wanted to find the perfect picnic spot to propose

She said: My feet hurt. I wanted to eat already.

He said: Then I gave her a card.

She said: And I thought, “Oh, he wrote me a card!” Then as I read the last line I turned to him and he asked…

Will you marry me?

Fifth and last petal, with one of my favorite poems by Robert Sexton.

Here is the final product!!!

I alternated the petals using two types of card stock from Paper and More:

Champagne 107# Metallic Card Stock - $29.99 for 100
Product Code: 3521-001

Sand Card Stock 80# - $14.99 for 100
Product Code: 3407-001

What do you all think? I definitely couldn’t have done this without Susanne. I’m so glad I made the decision to go with her services! If I had a little more budget, I definitely would have hired her for all my stationery work. She does invitations, programs, placecards, etc and is willing to work with budgets when she can.