Wedding Blog
In my efforts to stay on track with the wedding planning, our next big task is to settle on invitations. I’ve been neglecting this choice for awhile now. Frankly, it’s not as fun to daydream about a piece of paper as it is a white dress. Nonetheless, in my search for an invite, I have encountered many drool-worthy options.
The real debate lies in whether we want to design our own or order invitations from a company. Originally, Mr. Peppermint and I were very gung-ho about making our own. However, as months have flown by and projects have multiplied, the DIY route is seeming less exciting. That being said, we’re also lacking in the inspiration department. We spent so much time coming up the with Save-the-Date, that I’m afraid that the invitations won’t get finished in time. But they would be more personal (and cost effective…hopefully) if we did them. Hmmm. What to do??
My latest pastime has been to spend copious amounts of time searching online for alternatives to DIY invitations. Here are some of my favorite contenders…
This gorgeous wood invite (”Burst”) is from Oslo Press:
Also from Oslo Press, is “Willow”:
Another favorite contender is “the Naturalist” by Hello Lucky:
Another by Hello Lucky is “classic Cowboy”:
What do you think? Should we DIY or go for one of these?
Also, how early did you send out your invites and when did you ask for RSVPs? We’re aiming to send out at the end of September with an RSVP date in early/mid November. Is that too early? Late? Help! 
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Share this post: The Invitations Loom Ahead…
My wedding is Nov. 2nd and we are sending them out late Aug. early Sept. with an Oct. 2 RSVP date.
I love love love the “Burst” invite it’s so unique and pretty. How much more will you spend to buy as opposed to DIY?
i love the wood invites! of the two, i like burst better.
set your rsvp date at least 4 weekends ahead of your wedding. that way, you’ll have time to call those late-birds and do your seating chart, escort cards, place cards…
standard to give people a chance to decide is also 4 weeks before the rsvp date. earlier is always good though.
Our wedding is Nov. 10, we are sending them out the first week of September and asking for responses by Oct. 10th.
LOVE the wood invites- go for it!
I also vote for “burst”. I just assembled all the invitations that I had a friend print for me–it was a TON of work (four pairs of hands, 8 hours). I don’t know if it was really worth it over ordering online! Our invitations will hopefully arrive 2 months before our wedding and the RSVP is 1 month before the wedding. Looks like you’ve done some nice research! Go for it!
I was going to vote for Willow or the Naturalist designs, but I think Willow is my favourite because the wood invite is just so cool and unexpected!
As a rule most people send out invites 6-8 weeks before the event with RSVP date being 2-3 weeks before the event (base the date on when you need to have final numbers to your caterer and allow yourself a week or two of leeway to follow up with stragglers who miss the RSVP deadline). If you want to send your invites out a bit early, probably 10 weeks before is more than enough.
I too love the wood invites, but the Classic Cowboy just SCREAMS peppermint wedding to me!! All of them are beautiful, but I really get that vintage Palm Springs vibe only from that one. As for DIY-ing…maybe ask if you can customize a few things based on one of these invites? We had our invites custom designed (I essentially “designed” them but our stationer executed my idea) and that ended up being perfect for us since they were personalized to our tastes….but we didn’t have to spend a zillion hours cutting and gluing!
I did my own Save-the-Dates as a trial, and realized that I did NOT want to make my own invites. Luckily, we had a small wedding so it’s not as if they cost all that much. But I still really wanted a unique invitation, so I found the basic pocketfold package I wanted at White Aisle and customized it. I designed the invitation card myself, using an Art Nouveau flourish that I loved in a Dover book, put it together in InDesign, and then White Aisle finished the design with their fonts and printed them. They came up with a fab Art Nouveau-style postcard for the RSVP from my Dover book. I further customized the invites by buying my own matching butter envelopes and sending them to White Aisle for printing (they only offered white or ecru). I added an extra organza ribbon bellyband (it came with a satin ribbon of your choice), and I lined the envelopes myself with paper I bought. So my invitations were work, but not too much, as I didn’t do any of the printing, and they were totally unique and “us” at about $4.25 each. Maybe you could try something like that–you might be surprised at how willing stationers are to work with you.
WOW. That “willow” invitation is amazing. I made my own invitations based on a Crane’s invitation using my home printer and stamps. They came out pretty good - it was clear they’d been stamped, but I liked that about them. Good luck!
I love the Willow one– the branchy design really fits with the whole “wood invitation” thing.
And the RSVP date sounds just fine– I sent mine out at the end of June, with a July 20 deadline, with a wedding date of August 18. (and we’re still waiting on responses, of course)
I’m a HUGE fan of both designers, so you can’t go wrong with either. They both provide super customer service and beautiful products - you’ll be in good hands.
DIY is a commitment, for sure. Once you start, there’s no turning back. If you’re up for the challenge, definitely go for it! Keep in mind that whatever you decide to make, you’ll need to make it 100+ times (depending on how many guests you’ve invited). And a wedding invite has many more pieces than a save the date card.
-Dawn
I love the burst invite. It has a Palm Springs feel. It has that 60s lounge feel about it. Besides, the wood is such an an expected delight.
I love the wood invites. I was just looking at those yesterday and was gonna blog about them today.
That Classic Cowboy is pretty perfect!!!
[...] “Burst” because of the bold look and the slightly Palm Springs lounge feel (as reader Anne K pointed out!). As a reminder, here is the Burst [...]
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Miss Peppermint, LA/Palm Springs
Age and Occupation: 23, Actress
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Web Producer
Engagement Date: October 21, 2006
Wedding Date: December 2007
Blogging Since: July 2, 2007
Venue: historic estate overlooking the heart of Palm Springs
About Me: I am a Southern California native who enjoys cooking, writing, travel and all things in the arts. Mr. Peppermint and I met in college and he proposed on our four year anniversary in one of our most special places, Joshua Tree National Park. We're having a destination wedding in Palms Springs that will incorporate tradition as well as reflect our personalities!
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