Our invitations are finally proofed and off to the letterpress. Hopefully they’ll be back to us in a few weeks so we can make sure everyone has plenty of time to make reservations!
I was torn about whether to post a preview of the final digital mock-ups before getting the actual hard copy invites. But seeing as I’ve diligently laid them all out so I can be sure what they’ll look like, I really ought to share.
Here are the invitation envelopes and sash designs. The envelopes are letterpressed with wheat and have our address on the back flap. Our guests’ addresses will be printed on the front with Pantone-matched color on a regular printer.
The sashes will be made of Waste Not paper in red and chocolate, with our names on cotton Rives BFK (the same paper as our invites). I’m not sure whether to go horizontal or vertical, but Mr. Cherry Pie likes horizontal, so we’ll probably stick to that.
Next, we have our enclosure and invites. The enclosure is printed on Waste Not paper in Khaki, which is actually somewhat lighter and less yellow in person than in the digital mock-ups.
The enclosures are a tri-fold, which means that with the sash removed the guest will first see a blank panel, then two printed panels upon opening, then finally the open tri-fold with the invitation in the center.
The first printed panel has our wedding story, to answer any questions guests might have about why we’ve chosen to get married in Glacier National Park. The second panel has lodging, shuttle, and registry information, and the open tri-fold showcases the wedding story and directions plus a map.
The invitation is held in using khaki photo corners.
Finally, here are our RSVP cards and envelopes. The RSVP cards on Rives BFK paper and pressed double-sided with a space for guests to write a note. We also have an online RSVP form for the truly lazy.
I’m currently updating our personal wedding site & blog in order to better serve our guests once they receive their invitations. I want the pertinent info to be very easy to find for the most technologically challenged people (who will probably call us anyway!).
With that in mind, I created a splash page at the top level to direct visitors to the most important pages on the site:
I also updated the sidebar hierarchy so that all of the information is clearly grouped. You’ll notice that there is no link to the RSVP form and that’s because I didn’t want it to be truly public. Guests can access it by typing in the URL on the RSVP card.
Right now I’m working on updating the content of our site to make it really user-friendly so that everyone can get all the details they need. And because ours is a destination wedding, there are a lot of details.
Looking at our invite and wedding site, do you see anything that’s missing or unclear? I’ve been staring at these things for so long, I probably couldn’t catch the most obvious of errors.
They look great! Where did you get the Tri-fold part? I am looking for one! Thanks so much!
These are gorgeous! The invite card really pops when you unfold all the flaps.
lovely cherry pie! Your site is awesome. We have completely forgotten about ours after setting it up on a freebie site long ago…
I think everything looks amazing! Great job.
(The only suggestion I would make is to take registry information off the invite — leaving it only on the website.)
omg, i wish i were a guest just so i could receive one of those gorgeous invitations! i am truly impressed. love it! (2nd taking the registry info off the invitation)
@Natalie: They’re not pre-made… we’re making them ourselves! 
The tri-fold is created from sheets of Khaki Waste-Not card stock using the paper-creasing ability of the letterpress. You could also get a similar look with a bone-folder, but I imagine it would be a lot of work.
@Amy H. and @Amanda: Thanks! I would generally agree that we should take the registry info off of the invite, but if we were to leave it online only, many of the technophobic invitees (and there are quite a few!) wouldn’t get any information at all. And we’ve got to have something for them!
These invites look absolutely incredible! I can’t wait to see the finished products. I love that you printed on a “paper bag” looking paper. It’s going to set the tone for the rustic look of your wedding.
The amazing photographs really steal the show of your website - love it!
Stunning invites! May I ask what program you designed them in?
@Kristen: I believe our designer uses the Adobe Creative suite, although I’m not sure whether she was working in Illustrator, InDesign, or Photoshop on these. When I was tinkering with and correcting them, I used Photoshop. Gotta love Adobe! (My work paid for the software, thank God.)
LOVE the layout and the invite design. I really wish I’d thought to do that instead of lots of separate pieces of paper (map, invite, rehearsal dinner/brunch, etc.)
Dear Weddingbee readers,
This is Kristin with Twin Ravens Press. To answer your question(s), I use Adobe Illustrator for 99.9% of all the design work that I do for letterpress - which is the program I used for the design work for Miss Cherry Pie. I also do a lot of drawing and design work the old fashioned way - on paper, before getting it ready for the press. If any of you other bees out there are interested in custom design work for letterpress and like the suite I designed for Miss Cherry Pie, please feel free to contact me at twinravenspress@gmail.com. I would be more than happy to send you more information. Thanks for all the nice compliments on the invites!
[...] may have noticed that when I posted the final layout of our invitations, I listed “Bowman Lake” as our ceremony location and provided [...]
Beautiful! I want to include the registry in my invitation without being tacky too. Can I see the wording for your registry? meowej-wedding@yahoo.com Thanks.
Miss Cherry Pie, Seattle/Polebridge, Montana
Age and Occupation: 25, Marketing Communications Specialist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Nurse Practitioner
Engagement Date: August 26, 2006
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: April 1, 2008
Venue: A tiny town just outside of Glacier National Park
About Me: I think of life as a journey and I love the places it's taking me! I went to school to study Magazine Journalism, ended up with a second major in Japanese language, and now work at a company that makes software for libraries. I love writing, computers, photography, and the great outdoors. I spend most of my time playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band or geeking out online with Mr. Cherry Pie. I'm happiest when I'm on the road, especially traveling abroad, or just nesting quietly at home with my sweetie, who is a fabulous cook and bakes a delicious rendition of a certain cherry-filled dessert!
I love all of it! Such a clean and creative design!