Wedding Blog
It happened in a flash…. there I was, driving home from work one day, when BAM! The image of our wedding invitations flashed before my eyes. I rushed home, opened Adobe Illustrator, and got to work creating a masterpiece. Within a few hours, voila — we had our invitations.
Okay, that’s a little bit of a fib. Oh alright, that’s a big fib. It’s a downright dirty lie. If you look at my master wedding to-do list, “start designing invitations” was back on February’s list. Well, there I found myself in early May, still hemming and hawing over what in the world to do for our wedding invitations. The few designs I started to work on brutally sucked and kind of made me want to throw up a little when I looked at them. I knew I had to get the design to the printer by early June in order to allow ample production time, but the outlook was grim. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself, and it became difficult to come up with anything that I didn’t despise.
Then, I don’t know how it happened, but somehow, eventually, I managed to put together an invitation design that I didn’t hate — actually, I quite liked it. But it certainly didn’t take just a few hours. Oh no. I obsessed over those babies for quite a few weeks. Nitpicking here. Kerning type there. Swapping out typefaces, tweaking Pantone colors, and subjecting my talented coworkers to surveys like “if you were a thank you card, which one would you be?” while giving them three layouts to choose from.
Last week, the day actually came when I was ready to send my invitation suite to the printer. I felt butterflies in my tummy, but they were butterflies of excitement. It’s really happening! Our wedding is getting closer! People are actually going to get invitations for this shindig!!!
Without further ado, I present to you……….
Hehe, just teasing…. Did you really think I’d make it that easy for you? Did you think I’d just show you the whole she-bang, just like that? Oh no, you’re going to have to wait till these puppies are in the hands of our guests 
Sorry, Charlie! But, until then, here’s a little teaser to give you a glimpse into what I’ve been up to….
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Share this post: Invitation Inspiration
Oooh Miss Peacock!! I love them already. They are gorgeous! I cannot wait to see them in their full glory. I love, love, love all the little pin dot accents everywhere.
purty purty! I was wondering…? Like, she’s not going to put them up here before she sends them is she? Really? 
You big tease!
Love the font!
What is it?
Design ideas kinda hit me like you described in your story. It’s a “super power” that I can’t really control though, like when I actually have a client and a project and a deadline.
I was thinking “Wow! I do that too!” Awwww, not so much
I wanna see it!!!!!!!! it looks sooo delicious! I love your STD and totally anticipated the invite design. you are one talented lady!
oooh i love what i see so far! oooh, hurry up and send them out so i can see the rest in all their glory! lol.
oh you are a tease! I am sure it will be worth the wait
I’m in philly too, designing my own invites which are ready to go the printer. what printer did you use and how did you like them?
oooh i looove it! what is that font? are you going to do a little tutorial on your process?
Ooooo I really like them, what you’ve shown us so far that is.
Hi There,
I’ve actually designed my own little “dream invite in Adobe. But where do you take it to get it printed?? When you say you’re are taking it to “the printer” are you taking it to Kinko’s? A professional stationer’s shop? I’d appreciate any advice! I’d love to use my own invite design, but I don’t think I’m up to the task of going through the print process at Kinko’s!
Those colors are stunning!
Seriously you have to share the font!! And hey those are the colors we just picked up from the paper store!!
Sorry for the tease, ladies! Have to keep you all guessing
So, THE FONT: it’s called Albemarle Swash. Isn’t it lovely??? I started out using Fling (which I used on our save the dates), but it just looked a little too casual with the rest of the invitation. Yet, I still didn’t want a typical, formal script. My fabulously creative boss found Albemarle Swash and suggested it, and it was perfect! I like that it looks slightly more sophisticated but it’s not too stuffy or formal, either. You can find it here:
http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/scriptorium/albemarle/
@luckyinlove: I will try my best to give a tutorial once I show you the final pieces! I know I also still owe the hive a tutorial on my save the dates in terms of how I created the flourishes using only parts of the Fling font….. sorry I’m a little behind! :-/
@cinderellasmom: I have had moments of panic over the colors, but then I keep thinking of how different it is (at least from what I see in the day-to-day of wedding blog and magazine reading) and how (hopefully) cool the reception will look with lots of teal and green accents. I’m also going to throw in some silver accents when it comes time to do our programs, menus, etc., to spice things up a bit!!!
i really want to design my invites too… just curious what you would suggest to use as a printing source…kikos?
how does that work? I buy the paper, and pay them to print it?
ahhhhh I love them!
and I LOVE Albemarle Swash… which now it’s going to look like I totally copied you once again, as it’s the font I used on our favors and our programs (done and half-way done respectively!)
I can’t wait to see them all… TEASE!
BRAVO cupcake, your guests are going to be so so impressed:)
@Lindsay K: From my experience, different Kinko’s locations can yield very different results. Some people have nothing but raves; others have nothing but horror stories! There’s not always a perfect science to knowing if your Kinko’s is a good or bad one.
I am lucky enough to work in the design industry so I have access to high-quality printers and I also have contacts with professional printers who are able to help me out when I need them. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t find a printer who can help you. I suggest looking online or in your phone book for a small, locally owned print shop or copy shop. Usually the people who work at these types of places are willing to work with you and listen to you, and the prices are usually reasonable. They’re usually not as hectic as places like Kinko’s, either. Some places will allow you to bring your own paper, but others will be pickier about the paper they’ll put through their machines and/or only allow you to choose from papers that they stock. Call around, stop by, and get to know these people to see who will work out best.
Or, there are such amazing personal printers on the market these days, so if you are looking to make an investment to have the utmost control over your invites, I suggest looking into a printer like an Epson or a Cannon. You might spend a bit on the printer itself and on ink cartridges, but you’ll be left with a quality printer in the end to continue using.
I really think anyone can do their invitations on their own, as long as you realize that it is a huge time commitment and it often takes a lot of trial and error! It’s definitely something that will try your patience if you are frazzled, so make sure to give yourself plenty of time and take the time to do trials. Try different papers, printers, and mail a sample to yourself to see how it fares with the USPS before you decide on anything! And don’t forget to have everything weighed before buying postage. I honestly think sometimes you should take your invitation to two different post offices and see if they give you the same postage rate — you’d be surprised at how different locations will tell you different things! I always err on the side of caution and put a little extra postage. But I’m paranoid like that
I hope this helps….
@Miss Tiramisu: awwww Miss T, no worries, I am not the only one allowed to use that font Your stuff will be spectacular, too!!!!!
absolutely…thanks sooo much!
I really love the colors and all the different patterns and designs. These are so chic and FABULOUS!
[...] differs from my original RSVP layout that I had included in my invitation teaser post a while back; my engraver advised that the criss-cross dotted lines might not look great when [...]
Hello!
Our colors are teal and lime as well… and I cannot find a decent invitation!!! Are you willing to make these for another person and sell them?! Please oh please?
Katie
katie989@gmail.com
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Mrs. Cupcake, Philadelphia
Age and Occupation: 27, Graphic Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Construction Project Manager
Engagement Date: February 10, 2007
Wedding Date: September, 2008
Blogging Since: December 7, 2007
Venue: The Desmond Hotel in Malvern, PA
About Me: Mr. Cupcake and I hit it off at a Halloween party and immediately began a long-distance relationship. After two years, he moved to my neck of the woods, and a year and a half after that, he proposed at the “place we fell in love.” I am a true perfectionist who enjoys designing and creating more work for myself, so wedding planning is my perfect outlet. Mr. Cupcake and I are both old souls, and we hope to weave that aspect of our personalities into our wedding day.
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