Good Riddance!
August 12th, 2008 @ 4:45 pm by Mrs. Pomegranate
They’re gone - and aside from the RSVP postcards, they’d best not be back (if they know what’s good for ’em)!
Our DIY invitations were truly a labor of love. Designing, printing and putting together our own wedding invitations was about ten times more intense than the DIY Save the Date process. For some reason, there was a sense of importance within me that wasn’t there during the design of the STDs. It became an obsession - especially when I discovered exactly how much I did not thoroughly know how to use Illustrator, did not fully understand the printing process and did not have a clue what I was doing. Many of my nights in the past couple of months ended in tears of frustration. In the end, I’m at peace with the entire experience and would not trade it for the world!
Okay, group photo - everyone huddle together!
Please excuse the crappy photos. Just as I am not a professional graphic designer, I am not a professional photographer.
A close up of the square knot ribbon binding.
An invitation peeking out from within one of my DIY lined envelopes.
I decided not to re-invent the wheel when it came to the wrap-around address labels.
Thanks Mrs. Lemon for the VIP Guest List - this one’s for the Governator!
To re-use my previous addy labels, I just re-oriented the return address seal and adjusted the length to better fit the size of the envelope.
I decided to go with a booklet design because there was a lot of information that I wanted to include - our wedding is a semi-destination event for our guests. The winery is pretty much in the middle of nowhere and is about a 45-minute drive for many of the attendees - so directions, accommodations and a map were crucial for most everyone. It was hard to shoot the booklet so you could see all of the details, so I have included the digital representations of each of the pages below - just click each image for a larger view.
The front and back cover - as if laid flat.
I placed a photo and quote inside the front cover that faced the invite on the right-hand page. The boxes around the quote showed up in PDF form, but not when printed.
My answer to a reception card sits on the left (with instructions to wear comfy shoes) and faces the map on the right-hand page.
I placed the directions on the back side of the map, in case a guest wanted to tear it out of the booklet and included the RSVP, Gift Registry (I was told this is a no-no, but I think it’s simply an inconvenience if you do not list stores) and Accommodations information on the last page.
The RSVP card with the return address and stamp on the front.
The back side of the RSVP postcard.
The line in the lower right will hold the group code that will allow guests to RSVP on our website (and to keep track of any returned RSVP cards with blank names).
I have gained so much from this experience. I feel so much more confident using Illustrator and have a much greater appreciation for the printing process. I can’t imagine doing it any other way - but I assure you, blood, sweat and tears were involved - ask Mr. Pomegranate.
Speaking of Mr. Pomegranate - he miraculously managed to build out a fun website for our guests to visit. It contains all of the information listed in the invitation - and more! Guests can RSVP online, click a direct link to our registries and get personalized directions to the winery.
Stay tuned to hear all about the DIY invitation design process and a little tour of the Pomegranate’s custom wedding website!
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47 Responses to “Good Riddance!”
I’m in the midst of creating my own — the main part is done, printed and beribbonned; this minute I am printing response cards, and after that I just need to line the envelopes. A lot more work than I thought, but I’m really enjoying it! I also don’t mind spending $60 on materials and some of my own labor, rather than several hundred dollars on something someone else made that wouldn’t be as personal.
Of course, mine aren’t nearly as intricate as yours!
oh my goodness…you make my DIY efforts look like preschool…I hope you realize how amazing these are!
They look great, Pom! I’m still waiting for my wedding’s “personality” to solidify, but as soon as it does, I’m looking forward to figuring out the “branding” for the STDs and invites, though I don’t know if I’ll be as brave as you to attempt such a feat alone!
ooohh.. they are awesome!! I really, REALLY ike all your flourishes.. especially the one you used on the RSVP cards. Do you mind sharing them? My email is amyber972@gmail.com. Thanks SOO much!!
Sooooo love them, and we have the same RSVP date!
WOW! Those turned out incredible! Fantastic work!
You may as well be a professional graphic designer! Those are absolutely beautiful!
Becky
I love the RSVP card most of all! Great work, Miss Pom!
These are absolutely amazing! I am in awe that you taught yourself Illustrator (as I wish I could do the same), and I cannot wait to hear more about the design process.
Stop it! First I had to use your AMAZING STDs for inspiration and nearly killed myself making 175 of them, and now I’m dying to do these. Seriously- gorgeous.
They look fanfriggentastic. I can tell you put a lot of work into them and I’m sure your guests will appreciate it. I love the fonts you used too. So very Gatsby.
These are incredibly unique and elegant! I love them…anybody would be crazy not to want to come to your wedding.
How pretty… love the green with the damask
Wow, your invites are so beautiful, I love every detail. I am so inspired!
Hi Pom,
I’m also trying to teach myself illustrator (and photoshop) to make my STDs. do you know of any good learning resources out there (online tutorials, illustrator for dummies)? I’m dying here!
wow beautiful!
very nice. can you share with us how to tie such a nice knot?
All i can say is you’re amazing! How did you bind the invite booklet? Hole punch? And what kind of paper did you use to print all this one? You need to do a DIY info post on houw you made those!!!!
So amazing pom! These are just to die for
Awwww….thank you all! You are so sweet! I can only hope my guests like them half as much as you guys do!
@Amy: I bought that flourish off of iStockphoto.com - it’s the same I used for the STDs - it’s amazingly versatile.
@andrew: Oh andrew, I wish I could help you there! This was probably the most excruciating portion of the whole experience - the trial and error method of learning Illustrator. Sadly, I only had the will to explore and fail to learn - so I have no other resources to recommend.
@carin: Most definitely - Mamita Pom says it’s an old Girl Scout square knot trick. I was not a Girl Scout, so I had to be educated on the topic of pretty knots myself - and I’d be happy to share. Coming up in the DIY post!
@BeMine: For shiggity sure! DIY post just for ya’ll coming up soon!
I love them! Seriously every day I hate that I can’t photograph your wedding! (What is also hilarious is the picture you chose for the invite is the one I have the most distinct memory of taking… how funny!) Anyway, they are beautiful and I love them and you are FABULOUS!
I’ve seen all the Twitterers going crazy about these all day and I am finally home and able to see them for myself! I love them, they turned out as wonderful as I knew they would be. Your guests are going to be blown away.
I especially love how you were able to incorporate more than 1 photo into your invitation!
wow those do not look like DIY at all (which is a good thing).
i LOVE them!! i’m a b/w/g bride, too, so these are a great inspiration for our own DIY invites.
have you been to the cache creek casino before? FI and i stop by there every year after we go whitewater rafting nearby. it’s a gorgeous property!
Absoutely beautiful, just like every other detail for your wedding…I think you might want to rethink the webcast so we can all watch. It’ll be a great episode of Bee TV…I’ll bring the popcorn and the hankies. =) Oh, and damasktastic needs to be your newest catch phrase!
hey, miss pomegranate!
i’m just wondering, as i’m using some similar vectors, what you searched for on istockphoto to find that one? it’d be PERFECT for one tiny part of my projects, and i’d love to find it…
but when i search flourish, i get “growth” on istockphoto, which isn’t exactly what i’m looking for. : )
oh, and i’m talking particularly about the one above your names on the front of the postcard!
@Jennifer: I’ll be posting direct links to all of my iStock purchases in the DIY post - but I think for those flourishes (it was a set of three) I searched with the following keywords in the Illustrations only category:
“Baroque Style”
“Rococo Style”
“Frame”
“Black”
So beautiful and detailed. All that work really payed off.
These are fantastic! I would be out of my mind if I got something like this in the mail. All of your efforts absolutely paid off!
I saw this and immediately thought of you: http://www.stylemepretty.com/2008/08/13/do-it-yourself-inspired-wedding-3/
Well for “not knowing what you are doing” those are just stunning! The design is flawless, the colors are gorgeous…and, well, I just LOVE THEM! Beautiful, beautiful job!
[...] I promised you a a follow-up post on our DIY Invitations and a follow-up post you shall have! I apologize for the delay, but I’m just getting over [...]
They look terrific…
Your envelope liners are amaaaazing! (As is your entire invitation suite! Those just popped out at me :)) Are they from one piece of paper, or did you use seperate pieces?
@Katherine: Thanks! I photo copied the striped pattern on regular paper - one sheet made one envelope liner.
Ah ha, yeah, I’m a dork. I saw the pic with the invitation peeking out & must’ve not read the caption because I thought THAT was the envelope liner. Anyway, your invitations were all lovely! :)@Miss Pomegranate:
[...] one who has seen gorgeous DIY invites come from the likes of Miss Shortcake, Mrs. Cupcake, and Miss Pomegranate comes to the computer [...]
Mrs. Pomegranate, Sacramento
Age and Occupation: 27, Technical Specialist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Software Engineer
Engagement Date: August 23, 2007
Wedding Date: October, 2008
Blogging Since: June 5, 2008
Venue: R.H. Phillips Winery
About Me: Hi, I'm Miss Pomegranate and I'm a shopaholic. I have a weak spot for the chic cheap - especially anything I can re-create on the DIY. Shoes are my vice, music is my passion in life and technology is the medium by which I live and work. When I'm not scoping out a sale, I'm spending my quality time training for a marathon, playing Wii with my fiance and snuggling with my Silver Labrador and Teacup Panther - and oh yeah, planning my wedding!
WOWZAS! Kudos to you! Those are Damasktastic!