Wedding Blog
I love receiving mail. I’m that person who actually notices the stamp on an envelope, and appreciates seeing my name and address scrolled in fine penmanship.
Since the little details are important to me, I’m thrilled to have found a talented and affordable calligrapher through Etsy. (And can’t believe I didn’t know about this amazing site until I started reading Weddingbee — blasphemous, I know!) Etsy has also led me to the letterpress designer who will be creating and printing the Bruschetta wedding invitations.
I’ll be revealing these pros in future posts — I know, I know, I tease – but for the present, have a question to pose to the hive.
If the front of the envelopes are addressed by our calligrapher, should she also handle the return address portion of the back flaps? Or, should we have this part completed in letterpress? I’m torn between my love of consistency and my desire to pinch pennies when possible — and back flap printing is included in the letterpress package. (Another option — which would be much cheaper than individually hand-written return addresses — is to have our calligrapher hand letter the return address once, and then scan and print it onto the back flaps.)
I realize it’s a minor decision — and totally acknowledge this is a splurge for almost any budget (ours included!) — but would love to hear what you think.
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Share this post: Addressing the Options
It’s perfectly appropriate for the return address to match the printing used on the invitation! go forth and letterpress that sucker.
How about having her doing it once, uploading it to a file and having a custom stamp created of that file? That way it will still have that real ink look?
I had this dilemma too because we are having letterpress invites and a calligrapher too- I’m also THAT girl that loves anything written, paper, etc! In the end we went with letterpress return address on the backflap because it was a bit cheaper. I almost feel like it’s a little more formal that way too, or am I just telling myself that?
Funny you post this…I was just thinking of the same dilemma this morning! I’ll be paying attention to your responses 
Can she send a file to the letterpress company so they can create a plate with her script?
I agree with Habibi - letterpress it! Especially if its included… save the money. I’m sure they are going to be beautiful!!
I think it’s perfectly okay to have the back flaps letterpressed.
For our save the dates, obviously less formal, we paid for calligraphy on the front, and had the back flap printed by the lady who did our save the dates (also an Etsy shop and also included in the price).
I loved the way the save the dates turned out and I thought the front w/the guests names really popped and looked special since they were in fancy calligraphy as opposed to our return address.
Whew, that was a mouthful, but hope it helped.
I purchased an embosser for our return address on the invitations. It matches the font/ style of them AND we can continue to use it after the wedding! AND it was cheaper than having the printer do it (especially because I ordered the envelopes separately online). It came to $50 total.
I wish we had money for calligraphy (guests will just have to tell with my penmanship), but what vendor on Etsy did you find? It may be in our price range (fingers crossed!)
I would say letterpress it, but I am also liking the idea from LovesPearls - I think a stamp would be cool!
And if you’re having the RSVP’s sent to your house (i.e. not mom’s or wherever), then you can use the stamp again later on your thank-you envelopes and anything else requiring a return address.
Letterpress… seriously, you can’t go wrong there. Calligraphy is gorgeous, but save yourself some $! Letterpress is at the top of the impressive invitation scale anyway. 
@Lovespearls: Interesting idea…I’ll have to ask about this.
@heather25: Love this idea, too, but I’d need to see if it’s a possibility, and how much extra it would cost.
@LegallyWed: Stay tuned…I’ll be revealing both vendors in future posts!
@FlipFlopBride: True, true. We WILL be receiving the responses…but might not be at our current address for too long after the wedding…
@ all: Thanks for the opinions! Still not decided yet, but you all are so amazingly creative with ideas and definitive in your thoughts, and I really appreciate that!
Letterpress…..we debated the same thing and I’m so happy with our decision to do letterpress. The post office even mentioned they prefer it b/c it’s easier to read if there is a problem with the front address.
I love the idea of a custom stamp. Failing that, I’d scan and print.
I had this delimma as well but ultimately decided to have it done in letterpress. I do love the idea of having the calligrapher do it once and then the invitation designer can put it on the back of the invitation. I’m glad that I went with the letterpress option because it is so beautiful! I found my letterpress designer on etsy, too and I love her! She’s been mentioned on the WB a few times and she is so easy to work with
P.S. I didn’t know about etsy until this website either!
I’d go with the cheapest option–they would all look nice!
We had the same dilemma! We ended up purchasing an embosser from Paper Source and embossing the return address on each of them. It saved SO much money and actually looked just a nice. Hope this helps!
Definitely letterpress! It will look great and save you $$. I’ve received plenty of invites that were hand written on the front and printed on the back.
What would the difference be price wise between letterpress and calligraphy? I like letterpress!
@Miss Taffy: Handwritten on each would be 75 cents per…more than I want to spend for the back flap of the envelope! The write-once, scan and print option would be $25-30. I’m certainly leaning toward letterpress, but want to investigate some of the great ideas people have mentioned above!
I’d go with the scanning option. It’s pretty much handwritten, and I doubt anyone would be able to tell-plus you’d keep your consistency for a fraction of the price!
I would definitely letterpress the back flap. I say this because I just feel like it would look like a more consistent stationary suite! Not to mention letterpressing the envelopes themselves looks awesome imo!
i got a stamp from wilshire graphic press (got the idea from weddingbee) which uses the same font as our calligrapher and has our monogram. i love it! that saved tons of money!
My vote was for letterpress before I knew it was cheaper - so letterpress all the way!
I would go with the letterpress. I think you’ll appreciate the money saved (because it will still look great! It’s letterpress!) more than you’ll appreciate the calligraphic return address.
I love the idea of having her scroll it once then scanning it. Consistent AND pretty!
Letterpress the return! I am actually going through the same dilemma (only my wedding is a bit further out than yours). I actually think the letterpressed return address is classic and gorgeous - especially if you’re working with a fabulous press. The only reason to have the return hand lettered, in my opinion, is if you’re having the return for the reply envelopes hand lettered… I’ve been thinking of doing this since I’m working with a fabulous (and affordable!) calligrapher…
Oh, oh! And I have a guess about both of your vendors… can’t wait to see if I am correct!
Amanda Young has great rates. With her, you can get the back flap and the front addressed reasonably. http://www.swoonoverit.com
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Mrs. Bruschetta, Philadelphia
Age and Occupation: 25, Communication Professional
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Physical Therapy Graduate Student
Engagement Date: November 30, 2007
Wedding Date: August 2009
Venue: St. Thomas of Villanova Church & the F.U.E.L. House
About Me: I’m a self-proclaimed grammar geek who loves singing (like, really belting it) in the car. My mister and I are planning a vibrant summer soiree celebrating our passions – including food and Philly – and when we make it official, we’ll have been together for eight years! Being super competitive is in my nature, and talking excessively is in my genes. I’ve got a terrible sense of direction, but can always easily find my way into Mr. Bruschetta’s arms.
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