HELP

Where can I go and order wedding invitations around Raleigh/Durham.
Preferably somewhere that prints them themselves.
I need to order them today and have them in my hands by Monday.

Reasonably priced if possible. We have a guest list of 200 or so. But with this notice I don't mind paying more to rush an order.

We want something simple. just invites and rsvp cards. We can do the directions and details.

Davids Bridal is $$ and takes 15 days.

I know Swoozies at Triangle Town Center does them.
Francis King Stationary in Cameron Village is nice but i'm assuming pricey.


The wedding is 2 months away.

5/2/2007 11:12:23 AM

exclusivelyweddings.com is based out of greensboro, nc - call them and ask

5/2/2007 11:17:38 AM

I don't know if either place will have enough of what you would want in stock. I worked at a stationary store and it would take several days just to get the invites into the store before you could print. If the manufacturer did the printing, it would take several weeks.

Typically, its $1-$2 a card w/ envelope and $1 to print. It just depends on what you select. Your best bet would be plain ivory cardstock, if you did not mind the plainer style. Between the two francis b king stores and two swoozies, you should be able to find enough. Other invites will be more expensive, but you may be able to find more in stock.

I might would try a commercial printer. They shold have a nicer ivory cardstock on hand that would be suitable for a wedding invite. I would think they could get the invitations printed quickly.

5/2/2007 11:26:17 AM

If It's Paper has books - Carlson Craft et. al. - I don't remember the lead time though, but it's comparatively short and they do rush orders. They're located in a little strip mall where Hillsborough and Western run together. Go down HB, under the train bridge, then left at the light - the stores will be on your right.

That said, I've printed people's stuff before and done all the assembly - invitations, RSVP's, driving directions, etc. - so all they had to do is seal and stamp. I also did my own wedding invites. Granted ink isn't as pretty as the enamel stuff they use at the professional places but it can be done in a couple of days, so if you know someone with a really nice printer it might be worthwhile to go that way - saves $ and time.

5/2/2007 11:38:27 AM

The fiancee and I made our own a few weeks ago. She bought the cards, envelopes, vellum, etc. at Michaels (or one of those craft stores) and we printed them on the laser printer. They came out very well...we've gotten lots of compliments about them.

It took some time and we only sent ~40 or so invitations, but it's an option. It was definitely A LOT cheaper. All told we probably spent $70 or so, including stamps.

5/2/2007 11:54:32 AM

thanks for all the info

I'm going to compare prices online and then we're going to go shopping tonight and compare prices in stores.

If it's paper is near our house. Any places in Cary? Joanne fabrics.. Is there a Michaels in Crossroads?
I know Hallmark sells stationary too. I think there is one at the Cary Mall..

We don't mind doing the work ourselves. We have a decent printer at home.
My handwriting sucks so the envelopes will look horrible but i don't care. Is it cheesy to put those address labels on the evelopes? we have ones for my fiances business and I have ones the SPCA sent me.

woo hoo 2 months to plan a wedding that is 1000 miles away.
wish me luck

5/2/2007 12:09:55 PM

good luck

we made our own. you can get blank invitation packs at michaels. we printed it and then glued a pretty ribbon sash and dried flowers on it. it looked really nice, and we spent under $100 for close to 250.

5/2/2007 12:11:56 PM

exclusivelyweddings.com
200 invites and envelopes + 200 response cards and envelopes on BEAUTIFUL stationary is only $280.
great price and in our range but takes 15 days to process and ship. I called and they can't rush.


Invitationbox.com $700 for the cheapest invitation that I like ($1.30 each) with reply cards.
but they can process and ship in 3-7 days.


looks like we'll be working on them at home.
They need to be out by mid next week... We've already called the majority of our guest list so they know the date.

5/2/2007 12:19:11 PM

Quote :

"My handwriting sucks so the envelopes will look horrible but i don't care"

Print the envelopes, too. Find a nice script font. If you're going to print, I highly recommend that you find a laser printer somewhere. Experiment with the paper type in printer settings to find the one the looks best. It makes a difference.

5/2/2007 1:17:02 PM

Danielle I had no idea, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

5/2/2007 1:18:37 PM

i made mine, too. I bought blank invites & RSVP cards w/ envelopes at Michael's. they turned out great and just took us one afternoon to print & address

5/2/2007 1:34:47 PM

if you go the cheap route don't lick them to seal them

5/2/2007 1:35:35 PM

why is this such short notice?

5/2/2007 1:37:02 PM

Quote :

"we made our own. you can get blank invitation packs at michaels. we printed it and then glued a pretty ribbon sash and dried flowers on it. it looked really nice, and we spent under $100 for close to 250."

yeah we basically did the same thing.

i'm usually anti-making your own shit, but in this case the juice was worth the squeeze. professionally made ones are ri-goddamn-diculous. i think we were quoted like 750. we made them all in one day, they were fancier than what we were quoted for, and spent a grand total of $50 (excluding printer ink... my father in law has one of those wax printers that we got to use for free)

5/2/2007 1:41:33 PM

well, i guess i shouldnt say "we" made them, more like "she" made them.

5/2/2007 1:42:48 PM

just FYI ... you probably already knew this but If Its Paper does sell boxes of invitations (this is where we got ours). If you have an inkjet printer make sure not to get anything with really tall embossing because it'll scrape the inside of the printer - doesn't hurt the printer, but gets ink (usually black ink) on the embossed stuff.

Michael's and AC Moore in Crossroads - JoAnne fabrics is in with BJ Wholesale, PetSmart, etc.

Address labels ... I'd buy the clear ones. I think you can get them done in like 24 hours at Staples or you can buy sheets and make them. While you're at it you can make labels of all your guests' names. It's technically not "formal" but this is also the computer age and no one gives a shit any more as long as the contents are pretty

5/2/2007 3:02:53 PM

thanks!
we bought them at Michaels tonight. pretty paper with pressed flowers. now we just have to figure out what to write and how to print these darn things.

address labels at Staples are the stop for tomorrow - along with stamps.

fun fun fun

5/2/2007 9:25:34 PM

Just FYI...stamp prices go up May 14th...so for the RSVP cards, you'll have to buy Liberty Stamps.

5/2/2007 10:27:13 PM

what to write: this place helped me http://www.verseit.com/

how to print: I used a blank sheet of paper cut down to the size of my invites and practiced a few times

5/2/2007 10:44:00 PM

Quote :

"address labels at Staples are the stop for tomorrow"

Why not print the envelopes, too? It'll look much better than labels and it's just as easy.

5/3/2007 8:44:03 AM

yeah, noticed it was too late (you had already purchased something), but I went to The Write Image in Saltbox Village to get my Bridal Shower invitiations done up and they had 30 done up in 2 days. Really pretty selection.

Good luck printing them though!! And Congratulations!!

5/3/2007 8:49:01 AM

you can buy the transparent and translucent address labels at Staples

5/3/2007 8:51:50 AM

I wonder if Kinkos would give me a good price for printing them... I'm just afraid it's not going to look good if we do them.
I can't imagine it would cost that much... worth stopping by to ask.


any suggestions for favors?
I was thinking about making donations in the names of all our guests to non-profits and foundations... is that weird?

i just don't want to spend $texas on something half of them will leave behind or never use

Either that or little boxes of gourmet chocolate or engraved shot glasses (we're both bartenders so it would be appropiate)

5/3/2007 10:49:00 AM

i'm not doing favors.

i can't remember one wedding i've been to where i took the favor or even remember what it was. usually they are just cheap pieces of crap that the guests dont care about. to be honest, i wouldnt want a crappy glass or frame with someone else's names engraved on it. what do you do with that kind of stuff? shove it in a drawer or back of a closet. they are a waste of $$$!!!

^ i like your donations idea. thats actually helpful and i think guests will def. appreciate it

[Edited on May 3, 2007 at 10:52 AM. Reason : a]

5/3/2007 10:51:57 AM

http://www.the-human-fund.org/

5/3/2007 10:52:46 AM

I mean it could just be $2 in everyones name and just have it on the back of their place cards
Cancer foundations since we've lost relatives to it, heart foundation, spca, rescue groups, etc.. Pick like 5 and just do it randomly.

I do a lot of volunteer work and my family does as well. Maybe we can do the shot glasses for the reception we have down here in NC a week after the wedding (we're having it at a bar)

my fiance doesn't like the idea. But it'll be hard to find favors for less than $5 each and $5 x 200 guests = $1000. especially in less than 2 months.

My photographer is my best friends mother and she could print wallet size pictures of us. but thats something to include in the thank you cards right? She took some incredible pictures of us at Christmas time that we're going to use as engagement pictures.

5/3/2007 11:00:00 AM

^^^

I was against the idea of favors for the same reasons until I found out that you can get custom made M&Ms. Because I have a lot of family that went to UNC, we thought we'd stick it to them by having bags of red and white M&M's that said Go Pack on 'em.

it was only a couple of hundred bucks total, so it was worth the dig at the tarholes that were present.

5/3/2007 11:07:20 AM

^they're that cheap?! we both looveeee m&ms so thats a cute idea

5/3/2007 11:19:33 AM

shotgun wedding?

5/3/2007 11:19:43 AM

Quote :

"any suggestions for favors? I was thinking about making donations in the names of all our guests to non-profits and foundations... is that weird? "

I ran a biz for a couple of years doing favors. Most people wanted some kind of candy - almond flowers, lollipops, etc. Personally I like the idea of donating $ - if you wanted to you could to tent cards at each place setting (with or without candy ) or you can just put a sign at the entrance to the reception.

5/3/2007 11:59:35 AM

i agree. make a donation to the human fund.

5/3/2007 12:00:31 PM

Quote :

"^they're that cheap?! we both looveeee m&ms so thats a cute idea"

checked online again, and looks like they're a little more than they used to be.

they're $3.75 for a (weddingish) bag of 20, so for 200, you're looking at $750. Thinking back, there may have been some deal on slickdeals.net or something b/c we got 200 and i remember paying around $300 tops.

[Edited on May 3, 2007 at 12:10 PM. Reason : http://www.mymms.com]

5/3/2007 12:10:41 PM

http://www.theknot.com --> the message boards there have a lot of good ideas.

5/3/2007 5:54:40 PM

I got mine firom Hall Mark, nice and simple, but I do not know if they could be in by Monday.
VERY AFFORDABLE!! They were about $200. My husband and I had a very tight budget.That is everything included.



[Edited on May 3, 2007 at 7:04 PM. Reason : ...]

5/3/2007 7:00:52 PM

Was just in a wedding... the M & M's were done and just sat by the door, and they were left with more than half of them after the wedding, so make sure if you do something like that to put them on the tables or in a very visible place so people know to take them

also, we're doing a donation as our favor, and we picked an organization that was close to our hearts. I think that's way more meaningful to give to someone in need then to give your guests a five minute sugar rush. They'll appreciate it too.

5/9/2007 9:30:58 AM

yeah, anything left on a table will be left there. gotta put that shit on tables.

5/9/2007 9:36:30 AM

dont wait until the last minute or anything

5/9/2007 9:37:57 AM

custom candy bar wrappers!

I'm doing these as 'favors' we're going to make a bunch of the bite-sized pieces with our monogram on them and just put a bunch on each table. I'm not sure how that would work for you with as many people as your having, but we made up some for a party my mother-in-law was throwing as the party favors for that with the huge hershey's bars, and they looked amazing. Very personalized touch, for very cheap!

good luck with everything! I've been planning my wedding lately and if I find any other neat ideas i'll post them here.

I found the wrong link, but i'll post the right one once I dig it up. sorry!


here ya go-
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/content/38037/

[Edited on May 9, 2007 at 9:56 AM. Reason : wrong address...]

[Edited on May 9, 2007 at 9:57 AM. Reason : found it.]

5/9/2007 9:54:43 AM

cool thanks everyone


the ones I bought at Micheals didn't work with our printer so I returned them

I ended up making them at Kinkos. I wrote them out in a word document, added a pretty clip art border and had them printed on card stock that had a beautiful design on it.
The woman there helped me format them and cut them and they came out perfect.

the best part was it cost only $30 for 200 invitations (1/2 sheet) and 200 response cards (1/4 sheet). The envelopes were the most expensive part.

but all the invites went out yesterday


now we're working on favors
I picked up some great craft books at Micheals and will make something cute. I don't think we're going to do the donations after all.


Now what do I do about wedding party gifts.

5/9/2007 11:16:37 AM

i'm getting my girls together and we're going to do manicure/pedicure stuff before the wedding, and along with that they're going to get a goodie basket from the spa. Maybe do something along those lines? I've no clue what chris is doing for his guys though.

5/9/2007 2:09:15 PM

coolest thing i saw at a wedding that was different was a table with little boxes for everyone to get, and then containers with everyone's favorite candies. that way everyone could make their own box of candies. and then you didn't have to really do much at all.
just an idea
skip

5/9/2007 5:14:35 PM

LMK if you want any favor ideas - it's always good to go with a theme


wedding party - whatever you do, make sure it's something personalized for each person. I don't mean it has to have their names on it, but make sure it's something the person will like and enjoy. Hobbies or personal likes/dislikes are good. (For example, I personally do not wear much jewelry so giving me a bracelet or something would be pointless, whereas my sister is the total opposite.) For some people, going out of your way to take a day with them would mean more than a wrapped up gift. For my Mom's birthday my sister and I spent the day with her - we spent the morning shopping for plants then took her to lunch. (We informed our brother that he would be planting them for her ) Total we spent less than $100, and it was obvious she enjoyed it.

5/9/2007 5:38:57 PM

My sister got us all necklaces with gemstones that matched the bridesmaid dresses, she had our uncle, who owned a gem mine at the time, make them all.

5/9/2007 6:35:41 PM

a couple weddings ive been to latley have given out 1 dollar lottery scratch offs. . those are always fun

5/9/2007 9:00:30 PM

In this age of the internets invitations should be via email. Think of all the trees and $$ you'll save.

5/10/2007 12:36:06 AM

speaking of trees ... and another tree thread ... arbor day foundation does trees in a tube that you could use as wedding favors

http://www.arborday.org/shopping/gifttrees/weddings.cfm

Quote :

"Give trees to your guests as a special reminder of your big day. Your unique and thoughtful mementos will be living memorials that last a lifetime. A thoughtful and appreciated gift today, they go on to make a contribution for generations to come. * Include your own message on a beautiful customizable label. * These hardy evergreen trees can be planted outdoors when timing and conditions permit, stored in a refrigerator, or grown for months indoors. * Only $3 each. * Choose Redwoods, Pines, or Spruces. * Recyclable tube converts into a birdfeeder after the tree is planted. "

5/10/2007 10:54:34 AM

youre getting married? i quit

5/10/2007 10:55:20 AM