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There are SO many things to know, and write about Wedding Invitations, or
any invitation for that matter. Over time I will be updating this page greatly, so please come
back often, sit back and enjoy my articles of everything relating to Invitations.
Be sure to take a look at my wedding invitations above. I can make anything you
desire at costs that would simply drive other invitation businesses out of business!

 

-Frequent Questions-

What is the process for ordering invitations?

1.) Fill out an information order form and mail it to:

Your Life Long Memories
11163 16th Street NE.
Saint Michael, MN 55376

2.) I will make a sample of your invitation and send you pictures as soon as it's done.

3.) Fill out the contract form and mail it to me with your full payment. Once I have received the contract and payment, I will begin making your invitations. There will be no refunds after I have started your order. This process takes between 4-8 weeks.

4.) Once your invitations are complete, I will ship them out to you and notify you with a shipping confirmation number and estimated time of delivery.

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When should I prepare and send out wedding invitations?

Wedding planning is a lot of work! When you have the time to look for a design that you'd like in an invitation, I would take that opprotunity to start the wedding invitation process. A good time frame is about 4-5 months before your wedding date. It's never too early to start planning, so that you have plenty of time to change your mind, if you choose to.

You want to send your wedding invitations out about 6-8 weeks in advance, so your guests have time to keep the date of your wedding open. If you are worried that 2 months isn't enought notice, you should send out save-the-date cards. I would love to desgin a save-the-date card to cordinate with your wedding invitations.

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Can I change things on an invitation I like on your website?

Yes! All my invitations are custom made, so you can add or take off anything you choose to. I also will make a replica of an invitation that you have or found a picture of, and change anything about it that you would like changed. Colors are always changeable too.

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How far in advance should I order my invitations?

I recomend that you order them 4-6 months prior to your wedding date. Wedding invitations should be sent out 6-8 weeks before your wedding date. After I have received your payment, your order will take between 4-8 weeks to make, depending on the complexity of your invitation order.

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Do you offer rush ordering?

Time permitting, I offer rush ordering. If your invitations are needed in 4-5 weeks, I charge a 25% ($20.00 minimum). If your invitations are needed in 3 weeks of less, I charge a 35% fee ($50.00 minimum). All orders are subject to materials being available. I will work with you and do my best to get you your order as soon as I possibly can.

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How much will the postage be on each invitation?

Each invitation varies. If you would like the exact postage I will get the postage dollar amount after I have compiled a sample for you, with the exact measurements and weights.

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What are my payment options?

I accept personal checks, business checks or paypal

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Can I use another language?

Yes! I can use any language on your invitation. I do ask that the correct wording and puncuation be given to me as your would like it on your invitation or other paper good.

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Do you offer sample invitations?

I do offer sample invitations. A sample invitation costs $10.00 including shipping. If you place an order with me, the $10.00 wil be credited in the total cost of your order. Samples ship out the day after I receive your payment in the mail.

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Do you offer paper samples?

I do have samples of the paper and colors that are available. If you would like color samples mailed to you, please e-mail me your address and the colors of paper you are interested in. I only ask that with your payment of an order, you return the samples to me.

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How many invitations should I order?

If you are able to determine the exact number of invitations you will need, it is always safe to order a few extra. You can estimate how many invitations to order by taking half of your total number of guests and adding 25. This will give you a ball-park number of inviations to order. Remember that only one invitation goes out per household. I make inviation order by the number of inviations that you need, I do not require a certain quanity.

Some reasons to order a few extra: you might add someone to the list at the last minute, or someone in your family might want one for a scrapbook/memory box, just incase, it will be nice to have a few extra on hand.

I do give you extra envelopes too, just incase their are any mistakes make when printing or writing the names and addresses on the envelopes.

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How far in advance should I order my wedding programs?

Your wedding programs contain a lot of information, some of which you don't know until a couple months before your wedding date. Your can choose the design of your program at anytime, but as soon as you have all your ceremony, wedding party and other information you want included in your program, you should start to think about how you would like it set up in your program. Depending on the complexity of your programs, they usually take between 3-5 weeks to complete.

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How many programs should I order?

There are two routes you can go about for ordering wedding programs.

1.) you can order on invitation for each guest you invite, so everyone can have their own program.

2.) You can order a little over half of the number of guests that you invite, so that each couple or family share a program.

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How long will my wedding program order take?

After I have received your payment and the final proofs have been made on your programs, your order will take between 3-5 weeks, depending on the complexity of your program order.

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Are envelopes included in the price?

I do include standard white or cream envelopes with your order. I can do special order envelopes, whether it be lined, a special color or vellum, I will work with you to find the envelope that you want. Additional cost of specialty envelopes will be added to your total.
If you choose not to use the envelopes that I provide, your total will not be credited.

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How do you ship the invitations?

You are responsible for the cost of shipping. I package my invitations to ensure their safe arrival using USPS, UPS or FedEx. Expedited shipping is available and will add to the total cost of shipping.

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Do you include envelopes for the RSVP cards?

All my RSVP cards are made postcard sized, to cut some of the postage cost for you. They are made to be sent out in the mail with a postcard stamp and be written on by each guest and be returned to you. If you would like envelopes for your RSVP cards, an additional charge will be added to your total.

* RSVP card wording options

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What does my price include when I order wedding invitations?

The total price includes:

-Your choice of wedding invitation
-Standard envelopes to fit
-RSVP card postcards

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How do I tell my guest where I am registered?

It is considered rude to include a card saying where you have registered. That is like asking for a gift. The best way to let youg guest know where you are registered is by word of mouth. If you have a website for your wedding, you can post your registries on there and let your website be known by word of mouth, e-mail or on your save-the-date cards.


  

-Articles-

-Invitation Etiquette-

Ask each of your parents for a list of the people they'd like to invite. Begin creating your guest list, you should creat a seperate guest list from your finace, to make sure you don't forget anyone. You should decide if you would like to include children, if so, make sure to add their names to your guest list. Be sure that all names are spelled correctle and that all addresses are correct.

You should order you wedding invitations 4-6 months before your wedding. Traditionally wedding invitations are issued by the bride's parents, if the groom's parents are sharing the wedding expenses, the invitations should include their names too. You should mail all your invitations out at the same time, 6-8 weeks prior to you wedding. After your invitations are in the mail, you will just wait till you get responses back. Most of your guests will RSVP, especially if a formal wedding invitation was sent with a RSVP card supplied. However, there will be those guests that forget to reply or wait until the last minute. In the case of guests not responding, the bride or bride's mother should call the guests to find out if they will or will not be attending.

Things to remember for invitations

-Will all your guests be invited to both the ceremony and reception?

-Each married/cohabiting couple should receive one wedding invitation. Your pastor/officiant and attendants should also receive one wedding invitation.

-If you are addressing your own invitations, you should allow about 2 weeks to address and mail them. If you are choosing to use a calligrapher, you should allow even onger.

-One of the jobs of the maid of honor is to help with the wedding invitations; stuffing, stamping and addressing the envelopes. It is a lot of work, do be afraid to ask for some help.

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-Thank You Cards-

Your thank you cards should be sent out no later than three months after your special day. It is best if you can get them out as soon as you can after your wedding. If you plan on going on a honeymoon, you should try to send them out soon after you get back.

When you write your thank you cards, they should be hand written, so it shows you guest you sincerely liked your gift and had some time to thank them for it.

What should I include in my thank you card?

You should have a plesant greeting, then express your gratitude. Remember to be specific about the gift they got you and to also thank them for attending your wedding. When thanking them for the gift, let them know how you plan to use it or if you aren't sure, or don't think you'll ever use the gift, simply say "thank you" or "I'll think of you everytime we use it." For those guest who could not attend you wedding, make sure to thank them for the gift they got you and for thinking of you on your special day.

Make a check list of guests to write thank you cards to. Make sure you thank everyone and make sure you thank them for the correct gift. One way to ensure accuracy is to make a list of each guest and record the gift they gave you as you open it up. If the guest gave you money, thank them without mentioning a specific amount. You may want to say what you plan on using it for or towards. Make sure your thank you cards are sent seperate for a shower thank you card.

Thank you cards are a must! Your guests took the time to pick out a wedding gift for you, so there should be no reason you can't thank them.

I can custom make your thank you cards to match your wedding invitations, to add a personal touch.

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-RSVP Cards-

There are many different ways to put your information on your RSVP card. Whether you need to know what each guest will be eating, the names of each guest or just how many guests are attending, you can have a lot of information or just a little.

You should give your guests about a month to RSVP to youw wedding. Not every guest will respond, so you will probably have to make a few phone calls or write a few e-mails to find out exactly how many guest will be attending.

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Things to consider when selecting you wedding invitation

I have a wide variety of wedding invitations and there are many more designs to choose from that I can custom make for you. What all my options, you are sure to find something you will be proud to send out to your friends and family. You wedding invitations should supply your guest with all the information they need to celebrate your wedding day with you and also reflect your personal stlye.

When picking your colors for your invitations, here are four things you can cordinate your colors with:


-Your flowers
-Your bridesmaids dresses
-Your dress
-Your scenery

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Wedding announcements vs. wedding invitations

Wedding announcements would be used if the couple was having a small or intimate ceremony that can't accomidate large amounts of guest. The bride and groom would send out wedding announcements the day of their wedding to announce their marriage to loved ones and friends.

You might also use wedding announcements to send to casual acquaintances, extended family or colleagues that weren't invited to the wedding. You can choose any of my wedding invitation designs for your announcements or I can custom make one for you.

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My article page is always changing and being added to. I hope to make it your source for
all things related to invitations / announcements / programs and Scrapbooks!!

If you have any ideas or want to know something please feel free to send me an e-mail.

©Copyright Your Life Long Memories 2004