Invitations to your wedding are often the first impression a guest will have about your big day. We loved sitting down with Tickled Ink’s Emily Johnson to learn all the “must knows” about custom invitations.
In today’s blog, we learn about the different types of invitations, upcoming trends, and timelines.
About Tickled Ink
Tickled Ink was born 10 years ago in Atlanta when Emily left her ad agency job to start her own custom design business. Since then, the business has grown and developed and relocated to Chattanooga, TN!
Today, all of her invitations are hand drawn, painted, and designed by Emily. In fact this ensures that the invitation is a perfect match with the vibes of the wedding. Emily’s favorite part of the job is getting to intertwine her two favorite things: art & people! We loved sitting down with her to talk all things invitations! Here’s the scoop.
Must Have Content
So what are the things that MUST be included on a wedding invitation? According to Emily, there are several different lines to consider.
The first is the “Host Line.” This is the line that communicates who is throwing the party. Depending on the wedding this might be the parents of the bride, both sets of parents or even the bride and groom themselves.
Next is the bride and groom’s full names.
Finally, the details about the ceremony time and location are given followed by the reception information.
Of course, when you’re working with a custom invitation artist you can make special changes and get creative with your invites!
Printing Styles
As with any paper products, there are a variety of different printing options. In today’s world digital is a legitimate option which actually requires zero printing and is both tree and budget friendly.
However, we are still big fans of paper invitations! Not only does it communicate value, but also everyone loves coming home to an absolutely stunning letter in their mailbox!
So if you’re going with paper thermography, letterpress, foil, laser cutting, and engraving are your options. And if you book with Emily, she goes over each printing material in the meetings, and has examples to show you. Sounds like a dream!
Invitation Timeline
Before you make a timeline, you’ll need to decide whether you want custom invitations or to work off of a template from websites like Shutterfly or Minted. Of course there are pros and cons to both. So you’ll want to think about your budget and style before you make that call.
If you decide to go the custom invite route, you’ll need to think about design time, print time and assembly time. Typically, clients contact Tickled Ink about 6 months before their wedding date. But that’s not always necessary.
Emily suggests at least 4-6 weeks for design time if you’re wanting a custom wedding map. However, if you are ordering from a design that’s already been created, it could be done in as quick as 2-3 weeks. Also, it is normal for the printing to take between 7 and 15 business days. The bottom line is that you will want to get ahead of the game on this one!
As a rule of thumb, save the dates are sent 6 months prior to the date of the wedding. Invitations should be sent out at least 8 weeks before the big day, or even earlier if it is a destination wedding.
Make A Statement
In the coming year, Emily expects to see more wax seals, ribbons, vellum, deckled edges, watercolor and hand drawn touches, calligraphy for the envelopes, wedding crests or custom wedding logos, letterpress printing, foil printing, wedding maps (painted or hand drawn), and acrylic invitations & wedding signs.
We’ve seen several of these trends throughout the year at our weddings. Seeing the vision of the bride come to life through creative invitations is one of many details we love! After all, your invitations are the first impression your guests will have about your wedding.
Often the invitations you choose give the unspoken clues to the formality and style of the wedding. So you’ll want to make sure your invitations communicate what you are wanting for your big day.
Invitation Pricing
When it comes to pricing, there’s no simple answer! Emily works with all budgets and offers several different products and packages. Brides can order anything from save the dates, invitations, signage, napkins, cups, koozies, stationery, programs, and all the Day of Wedding pieces. In the meeting, Emily discusses pricing and gives quotes based on your special needs for the big day so that you can be sure to get exactly what you want while staying within your budget!
Get to Work
With all of this helpful information, the only thing left to do is get to work! So hop on over to pinterest and start gathering ideas.
To see more of Emily’s work, visit her website!
