The proof is in the pudding. Or the email attachment.

As you may recall, I had originally wanted to DIY my invitations, but I found a really great price on letterpress invitations that didn't require my amateur graphic design skills, and that were actually less expensive than printing my own (at $3.50 per suite from Ajalon Printing). Score!

Well, I got my proofs! I'm still a little sad that I didn't do them myself (awwww, poor me), but I have some DIY plans for these suckers!


I know it's a little hard to get a feel for them with all the names so distorted, but I am sure you can envision the loveliness. ;) Basically, the invitations are written in script font (I think it's Shelley Allegro), and Mr. Spaniel's name and mine, as well as the venue location, are in block font (Palatino Linotype, maybe?).

I love the "baroque" scroll art around the outlines of this invitation, and I'm planning to find a complimentary paper to line our envelopes. I'm also using the pattern to create a Directions insert card (which I'll print myself on cardstock).

And here are the RSVP postcards!


The outline on these were a little different than in the samples (since they are postcards), but I'll use this outline in the programs and menu, most likely, which I will, again, print at home (or at some print shop, but they won't be letterpressed, is my point!). I originally did not want to print menus, but since the full meal selection is not on the RSVP card, I want guests to be prepared for their side dishes, etc. I will have this information on our wedding website, eventually, but I know not everyone will check!

The programs will probably be the most involved DIY project I'm going to attempt. As it stands, I'll be printing up two column, portrait-folded invitations onto plain paper, cutting them in half, and affixing them to either side of a piece of portrait-folded black card stock. Then the backing will be folded, and the whole thing will be held closed with a belly band (matching my lined invitations, of course!). But this is only tentative... since we want to explain all of the cultural traditions in our multi-cultural wedding ceremony and introduce the wedding party in our programs, we might need more pages... in which case the programs will get more complicated!

But it's only fair, right? I mean, with how much I love paper, of course I would drop some serious time on it, right? Now accepting all justifications and excuses for spending my entire winter break on sprucing up paper goods. :)

My real question to you, oh 'Hive, is this: what in the world should I do with the back of these postcards? Don't they need a little sumthin'-sumthin'?