Guide to Sending Your Wedding Suite

Today's blog came directly from you guys! We get SO many questions when it comes to final assembly, stuffing, addressing, and sending your suites out to your guest. 

Here are our answers to our most commonly asked questions.  

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Assembly + Stuffing:

How should I stack all of my cards?

1. Belly Band, Ribbon, or String
   If you have a belly band or any type of string or ribbon tied around your invitation, then we suggest neatly stacking the other cards according to size and tucking them in on the front or backside of the suite. Stacking them in the back works best unless your suite was designed to stack them in the front. *pro-tip: make sure the cards are facing outward so your guests don't accidentally miss them. 
    
2. No band or ribbon
   If you are not planning on having anything around your invitation, then we suggest stacking them neatly according to size and place them in front or behind your invitation in the envelope. 

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Addressing:

 

How do you suggest addressing our envelopes?

There are three ways we suggest addressing all of your guest's addresses. 

1. Calligrapher
   Calligraphers are great and are typically paid per envelope they address. If you have a larger wedding the cost can add up quickly, but they are well worth it. One of the great bonuses of a calligrapher is the ability to use dark envelopes and light ink colors. #dreamy
    
2. Flat Printed
   If a calligrapher doesn't align with your budget goals, flat printing your addresses can be a great alternative. We can match the style of your wedding invitations to the style of the address, and can even match the color to those of your wedding suite. However, for flat printing, we are only able to print darker inks on lighter envelopes. 
    
3. DIY
   If you are planning on addressing your envelopes yourself, or having a family member or friend help you we have several pen suggestions based on your envelope color and stock. 

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Sending:

 

How much should postage be?

Only the post office can tell you this one. We even suggest taking a sample to several different locations to ensure you have the correct amount of postage. 

 

What are our Postage Options?

Postage is not something to wait until the last moment to handle. We will gladly make you a sample pack for weighting so you can get postage ahead of time for save-the-dates, invitations, and thank yous. This is even more important if you are wanting a specific stamp, vintage stamps, or custom stamps. 

 

How can we avoid our invitations being damaged in the mail?

Unfortunately, I am not sure there is any guaranteed way to make that happen. However, we have asked a few different places and based on what we have been told by USPS employees mailing them as a parcel seems to be the best solution, and the only way they are not run through the postal machines. 

However, we recently learned from a bride that in other countries wedding invitations are mailed in a clear plastic that is sealed to protect the invitation. We haven't tested this one yet, however it is on our list of mailing tricks to try.

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Have any other questions about assembly, stuffing or sending your suites?
We would love to hear from you. Send us a message on Instagram.
@theimpressionistatl

Genevieve Suite Feature

Genevieve Wedding Suite

romantic • classic • sophisticated

This wedding invitation suite is packed with texture. Letterpress printed on fabric and a warm white stock with muted rose colors, this wedding suite feels romantic and sophisticated while maintaining its formality. It features a save-the-date printed on warm white stock with a fabric overlay stitched on top paired with a plum envelope, and an invitation suite featuring: invitation printed on fabric, reply card and envelope, website card all within a warm white envelopes, and thank you card with warm rose envelope.

This is a fully customizable letterpress wedding invitation suite that can be modified top to bottom. Ink can be a blind deboss (printed with no ink!) or any Pantone color. Typefaces can be changed to preference. Essentially any element can be modified and tailored to accommodate your unique style and wedding. 

Every piece is hand printed and crafted by Alee & Press.

3 Ways to add Watercolor to your Letterpress Wedding Suite

 

Guide to Adding Watercolor to Your Wedding Suite

Adding watercolor artwork to your suite is a great way to add texture, color, and personality. But it can come at a few different price points, so here are a few to help guide you on your way. 
 

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1. Fully Custom on all Pieces | $$$

Providing fully custom watercolor pieces on each invitation, save-the-dates, etc is a great way to add personality and a highly custom feel. This means if you need 100 invitations, we would hand watercolor each piece on our letterpress 100% cotton stock, letterpress print over the artwork, and then cut it down to your final card. 

This works best when painting washes and single color artwork. Each piece will vary in color and be one-of-a-kind. 
 

2. Single Custom Piece Flat Printed | $$

Want a custom watercolor on your wedding suite, but want something more budget-friendly? This is your sweet spot. We will create a one-of-a-kind piece for you. Then flat print the same piece on our letterpress 100% cotton stock for all the invitations, or other pieces. Giving you the custom feel without the cost of painting each one individually.

Best for any watercolor artwork! From washes to highly detailed, this is a great way to go. It also works well with other custom artwork pieces.  

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3. Stock Artwork Flat Printed | $

If something custom isn't the most important factor for you, we can help you source stock artwork that we can purchase, and then have printed for use on your wedding paper goods. 

Great for adding personality without the highly custom look or feel. 

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There are several ways to add watercolor to your custom wedding suite. Schedule an appointment to create an invitation or wedding suite that tells a story to every guest.

5 Wedding Paper Trends We Love

There are so many trends out there, who's to know how long a trend will last.
But here are our favorites that we think will be around for a while.
Which ones will be adding to your wedding suite? 

 

Trends we love:

1. Booklets + Tri-Folds

Booklets and Tri-folds are great for any event, but they are especially helpful when there is a lot of information to give to your guest. Instead of having several different cards for your guest to keep up with, it is all in one. 

They work great as:

• Save-the-Dates 
• Invitation + all the details (weekend events, travel info., etc)
• Details + weekend events
   

2. Tone on Tone Printing

Tone on Tone printing isn't for every bride, but it is modern, timeless & bold. If you are concerned about legibility on the invitation itself. It works well on thank you notes, rsvp cards, and illustrations and patterns. 

We love seeing it on:

• Thank You Cards
• Bold Lettering
• Illustration + Patterns

3. Organic Patterns and Prints

In our book, prints and patterns are in, and we are soaking up all the organic prints and patterns we can. On one of our recent post we highlighted a local artist, and all of the amazing prints she created for us. Check that post out here. 

We love seeing it on:

• Envelope Liners
• Backs of Invitations
• Save-the-Dates
• Vellum overlays
   

4. Adding color in Unexpected Ways

Color can seem a bit daunting at times, but don't worry we are pros. One color invitations and suites and be enhanced so much by adding a bit of color in other pieces. Adding a different ink color on some elements, or adding color through envelopes and ribbon are great ways to take your suite to the next level. 

We love seeing it on:

• Tages
• Envelopes
• Envelope Liners
• Edge Painting
• Ribbon

5. Adding Texture

Adding touches of texture throughout your suite goes a long way. Fabric, vellum, and ribbon are a few of our favorite ways to add a unique element.  

Our favorite texture elements:

• Fabric
• Vellum
• Silk Ribbon
• Cotton Ribbon
• Tread

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Hopefully this gave you a few ideas on what you may want to add to your letterpress printed wedding suite. Adding just one of these elements can enhance the whole experience of your suite as your guests open them.

3 Tips for Keeping Your Guest List Organized

Hello lovely!

We are so excited to share our tips on keeping your guest list organized, but I am going to be honest with you, the real gem of this post is the awesome download at the end! We have spent some serious time testing and tailoring it to help you keep track of all things on your guest list. 

Think about it, by the time you are done you have most likely sent save-the-dates, rehearsal dinner invitations, bridal shower invitations, wedding invitations and countless thank you notes. All of those addresses can be handled in one document. Truly lifesaving.

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our three best tips:
 

1. Customize your list:

Take a moment to consider what information you will need before you start gathering all those guest names & addresses.

Think about things like: 

• Will you be including inner envelopes with our invitations? (if so, add a separate column for those names)
• Will you be sending out separate invitations to other weekend events? Think rehearsal dinner, bridal luncheon, Sunday brunch. (if so add columns for each, and mark which guest will get what when you add in their names)
• Know someone who may move between sending save the dates and invitations? Make a column for them so you can check back before the final send-off. 

All of these can save you from having several lists, and so much time when it comes to stuffing and sending out everything. 

2. Track everything

On the download, you will see columns for all these different elements, and you may have even added more from the tip above, but all that setup will be so worth it when you have an organized list that will save you hours! 

Think of this as your command center for tracking all of your guest information. Don't just make a list for mailing, but use it to track who will be attending what and who you will be inviting to which events. 

3. Share your list

This is the most helpful part of this list, in my humble opinion, it not only is so helpful for you to know what has been sent, and who gets what invite, but it is a great tool to pass on to all of the lovely people who are helping you along the way. From bridal showers to thank yous, keeping all of your lists in one location will make keeping things together a breeze. (Well at least a lot more organized and less chaotic)