Monthly Archives: April 2010

29Apr2010

Five Things You Didn’t Think to Ask about Wedding Invitations

Q. What is the etiquette about hand-delivering wedding invitations?

A. Delivering some of your wedding invitations by hand is a fine and acceptable option. However, rather than slipping them into your coworkers’ mails slots or onto their desks, make sure it is an actual hand-delivery — from your hands to theirs.

Q. I’m 26 and have been living on my own for three years. Should the return address on our invitations be mine or my parents’?

A. Invite responses should be sent to whomever is hosting the wedding, and the hosts are traditionally the names at the top of your invite. If your parents are hosting, they should get the response cards. If you and your fiance are hosting, you should get the cards.

Q. We would like to send out save-the-date announcements a few months prior to our formal invitations. Our idea is to use our Christmas cards to serve this purpose. What are some appropriate wording ideas?

A. Great plan! The wording doesn’t have to be anything exceptionally formal. Something like “Save the weekend: Jane and John (or We) are getting married on April 24 in Chicago. Invitations and hotel information will be sent in early March.”

Q: Are there any “unacceptable” wedding invitation styles? My mom and I have been discussing proper invitation designs and color options.

A: Your invitation should reflect the event’s formality. Choose a design and wording that will give guests an idea of the style of the event and even allude to the proper attire. White or ecru paper printed in black ink are traditionally the most formal wedding invitations. Beyond this, invitations may hint at the color scheme of the wedding. You may even select an invitation design that fits directly into your wedding theme.

Q. I was looking for anniversary invitations and ran across a wedding invitation that’s just perfect. Can wedding invitations be repurposed for other events?

A. Yes! At least at Ann’s they can be. It’s all about the wording, and you can change your invitation wording to reflect whatever event you choose. If an invitation is printed with a wedding-related design, be sure to check the description for whether that design can be changed or if it’s only available as shown.

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27Apr2010

Wedding Respond Postcards — Cute, Convenient and Cost-Efficient

Instead of ordering respond cards with your wedding invitations, take a look at our respond postcards. Respond postcards save you postage costs and are a unique addition to your invitation ensemble. You can change the wording, ink color and typestyle so they coordinate beautifully with your wedding invitation.

Wedding respond postcards

If you’d like to eliminate the cost of a reception enclosure also, check out our corner copy option. Corner copy is printed in either the bottom left or bottom right corner of your invitation. Couples will often use corner copy to replace a reception card or for conveying important notes to guests. Click the corner copy option when personalizing your wedding invitation to see a preview of what it would look like. It’s only $5 total!

Now you can use the money you’ve saved on enclosures for other important elements of your wedding, such as ceremony accessories, reception decorations including personalized napkins or bridal party gifts.

At Ann’s Bridal Bargains, we’re all about shopping smart!

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22Apr2010

Happy Earth Day from Ann’s Bridal Bargains

In celebration of Earth Day, we’re sharing a few earth-friendly and nature-inspired ideas for your wedding.

• Lavender Buds are a great alternative to tossing rice or confetti and blowing bubbles after the wedding ceremony. Guests will enjoy throwing these scented buds your way as you’re leaving the church.

Lavender Buds for Wedding Favors


• The Ceremony Vase Set with Sand is a fun, more earthy approach to the traditional unity candle. The couple chooses a white or tan sand as the base to represent their spirituality. Then the bride and groom each choose a color of sand to pour together, which represents two becoming one. Great for outdoor weddings!

Sand Ceremony Vase Set


• Our Handkerchief and Verse Card is a traditional gift with long-term, sentimental value. This thoughtful keepsake can be passed down from generation to generation and won’t go to waste after the wedding.

Handkerchief and Card

 

• Respond Postcards are a cost-effective yet cute addition to your wedding invitation ensemble. (We’ll talk more about respond postcards in our next post, so be sure to check back on Tuesday!)

Wedding Respond Postcards


• Personalized Drink Coasters add a nice touch to your wedding reception and can be used for celebrations after the wedding, such as anniversaries. Or they can be used as everyday coasters in your new home together.

Personalized Drink Coasters


P.S. Don’t forget to check out our nature-inspired invitation designs, such as the Colors of Spring wedding invitation, Floral Delight wedding invitations and the Perfect Pair wedding invitation!

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20Apr2010

Tips For Wording Your Wedding Invitation

Need advice on how to word your wedding invitation? We’ve answered a few questions and listed some common scenarios to help you decide your invitation wording.

Important Tips

Determine who is hosting the wedding — bride’s parents, groom’s parents, bride and groom, etc.
Will the wedding be formal or informal?
Spell out all wording. Abbreviations are not used in wedding invitation wording except for Mr., Mrs., Ms., and Miss.
Traditional and/or formal wedding invitations are issued by the bride’s parents.
If the bride’s parents issue the invitations, Mr. goes in front of the groom’s name
If the groom’s parents issue the invitations, Miss. goes in front of the bride’s name.
The bride’s name always goes before the groom’s.

Traditional Wording from Bride’s Parents (Most Common):

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Ernest Ellingson

request the honour of your presence

at the marriage of their daughter

Jillian Lee

to

Mr. Steven Charles Millings

Saturday, the twelfth of June

two thousand fourteen

at half after four o’clock

Village Lutheran Church

Traditional Wording from Groom’s Parents:

Mr. and Mrs. Kent George Millings

request the honour of your presence

at the marriage of

Miss Jillian Lee Kraft

to their son

Steven Charles Millings

Invitation Wording from the Couple. (An invitation from the couple is considered informal.)

Miss. Jillian Kraft

and Mr. Robert White

request the honour of your presence

at their marriage…

If the bride or groom has parents that are widowed or divorced, here are appropriate wording options. (The following options are based on the traditional practice of the bride’s parents issuing the invitations. Any option can be modified to accommodate the groom’s parents issuing the invitations.)

If the bride’s mother is widowed or divorced:

Mrs. Traxler Ellingson

requests the honour of your presence

at the marriage of her daughter…

If the bride’s father is a widower or divorced:

Mr. Jonathan Ernest Ellingson

requests the honour of your presence

at the marriage of his daughter…

If the bride’s mother is remarried and both are hosting:

Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Casie Smith

request the honour of your presence

at the marriage of her daughter

Jillian Lee Ellingson…

If the bride’s father is remarried and both are hosting:

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Ernest Ellingson

request the honour of your presence

at the marriage of his daughter…

If the bride’s parents are divorced, but both are still sponsoring the wedding. (Listing parents on separate lines indicates divorced. This format may also work if the mother has remarried and taken a new name or uses her maiden name.)

Mrs. Lillian Ernest Ellingson

and

Mr. Jonathan Ernest Ellingson

request the honour of your presence

at the marriage of their daughter

Jillian Lee Ellingson…

If the bride’s parents are divorced, both are remarried, and all are sponsoring the wedding. (This is necessary if both sets of parents are contributing to the wedding.)

Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Casie Smith

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Ernest Ellingson

request the honour of your presence

at the marriage of

Mrs. Smith and Mr. Ellingson’s daughter

Jillian Lee Ellingson

to…

If you’d like to see examples of different wording ideas, you can find a variety of verses on http://verseit.com/. Invitation catalogs are another great place to get wording ideas. We suggest visiting http://www.invitationsbydawn.com/ and http://www.rexcraft.com/ for free catalogs.

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15Apr2010

Ann’s Partners with Rocket Life to Bring You Personalized Photo Products!

Easy and affordable personalized photo products are now just a click away at Ann’s Bridal Bargains. You can create fun wedding gifts, sentimental keepsakes and thoughtful photo albums for anyone on your list, or to keep for yourself. We suggest doing both!

Upload your photos in seconds and create products in minutes. You’ll find a variety of photo products, such as photo mugs, t-shirts, albums, key chains, mouse pads, posters and more! We’ve included a few examples of our favorite products below.

personalized photo books

personalized photo mugs personalized photo T-shirts

Best of all, Rocket Life makes creating these products even easier than you thought possible with Smart Arrangement technology. For example, if you’re creating a photo album, all you have to do is choose the album, theme (wedding, birthday, anniversary, etc.) and upload your pictures. Rocket Life’s photo tool will organize the photos for you in a stylish and attractive design. No worrying about what pictures go together or how to lay them out perfectly — Rocket Life takes care of it. Plus, there are tons of ways to customize your photos and products.

Check it out to see the full selection and to experience Rocket Life’s easy-to-use technology. Shop now or visit us later and click on the banner at the bottom of the Ann’s home page.

RocketLifeLogo

Questions? Rocket Life customer service will be glad to help. Contact them at answers@myphotoproducts.com or call 1-800-934-9514.

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13Apr2010

Celebrate end of tax season with savings on wedding invitations

Check out our great variety of wedding accessories and wedding invitations today. Now is a great time to take advantage of even more savings with 15% off already great prices. Browse a little, shop a little, get more for your refund — you’ve earned it!

Save money during our 72 hour sale

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08Apr2010

Inexpensive Alternatives to Popular Wedding Favors

Popular Wedding Favor: Clear Glass Favor Containers Clear wedding favor boxes

Inexpensive Favor Idea: Check out our clear plastic favor boxes. Add a colorful ribbon or personalized seal for extra charm and you’ll have a favor that looks great for a great price.

 

Popular Wedding Favor: Chocolates

Inexpensive Favor Idea: Hard candy is often less expensive than chocolates and can add beautiful color to your reception, especially when paired with the aforementioned clear favor boxes.

Popular Wedding Favor: Personalized Products

Personalized wedding sealsInexpensive Favor Idea: At Ann’s if a product is offered personalized, the personalization is free! But if you’re purchasing a product that doesn’t come personalized, check out personalized wedding seals. Seals are available in lots of designs, are always a great price and look good on everything from favor boxes to vases.

Popular Wedding Favor: Favor Bells Silver plated wedding favor bells

Inexpensive Favor Idea: No, you can’t get around the wedding reception kissing tradition (nor should you) and yes, guests could go with the silverware on glass technique, but wedding favor bells are way cuter, much more fun, and at Ann’s, reasonably priced! Save even more money by giving one per couple or put two or three at each table for people to share.

Popular Wedding Favor: Photo Frames

Pearl heart place card holders
Inexpensive Favor Idea: Set place card holders with a fanned display of photos at each table. Write the table numbers on the back of the photos to guide your guests. Encourage guests to take a photo as a favor. They also make great conversation starters.

 

Check out the rest of our inexpensive wedding favors!

 

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06Apr2010

The Importance of Wedding Response Cards

Respond cards are used for gathering an accurate guest count for your wedding, which is needed for both the caterer and the reception site. It pays to be diligent with respond cards. Having an accurate guest count saves money on food and rental equipment such as chairs and tables.

Portrait of a Bride Sitting at a Wedding Reception in a Garden With a Glass of Champagne

Respond cards are a part of the wedding invitation ensemble. After you find the invitation of your choice, you will be able to add the respond cards to your order.  They will be printed with a “respond by” date, “number attending” and choice of entrée, if you are offering one. Guests return the cards to you by the date indicated on the card, usually two weeks before the wedding. Respond cards always include envelopes unless you have chosen a separate ‘n send invitation, seal ‘n send invitation, or respond postcards. The envelopes are printed with the return address of the person compiling the guest count. This person may be the bride or groom, or it may be someone helping plan the wedding such as a mother, sister or friend. Also, remember to put a stamp on each respond envelope as a courtesy to your guests.

Wedding invitations (with respond cards) are usually sent 6–8 weeks before the wedding. Keep track of respond cards from the time the invitations are sent to about two weeks before the wedding. If guests have not replied by two weeks before the wedding, it is recommended to call guests to confirm whether they are attending.

 

Skipped a Beat wedding respond cards and envelopes Black damask wedding respond cards and envelopes

It is also recommended to finalize arrangements with a caterer about 2 months before the wedding. Once the guest count is gathered through tallying respond cards and confirmations through calling, the final guest count will go to the caterer and reception site at least one week before the wedding.

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01Apr2010

Wedding Planning Tricks to Save Money

In honor of April Fool’s Day, here are some wedding planning tricks to help you save.

Fabulous Fare for a Fair Price

Choose food that goes a long way. An Asian cuisine spread uses a lot of rice and noodles. When displayed creatively, this option may look expensive but is actually quite reasonable. Pasta with flavorful sauces, good old-fashioned potatoes and unique but tasty risotto are all great economical options as well.

Floral Frugality

Choose flowers that are in season and ask a florist to create one floral arrangement that you can mimic on your own.

Cutting the Cost of Cake

Stick with regular cake flavors and less labor-intensive frosting options like butter cream or whipped frosting. Although the look of fondant can be amazing, you can have beautiful wedding cakes without it for much less. Topping your cake with an inexpensive wedding cake top adds an extra touch while staying within your budget.

Inexpensive Cake Top

A New View on Venues

Choose one location for your ceremony and reception to avoid site fees and transportation costs. Also, check out colleges and public parks/spaces for reasonably priced options.

The Young but Experienced

When hiring a photographer, consider hiring an associate photographer. Some professionals will contract out the photographer working under them for a discounted rate. But don’t worry, associate photographers are very skilled and have valuable experience working with the head photographer.

Love your Wedding Invitation

Many online websites offer free wedding invitation samples so you can check out the quality of the paper and printing before placing your entire order.

Heart wedding invitationBlack damask wedding invitation

Making a Scene

Lush greenery offers a naturally elegant décor option for your reception venue and is often just as eye-catching as flowers, but less expensive. Use greenery to create an atmosphere that is relaxed and peaceful or exotic and original.

Tuned in to Technology

If you’re savvy with an iPod and know exactly what kind of music you want, rent some quality speakers, set up some lights and be your own DJ. You may want to ask a friend to be in charge of the music the night of your wedding, just in case.

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