Monthly Archives: May 2012

31May2012

Make envelope addressing easier and extra stylish!

Available in 10 design choices and 38 color options, Ann’s mailing labels are the perfect complement to any wedding invitation ensemble. And, guess what? Each of our mailing labels matches an existing invitation design!

Coordinating Addressing LabelsEtiquette says guests’ addresses should be handwritten or nicely printed, so how should you use print-your-own address labels?

• As return address labels on wedding invitations, respond cards or respond postcards.

• As main address labels on shower invitations and thank you notes.

• As return address labels on shower invitations and thank you notes. 

Using Ann’s print-your-own address labels is easy, too!  Just download the Word document in this post, enter the address information and print.

Print Your Own Address Labels – Template

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29May2012

Ideas for remembering your loved ones on your wedding day

Many couples choose to remember loved ones who have passed by doing something special on their wedding day. Memorial ideas may include photos at the ceremony or reception, a floral arrangement of Grandmother’s favorite flowers, a replica bouquet of the one their mother carried at her wedding, or Grandfather’s pocket watch carried by the groom.

We have also seen couples write something special about their loved ones in the program or say something special during a thank you speech. Another creative idea is to serve nontraditional cookies or pies from the loved one’s favorite recipes.

However you choose to share the memory of loved ones at your wedding is sure to be a meaningful addition to your special day. Here are a few more memorial ideas to consider.

Memorial Ideas for Your Wedding

1. Decorate the handle of your bouquet with a brooch from the loved one.

2. Add a brooch, tie clip or cuff link to the groom’s boutonniere.

3. Choose a small bud vase with their favorite flower and display a photo next to it.

4. Tie a decorative photo buckle to your bouquet.

5. Fill a memorial vase with flowers and display at the ceremony and reception.

6. Attach a button from their favorite jacket, or a favorite pin, to corsages or boutonnieres.

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24May2012

Creating a Damask Look for Your Fall Wedding

Damask is hot! Ann’s has damask products in a variety of colors to fit your wedding theme and budget. Below you’ll find a few of our favorite damask items in chocolate and mocha — perfect for fall!

We’ve shown several coordinating pieces, but try mixing and matching to get that popular pulled together look without the matchy-matchy feel.

 Damask Looks for a Fall Wedding1. Framed Monogram Invitation in chocolate and personalized with tangerine imprint.

2. Clearly Refined Save the Date in chocolate. Slightly different pattern but coordinates nicely.

3. Clearly Refined Programs tie the damask theme into your wedding ceremony.

4. Elegant Damask Accessories in mocha finish the look. Find a guest book, pen, unity candle, garter, ring pillow and flower basket all in mocha damask.

5. Two-piece favor boxes in mocha with maple leaf favor tags in spice and satin ribbon in brown. These simple but fun favors add vibrant color to fall tables. 

6. Clearly Refined Napkins in chocolate paired with mocha napkins and orange napkins. Mixing ooh la napkins™ with solid-colored napkins in fall hues gives an ordinary reception hall an instant makeover! 

Do you have a wedding theme? We’d love to hear what it is! Send us a quick comment below.

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21May2012

Hot Color Palettes for 2012 Fall Weddings

Every year, fashion brings us new color combinations and palettes to play with! Today we’re focusing on a few of 2012’s hottest color palettes for fall weddings.

We’ve chosen three invitations to showcase each color palette. You’ll notice we’ve showcased the color combos through choosing one color for the design and a complementary color for the wording.

Remember, most of Ann’s discount wedding invitations allow you to choose from a variety of colors for your wording. It’s a great way to add a splash of color to any invitation.

 Hot Color Palettes for 2012 Fall Weddings1. Soft and Sweet in tangerine with lagoon imprint.

2. Sweet Sophistication in lagoon with tango imprint.

3. Pretty Petals in tangerine with palm imprint.

4. Antique Details in tango with tangerine imprint.

5. Modern Floral in scarlet with tangerine imprint.

6. Growing Love in tango with brick imprint.

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Posted in Wedding Articles, What's New | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments
17May2012

Checking it off the list! Sending Your Wedding Announcements

Wedding Planning Checklist: Section 6: Part 6

The purpose of the wedding announcement is to inform friends and family who aren’t invited to the wedding about your marriage. These days, wedding announcements are more commonly used for destination weddings, where a minimal group of people is able to attend but the couple still wants to announce their wedding to all of their friends and family.

Wedding announcements should be sent either the day of the wedding or the day after. You can assign this task to someone in the wedding party or a family member, but you should have all announcements assembled, addressed, stamped and ready to go ahead of time.

You can create a wedding announcement by simply changing the wording on your wedding invitation, or you can choose an entirely new design. Wondering about what to use for wedding announcement wording? Read our post, Proper Wedding Announcement Wording and Etiquette.

Here are a few of our favorite wedding invitations for repurposing as wedding announcements. You can repurpose any invitation though, so shop all of Ann’s discount wedding invitations to find the perfect fit for your wedding style.

Wedding Announcements

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14May2012

New, Coordinating Reception Accessories Just Added

Are you planning a spring or summer wedding? We’ve added some beautiful, coordinating reception accessories to complete your wedding look. One design features whimsical butterflies, and the other features charming tulips. You’ll love the unique look of colorful, sculpted resin at a price you can afford.

Wedding Accessory Sets

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10May2012

Q&A: Ann’s Addresses Questions on Addressing Envelopes

Envelope Addressing

Question: What are the inner and outer envelopes for? Do I address both envelopes?

Answer: The majority of Ann’s invitations come with outer envelopes only, but we do offer invitations with inner envelopes as well. The inner envelope is still a common part of today’s wedding invitation ensemble, but has become a more traditional/formal element. Our Wedding Planning Guide article, Helpful tips for assembling/addressing your invitations, has a thorough explanation of the inner and outer envelopes. Check it out! 

Question: I like the separate and send wedding invitations, but how do you address them? Is it the same as a regular invitation?

Answer: Yes. Sep and send invitations are addressed the same as traditional invitations. The only difference is that this value set comes with the invitation, reception card and respond card all on one sheet, which you separate before assembling. You still receive an outer envelope and an envelope for the respond card, both of which you’ll need to address.

Question: Are seal and send invitations truly just “seal and send,” or do I address it like any other invitation?

Answer: Seal and send invitations do not come with outer envelopes, but there is a place for you to write the recipient’s address on the front of the folded seal and send. Unlike traditional invitations, the price of a seal and send includes printing your return address on the outside and on the respond card.  To learn more about seal and send invitations, read “What’s the deal on Seal and Sends?”. 

Question: Do I have to handwrite guests’ addresses on the wedding invitations? Can I use address labels?

Answer: Wedding invitations should be hand addressed, but it is acceptable to have envelopes nicely printed with guests’ addresses. (Consider Ann’s addressing service to save yourself some time and effort.) According to etiquette, address labels are not acceptable for guests’ addresses. However, they are acceptable for the return address on the outer envelopes and the respond card envelopes, especially if they coordinate nicely with the invite’s design (like our Flowers and Flourishes Wedding Invitation and address label).

Before you start addressing, see the “Top 10 Things to Remember When Addressing Your Wedding Invitation Envelopes.”

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Posted in Wedding Etiquette, Wedding Invitations & Stationery | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments
07May2012

Tie it all together! Decorating with Bulk Ribbon

Finding affordable wedding decorations can be difficult, but bulk ribbon is a money-saving trick we use ALL the time. You can prettify pretty much anything with a little ribbon.

Bulk Ribbon Rolls

Ann’s offers colorful satin ribbon in two sizes: 3/8” and 5/8”. Both sizes are sold in rolls of 100 yards. What does that mean for you? 100 yards of ribbon equals:

• 240, 2-inch favor boxes when knotted and wrapped around the box. We use 15-inch ribbon lengths.
• 180, 2-inch favor boxes when tied in a bow and wrapped around the box. We use 20-inch ribbon lengths.
• 100 dinning chairs, wrapped around the back. We use 36-inch ribbon lengths.
• 37, 8-foot tables as table runners from end to end.
• 30, 10-foot tables as table runners from end to end.

Try some of these great ideas for using ribbon.

Use Ribbon to DIY

You can buy ribbon at your local craft store, but be careful. Not all craft stores sell large rolls of bulk ribbon, which means you may need to order it in advance or hit up a couple different stores. Getting it from different stores means you might not get an exact color match.

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04May2012

May Day Giveaway Winners and Flower Girl Ideas

Congratulation to our winners, Bekah, Tiffany and Amanda!Flower Girl wearing Cowboy Hat

We asked brides to tell us about their flower girl and the role she’ll play in the wedding to be entered for a chance to win a $50, 1-800-FLOWERS gift card. Thank you for commenting! We got some really great feedback from all of you.

Here’s what our winner, Bekah, said:

“My flower girl is a girl that I babysit and go to church with. She is 3 1/2. She has light brown hair with natural curls and highlights. She will be wearing a white tu-tu dress with a black bow in her hair. She will carry a basket made by a lady at our church. Instead of flowers she will be throwing out pretty sparkling butterflies. She is excited. She will be beautiful.”

Here’s what our winner, Tiffany, said:

“We are having three of our beautiful neices as our flower girls. Two 4 year old twins and 1 five year old to rein them in and get them to listen. We are hoping that between the three of them we get a few petals on the ground and atleast one of them makes it all the way down.

They are wearing light lilac dresses that sparkle so pretty in the light (JCP on sale $20 a peice) and we bought metal “Easter” baskets from Micheals. They are so simple with small flower detail and a perfect garden feel to go along with our wedding. They will also be barefoot with a nice pedicure and purple toe nails painted. They are so excited to go sit in the big chairs at the salon!!

For gifts we purchased tiaras for them, because every girl needs to feel like a princess, as well as monogrammed locket-necklaces. Something they can wear for a few years on special occassions and remember the day. We were going to get them personalized teddy bears but they have so many that we wanted them to have something extra special.

With a little over a month till the wedding, our Michigan weather finally starting to cooperate we are all very excited to have them start practicing the walk. (We bought seperate baskets so they don’t break the real ones!)”

Here’s what our winner, Amanda, said:

“I will have 2 flowers girls. My daughter who will be 13 months at the wedding will sit in a wagon with petals in it. My 5 year old cousin will be the second flower girl, she will pull my daughter in the wagon. I am hoping that my daughter will play with the petals and throw some of them out of the wagon. My colors are purple so I want a purple wagon. I am so excited to see how cute she looks in the little wagon!”

Thank you to all who entered!

We also wanted to share some of the creative ideas our brides posted. Nice work, ladies! There were so many great ideas. We decided to highlight just a few, but be sure to read through all of the comments for wonderful inspiration!

• The girls will carry wands instead of the typical basket.
 
• She will have a wooden hand painted sign that says, “Here Comes The Bride!”

• Our wedding theme is peacocks and she will be throwing out a mixture of flower petals and peacock feathers.
 
• She will carry a drawstring flower bag that is black with spider web material that will contain black and burgundy rose petals.
 
• Each Flower Girl will be holding a rustic, brown flower girl basket that has their name and wedding date painted on to a chalkboard heart.
 
• I am having a roaring 20′s inspired wedding so she will be wearing a little flapper dress and she will be escorted by her brother Adrain who will be wearing a little gangster/mobster suit.
 
• We have so many adorable kids in our families, so choosing was so impossible. Instead, our dogs are our flower girls. We got them matching harnesses and leashes that go with our circle theme!
 
• They will both carry ivory flower girl baskets & have butterflies & hearts that are stamped out in navy paper, yellow paper & sheets of music.
 
• She will carry a crepe paper flower pomander.
 
• I wanted the flower girl to have a flower ball hanging from a ribbon, but I didn’t want to pay $40 for a real one that could get damaged – I managed to find one at a craft store for $5.00! I’ll put one brooch on her flower ball to match the brooches in my bouquet.

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02May2012

10 Wedding Registry Tips

 Couple Registering Online

Here are our top 10 wedding registry tips plus some bonus info we think you’ll like — enjoy!

1. Register early. Our wedding planning checklist says around 9 months before the wedding. If that seems early, remember that you’re registering for pre-wedding celebrations also, like engagements parties and wedding showers.

2. Register together. It might be tempting to let one person take care of registering due to busy schedules, but couples should register together for equal representation.

3. Vary the price points. Make sure you’re registering for gifts under $50, under $75, under $100, under $150 and so on. This allows guests to choose a gift they can afford.

4. Check return policies. It’s good to know the exchange/return policies at each place you plan to register. Some stores are more flexible than others.

5. Revisit your registry. As gifts are purchased, you will want to revisit and update your registry to make sure there’s a well-rounded list of options for guests to choose from.

6. Register for gift cards. Many stores allow you to register for gift cards, which is a much more etiquette-friendly way to ask for money.

7. Get what you want. As a bargainista, you’re fairly practical and will likely register for things you need, but this is your chance to ALSO register for the things you WANT.

8. Rule of thumb. Register for twice as many gifts as people giving gifts. One couple equals one gift giver. This will ensure a lot of options for your guests.

9. Spread the word. Word of mouth is the best way to spread registry information. It is not proper to put registry info on pre-wedding party invites or wedding invitations.

10. Make purchasing easy. Be sure to register at one or more places that take orders online or by phone so out-of-town guests can purchase a gift easily.

BONUS: We have a few favorite stores we like for wedding registries and we’re sharing them with you! We’d LOVE to hear what your favorites are. Leave us a comment below. 

Bed Bath & Beyond is the nation’s top wedding registry. They have expert registry consultants and an excellent online catalog for couples. They also offer a registry incentive program worth checking out. 

Kohls offers a wedding rewards program called Ever After Rewards where you earn 10% rewards on gifts purchased from your registry.

Target offers a great online wedding registry catalog with fun, interactive design! They also have a savings program where you pick a day to shop online and another to shop in store and you get 10% off everything left on your registry.

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