Abbreviations

• There should be no abbreviations on names or street addresses.  St, Ave, Rd, should all be spelled out.
• It is ok to abbreviate states, the post office prefers this.

Numbers

• Numerals are generally used for house number, although it is appropriate to write out any number one through twenty.
• Numbered streets may be written whichever way you find most aesthetically pleasing.
• Numerals are always used for zip codes

Names

• Given names, not nicknames, should be used when addressing an envelope.   For example, Mr. Joe Smith should be addressed as Mr. Joseph Smith
• If the guest is a junior, senior or I, II, III, etc. this should be included on the outer envelope.  It is not necessary to include it on the inner envelope unless for example, a junior and a senior both live at the same address.
• Below is a guide for how to address your guests.  Traditionally there were always two envelopes included with a wedding invitation.  If your invitation has two envelopes, you would follow the Outer and Inner guides.  Most modern invitations are forgoing the inner envelope in an effort to reduce costs and to be environmentally conscience; if you only have one envelope follow the outer only guide.

Single Guest

Unmarried female

Outer                     Miss Jane Jones

Inner                     Miss Jones and Guest

Outer Only          Miss Jane Jones and Guest

Unmarried Male

Outer                     Mr. Carl Davis

Inner                     Mr. Davis and Guest

Outer Only           Mr. Carl Davis and Guest

Divorced female kept married name

Outer                     Ms. Jane Smith

Inner                     Ms. Smith and Guest

Outer Only           Ms. Jane Smith and Guest

Widowed Female     

Outer                     Ms. Jane Smith or Mrs. John Smith

Inner                     Ms. Jane Smith and Guest

*Never use ‘and guest’ for recently widowed female

Unmarried Couples

Unmarried couples that do not live together

Outer                      Miss Jane Jones  *Address to person living at mailing address

Inner                      Miss Jones and Mr. Davis

Outer Only            Miss Jane Jones and Mr. Carl Davis

Unmarried couples that live together

*The women’s name is always listed first

Outer                    Miss Jane Jones and Mr. Carl Davis

Inner                    Miss Jones and Mr. Davis

Outer Only          Miss Jane Jones and Mr. Carl Davis

Married Couples

Traditional

Outer                      Mr. and Mrs. Carl Davis

Inner                      Mr. and Mrs. Davis

Outer Only            Mr. and Mrs. Carl Davis

wife kept maiden name

Outer                      Ms. Jane Jones and Mr. Carl Davis

Inner                      Ms. Jones and Mr. Davis

Outer Only            Ms. Jane Jones and Mr. Carl Davis

wife has hyphenated last name

Outer                       Ms. Jane Jones-Davis and Mr. Carl Davis

Inner                       Ms. Jones-Davis and Mr. Davis

Outer Only            Ms. Jane Jones-Davis and Mr. Carl Davis

The wife has a professional title, the husband does not

Outer                      Doctor Jane and Mr. Carl Davis

Inner                      Doctor Davis and Mr. Davis

Outer only             Doctor Jane and Mr. Carl Davis

both have professional titles

Outer                       Doctor Jane and Doctor Carl Davis

Inner                       The Doctors Davis

Outer Only             Doctor Jane and Doctor Carl Davis

Both Doctors, Different last names

Outer                        Doctor Jane Jones and Doctor Carl Davis

Inner                        Doctor Jones and Doctor Davis

Outer Only              Doctor Jane Jones and Doctor Carl Davis

Same sex couples

*Listed in alphabetical order by last name

Outer                         Mr. Fred Smith and Mr. Mark Jones

Inner                         Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones

Outer only               Mr. Fred Smith and Mr. Mark Jones

Families

Outer                         Mr. and Mrs. Carl Davis

Inner                         Mr. and Mrs. Davis

Miss Kayla and Master Michael Davis

Outer Only               Mr. and Mrs. Carl Davis

Miss Kayla and Master Michael Davis

*Children should be listed in chronological order, oldest first

*Proper etiquette is to list children’s names, not ‘and family’

*All “children” over the 18 should receive their own invitation.

Military

Husband is a commissioned officer

Outer                          Colonel and Mrs. Carl Davis

Inner                          Colonel and Mrs. Davis

Outer Only               Colonel and Mrs. Carl Davis

Husband is a non-commissioned officer or enlisted man

Outer                         Mr. and Mrs. Carl Davis

Inner                         Mr. and Mrs. Davis

Outer Only              Mr. and Mrs. Carl Davis

Husband is a retired commissioned officer

Outer                        Colonel and Mrs. Carl Davis

Inner                        Mr. and Mrs. Davis

Wife is a commissioned officer, husband is not

Outer                         Mr. and Mrs. Carl Davis or Captain Jane Davis and Mr. Carl Davis

Inner                         Mr. and Mrs. Davis or Captain Davis and Mr. Davis

Judge

Outer                         The Honorable and Mrs. Carl Davis

Inner                         Judge and Mrs. Davis

Outer Only              The Honorable and Mrs. Carl Davis

*If it is the wife that is the judge follow the wife has professional title format above, using The Honorable as the professional title.

Reverend

Outer                         Reverend and Mrs. Carl Davis

Inner                         Reverend and Mrs. Davis

Outer Only              Reverend and Mrs. Carl Davis

*If it is the wife that is the Reverend follow the wife has professional title format above, using Reverend as the professional title.

Our modern Kitchen Bridal Shower Invitation has been a popular seller for us!  It’s clean lines and soft colors set the tone for a fun and modern bridal shower.  What’s more – coordinating recipe cards for guests to fill out and bring to the shower to share with the bride!

Since this collection has been such a hit, I decided to expand on the line..Even better – I’m sharing the templates for FREE and I’m sharing other ideas I love to go with this theme.  If you want the invitation you’ll still have to pay (sorry ladies), but you can use all of these other pieces for no additional charge!

Game

No shower would be complete without at least one cheesy game!  For a kitchen shower, I suggest Spice it Up!  Fill Jars with different spices and have guests guess the spice.  You can number each jar and guests can write the number down on their game sheet for the spice they think it is.  Winner is the one with the most correct answers!  When the game is over, send the bride home with the spices to stock up her spice rack!  Game Card Template Download | Kitchen_SpiceitUp

For a nice coordinated look we recommend using all of the same type of jar (Starbucks Frap Bottles look great) and then Etch the Numbers on the bottle.  For Complete directions check it out on Pinterest.

Escort Cards

Escort your guests to their tables with these coordinated escort Cards.  The cards measure 4.25″ x 4.25″ and can easily be folded in half.  The Template is set up with 4 on an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of Card Stock.  Once printed cut along 4.25″ going short-ways and 4.25″ x 8.5″ going long ways.  Then fold in half and write guests names and table numbers on the lines.  Escort Card Template Download | Kitchen_Placecards

Favors

We think cookie mix in a mason jar is a sweet favor idea for a Kitchen Theme Shower.  They can be decked out with cute fabric and ribbon for a modern and stylish feel.  Chocolate Chip Oatmeal is a classic recipe – so we thought we couldn’t go wrong to use this recipe to make our template.  The templates are set up to print directly to OnlineLabels.com Label #OL375 - they can also be printed straight to an 8.5″ x 11″ card stock and hand cut.  Cookie Labels Template Download | KitchenShower_Cookie

To make these favors simply purchase mason jars (or save them) and then get your ingredients ready to fill.  Fill the following ingredients in nice even layers – one-by-one.

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar

We loved the look of this one we found on pinterest – but would definitely switch up the colors to coordinate with your shower colors.

We also have generic favor tag labels/tags that can be used if cookies aren’t your thing.  These are set up just like the cookie labels, so follow the printing/label instructions above.  Generic Favor Tag Template Download | KitchenShower_Favor

Centerpieces

We loved the centerpieces we found on hostesswiththemostess.com for their Modern Kitchen Theme shower – we thought the idea would play off so well with our stationery pieces!  Show your bride you love her and buy the ones off of her registry, then gift them to her at the end of the shower!

Guestbook

Martha Stewart never disappoints!  Such a great idea to use a plate (try a cool serving plate she can use for future entertaining) as a guestbook!

If you love these templates, but the colors or fonts are all wrong OR you have a special cookie recipe you’d like to use instead, you can purchase an affordable custom suite package.  You can also purchase the invitation design.   Kitchen Shower Invitations or Kitchen Shower Stationery Suite

If you’ve used any of these templates at your kitchen them bridal shower, we’d love to feature pictures of your shower on our blog!!  Please share them with us by e-mailing: kreativees@me.com.  If you blog about this, please share the love and give credit to my website: www.kreativeeventservices.com.

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Determine Your Budget

The typical wedding will allot about 4% of the whole budget to the stationery category which includes, but certainly isn’t limited to: Save the dates, invitations, programs, escort cards, menus, etc.  You will need to determine if you plan to spend the average amount or if this is an area were you will be trying to reduce or go over the top with.   So know your dollar figure and what pieces you’ll need so that your designer can help you make decisions to stay within that budget.

Gather Ideas

Do a little looking around before meeting with us so that you know what you like, what you don’t like, and what are you must haves.  Pinterest, Etsy and Google Images are all a great places to look for inspiration.

Get your Information together

Be sure to have all the information you’ll need together for the invitation, this includes:

• Host’s Full Name(s)
• Full Names of those getting married (or having a baby, or who is celebrating their birthday)
• Date and Time(s)
• Location(s) Name & Address
• Hotel Accommodations info (if including – Hotel Name, Address, Phone, Website, Book by date)
• Directions (If including)
• RSVP date (Check with your caterer to know when you have to give a final count by)
• Entree Choices (If you need to include that on RSVP)
• Wedding or Event Website Address
• Name(s) and address of who will be receiving the RSVP Cards
• Address you’d like to use as the return address.

Bring with you:

• Inspiration (photos of ideas you gathered online, pictures of your reception site, pictures of your attire, or pictures of anything else you would want to include on your stationery.)
• Color Swatches so we can coordinate with your color scheme.
• Information outlined above for wording.

Being prepared is the best way to arrive for a consultation.  With this information we can easily guide you to your perfect invitation design!  We look forward to meeting with you!

Steph @ Kreative

Ask yourself these 3 questions…if you say no to any of these questions then might I suggest you find your way to some stock invitations!

Are you honest?

Honesty is the best policy…this rule is just the best policy when it comes to interacting with others…it’s also the best policy when it comes to designing your stationery!  Let’s be honest – I want you to looooooooove your stationery!  I want you to rave about them, I want you to get a million compliments.  I want your stationery to match your personality and style, not mine.  I’ll present you will ideas, information, and design ideas and I really want to know what you love, what you dislike, and even what you hate!  And more importantly, why you love and hate those things!  This just makes my job easier because then I can understand better what you are looking for.  If you have a hard time saying no, I don’t like something because you are afraid to hurt my feelings…this probably won’t work out so well.  Narrowing down the options based on likes and dislikes is part of the process and it won’t hurt my feelings.

Are you patient?

Your mama was right, patience is a virtue…Most clients are surprised at how much back and forth correspondence there is when creating a design from scratch, please be patient with the process, as sometimes it can be a little time consuming.  Some designs require more time then others…so if it is a complex design with heavy graphics or non-traditional layout I’d make sure you have the time to handle the communication.   This one works both ways – I’m extremely patient… I want you to love your design as much as possible and I am happy to make any and all changes, no matter how slight or big, to get your design absolutely perfect.  Never feel bad for asking me to change something!

Do you have a vision?

This question certainly isn’t an absolute.  You do not need to know exactly what you want…but having an idea certainly helps!  A vision or inspiration is just a jumping off point…it can be as small as the lace on your dress or something as large as the decor of your venue.  If you don’t have a vision yet, that isn’t necessarily a problem. You can speak with us to start gathering ideas or fishing around for ideas using google images and/or Etsy.

Next week we are going to cover how to prepare for your consultation!  So, check back soon! -XOXO Steph @ Kreative

With my new ad up on theknot.com I’ve been fielding a lot of inquiries from prospective brides who call me to ask more questions, which quite frankly are ineffective and hard to answer.  The inquiry call does not go very smoothly because the brides and grooms are not prepared with the right questions to ask and have done little preliminary research before calling.  So…because of my frustration I decided this was going to be the first Helpful Hints topic.

To get started, I’m going to dialogue a typical inquiry phone call to show you what not to do….

Me: “Hello, this is Stephanie at Kreative how can I help you?”

Customer: “Hello, I’d like to get more information on wedding invitations?”

Me:  ”Ok, great, what questions can I answer for you?”

Customer: “How much do you charge for invitations?”

Asking how much you charge for invitations is equivalent to asking a car dealer how much do you charge for a car?  Well do you want a Ford or do you want a Ferrari?  Do you want leather seats or do you want cloth?  Do you want automatic windows and a sun roof or do you want a basic no frills?  Every invitation is different, with different options and that affects the price.  There is no way any stationer can tell you what an invitation costs without knowing specifically what you are looking for. 

Me: “When it comes to invitations, the sky is the limit!  Prices can run the gamut between $1.00 per invitation all the way to $10+ dollars an invitation depending on the choices you choose.  Can you help me narrow it down?  Is there a particular style of invitation you are looking for so that I can price it out for you?”

Customer:  No, I haven’t really given it much thought yet.  

Knowing what you want, or at least having a vague idea of your options is really important.  Each stationer offers different services and you could very likely waste your time making an appointment with a stationer only to find out that they cannot do what you need them to do.  

Me:  Ok, well would you like to set up an appointment to talk about your options?…

With just a little research and knowing the right questions to ask the client could have made this a much more organized called and received much better information.  So, where do you start?

Let’s start first with your budget…know your budget and what you can afford should definitely be your starting point.  There are wonderful invitation options in every single price option…so do not be discouraged by a small budget.

• The normal cost of stationery should be 4% of your wedding budget, which would need to include your invitations, postage, programs, place cards, menus, etc.  I normally think 2.5%-3% of this should be for your invitations and the balance be for your coordinating pieces.  This may be an area where you choose to save some money so there is more to go towards other higher priority items on your list…so know your budget.
• Figure out your cost per invitation: How many invitations do you need to send out adding 10-15 extra to your count, and what that cost per invitation can realistically be.  Do not forget to add in your postage ($0.45 for your invitation + $0.45 for your reply cards | or $0.32 for your post card reply cards – starting in January 2012).  *Don’t forget to calculate in Sales Tax for instate purchases and shipping costs if you are ordering from a company where you cannot pick up your order.

Once you have your cost per invitation, it’s time to think about your options and what you can afford to do with this amount.

• <$2.00 per invitation: Your best option at this price range is to go to a site like Etsy and find a designer who would work with you on a design and then give you the permission to use the pdfs to print your own invitations or take them to a local print shop.  You can still have a beautiful and custom design for a very inexpensive price.  Did I mention Kreative offers this service?  I’d love to help you!
• $2.00 – $4.00 per Invitations: At this price you can have a beautiful invitation and still leave all the work to a professional.  We would recommend looking into an invitation that is panel style or layered.  You could probably afford 1 reply card and 1 enclosure in this price range.
• $4.00 – $6.00 per Invitations: At this price you should be able to afford a panel, layered or gatefold invitation with some embellishments..think ribbon details, rhinestones, or anything else that would make this invitation stand out from the rest.  If your heart is set on a pocket fold, you could probably afford it if you are prepared to take on the assembly.
• $6.00 – $8.00 per Invitations:  You have a lot of options in this price range.  a booklet, a pocket fold, a gorgeous 3-Layer invitation or a boxed invitation…the works.  Ideal if you have a lot of information to include in your invitation.
• $8.00+ per invitation:  Think couture in this price range…we are talking invitations that go above and beyond.  Handpainted, engraved, letterpress would all fall into this category

Style

Style specifically refers to the how you want your information presented.  Below are some of the more popular style options to consider.

Panel…the invitation above is a panel invitation.  It’s a single sheet of paper and can be done in any size.  It’s the most basic and common invitation type.

Print Method

Be sure to familiarize yourself with the different print methods available so you can make a knowledgable decision.

• Ink Jet:  By far the cheapest method, this is generally the at-home method used by the DIY Brides.  The pro is definitely the price, the cons is the time, it will take for ever, and the quality, don’t be surprised to see ink smears and smudges after mailing, and it does not allow you to print on metallic paper.
• Laser:  Having a local print shop like Staples would probably print your invitations in this method.  Most laser printers do allow for metallic paper and you shouldn’t have any or much issue with the ink smearing or smudging.  Many local stationery designers will also offer this method.
• Wax Ink:  This is what our in-house method is.  It’s very similar to a laser and use this method on most of our accessory pieces.  We do not use this method for most invitation orders unless it is required for a quick turnaround.
• Offset or Flat printing:  As invitation designs are becoming more elaborate and unique, this method is becoming one of the more popular methods of print.  It’s a flat print, that is of higher quality then a laser or wax type print, and still a very affordable price.  It is also our chosen method for our wedding invitations.
• Thermography: This print method was designed to mimic the traditional look of engraving, but at a lower cost.  The image is first printed in a flat method and then dusted with a resin powder when wet .  It’s then heated up, which causes the print to rise, creating a raised print.
• Engraving:  While most are familiar with the saying, “Are you waiting for an engraved invitation?”, few have actually seen an engraved invitation.  This once very popular method of printing is rarely used anymore and saved mainly for elaborate and over the top black tie affairs.  The process starts with the text being engraved into a copper plate (“die”) and then it’s dipped into ink and then the paper is forced into the plate, creating beautifully crisp and raised print text.  This is an expensive and timely process.
• Letterpress:  Letter press is just the opposite of engraving.  The image on the plate is raised, dipped in the ink and forced against the paper creating an impression.  This is quickly becoming a very sought after and popular method of invitations. This is an expensive and timely process.

Stock vs. Custom

When I meet with most brides and their mothers I tend to hear the same comment from the moms, “There are so many choices, when I got married my only choose was white or ivory.”  This couldn’t be more true.   Today, there are so many choices and options, it can seem a little overwhelming.

• Stock Invitations: Traditional stationers stock large albums filled with invitations, which emphasis traditional and conventional styles.  As brides have gotten more creative these books have expanded their choices to  include some non-conventional options.  The main drawback to this method is that these invitations are not very customizable.  While font color, font style and wording are customizable, not much else is.  This can make it difficult to work your colors into a particular invitation or your theme.  If you are looking to coordinate all of your stationery from the save the dates to the reception pieces to the thank you cards…this might not work out so well for you as the product line does not generally include all the extras.
• Custom Invitations:  A popular choice as of late is to work with a custom stationery designer, yes, that’s what we do here are Kreative!  Instead of flipping through albums of invitations we set up an appointment where we meet one-on-one to listen to your ideas, show you samples and then design an or tweak an exsisting piece to work for you.  We generally build the invitation from the ground up, so you have complete creative control…you pick your style, your design, your paper colors, your fonts, your embellishments…A custom stationery designer can then easily design all your other stationery pieces to coordinate.

The other good news…you’ll secure your place in our production schedule!  Last year we were turning clients away during the high season..don’t let that be you!

What’s the catch?  Wording and design preferences must be submitted no later than April 1st and the final approval and balance must be paid by May 1st to receive the discount.  Not valid on orders already placed, sorry guys!

How to Book? Purchase the deposit listing on Etsy or pay now with our new integrated order system.

Want another early bird deal? Our sister company, Entertain Me! Event Planning is offering g 25% off weddings and events packages BOOKED and PAID IN FULL by 1/31/12…just another way to fatten your wallet for the new year while still having a great event!  Visit www.eventsbyentertainme.com for more information on their wedding packages and services.

So, welcome, welcome!  I hope you enjoy the new site and that it answers all of your questions!  If not, I’m just an e-mail, phone call, or skype message away!  Hope to hear from you all soon!