Saturday, July 31st is the last day for the wedding invitations summer sale at http://www.formal-invitations.com. Use coupon code SUMMER10 for $10 off orders over $100. Join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/formal.invitations for extra savings.

We love this stylish dress in silk organza from Ann Taylor ($255) , the layered petal skirt offers a chic and flattering silhouette. Inspired by the pale hue and flowery design, we created these sophisticated pink wedding invitations, perfect for a garden wedding. The Magnolia heavyweight background card and white overlay were wrapped with a metallic Gold cording, that was strung with a solid brass butterfly charm ($1.06 each, including 100% recycled envelope, from http://www.formal-invitations.com).

The beautiful Jet Black with Zircon Crystal Brad invitations featured in our last post are available as a do-it-yourself wedding invitations kit (70¢ each with envelope) or if you don’t have time to print yourself, two new options for custom printing are available from http://www.formal-invitations.com to fit any budget: as custom laser printed overlays and return labels or as custom shop printed overlays, envelopes and cards.

Custom Laser Printed Invitations
For the bride who is short on time but still wants to stay within a budget, custom laser printed overlay and return address envelope labels are an affordable alternative. Clients can select from an exquisite collection of vintage artwork and beautiful fonts and Formal-Invitations.com will custom print to their specifications. Laser printing is an economical choice that uses in-house high-resolution laser printing, making it easy to produce the invitations quickly and efficiently. This custom laser printing option is offered for the invitation overlay for an additional 70¢ per invitation, and for return address envelope labels (which can double as an envelope seal) for an additional 20¢ per label. If reply cards are needed, they offer pre-printed reply cards or even better, the tech-savvy bride can use an online rsvp service.

Custom Shop Printed Invitations
For expanded custom printing options, Formal-Invitations.com also offers shop printed overlays and envelopes for an additional $1.99, printed by their local print shop. Custom printed reply cards, reply envelopes and reception/directions cards are available and priced separately. Colored inks as well as large quantity discounts are also available with this option.

Vintage clip art is a great way to add a timeless look to your announcements. For these black wedding invitations, the white overlay was printed with an elegant leaf image adorned with a modern pale blue Zircon crystal brad for a little sparkle. The invitation price was also a vintage 74¢ each, with 100% recycled envelope from http://www.formal-invitations.com, along with the clip art book of 1517 decorative ornaments for $16, which includes the image scans on a cd.

In a recent survey of Formal-Invitations.com‘s customers for the past 12 months, most of whom had limited crafting experience, an impressive 99% found the materials to be of good or high quality and 98% were happy with the end result. 87% found the diy (do-it-yourself) wedding invitations from Formal-Invitations.com simple to create.

“I helped put together the invitation for my friend Sara’s wedding.  She was so happy with the results. We chose the Gardenia background because they are one of Sara’s favorite flowers, and the dragonfly charm fit in perfectly with the garden theme. On the website, we made her invitation with the Mix and Match option. First of all it is very convenient to have this option, because her invitations were so much more personalized. The directions were easy to follow and very efficient, making the end result very professional looking. Overall, it worked very well, and I would recommend this website for anyone who would like to have personalized, professional invitations. “ ~  Ivy B.

“For my best friend’s bridal shower, I chose invitations from Formal-Invitations.com because it was well organized and had everything I wanted for my invitation. I picked the Tiffany blue background (my friends favorite color) with vellum and the yellow embossed flower with the diamond brad. I followed the foolproof online instructions, and the results were very professional looking — my friend was very impressed and surprised I made them myself. Everything was so easy; I would definitely recommend this website to anyone who wants invitations that are easy to put together, and end up looking great.” ~Emma K.

Customers can choose from unique wedding invitation kits which include a heavyweight background card, printable overlay, embellishment and envelope; or mix and match to create their own design. Orders include free wedding invitation templates in popular word processing formats, paper guides, online instructional videos from start to finish, plus illustrated step-by-step instructions for each type of embellishment offered.

The basic process consists of modifying the Formal-Invitations templates, printing on standard 8.5×11 sheets, and then cutting to size with a paper trimmer or paper cutter. We found this was much easier than trying to setup and feed small sheets through the printer correctly. The overlay is attached to the heavyweight background card with a brad or glue dot or glue stick, depending on embellishment chosen. The background cards are pre-cut to fit into the invitation envelopes. Their embellishment selection includes fine paper sashes, jacquard embroidered wraps; skeleton leaves, lokta ties and wraps, satin ribbon, crystal brads, metallic cording strung with glass beads or metal charms, mini silk flowers, belts with buckles and more. The embellishments added texture and interest, making them stand out from the typical flat invitations.

Overall we found them to be a great value, and making them was an enjoyable experience. They are ideal for the bride who wants quality in something with unique style for around $1 each, well below most other quality invitation lines.

Gerbera daisies are a wedding favorite, expressing beauty and happiness. These vibrant blooms make a brilliant impression using unique embellishments and modern colors with your invitations. To create these lovely hot pink wedding invitations, we used the heavyweight Berry background card and white overlay wrapped with a metallic gold cord that was strung with a solid brass Flower charm. A modern look at an old fashioned price of only $1.06 with 100% recycled envelope from http://www.formal-invitations.com.

We also like these pretty gerbera daisy napkin holders, from Etsy.com that would double as a table decoration.

These summer wedding invitations feature a sophisticated palette of rich black and moss green, plus lace for a touch of romance. We used the heavyweight Jet black background card and white overlay wrapped with  floral lace which was layered with a satin Moss green band ($1.22 each from http://www.formal-invitations.com, including envelope). The overlay was printed with vintage clip art of a butterfly ($14 for a book and cd of 1268 images from Formal-Invitations.com), this image would also look great printed on place cards, wedding programs, menu cards, favor labels and return address labels.

We also like the green baby hydrangea from FiftyFlowers.com,  as a wedding flower for your black and green wedding palette. This award-winning green baby hydrangea is a smaller hydrangea that has become an extremely popular for weddings. The beauty alone of this flower will make stunning and easy to make wedding bouquets, table centerpieces or flower arrangements.

We put together a collection of some of our favorite typefaces for wedding invitations, from a variety of sources.

Select the font that will convey the look of your event; black-tie elegant, garden casual, modern chic, nature inspired or traditional. Choose a a lightweight font for printing on white overlays with delicate embellishments and a bolder typeface for printing on vellum layered over patterned background cards. Also consider the amount of text on the invitation, for a large amount, use a simpler font for readability, while you can go more dramatic with less lines of type.

Mixing a simple font, like the copperplate with just the bride and groom’s names in a more dramatic font such as Voluta is also popular and adds another interesting element to your announcement.

Perfect for a July 4th, patriotic or military wedding, these modern red wedding invitations feature a small flag charm for a personal touch. We used the heavyweight Scarlet red background card and crisp white overlay wrapped with a metallic Gold cording, which was adorned with the brass charm. The price was also a charming $1.06 each, with envelope from http://www.formal-invitations.com.

We also think the silk “Cecelia” dress from J.Crew featuring smart, clean, classic lines would make the perfect bridesmaid dress for your summer wedding.

We have put together some basic wedding invitation wording samples, as well as reply and reception card suggestions for your convenience. Proper traditional etiquette dictates that the phrase “the honour of your presence” is to be reserved for weddings held in houses of worship, while “the pleasure of your company” is used for weddings in other locations.

Wedding hosted by bride and groom:
Emma Margaret Johnson
and Jack Warren Smith
request the honour of your presence
at their marriage
on Saturday, the second of June
two thousand and twelve
at five o’clock in the evening
St. Michael’s Church
Orland Park, Illinois

Alternate headings:

Emma Margaret Johnson
and Jack Warren Smith
request the pleasure of your company
in celebrating their union of marriage…

Emma Margaret Johnson
and Jack Warren Smith
invite you to join them
in celebrating their marriage…

Hosted by bride’s family:
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Johnson
invite you to join them
in a celebration of love
as their daughter, Emma Margaret
is united in marriage to
Mr. Jack Warren Smith
son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Smith…

Hosted by bride, groom and both families:
Emma Margaret Johnson
and Jack Warren Smith
together with their parents
invite you to join them
in celebrating their marriage…

Hosted by bride’s and groom’s families:
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Johnson
and Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Smith
request the honour of your presence
to witness the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony
uniting their children
Emma Margaret to Jack Warren…

Hosted by groom’s family:
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Smith
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of
Emma Margaret Johnson
to their son, Jack Warren Smith…

Wedding hosted by divorced parents:
Mrs. Audrey Jones
and Mr. Kevin Johnson
invite you to join them
in a celebration of love
as their daughter, Emma Margaret
is united in marriage to
Mr. Jack Warren Smith
son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Smith…

When one parent is deceased:
Emma Margaret
daughter of Audrey Johnson and the late Kevin Johnson
and Jack Warren Smith
invite you to join them
in celebrating their marriage…

Quotes to use for header or ending:Share with us Our Wedding Day

Share in our Friendship and Love
One does not fall into love; one grows into love, and love grows in him. –Karl Menninger
All love is sweet, given or returned. Common as light is love, and its familiar voice wearies not ever. –Percy Bysshe
At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet. –Plato
The rose speaks of love silently, in a language known only to the heart. –Unknown
A heart that loves is always young. –Greek Proverb
Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts. — William Shakespeare
True love is but a glimpse of heaven. –Unknown

Reception Card
If the reception is held at a different location, a separate card is usually enclosed announcing the location and time of the reception. If you prefer to include the reception information on your invitation, you can use the reception card as a directions or map card.

Reply Card
Reply cards simply ask your guest to check whether or not they can attend and include a self-addressed envelope or postcard for them to return. Response cards may also include a selection of entrees for the reception allowing guests to indicate their preferences.