Kati Mallory Photo + Design

Order your invites!

There’s nothing like receiving a beautiful wedding invitation in the mail. It stirs up a vision of the bride in white, the groom tearing up, the fun you’ll have dancing the night away, and the wedding cake you’ll sneak a second piece of when no one is looking. 

Well, guess what? It is time for you, sweet bride, to select the invitation will that inspire all of that magic in the minds of your friends and family. And it’s no easy task. Wedding paperie comes in more shapes, sizes, fonts, paper types, and finishes than you can possibly imagine — but we’re here to help! Here are a few tips from the Arkansas Bride girls:

• Shop local. The best thing about working with an Arkansas stationery shops is that they walk you through all the options step by step. They work tirelessly to ensure that you fall in love with a design and that it’s executed flawlessly.

• Learn the lingo. Thermography, soy-based, letterpress, foil stamping, embossing, calligraphy, engraving, etc. There are a lot of terms thrown around and it’s important to know the definition of each before you place an order.

• Consider the costs. The price per invite varies anywhere from $1 to more than $100 (crazy, right?!). Basically, it all depends on the design, printing process, paper, ink, typeface, and quantity. Fancy paper and formal printing techniques (like letterpress, foil, and engraving) will add to the cost.

• Write your own rules. Invitation wordings have changed drastically over the past 10 years. Brides are breaking tradition and crafting custom wordings that fit their families and wedding themes—and you should too!

• Skip the inner envelope. They’re meant to preserve the beauty of your invitation, however, it is one easy way to save money (that you’d rather spend on calligraphy anyway!).

• Research calligraphy prices. Finding talented calligraphers to address your envelopes is often a challenge, it’s why these skilled artisans can charge what they do (anywhere from $2 to $10 per envelope).

Remember these basic rules:

  • Triple-check your proof. 
  • Always order 20-30 extra.
  • Take a sample invitation (assembled, as if ready to send) to the post office to accurately price postage. Some oversized shapes and heavier papers cost more to send than a standard A7 invitation.
  • It’s etiquette to always pre-stamp the reply card envelope.


Other things to do this month: