District Weddings

Washington, D.C. Wedding Blog – Real Weddings, Inspiring Ideas, Planning Tools, & Top Vendors in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia

Archive for the ‘Invitations’ Category

A Conversation with Haute Papier

At District Weddings, we love the details. We live for the intimate touches that really set the tone and overall feeling of your wedding. What better way to do it than right away with your invitations?

Haute Papier, located right in Georgetown, creates elegant and creative invitations that will really excite your guests when they receive your invitation (or save the date card) in the mail. Their couture line is to die for, and they will custom create breathtaking invitations for your wedding that perfectly match your personality, vision, and venue. Hear more from Erin and Sarah, Haute Papier’s lovely President and Creator…

Tell us a little bit more about your couture stationary- how does the process work? What are a few creations that you have recently custom designed with clients, and how did they fit their style and event?

Haute Papier’s has been designing custom wedding invitations for almost five years!  We love meeting with couples who have a vision for their invitations beyond what they find in the average line of wedding stationery.

We meet with each of our clients to talk about their event and what they are looking for in an invitation.  We look over some past invitations to get a sense of likes and dislikes and then start the true custom design process by looking at paper samples, design motifs, etc.

During this consultation, couples will answer questions to assist us in an overall design concept.  We continue to work with each couple over email and through mock-ups until we get their invitations just right.  Then it’s off to printing them!

We recently created a trifold wedding invitation folder with a scalloped pocket in the back for all the couple’s insert pieces.  The invitation information flowed over the three front pieces and was surrounded by bright colored flowers.

The couple was getting married in a luxurious English style garden the looked out onto the Pacific Ocean.  The design captured the resort feel with in the bold colors while still feeling garden-like with the flowers chosen and delicate scalloped edging.

How far in advance should a couple contact you to create wedding invitations?

Most couples contact us just after securing a venue for their wedding.  Our invitations really help to set the tone of their event quite often.  Of course, if a couple has less time that’s not a problem.  We’ve done wedding invitations in as little time as three weeks!

What types of printing do you offer, and can you give us a description of each- how are they different?

Haute Papier offers all types of printing.  We print all of our own letterpressing – our true passion and the oldest form of printing. Letterpressing creates the same formal feel as engraving and thermography, but instead of being a raised form of printing, letterpress makes an impression into the paper.

All of Haute Papier’s flat printing is done on letterpress paper which gives our couples the luxurious feel of letterpress, but at a more budget friendly cost.

What do you recommend to clients who come to you with a budget for their wedding invitations, but still want a high quality and unique product?

Funny you should ask!  I would stick with flat printing and save your money for our computer calligraphy service with addresses a couple’s wedding invitation in the same beautiful font they chose for their invitations.

What are some special touches that you think really make wedding invitations stand out and set the tone for a couple’s wedding?

We always suggest that couples return to us for their day-of wedding paperie.  We love to coordinate their programs, placecards, table numbers, menus, thank you notes, favor tags, and so on with the design they chose for their wedding invitations.  It is this attention to detail in planning their special day that makes a lasting impression with their guests.

Once you see Haute Papier’s beautiful wedding invitations, you will not be able to stop! Every occasion, from birthdays, holiday parties, anniversary celebrations, to graduations…all will become a great reason to use such stunning paperie!

Invitation Inspiration

We all know by now what fabulous taste Ashley from the Chic Line has…today, here are some inspiring invites that she has found…

Invitations are a big part of a wedding. They are one of the first correspondence a guest receives, they reflect your personal style, and they set the tone for the big day. There are so many beautiful options out there, so here are just a few that have caught my eye. I love that they are bold and unique, and not afraid to have a little fun.

Photography Credits: Top row: Mika 78, Middle row: Elum, Last row: Bella Figura

Bride Blogger Update: Save-the-Date – 10/10/10

Today Bride Blogger Kerry shares with us how her save-the-date post card sets the tone and brands her wedding in a style and price that works for her and Chris!  I couldn’t agree more with her advice!

As you may recall from my first blog post, my fiancé Chris and I work together in the Creative Services department of a nonprofit association. He is a graphic designer and I am the managing editor. Because of our professions, we had always planned to design all of our wedding stationary—our website, save-the-dates, invitations, escort cards, programs, etc.

Almost everyone on our 150-person guest list already knows that we’re getting married and the big day is 10/10/10. However, we were still eager to send out save-the-date cards as our first formal communication with our guests. If you think about it, your wedding is kind of like a product for which you are creating a brand identity. The save-the-date sets the tone for the style, formality, colors, and theme of the event. And looks awesome posted on the refrigerators of all your family and friends!

We had already chosen our colors (black, white, and red, with gold accents here and there). The style of our wedding is modern, casual elegance. However, translating that into print is not so easy. We looked through fonts, pantone colors, and played with the design until we both loved it.

The front of Kerry’s save-the-date

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Hand Canceling Invites

One of my favorite brides, whose wedding you will see later this Spring, recently sent me this tidbit about hand canceling…and I cannot stop thinking about what a nice touch this would be on your wedding invitations. For more information, call 301-475-5243.  Most Post Offices no longer offer this service but adorable Loveville, MD does!

Wedding Postage

Over the next few weeks, many spring wedding brides will be mailing their invites while fall wedding brides will be sending their save the dates.  When you are sending these important mailings, a word to the wise: be sure to double – actually, triple check – the postage!

With the weight of the paper, the size or shape of the envelopes, it is more often than not that your save the dates or invites will require more than a 0.44 cent stamp.

postage

Martha Stewart Weddings

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