Wedding Inspiration

  • Pretty Stamps for Wedding Invitations

    Stamps for wedding invitations are often overlooked, but it’s a little detail that pulls together the whole design. Let’s avoid any ugly stamps for your oh-so-pretty paper, ok?

    At the time of this post, custom stamps have been discontinued. Fear not, future bride (or groom!) there are still tons of options for good looking wedding invitation stamps.

    Buying Stamps for Wedding Invitations

    Trust me on this: Ordering stamps in bulk from USPS.com is the easiest way to buy stamps. Otherwise, you’re waiting in a post office line to sift through a binder of what’s available – often not 100 of the better looking stamps. When you buy stamps online, they usually arrive in 1-2 weeks and shipping is $1.85. Do it, you can thank me later.

    Pro tip: If you’re using a traditional RSVP card with a reply envelope, you’ll need to buy enough stamps to cover that postage along with the mailing envelopes.

    Pretty USPS Stamps

    The selection of stamps you can buy through USPS is always changing, but here are some of the ones I’m loving right now for wedding invitations!

    Floral Stamps

    These are probably the most “traditional” stamps for wedding invitations. The two on bottom have been my go-to stamps for my full service invitation clients for the last couple of years. The top two came out recently and I like that they’re a little more modern!

    wedding invitation stamps

    The boutonniere versions are perfect for RSVP envelopes. You can also use them on your mailing envelopes if your entire invitation suite is under one ounce. If you have a heavier suite with double envelopes, multiple inserts, ribbon, wax seals, etc – opt for the two-ounce stamp which is currently 70 cents.

    Other USPS Options

    USPS just came out with a bunch of new options (yay!), but that also meant they discontinued some old favorites. Keep reading to see how to find the “retired” stamps online!

    I’m digging these abstract art stamps for a couple reasons! I love that it’s highlighting a female artist. They have a modern feel and are somewhat neutral, so could be paired with a variety of invitation designs.

    These outdoor-sy stamps are new and really cool if you’re a couple that loves to travel, having a destination wedding, or are just nature lovers. The scenes are colorful and peaceful; the canoe design truly sparks joy for me!

    Retired Stamps

    Like I mentioned above, with new stamps means USPS will discontinue, or retire, other designs. 

    BUT – you can buy USPS’s retired stamps on Amazon. Forever stamps are good, well forever. You can expect to pay a little more than face value, some are more expensive than others. 

    floral stamps for wedding invitations

    A few of my favorites:

    • These floral Love stamps are my favorite USPS has ever sold. I used them on every wedding invitation order I could and was super bummed when they discontinued them. They’re cheerful and the perfect way to add a fun detail to your invitation envelopes!
    • These Love stamps are a close second. Blue in color, fun font, and an airplane – these were made for wedding invitations!
    • I love the colors in the berry stamp collection. They’re also a bit smaller than the typical stamp, with a dainty feel. I still have a small secret stash of these I’m holding onto!
    • Tropical vibes or plant lovers – these fern stamps are made for you! So fun for a boho wedding.
    • Nothing says wedding like floral and these sets have such variety! Another I used frequently and was sad to see retired. These are pretty pricey through Amazon, but I wanted to share them just in case they’re available elsewhere!
    • These air mail stamps have such a vintage vibe and are perfect for an industrial wedding! I used them for my Christmas cards last year because I wanted red, but couldn’t bear the cheesy holiday stamps.

    After looking at all of these, I’m really wanting to start a petition to bring the good ones back! I have no idea why USPS only keeps such a limited selection available at a time. #wewantprettystamps

    Vintage Stamps for Wedding Invitations

    If it’s in your budget and you want something really pretty, I recommend vintage stamps! These are old, unused stamps and Etsy is a great place to find them. 

    You’ll have to order in the increments that add up to the actual postage you need. For example, if your mailing envelope is under one ounce, you’ll need 55 cents worth of postage so you could use four stamps – 25 cents, 15 cents, 8 cents, 7 cents. Make sense? (Cracking myself up over here, sorry!)

    One of my very favorite shops for vintage stamps is VerdeStudio on Etsy. She’ll even put together a curated collection for you in your color palette or theme! I’ve also ordered from Little Postage House and other Etsy shops!

    Speciality Stamps

    If you’re mailing anything over an ounce, you will need to add additional postage. I always recommend taking one, fully assembled invitation suite to the post office you’ll mail from and have them weigh it for you. It would be a less than awesome experience to have all your invitations returned for insufficient postage.

    Square envelopes require this special stamp. Basically, a mail machine “reads” envelopes and knows which way is up by the length of the sides. Since a square’s sides are all the same size, it has to be sorted manually and that cost is passed on to the mailer.

    Postcards require only 35 cents of postage to mail, a definite favorite for save the dates and RSVP cards. Currently USPS only has this design available and because it’s not very fitting with most wedding themes, often couples choose a prettier 55 cent stamp anyway.

    Did you have any idea there were so many options for stamps for wedding invitations? If you’ve found another stamp you love, let me know in the comments below!

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  • How to Use a QR Code for Wedding Invitations

    Website links? So last year. Using a QR code for wedding invitations is a trend that’s still emerging, but we’re loving it for a few reasons! I’m sharing exactly how to set up a QR code, creative ways to use it for your wedding, and invitation templates that incorporate a place for the scannable image.

    Modern Virtual Wedding Invitation with QR code

    What are QR codes?

    Quick storytime: I’m not a tech savvy person and always resistant to anything new. I’ve seen QR codes everywhere for years, but didn’t know how they worked. If I’m being honest, I thought you had to have a QR code app and truly didn’t understand the power of these funky looking images.

    Fun fact: QR codes came out in 1994 and rose to popularity in 2002 in Japan. The QR codes we know today, scannable with our phones, really gained traction in 2011. Steph (that’s me) didn’t understand what they did until 2019.

    Within the past year (a little embarrassing, but true!), I realized how QR codes actually work — and how incredibly easy they are to visit as a user and to set up for use. So, all you do is pull out your smart phone, open the camera, and hold it over the image – it does the magic from there! Nothing to download, just leads you straight to the intended link.

    Pretty neat, right? QR codes are frequently used on business cards, signage, menus, instructions, packaging, and more. I haven’t seen them used on stationery, like invites, too often and I don’t know why the heck not – here’s why using a QR code for wedding invitations is an awesome idea.

    QR Code Wedding Website

    So many couples opt for a wedding website as a place to list the full logistics of their big day. Instead of writing out the long website URL on your invitation or details insert, just create a QR code (it’s 100% pain free – the steps to creating your own are below!). 

    It makes the website accessible immediately and your guests don’t have to type in your full website link. Not only is it super easy, but dare I say – fun? When I see a QR code on something, there’s a little bit of a surprise as to what I’m getting when I scan. This is a great way to make sure people actually visit your website: pure curiosity.

    Online RSVPs

    I’ve been working with couples to design wedding invitations since 2013 and I can tell you that choosing an online RSVP is definitely growing as a trend. Rather than the traditional RSVP card with pre-stamped and addressed envelopes, couples are choosing the virtual RSVP for a few reasons. Often ease and cost prevail, although I do still recommend the traditional RSVP for more formal weddings!

    With a QR code, you can have guests respond directly via your link letting you know if they can or cannot attend. When they read your RSVP instructions with a QR code, instead of thinking “I’ll do that later”, they can just pick up their phone and do it instantly. 

    You can keep wording simple and state: “Please scan to RSVP. We appreciate your response by September 1 and look forward to celebrating with you!”

    QR Codes for Virtual Weddings

    In 2019, I don’t think anyone ever dreamed that weddings would become virtual within the next year, but here we are!

    Meeting links for Zoom and Skype live streaming sessions can get long, especially if you want to include a password. QR codes are the perfect way to make attending a virtual wedding super, duper easy. Just scan and you’re in!

    We have a mini collection of invitations for virtual weddings, all with a space for adding your custom QR code.

    How to Create a Custom QR Code for Wedding Invitations

    Spoiler alert: creating a QR code is easy. If I can do it, I promise you can!

    Once you have your URL, visit a QR code generator website. Drop your link and ta-da! That’s it. If you’re fine with keeping the standard code, you can just download! If you want to change the color or add a logo, you’ll have to create a free account. 

    Wedding Invitation Template Shop

    Tip: Keep colors dark, some phones have trouble picking up lighter shades.

    If you choose one of our template that already has a QR code, you can easily drop it in. When customizing the invitation, just click the code and “replace image”. Upload your custom QR code and you’re done!

    How to use a QR code for wedding invitations in 2020

    You can also “add a new image” to any of our designs that don’t have the QR code or include with your own design.

    Before printing everything, test your code out. It can be harder to scan through a screen, so zoom in if you need to. It’ll be much easier to scan once printed, but you want to make sure you got it right first!

    So, what do you think? Are you going to use a QR code for your wedding invitations? Let me know by commenting below!

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  • DIY Tutorial: Vellum Wedding Invitations

    We’re loving vellum wedding invitations this year – they’re different, fun, and super easy to DIY! I’m going to walk you step-by-step through choosing a design and how to print invitations at home. Gorgeous, budget friend wedding invitations coming right up!

    Vellum Wedding Invitations you can DIY!

    What you’ll need*:

    How to DIY vellum wedding invitations

    Picking a Design to Print on Vellum

    When it comes to wedding invitations, there are so many choices for design. If you want to use vellum, we recommend choosing something simple. Designs without a colored background and single, dark ink color work best. Black is the safest choice, although other dark colors can work well too!

    Stay away from designs with photos, lots of artwork, and fully colored background if you’re DIY printing vellum invitations. Not only do they use a lot of ink, but vellum is pretty delicate and you don’t want to push the paper. If you do want vellum wedding invitations with a little more something-something, we recommend outsourcing printing to the pros! This company does a great job printing on vellum.

    How to Print Invitations on Vellum Paper

    If you’re using one of our invitation design templates, download your edited design as a PDF. Set up multiple per page and select to add the crop marks.

    Your printer settings will depend on the computer and software you use. I’m using a Mac and printing from Adobe Acrobat. Every printer is a little bit different, just make sure you “fit to page” to get the correct sizing.

    Insert the paper into the printer and print! I always recommend going through the full process with a sample before printing everything, just in case you need to make adjustments to the size, color, or settings. (You don’t want to print your entire set of invitations twice, I promise).

    Printing Vellum Wedding Invitations

    Pro Tips for Printing on Vellum: 

    • Handle the vellum carefully and try to only touch it on the edges. Your fingers can sometimes leave prints on the paper from the oils in your skin.
    • Let you design dry before you start trimming the paper. The ink can smear and transfer to other pieces of vellum. It doesn’t need a ton of time, a couple minutes should be safe!
    • Heat can cause the paper to curl, so let your printer take a break after printing 10 sheets to cool down.

    Cutting Vellum Invitations

    You’ll definitely need a paper trimmer to cut your vellum wedding invitations. It takes a couple tries to get it right, always print extras for practice! 

    Use the crop marks on the paper to line up under the trimmer blade. You’ll have to do less cutting if you trim the larger edges first (two birds, one stone deal). 

    DIY Wedding Invitations

    Pro Tip: Clear out any extra paper that gets left in the blade trough/gutter or else it will force the paper to crinkle up on the next cut.

    If you’re using the paper trimmer we recommend, they have a handy guide for standard sizes like 5×7 to make sure you’re getting it right!

    Tips for DIY Vellum Wedding Invitations

    Once you’ve cut your paper, I recommend storing it under a book or set of books, so it doesn’t curl up. 

    Pair your vellum invitation with a piece of cardstock to make the envelope a bit thicker and add a pop of color. Use a photo printed on cardstock with save the dates!

    Vellum Save the Dates

    You can also bring in vellum through your day of stationery – we love vellum menus for place settings!

    DIY Vellum Wedding Menus

    Check out the shop now for designs to print your own vellum wedding invitations, menus, and more!

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    *Affiliate Disclosure: We recommend these products because we use them, enjoy them, and found them helpful. By using our links, we sometimes receive a commission for referring, at no cost to you.

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  • Fall Wedding Invitations Inspiration

    Fall weddings are my favorite for so many reasons. When it comes to invitations, there are so many ways to play with fall colors and bring in the season. For 2020, we’re majorly crushing on burnt orange – also it’s friends rust, copper, and terracotta. There’s also mustard which pairs so perfectly with many colors and has a great fall feel. Here are some favorite fall wedding invitation designs this year!

    All invitations are designed as templates so you can customize on your own! Read more about how it works here. 

    Dusty Orange Sunburst

    This dusty orange wedding invitation suite is perfect for a modern fall desert wedding. That being said, we love it for any wedding with boho vibes using rust or copper details. Change the fonts and wording to fit your needs!

    Burnt Orange and Dusty Rose

    The theme of our fall collection – don’t be afraid to play with color! We love the burnt orange and dusty rose combo, but you can customize to match your wedding color palette. 

    Sage and Mustard

    If you’re having an elegant fall wedding, these minimal floral invitations are perfect. Mustard is having a major moment this year in weddings and bringing it in with the details card is a great way to add a pop of color.

    Burgundy and Mustard

    It’s not full fall wedding inspiration without including a burgundy invitation! You might notice this is the same design as mentioned above, we just changed the background colors and fonts – a design so nice, we had to feature it twice!

    Dusty Blue

    Let’s be honest, dusty blue works for a wedding of any season. It’s been my most popular color for invitations going on two years now and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Couples are using this slate blue color for wedding details and invitations. This modern design is clean and simple and with the white background, an easy option if you want to print at home! 

    Blush and Orange

    This modern template can be customized in ANY color, but the light blush and burnt orange combination is so lovely for fall wedding invitations. Equal parts modern and boho, it gives such a whimsical feel.

    All invitation templates include a full suite – that means not only the invite, but RSVP card and details insert too! You can even try a free demo of each design to see what you can customize and pick your favorite before purchase.

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