Now through July 31st, get envelope printing or a 2nd letterpress color for free when you order your invitations or baby announcements from Wiley Valentine!

original short: LunaLux from mn original on Vimeo.

One of the questions I’m most frequently asked is, “What is letterpress?” Simply put, it’s a printing process in which ink is applied to a plate with raised characters and then pressed against paper. What makes letterpress extra special is that the process is done by hand on a very large, very old machine ONE COLOR AT A TIME!

This video by LunaLux does a great job of demonstrating how letterpress works. If you have any additional questions about the process, please leave a question in the comment section below!

Who hosts the bridal shower?

Traditionally, etiquette dictated that only friends of the bride could host a shower, as it appeared self-serving for family members of the couple to throw a bridal shower. Nowadays, Nicky Reinhard of David Reinhard Events believes it’s appropriate for a range of people to host the shower. “In the old days, not even family members were meant to take part in the planning,” says Reinhard. “But as events get less traditional and more elaborate, people other than the bridesmaids and family friends are playing host. Today, the bride’s mother and sisters — even the groom’s mother — throw showers.”

Who is invited to a bridal shower?

The guest list for a bridal shower typically includes the bridal party, close friends and family. Just remember, anyone you invite to a shower should also be invited to the wedding. There are exceptions, of course. “If you’re having a tiny destination wedding, you can include people who aren’t invited to the main event as guests to the shower,” says Reinhard. “But you really shouldn’t do that if you’re having a larger wedding.”

When should bridal shower invitations be mailed?

According to celebrity event planner Mindy Weiss, the invites should go out a month to six weeks in advance–and never by email. “The (stationery) options right now are truly endless — from letterpress to couture — and suit all budgets,” says Weiss. “There are so many more options than there used to be.” And, yes, you can mention where the bride is registered on the invitation or on an insert included in the envelope.

Do you have additional questions about bridal shower etiquette? Email them to me at pj@thesociallifeofpaper.com, and they could be included in a future blog post!

(via Martha Stewart Weddings, image source)

Smudge Ink is offering free return address printing on envelopes when you place an order from their letterpress imprintable book through March 31st. Consider imprintables for a cost-effective way to do letterpress for invitations to birthday parties, bridal showers, baby showers and more.

Take 10% off your wedding invitation order from Wiley Valentine through the end of the month. Choose from decorative letterpress and flat printed options.

]]> http://thesociallifeofpaper.com/blog/2010/03/09/march-promotions/feed/ 0 http://thesociallifeofpaper.com/blog/2010/03/05/what-to-say-in-a-birth-announcement/ http://thesociallifeofpaper.com/blog/2010/03/05/what-to-say-in-a-birth-announcement/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:36:18 +0000 pamelajaye http://thesociallifeofpaper.com/blog/?p=1416

There are typically four parts to a birth announcement:

Introduction
You may choose to open with a short phrase or poem like “Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice…” for a baby girl or something simple like one of these options:
“Welcome…”
“We welcome with love…”
“We’re thrilled to announce…”
“Announcing the arrival of…”

Baby’s Name
Your baby’s name should be the focus of the birth announcement. Along with his or her first and middle name, you may also want to include your baby’s last name.

Birth Information
You’ll want to share the basic details: date, weight and length. You may also choose to mention the time of birth and the city and state of the hospital.

Family’s Names
Conclude the announcement with the parents’ first names, followed by the names of siblings. Some people even include the names of beloved pets! It is not necessary to repeat your last name if you already included it with your baby’s name. If you’d like, you can use a complimentary closing like “Proudly” or “With love.”

(image: Wiley Valentine)

As seen in the February 12, 2010 issue of The Jewish Press. “Simchas” means “joyous occasions” in Hebrew.

It is not a requirement to send Save the Date cards, but they can be quite helpful if you are planning a destination wedding or if many of your guests are from out of town. Announcing the date of your wedding well in advance gives your guests the opportunity to find the best rates and make arrangements for their transportation and hotel room. You may also want to give guests a heads up if you are scheduling your wedding over a holiday weekend so that they don’t plan their yearly beach trip on your big day.

I recommend sending Save the Dates six to nine months in advance of the wedding. And remember, anybody who receives a Save the Date must also receive an invitation!

Keep the wording of your Save the Date simple:

Please save the date
for the wedding of
Emily Blunt
and
John Krasinski
July 4, 2010
Malibu, California
Formal invitation to follow

or

Emily and John are getting married!
July 4, 2010
Malibu, California
Invitation to follow

I advise brides to include the URL of their wedding website on the bottom of the card to encourage people to visit the site. Use your website to share more details about the event, such as information about hotel reservations or activities taking place before or after the wedding. The one thing you never want to include on a Save the Date? Information about your registry!

(image: Dauphine Press)

It’s not uncommon for a couple of weeks to pass after having a baby before new parents remember to send out birth announcements. Don’t worry! Your friends and family understand that life has suddenly gotten very busy for you. The grace period for sending birth announcements is about six months.

To speed up the process, spend some time during the final weeks of your pregnancy to gather the names and addresses of everyone you’d like to receive an announcement. Think of your family, friends and co-workers. How about sending one to your hairstylist or personal trainer? You may also want to schedule an appointment to browse through my design books. It may be too soon to place an order, but it’s never to early to start getting ideas. If you can narrow down your choices to your favorite two or three, the next time you come in — with your baby! — finalizing the details of the birth announcement won’t take very long.

(image: Wiley Valentine)