In early September, I wrote a blog article referencing a friend's spectacular beachside wedding, complimenting her family on all of their creative handmade touches. This morning, I came across a Intimate Weddings blog article that immediately brought this event back to my mind.

The article discussed the inclusion of your friends and family in your do-it-yourself wedding plans; including potential pros, cons, and ideas for how to do so. Of course, when rattling off the benefits of do-it-yourself projects, gathering the help of friends and family is one that typically makes the list. Sure, these fun, helpful, friendly gatherings are mentioned quite a few times throughout LCI’s blog, though they are never discussed in detail; hence the reason this article caught my attention.

Besides the typical “because it is fun,” the article immediately mentions four compelling reasons to involve your friends and family in your DIY wedding:

. . .Having friends and family help you will not only make everyone feel a part of your big day, it will add a personal touch to your wedding, and leave less work for you. There’s one more perk: A DIY wedding will save you oodles of money!

The author goes on to mention specific ways she utilized the help of her friends and family in her wedding; a sister-in-law who created invitations and place cards, a mother who took charge of all floral details, an aunt who sewed the ring bearer pillow, and a friend to capture the memories on video. Recalling my friend's custom event, I had no doubt that it was the blend of her family's insight, creativity, and talent that truly shaped her wedding into the personal event that it was. Following the event, she informed me that she enjoyed being able to bounce ideas off of her sister, aunt, and mother-in-law, and that getting together with them to create these details were the high points of her preparation.

Processing this idea, I began to wonder whether my own family members would be helpful in planning an extensive do-it-yourself wedding (not that I am getting married any time soon . . .). Could my kindergarten teaching, insurance adjusting sisters, and my business savvy step mother help me pull together such a custom, fitting, event? I think so. Though none of us could be deemed overly artistic or creative, the reality of it is, they probably know me as well as I do. Going on this, they would be helpful in searching for, discovering, and creating (or purchasing) precisely what I was after. In addition, they would keep me in line if the stress of planning a wedding turned me into the edgy, high strung, nail biting version of myself that I admittedly become.

However, involving friends and family is not the best choice for everyone, the author goes on to discuss. For example, those in quest of a "perfect wedding" may feel that involving friends and family will be detrimental to their planning process. Those who have a firm opinion on what they want may feel that including others only leads to loss of control, and therefore additional stress, not less.

If you do decide that including your loved ones in your do-it-yourself wedding is for you, the following suggestions on just how to do so are offered:

* Decorating wedding venue
* Creating/mailing invitations
* Driving you to church/and or reception
* Taking photographs
* Videotaping wedding
* Readings in church
* Cooking the meal
* Creating appetizers/desserts
* Making the wedding cake
* Creating centerpieces
* Wrapping favors
* Creating boutonnières, corsages
* Making name cards
* Operating sound equipment, including Ipod and DIY photo download station
* Creating bridesmaids/flower girl dresses
* Acting as a wedding co-coordinator on your big day
* Returning tuxes
* Help cleaning up
* Returning rental chairs and tables etc.

Friends and family will most likely be ready and willing to help, whether they offer, or you ask. Adding their insight, talent, or creativity into your event may be the best planning decision you make. Yet it is important to keep in mind the following final suggestion:

If you’ve decided to involve loved ones, the best way to avoid disappointment is to be specific about what you want. Unless you are the laid-back type that just goes with the flow, it’s best to be clear about your ideas so there is no room for misinterpretation (and disappointment.)

Recommended Link:
Wedding Planning Stress? Take Some Time Off for Yourself

Kristen Desrosier

I just stumbled on 5 Tips for Destressing, an article written by Katie at Wedding Fanatic. As a newlywed, and as a guy that likes to stay as stress-free as possible, I feel qualified to write a followup.

In general, I have an even-tempered personality. I rarely get very angry. I raise my voice even less. I keep my speed low to moderate on the highway. I avoid big crowds. I intentionally try to live stress-free and these are things that help. How interesting that last night as I was driving through Dorchester, MA with my new bride (we were going to pick up some Jamaican food--jerk chicken and brown stew chicken--to share with her family) a man that I presumed was asking for money told me he didn't want any money. He just wanted to ask me one question which was, "How do you control your anger?" I told him about my even temperament and he said that's all he wanted to know.

Back to Katie's article. Her first tip for destressing is:

Take the night off. Long day at work? Not feeling the wedding planning vibe tonight? Let it go and do something else. Catch up on your favorite TV shows, work on a sewing project, read a good book – anything that you enjoy, other than wedding planning, of course! It will all still be there tomorrow.

During the two weeks before my wedding, every night after work I did a lot of wedding preparation, focusing on the music, programs, seating cards, and place cards. I was resolved to work on wedding stuff every night until a couple days before the wedding, when my best man was scheduled to fly in. Because I kept a steady pace and accomplished a fair amount each night, I never got terribly stressed and was actually able to take an extra night or two off during the week before my wedding.

I'll touch one one more of Katie's tips:

Do something that simply makes you happy. Go for a jog, volunteer at the local animal shelter, window shop. This will help get your mind off of stressful wedding situations and put you in a fabulous mood. And who doesn’t like being in a fabulous mood?

One of the ways I stay fit is to take a brisk, 30-45 minute walk after work and on weekends. I download the latest audio podcasts that I'm subscribed to, sync my iPhone, put on my headphones, take my house keys, and I'm gone. My favorite route takes me to a local park with a stone bridge that crosses the Assabet River. Often, I'll see turtles sunning themselves. If I'm really lucky, I'll see a Great Blue Heron walking the edge of the river, hunting for fish. Another route takes me past the town center to a softball field. My town has a great men's softball league whose teams play almost every summer night. Finally, I can walk the rail trail. This is my time to exercise and catch up on my favorite topics. I forget about my stress. Even though I was working on wedding preparations every night, I still managed to take time for myself and get out there.

I'd encourage all of you with up-coming weddings to plan ahead and budget your time so that you don't have to give up what you enjoy. Keep your routine--whatever makes you happy and healthy.

Joshua Birch

In today's economy, making your own wedding invitations has become a very favorable option. Almost all of us have experience with home or office printers and have used Microsoft Word or another word processor. And once you've read LCI Paper's The ABCs of Printing at Home, you'll find that mostly likely, you already have the tools and the information and resources you need are available to you at LCI's web site. You can make your own wedding invitations!

To show you how easy and fun it is, I'll walk you through the process of making a wedding invitation. I'll use sample products, invitation wording, and Word templates from LCI's web site. You can do the same by ordering a few samples on our web site and completing the rest of the steps at home.

Envelopes

Here's my first piece of advice. Before you design and print your dream invitation cards, decide on your envelopes. You don't want to be stuck with a great invitation card that doesn't fit into a standard size wedding envelope or inner/outer wedding envelope set. Speaking of wedding envelope choices, now would be a good time to read my article, Wedding Envelopes: Lined, Double, Single - How To Choose? For today's invitation ensemble, I'm going to choose Double Wedding Envelopes. One of LCI's most popular double wedding envelopes are Tiffany size, where the inner envelope measures 8" wide by 5 3/4" high and the outer envelope measures 8 1/4" wide by 6" tall. The dimensions of the inner envelope are 1/4" less than the outer envelope. In the next section, you'll see that the invitation card should also measure 1/4" less than the inner envelope.

Invitation Cards

As I mentioned at the end of the previous section, the invitation card should measure about 1/4" less than the envelope. In this case, since I'm using inner and outer envelopes, the card should measure 1/4" less than the inner envelope, since the card will be placed inside the inner envelope. Since I've chosen Tiffany sized double envelopes where the inner envelope measures 8" wide by 5 3/4" high, I'll look for a card that measures 7 3/4" wide by 5 1/2" high.

LCI sells a great kit called the Blank Wedding Invitation Hot Pink Frame with double wedding envelopes and an invitation card--all sized for a perfect match. I don't have to worry about the proper sizing because LCI has taken it all into consideration. I'll order a sample by clicking the Order Samples tab. You can see how it works below:

At this point, I can also order a sample response card and response envelope, because I want these items to be part of my wedding invitation ensemble.

Layout

LCI provides all the resources for printing our blank invitations using your home computer and printer. Once you've ordered your samples, the best place to get up to speed on layout and printing is our page, The ABCs of Printing at Home. Since I'm ready to work on my invitation card layout, I want to download a template for my card. I'll click on Printing Templates For Invitations & RSVP Cards and scroll to "Sizzling Color Frames (KT98XX Series)." I can download Microsoft Word templates for my invitation card and RSVP card. These can be opened and edited in Word and in any program that reads Word documents like OpenOffice.org.

When I open up the invitation template in Word, I see sample invitation wording that I can tweak to my needs. More sample invitation wording can be found by going back to The ABCs of Printing at Home and clicking Sample Invitation Wording.

I am able to change the font, font size, and add my custom details. For this sample wedding invitation, I'll choose a casual looking font called Angelina. I think it will make the hot pink invitation look more fun and less formal. At this point, I could add any other design elements like a monogram or line art graphics.

Within Word, if I were to click File/Page Setup, I would see that inside the Paper tab, the document is sized at 5.5" wide by 7.75" high. I'll use these dimensions in the next section.

Printing

Once I've finished with my invitation wording and I'm happy with the layout, I am ready to send the job to the printer. I'll load the invitation card into the printer and move the plastic guides so that they're flush with the sides of the card. In Word, I'll click File/Print and choose my printer from the list. I'll click the Properties button because I need to communicate the size of my invitation card to the printer.

Under Paper Options, I'll go to Size and selected User Defined. I'll input the size of our document, 5.5" wide by 7.75" high. Now the printer knows what size card is in its tray. I can click OK and return to Word's print dialog box where I'm ready to send the card to be printed. A final OK, and the finished invitation is seconds from coming through the printer looking lovely.

Note: Every printer's driver is different, so the paper options might not be shown exactly as I've described above. Just poke around and find the paper size setting for "User Defined" or "Custom." If you don't see an option to change the paper size, you might need to download the latest driver from your printer manufacturer's web site so that this option will be available.

I can use the RSVP template to lay out my response card in the same way that I did with my invitation card.

Assembling

Once I've printed my response card, I can easily fold it along the scored line and place it under the flap of my response envelope. The response card, response envelope, and invitation card are placed inside the inner envelope which is then placed inside the outer envelope. For information about addressing your envelopes, read Kristen Desrosier's article, Addressing Your Wedding Invitation Envelopes: Traditional Guidelines and Helpful Tips.

Making your own wedding invitations can be fun and rewarding. I've talked to many people that enjoy spending time exploring our web site and looking through all of the invitation cards and kits as they make their decision on what to buy. Once the invitations have arrived at your door, finalizing your invitation wording and laying it out in Word is a rewarding experience because you'll have designed your invitation and laid it out exactly as you envision it in your head. Finally, you can gather friends and family to help you assemble all the personalized pieces of your invitation ensemble.

If you have made your own wedding invitations, let us know about your experience!

Joshua Birch

In September 2009, LCI Paper introduced our newest line of specialty papers, envelopes, program folders, invitations, response cards, and response folders called Old World. As noted in the announcement,

The essence of Old World is a traditional style of paper with a smooth velvety, matte finish combined with a strong framework and environmental soundness. Old World has the distinction of being chlorine and acid free. It is also pH neutral, allowing it to be age-resistant, yielding finished pieces that will last a lifetime. The envelopes have an elegant design, most notably for a European style flap.

Wedding Invitation Custom Printing

We are pleased to announce the availability of our new wedding invitation printing service where customers can choose from our Old World line and place their custom printing order on our web site in four easy steps.

Customize Your Wedding Invitations on Our Web Site

First, customers choose from one of three printing styles.

Second, they choose the specific parts of the invitation kit that they need. Perhaps they'd like to order a full ensemble that includes invitation cards, envelopes, response cards, response envelopes, and reception cards. Or they might only require invitation cards and envelopes. The full selection is available to them, including their choice of quantities.

Third, a choice of four different ink colors are available.

And finally, the customer edits our sample invitation wording to include all the pertinent information that will appear on the wedding invitation.

Get Started Now!

See our Old World invitations and learn more about our custom printing service.

The availability of this new printing service gives our customers an alternative method of being able to create their own wedding invitations at a reasonable price.

Recommended Link:
LCI Paper Launches "Old World" Brand of Fine Specialty Paper

While browsing through the Offbeat Bride Blog this morning, a very bold and unique wedding caught my eye. A Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Festival themed wedding, the featured Seattle newlyweds chose this custom theme and all of its vibrant elements to honor their deceased loved ones. From the colorful venue, to the wedding party’s unparalleled attire, to the skull-covered cake, it was clear that this event was replete with character, creativity, and attention to detail.

This posting initially grabbed my attention because it conjured up ideas of Halloween (a day I admittedly love); yet after reading further, my thoughts were sent in another direction. Though I have never been to a theme wedding quite as wacky as the one described above, I have attended a handful of them. Of course it is simply a matter of opinion, but it seems to me that theme weddings always end up being a great time for everyone. Thinking about why I felt this way, I came to the realization that are several reasons why theme weddings are so great, and therefore, several reasons to consider one!

Theme weddings are sure to memorable for you and your guests

If you glanced at the photo above, or happened to read the whole Offbeat Bride posting, you would have to agree, it would be hard to forget an event like this! Putting together a theme wedding takes a significant amount of time and attention. From save-the-dates to detailed reception to thank you notes, the final themed presentation will likely resonate with you and your guests.

Themes offer a perfect way to inject your character and favorite things

The featured Seattle newlyweds chose their Dia de los Muertos theme because it meant something personal to them. All of their unique additions and details made it clear they injected their own personalities into their event and had fun doing it. Ideally, this is what a wedding should be about.

A theme may make planning more fun, and less stressful

It goes without saying that wedding planning may be stressful, theme or not. In either case, you are hunting, booking, matching and organizing for weeks to get the look and feel you are after. At first glance, it may seem that putting together an elaborate theme may make add complications to planning, yet this is not necessarily true. Typically, a theme is seen as fun and quirky. When planning for a theme wedding, if you see something you like, yet it does not perfectly match or traditionally belong at a wedding, it is okay! The reason your offbeat detail is acceptable is because it indeed fits the theme, and probably will not be seen as odd so much as amusing or fun. In essence, a theme does not restrict your choices, but instead adds planning wiggle room.

Analyzing this point further, my sister and brother in law came to my mind. Being the laid back, low maintenance people that they are, they chose to have a beach/luau themed wedding and reception. Complete with a back-yard barbecue rehearsal dinner, a request that guests arrive dress-casual, and wedding party clothing change for the reception (from tuxedo coats and stilettos to Hawaiian shirts and flips flops), the whole event was "very them." I bring this point up to mention the fact that at the reception, my brother in law was thrilled to be able to wear a crazy captain's hat that he purchased during the previous Halloween season. Yes, I can see how it moderately fit the theme (captain/ship/sea/beach?), yet it was a stretch. The overriding point is that he found a way to incorporate his wacky hat, and therefore character, into his wedding, simply because he wanted to. The best part is, most people viewed this as fun, not ridiculous.

A theme wedding is a great way to utilize you crafty and creative talents

Creating or finding details for your wacky theme wedding may be as fun as the actual event. Once you get started on planning, you may be surprised by where your imagination leads you. Of course, not everyone is creative and crafty, which is why the following quote from the Offbeat posting is a great one.

Create something memorable, but don't over-stress yourself. Crafty folks will certainly want to add a handmade touch to the ceremony, but remember there are a lot of talented people who can help make your wedding unique.

Theme weddings are fun

It goes without saying that if your event incorporates your personality, creativity, and favorite things, it will be a blast for you. However, also consider the fact that if you are having a great time, it will show, and inevitably your guests will too! If you put your mind to it, the possibilities for a theme wedding are endless!

Recommended Link:

Invitations By Theme, Style, or Color

Kristen Desrosier