LETTERPRESS TO DIE FOR!

Have you ever seen, or better yet, felt a letterpress invitation? It's completely different from thermography.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LETTERPRESS AND THERMOGRAPHY?

Letterpress invitations are pressed or etched deely into the thick stock paper. The verse is literally pressed into the paper so when you run your finger over it you can feel the indents that each letter makes. It's incredibly rich and luxurious and has a look and feel all its own. Most impressive and most expensive! You can visit our letterpress invitations at Joyful Invitations - Carlson Craft and Joyful Invitations - Einvites.

Thermography is the standard in most invitations today. Thermography produces raised printing similiar in appearance to engraving but using a different process. In thermography, a special powder is added to the ink printed on the paper. The printed piece is heated and the powder and ink mixture dries to form a raised effect on the paper. Check out our raised print invites at Joyful Invitations!

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Lovingly brought to you by Joyful Invitations and Joyful Party Favors!

EXCEPTIONAL CHLOE B

[GREEN AND WHITE FLOWERS]

This bright white, shimmering tea-length invitation card by Chloe B features a shimmery back pocket with a floral flourish design.

[GOLD DUST]


A stunning damask design accents this shimmery gold invitation. Your thermographed wording is a beautiful touch to this elegant ensemble by designer Chloe B.


When nothing but the best will do, we're proud to call Chloe B one of our most distintive and sought after designers. You can see her full collection at Joyful Invitations for the most perfect wedding invitation ensembles available today!
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This blog lovingly brought to you by Joyful Celebrations, proud owner of Joyful Invitations and Joyful Party Favors!

ROYAL DOULTON INVITATIONS!

Open-Up Glamour by Royal Doulton

This shimmer wrap unfolds to reveal a printed insert card that holds all the important information of your wedding day. The wrap features an olive, colored design and opens up to reveal the insert, which features a filigree design over a lightly olive-colored background.

We are proud to feature a collection of wedding stationary inspired by art from Royal Doulton. The Royal Doulton Company, today is synonomous with the finest English china, has a pedigree dating back to 1815 and was granted the Royal Warrant from King Edward VII in 1901.

See our Royal Doulton collection at Joyful Invitations.

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This blog lovingly brought to you by Joyful Celebrations LLC, proud owner of Joyful Invitations and Joyful Party Favors!

SAVE THE DATE!

Have you set the date? Are you ready to begin the lovely experience of planning a wedding? If you are, be sure that everyone else is on the same page. What I mean is, even if your wedding is months or even a year or more away, make sure your guests are aware and prepared to commit to you and your date. How? With "Save The Date" cards and magnets, that's how.

A must have for every wedding, sent out months in advance, this little gem of a card let's your guests mark their calendar just for you and your big day. See this sample selection of fun and quirky save the date cards from Joyful Invitations, and make sure you make this a priority for your wedding!

Such a simple concept, what a great idea. Make your wedding an important affair to remember with a Save the Date card or magnet.

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Lovingly brought to you by Joyful Celebrations LLC, proud owner of Joyful Invitations and Joyful Party Favors!

DO YOU NEED A WEDDING PLANNER?

What about the wedding favors? What about the flowers? What about the invitations, the DJ, the photographer, the reception hall, the church, the food, the decorations, the cake, just to mention a few? Do you really need a planner to help you sort through all this? This is not a simple yes or no answer.

The first thing to consider is your wedding budget. If this is a large well funded affair I would certainly recommend finding a good wedding planner to assist you with all the details and keep everything on track. But, what about those of you feeling the crunch? What should you do? Amazingly enough a lot of planners are hoping to help those feeling the financial squeeze so it's worth it to call around and see what your local wedding planners have to say. These days, most are willing to work with you.

If you're well organized with time to spare and actually want to do it yourself, planning and instituting your own wedding can be a joyful experience! Just keep a good diary planner on hand and refer to it for every little thing and you'll do great! If you're not organized and have a smaller budget why not find a friend who's the organization-diva and ask her to step in and help. This works really well if she's already part of the wedding party!

Keeping track of all the details will put you on the right track to a successful, stress free (well almost) wedding. Happy planning!

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Lovingly brought to you by Joyful Celebrations LLC, the proud owner of Joyful Invitations and Joyful Party Favors!

SO MUCH INFORMATION!

Did you know that I write the wedding column for Best Ever You magazine? If you don't know you should definitely check it out. I answer real wedding questions from real readers, like you. In fact, last night's blog on "How Many Invitations Do I Need To Order?" was the article I wrote last month for January's issue.

Here's the thing, all this information, and more is on my website, Joyful Invitations where you can check out my Invitation Guide and FAQ for most of your invitation questions. However, no matter your wedding question, you can direct it to me at Best Ever You and I'll be happy to address the question in next months issue! You can watch for it here next month as Tip #2.

Thanks to everyone who's following me, and the wonderful brides from my invitation site. I am forever grateful to all of you!!!

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This blog lovingly brought to you by Joyful Celebrations LLC, proud owner of Joyful Invitations and Joyful Party Favors!

WEDDING ETIQUETTE!

Do you know the proper etiquette for your wedding? It's crazy trying to figure out all the proper ins and outs of having a wedding, especially a formal wedding. Going by the book keeps us steeped in the grandeur of tradition. In this day and age where even manners can be found missing it's glorious to see the splendor and timelessness of a wedding! However, do it right! Here is tip #1.

TIP #1

How many invitations do I need to order?

Question:
How many invitations should I order for my wedding?

Answer:
The first thing you’ll need to do to determine the number of invitations you’ll need to order is get your complete list together including addresses. If your list consists of 200 people, you don’t need to order 200 invitations. You’ll need to only order one invitation per married couple. If they have children under the age of 18 the children may be included on the parents’ invitation listed under the parents name on the inner envelope. If there are children over 18 you must send a separate invitation to each child. If you’re inviting a man and woman living together, but not married, you may send one invitation listing the woman’s name first.

Question:

Should I order extra invitations?

Answer:
I always recommend ordering 25 more than you need for last minute additions to your guest lists, and other mailing mishaps that can occur. It’s less expensive to order an additional 25 on you initial order, rather than ordering 25 more at a later date.

Question:
What’s the best way to select my font and ink color for the invitation I choose?

Answer:
You can always use the recommended font and color that comes with the invitation as you place your order. However, you do have the option to select something different and really personalize your invitations. When you place your order you can experiment with different fonts and inks and view them on the virtual proof to see which one really suits your like and needs.

Ordering invitations is a crucial part of the wedding process. Remember, your invitations set the mood and theme for the entire wedding so you’ll want to take your time and find the perfect invitation ensemble to meet your needs.

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This blog brought to you by Joyful Celebrations LLC, proud owner of Joyful Invitations and Joyful Party Favors!

UPBEAT & TRENDY BRIDAL SHOWER INVITES!

[Best Dressed]

[Intricate Icing]

[Astonishing Accessory]

[ Bridal Bingo]

[Under The Umbrella]

[Polka-dot Party]

[A Bridal Gown]

[Dancing Shoes]

Today's bridal shower invitations are cetainly not your Grandma's invitations. Clever and stylish, these invitations bring out the fun loving party girl in all of us. What better way to celebrate the marriage of a dear friend or family member.

These are just a sample of the bridal shower invitations that we offer at Joyful Invitations. Never fear, we also carry formal and traditional invitations, too. It's amazing to me how wedding invitations have evolved over the last few years. No matter the theme or feel of a wedding there is always the perfect invitation. Remember, your invitation sets the mood for your entire wedding, so find the perfect ensemble to represent your special day!

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This blog brought to you by Joyful Celebrations LLC, proud owner of Joyful Invitations and Joyful Party Favors.

YOU'RE INVITED!

YOU'RE INVITED TO THE GRAND OPENING

OF JOYFUL INVITATIONS

We are proud to announce the launch of the

newest website in the Joyful Celebrations family, Joyful Invitations.

We're up and running as of 12/22/08

and I'm so thankful for my family and friends

who stood by me and helped made this possible.

I'd especially like to thank Debbie Hastings from

Flying Change Webs & Graphics for the

amazing work she did. It's so great to work with someone

who "gets" me and, better yet, gets my vision. Even better,

she's a true expert in her field.

If you love top of the line and designer Wedding

Invitations then please stop by and check us out. We have a

little something for everyone. I'm always

open to feedback and suggestions or concerns so

feel free to leave me a comment. In fact,

I'd appreciate it if you would!

This blog is brought to you by Joyful Celebrations, LLC, proud owner of Joyful Invitations and Joyful Party Favors.

AWARD WINNING INVITATION!

And the Winner is… Carlson Craft is proud to announce that they were presented with the Louie Award this year at the New York Stationery Show! The winning invitation, Love Birds, shown above can be found at Joyful Invitations (coming soon) in the Something Different album. For those of you not familiar with the Louie Awards, this award recognizes the best greeting card and stationery products of the past year. Out of the more than 1,000 entries, a total of 193 made it to the final round of judging. The entries, in 63 different categories, were submitted from more than 150 publishing companies from all over the world.

I'm proud as punch that we can offer this award winning wedding invitation, "Love Birds". First of all it's gorgeous, and secondly it's "oh-so" romantic and sweet. It makes me want to get married all over again!

PERSONALIZED WINE LABELS!

This is a brilliant idea for any occasion, personalized wine labels. Just order with all your information and adhere to any bottle of wine. They come in six different designs, many imprint colors and lots of different fonts. This would be great for any wedding, holiday party or joyful occasion. How perfect would this be for gift giving or, better yet, New Years. Check them out at Joyful Invitations!

GOING FLORAL!

These luscious floral accented wedding invitations, from eInvites, are the newest trend in what's hot and stylish for todays bride. In keeping with the casual tone, floral prints are designed for the bride that wants to step away from traditional standards and rely on contemporary styles for a more modern approach to her wedding. Guess what? You CAN have it your way!

Brought to you by Joyful Invitations for all your "joyful occasions"!

BLACK & WHITE WEDDING!

Black and white wedding themes make a bold statement in a sophisticated fashion. The black and white favors bring the fun factor into play, while the black and white invitations are sexy, simple and chic. No color necessary to set this wedding stage of love.

AQUA IS IN!

Aqua is a popular color choice for today's wedding invitations. I love it. It's clean and rich yet simple and chic, expecially when paired with chocolate brown. Yummy!