A & E tied the knot!

Alison & Eric got married in Ancaster, Ontario on August 6th, 2011. The ceremony was set to take place outside at 4pm when dark clouds rolled in and sent the guests and wedding party indoors so not to get wet. Despite the standing room only and the humidity of the warm summer day, the ceremony went smoothly and the two got married after 6 years of dating!

Alison was a very laid back Bride, but knew that she wanted her reception decorated a certain way. Fresh hydrangeas and ivory roses sat in mason jars upon the tables. Paper bird place cards perched atop wine glasses and candles lit throughout the room provided the elegance and romance she was going for.

There were a few rustic touches incorporated into the decor, such as twine wrapped around the mason jars, wooden boxes filled with roses on top of the fireplace mantel and a chalkboard used to direct guests to their seats. As a personal, DYI touch, Alison made homemade strawberry jam as the favour - complete with a gingham wrapped lid!

Alison & Eric didn't want your standard clinking of the glasses to kiss, so instead they had a Scrabble board propped up with their names on it, then each table was given a small baggie of letters to create a word describing their relationship, marriage or personalities. All of the letters had double sided tape on them so that they could be properly placed and displayed. It was a fantastic idea and was thought of because they played Scrabble on their very first date.

Overall, this wedding was simply beautiful! Elegant, yet simple. Laid back, yet exciting and thrilling in all the right places. It was a joy working with Alison, Eric, their wedding party and immediate families.

Wishing them much happiness as they start their lives together. Congratulations once again!

CopyKate #02

Invitations are the first thing your guests see for your wedding, unless you are having a Save the Date. You need to set the tone for your wedding through your invite - it helps guests decide if they are able to attend, what to wear, and what is expected of them (travel, costs, etc).

CopyKate #02: The Royal Wedding Invitation

I emailed my friend Sarah from Hip Ink to inquire about William & Kate's Royal Wedding invites, and how couples would be able to get the same look and feel of their invites for a whole lot less.


Here's what she had to say:

From photos I’ve seen, my guess would be that William and Kate’s invitation was likely printed on a 100% cotton, double-thick card, around 6×8 (which is oversize for standard invitations). I’m quite sure that the details were engraved, the royal crest stamped in gold foil and the edges of the card were gilded with actual gold. The invitation would have most certainly arrived in a double envelope.


$16-$20 per invite, plus optional personalization
The Royal Invite was an approx. 6x8 thick cotton card, engraved, with gilded edges and a foil stamped crest. You would probably expect to pay around $800-1000 for 50 invitations that were similar. The engraving - the most expensive printing method for invitations - and gilded edges are what really drive the cost up.

What was interesting about the Royal Wedding invites, at least to us in North America, was the lines where the guests names were written in (in this case it would have been the Royal Calligrapher who wrote them all). This is standard practice (personalizing invitations with guest names) in the UK and Australia, and adds a nice personal touch.

This is definitely something that you could incorporate if you're working with a custom designer. For example, I offer personalization on invitations or RSVP cards for around $.75-$1.00 each.

$9-$10 per invite
A mid-range but very similar invite that would look almost identical could be created using the same cardstock (a 100% cotton double-thick card), letterpress printing (still very chic and high-end) and a foil stamped gold crest (but skipping the gilded edging) for around $450-500 for 50 invitations.

$4-$6 per invite
The standout of this invite is the gold foil crest – keep that element and you’ve got the look. Combine a nice (but not super-thick) cardstock and digital printing, and you've got a more affordable item.

Did you notice that the RSVP information is printed in the lower left hand corner, asking guests to reply to the Lord Chamberlin’s office? As is traditional, and most formal, the reply is to be provided in writing – no email or phone calls here, no little mail back cards – old-school all the way. Also, no reception info. Separate invitations were mailed out for those invited to the afternoon reception held by the Queen, as well as the evening reception held by Prince Charles, and those invitations have not been made public.

So, there you have it. You can recreate Wills & Kate's invites at any price level and still get the same regal look. Contact Sarah for info on your wedding invites, or if you're working with us for Full Wedding Planning we will be able to refer you to vendors like Sarah that offer discounts to our clients.

Cheerio!