Wedding Invitations (Hardcover)
by Jennifer Cegielski

Editorial Reviews

Book Description
A wedding invitation heralds the good news of two people making a commitment and also reveals the style and tone of that highly anticipated day. Gone are the days when a couple's major decision about their invitations was choosing between white or ecru paper-today's invitations come in an incredible array of materials, colors, textures, sizes, and shapes. And the often complex structure of modern families makes wording invitations a challenge. The first book to fully address these topics, Wedding Invitations takes couples from original idea to finished product, no matter how simple or extravagant their vision.

The book presents both traditional and modern designs, details the many different types of inks, papers, and printing methods available, and discusses how to deal with ceremony cards, response cards, maps, and other enclosures. The text covers all aspects of invitation etiquette, from acknowledging various family members in the most appropriate way, to properly wording inner and outer envelopes. Wedding Invitations offers advice on desktop publishing, working with a designer or calligrapher, papermaking, and doing your own letterpress printing. Since many guests cherish the invitation as a memento long after the ceremony has passed, this is a must-have for the newly engaged. AUTHOR BIO: JENNIFER CEGIELSKI is a writer and editor and the former content director of The Knot. She has covered all aspects of weddings, from gowns to flowers to cakes. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.

DANA GALLAGHER is a New York City-based photographer specializing in food, still life, and interiors for clients such as Martha Stewart Living, House & Garden, and Food & Wine.

About the Author
JENNIFER CEGIELSKI is a writer and editor and the former content director of The Knot. She has covered all aspects of weddings, from gowns to flowers to cakes. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.

Amazon Reviews

A wealth of information--even beyond the wedding
I have to admit, while planning my wedding I was hesitant at first to purchase a book that seemed to be on only one wedding topic. But being into stationery and typography, I'm glad I took a chance on this one. I wanted our wedding invitation to be really special (we have been together a long time and already have a child), and this book helped us achieve that goal. All the bases are covered, so you really understand what all your options are in a simple, non-overload way. This book is like a "master class", and is great for anybody who is interested in printing, stationery or invitations in general.

Review: A lot of useful information
I'm not sure what the reviewer below was reading because this book contains everything you could ever hope to know about wedding invitations. It's definitely visually attractive, but it's the useful information (even gives you a timeline for you invites to make sure you're on track which I am often not!) that make this a must-have item for anyone about to get married.

Review: Very comprehensive and informative Invitations book!
A must have for the "Bride-to-be" or anyone planning an event. This creative Invitations book covers everything you'll need to know when planning a wedding. It is layed out in an easy to read format w/ stunning visuals of invitations, etc. in a compact book that can be used for a referrence manual year after year.
I highly recommend it!

Review: Gorgeous, useful and a time saver!
This will help you through making all sort of invitation decisions (believe me there are a lot to make, I had no idea before I started) like paper and ink colors and also tell you all sorts of stuff about how to word your own invite to suit your wedding formality level. My invitations are going to be on blue paper letterpressed with brown ink, very elegant yet modern. I never would have thought of that combination had I not picked up this book! I can't wait to get the invitations up from the printer.




Wedding Invitations, Announcements, Place Cards, and More (Paperback)


Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Although engraved invitations have become standard for weddings, cards printed by hand are always in good taste. Most people do not have the handwriting skill for hand printing, so they fake it with a computer script or hire a calligrapher. This book has classic calligraphy instructions for those who would like to try it themselves, with a little practice first. Several types of alphabets are included, with detailed instructions on strokes and layout. A section on wedding etiquette has useful information on invitations, thank-you notes, and place cards, with photographs of many examples. An excellent book for public libraries. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Bette Matthews is the author of The Wedding Workbook, Cakes (For Your Wedding), Wedding Toasts and Vows, and the upcoming A Wedding for All Seasons. She has worked as an event consultant and stylist with a New York caterer, and is in the early stages of a start-up venture designing and producing handmade wedding invitations. Bette lives in New York City with her husband, photographer Antonio M. Rosario, and their two cats.

Excerpted from Wedding Invitations, Announcements, Placecards, and More : A Brides Guide to Simple Calligraphy by Bette Matthews. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Calligraphic Wedding
“You’ve dreamed about this day your entire life. And as you move further and further into the planning process of your wedding, each and every detail seems to grow in importance. Small elements combine to create a full-bodied effect.

“The written word has great prominence in wedding festivities. It may be in an obvious capacity, such as invitations, place cards, or menus. Or it may be something less noticeable, such as a favor tag, the name on a guest book, or a handwritten note on a gift basket sent to a guest’s hotel room. The opportunities for beautiful lettering are vast. Calligraphy can enhance your writing at its core.

“This book provides a basic introduction to calligraphy and some of the multitudes of lettering styles—some simple, others more complex. The instructional opening chapter offers an overview of tools, materials, and technique. The chapters that follow are divided into overall styles: Classic, Elegant, Romantic, Modern, and Artistic. These divisions are purely subjective, so don’t feel as if you have to confine your imagination. With a little thought or with minor changes, your alphabet of choice can be translated to any project in the book. Calligraphy is versatile and transcends any classifications we impose upon it.

“The projects in this book incorporate a full range of wedding concerns, from engagement to post wedding activities. Invitations, envelopes, and place cards are the most obvious items with which calligraphy is typically used. There are also ideas for gift tags, guest books to record good wishes, programs, and more. The quality of your finished product will be affected by the quality of your materials, so choose fine papers, ribbons, and flowers for these projects, and you won’t be disappointed.

“The last section of the book is the gallery. This is a showcase of professional work from experienced calligraphers offered to inspire you. Each of these pieces is created by an artist who learned the craft one step at a time, just as you are about to do.

“Practice, relax, and enjoy the learning process. Above all, let your own character, your own vision, and your own penmanship shine on the page. Don’t strive for perfection; strive for personality.”

Review: With This Book, You Can Do It
With this book -- and a lot of practice -- I was able to do the calligraphy for my daughter's wedding.

The book includes a number of romantic alphabets in styles from Celtic to modern, forms for invitations, many examples of custom woprk, and step-by-step instructions for projects ranging from favors to menu cards to guest books. There are also suggestions for working with a professional calligrapher.
This is a practical book for anyone planning a wedding.





Easy Invitations: Use Your Home Computer to Create Stylish Stationery for Weddings, Birthdays and Other Occasions (Paperback)

Book Description
Easy Invitations, Announcements, and Personalized Stationery is the ultimate guidebook to creating invitations and personalized stationery using a home computer and printer.

This book provides design ideas and instruction for creating professional quality, customized invitations and note cards using card stock, envelopes, and other readily available stationery. Use it as a standalone guide or in tandem with PrintingPress software by Mountaincow, which offers easy stationery layout, photo tools, a built-in address book, and hundreds of templates and graphics.

Easy Invitations, Announcements, and Personalized Stationery features original ideas for major life events such as birth announcements, traditional and modern wedding invitations, save-the-date cards, milestone birthdays, anniversary parties, and coming of age celebrations. It also includes ideas for thank-you notes, personalized stationery, informal get-togethers such as dinner and cocktail parties, a wine tasting, and even a romantic picnic for two. This book offers tips for making any party distinctive with creative and easy place cards, menus, gift tags, and favors.

Includes bonus CD-ROM with 3 fonts and 70 illustrations

About the Author
Patty Hoffman is the director of Communications at Mountaincow, a software maker that specializes in customizing invitations and stationery using a home computer. She has written about crafts, lifestyle, and entertaining for numerous magazines, including Seventeen, Family Circle, and Details.

Megan Eisen, CEO of Mountaincow, has written PrintingPress and many other software applications. She is an expert in graphic design and has created a wide variety of stationery and original fonts and graphics for invitations. Her stationery is featured in upscale stores such as New York’s Kate’s Paperie.

Josh Eisen, president of Mountaincow, has written PrintingPress and many other software applications. He is an expert in the use of computer technology for custom invitation printing and has been quoted in Greetings, Etc magazine.

Easy Invitations, August 30, 2005
Reviewer: Sarah OBrien - See all my reviews

This is an awesome book. I've been making cards on my computer for years, and I found this book very helpful. After reading it, I purchased the Mountaincow Printing Press Platinum CD. They are both fantastic. The fonts are the best, and I also like the graphics. I have learned some very helpful things about using my computer to expand the possibilities for making cards that end up looking extremely professional. I'm a perfectionist, and this book and CD met all my expectations.
Sarah

Review: Design Invitations, Thank You Notes and Stationery
Whether you want your wedding to be traditional or nontraditional, you want it to be personal and one way to achieve this is to design and print your own invitations, thank you notes and stationery on your computer. This book written by Patty Hoffman, Megan Eisen and Josh Eisen is just what you need to inspire and jump-start your creativity. But this book is not only about weddings.

The book is sectioned by topics covering the most important events in our lives including weddings, births and birthdays, seasonal and celebrations. Each section begins with a case study and personal story about the real people that are the inspiration behind the sample projects. Each section has sample projects which are discussed in depth explaining what type of papers, inks, images, fonts and design layouts were used and why. Although the authors are associates of Mountaincow, a software and stationery company; the book is written so that you can use any software you might already own. This book does not have step-by-step instructions for using graphic and printing software. The purpose of this book is to inspire your creativity for designing your own invitations and stationery.

Throughout the book the authors show you how to decide on a theme for your special occasion and how to apply that theme to everything including invitations, place cards, party favors and thank you notes. They place special emphasis on designing your own monogram with or without their company's PrintingPress software and choosing the perfect graphics and fonts to include in your designs.

Besides the eighteen projects, the book also has a Tools and Techniques section that covers everything from choosing paper, inks, and a printer to how to compose the message for your invitations. The authors also discuss their PrintingPress software. Although this software was not included on the accompanying CD, the CD does contain decorative borders, fonts, images and project layouts in the PrintingPress software format.

Patty Hoffman is director of communications for Mountaincow and author of several craft and lifestyle articles. Megan and Josh Eisen are co-owners of Mountaincow and the authors of the PrintingPress software.

Review: Great Gift
What a great book. Easy to follow, full of original ideas and examples, and it makes a perfect gift for friends into scrape booking, entertaining, and basic design. I've already bought four extra copies - to my friend's delight!

Review: Wedding Stress
I found this book to be very useful. I am planning a low budget wedding reception and this book gave me great ideas for low cost/creative invitations. I also thought the software was very user friendly.




The Artful Bride: Wedding Invitations : A Stylish Bride's Guide to Simple, Handmade Wedding Correspondence (Artful Bride) (Paperback)

Book Description
Every couple wants to announce their wedding with style and aplomb. Savvy, stylish brides are looking for ways to add their own style and sophistication to their wedding without relying on tradition-heavy standards. This beautiful guide contains everything a bride needs to personalize her wedding correspondence elegantly-but also simply and inexpensively. It includes more than 20 fashionable and fun-to-make invitation and correspondence ideas.

About the Author
April L. Paffrath is a freelance editor and writer in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In addition to book and magazine editing, she has written architecture profiles, travel pieces, cooking articles, and craft how-to's, for magazines such as Scientific American Explorations and Martha Stewart Living. She is coauthor with Laura McFadden of The Artful Bride: Simple, Handmade Wedding Projects (Rockport, 2003).

Laura McFadden is a freelance art director living in Somerville, Massachusetts. She is a former design director for Inc. magazine. She currently runs her own graphic design studio, called Laura McFadden Design, Inc., and has contributed to various craft books and magazines for publishers such as Rockport Publishers, Martingale & Company, and Handcraft Illustrated. She is coauthor with April Paffrath of The Artful Bride: Simple, Handmade Wedding Projects (Rockport, 2003).

Review: Beautiful & Creative Ideas
I've never understood why folks will shell out the big bucks for what they could more or less do on their home printer -- pretty, but bland. This book has beautiful, personal invitations ranging from the offbeat to the traditional (my favorite is the frog idea). Making invitations yourself doesn't mean sacrificing style or tradition, and this book is an excellent starting point.

Review: I have FINALLY found invitations I love,
I have been looking at invitations, and haven't found anything that is quite right. Not to mention everything is very pricey. I would much rather cut the price of the invitations and spend the money saved there on other wedding expenses. I have been looking at kits. I never really found anything that suited us. They were plain and not very origional. So I have been looking online for ideas and I saw this book. I love it! It has wonderful ideas, easy directions, and great pictures. We decided to take one of the invitations and change it a little to better fit us and what we are looking for. It really is wonderful because you don't have to follow the directions exactly, you can change the color/pattern, or just add your own special touch!

Review: Fun & Beautiful Invitations
The projects in this book range from fun and quirky (like my favorite - The Bride in a Can) to beautiful and classy. There are ideas here for weddings on the beach, old fashioned weddings, nuptials that include travel, and for simple ceremonies too. A lot of the ides in this book could be converted for use for other kinds of invitations, I used one of the pretty ones to make invitations to a party for my mother's birthday. Lots of color photos inside (nicer than the photo on the cover would make you think!) There are also illustrations & templates. I also gave this book as an engagement gift to a friend and not only did she love the gift, she made her invitations based on a project in the book.

Review: Innovating wedding invitation ideas
Innovating wedding invitation ideas to let the real you shine through. Imaginative ways to help you decide if the non-traditional route is more your style. Page after page of creative, artful invitations, announcements, save-the-date cards, and shower invitations. Directions and material list accompanies each design. Templates are also supplied. People will remember an invitation created by you from The Artful Bride: Wedding Invitations.

Bright White
This shade is the ultimate in white, very crisp, pure and bright!

Card
Invitation cards do not fold, your wording is printed on the front.

Deckle Edge
An uneven, feathery edge on a piece of paper is called a deckle edge. This edge is most commonly found on parchment invitations; however, other papers may also have deckle edges and will be noted in descriptions.

Die-Cutting
The process of using sharp metal rules to cut shapes and designs into paper. Die-cutting includes cutout shapes and sculpted edges.

Double Envelopes
The traditional set of two envelopes is used with formal invitations and announcements. The outer envelope is addressed to the guest and may have your (the sender’s) address printed on the back flap. The inner envelope, with the invitation and enclosures is enclosed inside the outer envelope. The inner envelope carries only the guests’ names. The inner envelope is available with a coordinating liner; it is not gummed and is not sealed.

Ecru
This color is a warm creamy beige.

Embossing
Embossing is like blind embossing above, only this type of printing uses ink or foil on the raised area to add drama and dimension.

Foil Stamping
This effect is achieved when colored foil is hot-stamped onto paper (perhaps a Christmas card) or accessory items, such as napkins.

Folder
Invitation folders are folded once, either to create a top or side fold. Your wording is printed on the front.

French-Fold
A sheet of paper folded twice to create a four-paneled invitation is considered French-folded. This fold is most common with parchment invitations.

Layers
This term indicates layers of paper tied or glued together. If the top layer is translucent and the lower is decorative paper, you’ll see a muted version of the lower layer through the translucent top.

Liners
This term refers to the decorative paper used to line the inside of an inner envelope or a single envelope.

Panel
A panel is the center section of your invitation “framed” by a raised area of paper. It also refers to pages facing each other. For example, a tri-fold invitation when opened fully, has a left, middle and right panel.

Parchment
This translucent paper is made to look like original parchment. This distinctive paper adds a softening effect to any invitation.

Pearlize
The process that applies a luminous pearl-like finish to part of an invitation, usually to an embossed design, is called pearlizing.

Short-Fold
A short-fold is created when a sheet of paper is folded once, not exactly in half, forming an invitation with a short front panel and longer back panel.

Thermography
This type of printing is created by adding a resin powder to wet ink, which when heated, creates a raised surface.

Tri-Fold
A tri-fold is created when a sheet of paper is folded twice to form a three-paneled invitation. Both outside panels are folded inward to cover the center panel.

Vellum
Vellum is a paper with a rich, smooth finish paper.

White
This shade is a soft white, like wedding gowns. It is a delicate hue.

Z-Fold
A z-fold is created when a sheet of paper is folded twice in accordion fashion to form a three-paneled invitation.

Carlson Craft Wedding Invitations

Save 25%-30% on Wedding Invitations & Engagement Announcements!

Congratulations on one of most exciting and special events of your life! You'll want to announce the fantastic news to your friends and family with style and pizzazz!

LTM Party has been helping brides plan & celebrate beautiful weddings since 1989. We are dedicated to expert service and attention to detail. You'll also save from 25% to 30% off list price on your wedding invitations.

We are pleased to provide you with an excellent selection of professional invitations from two of the most well-respected wedding publishers in the nation: Carlson Craft & Birchcraft.

We are sure you will be pleased with the absolute perfection that these professionals provide. They have been delighting couples with their superb wedding announcements for over 70 years!

We want your experience of ordering invitations to be fun and stress free! You can relax knowing your invitations will receive the up most care & attention to detail, expert quality printing and extraordinarily fast shipping.

Convenient Online Proofing
It's fun to try out different announcements with online proofing. You can select your custom text and proof your invitation right online before ordering! It's so easy, and convenient!

Selecting a Wedding Theme
Before you choose a wedding invitation don't forget to decide on what type of theme or tone your wedding will have. Will it be graciously formal or full of casual fun? With your theme in mind, selecting just the right invitations will be easier. Your invitations also graciously let your wedding guests know what to expect and plan accordingly.

Ordering Samples
Looking for just the right announcement but not quite sure on your selection? We love to help! Feel free to order samples so you can make absolutely sure the invitations you select are just right for you!

Wedding Engagement Announcements
You'll want to announce to your family and friends the wonderful news of your engagement. Whether romantic, traditional or casual - we are sure you'll find just the perfect engagement announcement.

Bridal Shower Invitations
Bridesmaids hosting the bridal shower will sure to be pleased with the variety of invitations we offer for throwing the perfect memorable bridal shower.

Disney Wedding Invitations
Always dreamed of the perfect fairy tale wedding? Your prince charming has arrived, and we want you to celebrate in style. We offer Disney wedding invitations, Disney bridal shower invitations and Disney wedding accessories.

Rehearsal Dinner Invitations
Don't forget the rehearsal dinner invitations. We are pleased to provide quite a selection to choose from. We make it a breeze to choose the perfect one for you.

Save the Date Cards
You'll be sure to want your busy friends to mark their calendars for your special wedding. A variety of contemporary and traditional cards will be a beautiful way to remind them of your upcoming marriage.

Direction Cards
Everyone appreciates clear easy to follow directions. Our direction cards for wedding events make sure that all of your guests arrive stress-free and on time!

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