Tip #2- Set the Mood & Theme

Before your guests even arrive at your event, without knowing it you have already indicated what type of event they will be attending. I’m sure you’re wondering how that’s possible. The answer is stationary. I know that a lot of people are of the mind set that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on stationary and that’s fine, I understand that people have different budgets and I have seen some pretty nice DIY invitations as well.

In my opinion, the invitations that you send to the guests set the tone for your entire event.  When a guest receives your invitation in the mail, they are greeted with an envelope enclosed with an invitation to your event.  Keep in mind that all of this is dependent upon the type of event, a less formal event would maybe have less formal invitation and likewise with a formal event. Who am I kidding? !I am a formal invitation girl no matter the event, but again that’s personal preference.

Some suggestions I have...Mailing labels instead of handwriting, more than just a white envelope, if it’s white let be really good quality paper. A beautiful stamp based on the time of the year or even the colour or  theme of the event (details) and then the invitation. The quality of paper is also important, cheap paper like a fake designer handbag will be spotted instantly. 

Although I love the bells and whistles of stationary, one pet peeve I have is a tacky invitation.  Wondering what makes an invitation tacky? That’s easy! Too many different fonts, a variety of font sizes, colours, bold or italic… and that’s just the font! Having too many words on an invitation can make an invitation look very busy, to the point of being unsure who the event is for and where it is. Of course there are formalities with some invitations like weddings and certain things must be on the invite, but try and keep it clean and concise. 

Graphics. Don’t get crazy with graphics either. Focus on what your theme is and not putting as many flowers on an invitation as you can. It takes away from the invitation looking clean and most importantly classy. If you want to jazz up your invite, add a crystal, don’t go crazy with the BeDazzler. When it comes to stationary, less is more and will set the tone for an elegant affair- unless of course you’re going to the circus then go nuts! No pun intended. 

Stay tuned forTip #3 next week!

xo, Tara

My son's First Birthday Invitation. We went for a chalkboard style, since it's for a child's birthday party, and of course a beautiful picture of my little man makes it more personal.

These were my menu's for my Bridal Shower. They were actually a DIY and turned out beautifully. 

My Bridal Shower Invitation was classic and chic. My fashion theme was evident with the High Heel graphic and a little bling on the bottom added a feminine touch. 

Menus for our Wedding were easy to read and classy. 

Our wedding invitation was elegant with the gold, black and blush colours and the monogram gave it a regal element that I loved!