Shows > Dream Wedding Show

This weekend!  I'll be at the Dream Wedding Show at CalExpo.  Come see me and all the other great wedding professionals that will be in attendance.  I'll be hosting a drawing for 50 Free Custom Invitations -or- $500 credit towards your stationery suite, your choice*.  Need to be present at the show to enter - Drawing winner picked and announced on my blog - Monday, March 2nd.

Dream Wedding Show

CalExpo, Sacramento

Sunday, March 1st, 2009

Fashion Shows 10.15a | 12.30p | 2.30p

Exhibits Open 11.00a -to- 4.00p

$10 for Exhibits & Fashion Shows

Save $2 Registering Online

SJD Located in Building 4

I have 2, count 'em, 2 tickets to give away to the Dream Wedding Show.  First bride/mother of the bride/groom/ attendant/etc. to email me ... get's 'em.  

Hope to see you Sunday!!

*Cannot be combined with any other SJD offer.

Shows > Bridal Expo, Radisson Sacramento

Tomorrow!  I'll be at Bridal Expo - Radisson Hotel in Sacramento.  Show is from Noon to 5PM.  Please visit the Bridal Expo website for all the details.

SJD Messages > When to Order?

I uploaded this nifty little 2009-2010 Ordering Calendar for ya'll.  The calendar shows recommended months to order your wedding and social stationery based on the month of your event.  As always, it is best to order early - but should you find yourself in a panic with your event rapidly approaching - I do my best to accommodate rush orders.  If I'm really pressed I can (depending on the type of stationery) get an order done in two weeks.  The greatest exception to that rush two weeks is silk products.  Silk products take on average 4-12 weeks to arrive from the manufacturer.

Weddings ... in the chart I show columns for save the dates (and/or engagement announcements), invitations & reception.  The reception column speaks to table cards, escort cards, place cards, programs, favor tags, etc.  I do recommend ordering everything together - around the same time you're ordering save the dates & invitations - however, with reception stationery you have a better idea of quantities once all your replies are in.  You can always place your order early then we can adjust quantities as necessary prior to production.

When to Mail for Weddings ...

Save the Dates = Send 4-6 Months before the wedding 

Invitations = Send 8-10 Weeks before the wedding 

When to Mail for Social Events ...

Invitations = Send 4-6 Weeks before the event

Cheers!!

Tip > Spend Wisely

Being smart about how you're spending your wedding dinero - doesn't mean that you are being cheap.  It's definitely human nature to want the best.  Hello!  I design myself into a labor intensive nightmare with my son's birthday invitations every year (note: pics coming soon .. tee, hee, hee).  

Follow me through this scenario ... Take the above invitation, Megan and Peter's wedding ensemble was everything they wanted in design, style and presentation.  Being smart meant we looked at their budget FIRST and designed from there.  If you are looking to be smart about spending, you can and still end up with a fabulous custom invitation.  It's really about what you actually need vs. want - in a word flexibility.  (Wouldn't it be nice if all things in life were as simple as stationery??)  Ask yourself, do I really need printed directions?  Do I really need this or that or is it more a luxury I'm willing to compromise on?

Although the invitation above looks simple enough, there were still opportunities to pare it down.  By removing all the extra enclosures attached to the back and sticking simply with the invitation & reply (with envelopes).  That's were the flexibility comes in.  You can start a free -or- inexpensive wedding website and list all the accommodation, direction and any other details there.  You may need one extra little card at minimal cost to direct guest to the website - but it's certainly a lot less costly than a multitude of panels with your invite.  

A word of warning ... don't include home printed directions or scissor cut papers with extra info that do not directly coordinate with your professionally printed invitations ... it looks really tacky and they stick out like a sore thumb.  Not a great first impression to one of the biggest days of your life.  Remember, your invitation is a keepsake for you just as much as an announcement to your guests - the invitation is the only professionally printed stationery you'll have to remember the day - other than the lovely state documented marriage license.

Back to business ...today, the pared down version breaks down to the following:

Invitations (100):

5x7 -or- 5x5 Panel Design

Double Matte Invitation Panel

Mix & Match Metallic or Matte Papers

3.5x5 Reply with Envelope

Total = $625

With my ... Luxury at a DIY Price Special

Total = $525

Add-on's:

Return Addressed Reply Envelope $75

Return Addressed Outside Envelope $75

Crystal Embellishment (1 per invite) $37.50 (DIY Price $29.00)

Let me know what you think of this post ... is it helpful??

A Dazzling 70th

My super-friends (super ... because they have 5 little ones under 5!), The Rekers Family, ordered birthday invitations for mom's 70th birthday celebration.  The invitation was inspired by the dazzling and luxurious Mom herself.  She loves pink - and I thought a muted palette lent itself to vintage, dusty rose accents.  It's a 7x7 panel design, with a triple matte, metallic & matte papers, ribbon trim and hand glittering.

I'm so into this hand glittering right now.  It is really time consuming but the effect is well worth the work.  Up next, my little one's Scooby invites ... working on those babies tonight!!

Special > Luxury at a DIY Price

Budgets are tight, planning an event is exhausting - and you are running short on time.  SJD to the rescue!  For a limited time little 'ol me, Miss Stephanie J, is doing my part to stimulate the economy by rolling up my sleeves and doing some of the work for you!  Not to mention saving you a heap of change and bunches of your valuable time in the process.  

When you book your custom stationery order (weddings, baby or social) by February 2, 2009 and pay in full at the time of order - you'll save 25% (before sales tax & design).  What is even better about this offer is that you are getting a full design & assembly order for the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) price!  Payments must be received by the February 2nd deadline to qualify.  This offer cannot be combined with any other SJD offer.

Call or email fast!  Spots on the production board are sure to fill up fast once everyone gets wind of this fabulous offer.

Looking forward to designing with you!!

SJD in the Spotlight - Alison Ulshoffer Events & Design

SJD was recently featured on the Alison Ulshoffer Blog as an invite designer she loves.  Ahhhh, it's good to be loved!  :)  Alison has several weddings detailed on her website (including her very own tropcial paradise wedding!) and it is apparent she has an eye for the details.  In my recent experiences with Alison - she is super-fast to respond, full of helpful info and just the overall sweetest person you could meet.  I'd certainly trust her to plan an event for me!

Enjoy happy planning with Alison Ulshoffer Events & Design!

Favz > Let's Blend!

Love, love, love my new blender!!  Our son, Wyatt, got to pick the color - super cute!  We've been blending like maniacs since we got it just after Christmas.  Wyatt and I are blending up breakfast smoothies every day, mixing everything from salsa to pancake mix is super easy and the blender has instituted weekly Tequila Tuesday's at the Cooley house.  

Seriously, the consistency is perfect - liquifies ice in seconds - and no (I mean NO) little left over ice rocks to get stuck in a straw.  We purchased ours at Macy's, but you can check out more cool colors on the KitchenAid website.

Happy Blending!!