Imbue You Blog

Get Inspiration, Tips and Good Feels

How to Create Your Own Wedding Invitation Wording

Feb 3, 2016 | Blog, Tips and Advice

Justin and I were having a good laugh last week reading Emily Post’s 1922 recommendations (or more like decrees) for how to word wedding invitations:

AS an inheritance from the days when Mrs. Brown presented her compliments and begged that Mrs. Smith would do her the honor to take a dish of tea with her, we still—notwithstanding the present flagrant disregard of old-fashioned convention—send our formal invitations, acceptances and regrets, in the prescribed punctiliousness of the third person.

— Emily Post, Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home

We’ve created invitations in the first person “our wedding” and the third person “their wedding”. And at this point that just seems up to the mood the couple wants for their special day.

Fashions change, rules slacken. And I’m happy to say that these days, we have more freedom with creating the wedding invitation and wording that fits us.

If you want to add your own twist on wedding invitation wording, then today’s post is for you.

We’ve created an easy-to-follow anatomy of wedding invitation wording. Think of it as Emily Post evolved.

So you can add your own style and know you’re not forgetting anything important.

Invitation featured in design:

Vintage map travel wedding invitation with belly band

Beach Wedding Elegance: Palm Tree Wedding Invitation

Jan 26, 2016 | Blog, Designs

We like to think of our wrap wedding invitations as special presents you are sending to your guests. And this palm tree wedding invitation is no exception.

With bold color and stately fonts, this invitation is elegance wrapped up in fun (see what I did there!).

Yes, those are heart shaped leaves. The colorful extra wide belly band is topped off with a tag on a fabric ribbon. And the palm pattern continues under your wording. Put it all together and it’s romantic and unique.

Handcrafted with Love

Each belly band is hand wrapped around your invitations and tag tied with fabric ribbon. So your invitations arrive fully assembled — and ready to stuff and mail to your guests.

Plus return addressing on the envelope is included … so check that off your to-do list.

For you paper lovers, our handcrafted invitations are flat printed on our 130lb Signature Matte Cardstock. It has a luxe weight, and super smooth texture that makes colors pop.

And our thick White Luxe Envelopes have “Peel and Press” closure. So you’ll never have to lick an envelope.

Choose Your Colors

The palm tree wedding invitation design comes in 4 colors palettes:

Black and Gold
Soft Mint and Charcoal
Coral and Charcoal
Aqua and Navy

Or you can choose you own look from our palette of 39 colors, 16 fonts and 4 paper types to truly make it your own.

Matching Designs

Complete your set with RSVP cards with envelopes, RSVP postcards or enclosure cards. And save time with guest addressing printed in your colors and fonts.

We hope you like this set, we loved designing it!

Order your palm tree wedding invitation here | Or order a sample

3 Simple Search Hacks to Find Your Perfect Wedding Invitation Faster

Sep 4, 2015 | Blog, Designs, Tips and Advice

How do you find the perfect invitation for your wedding?

I’m sure you’ve noticed the amount of wedding invitation choices these days is staggering.

The great thing about that is it’s truly possible to find the perfect wedding invitation for you. On the flip side, you’ll likely be wading through the not perfect for a bit.

But what if you had some simple search tips to slice through the “not right” and zero in on the “just right”? Read on, and learn how to express your way to the perfect wedding invitation.

Wedding Invitation Search Hack #1
Focus on your style or theme first…not color

Did you know that our eyes see shape before they see color?

That means the first impact from your invitation will be from your design, not your wedding palette. So the most important thing you should focus on is the style of design you want: classic, traditional, modern, whimsical, etc. And your wedding theme if you have one.

Plus, many invitation designers will have a way to customize colors even if the design doesn’t expressly come in your palette. For example, in our shop color changes are included on all designs.

So if you just search on color first, you may miss out on your perfect invite.

Wedding Invitation Search Hack #2
Next think about your amount and type of wording

Colors may be easy to change, but sometimes the amount of room for wording can be difficult to add on — especially if the wording is integrated into the invitation design.

For a casual weddings where you don’t need your last names on the invitation and you don’t have event details to share with your guests, this is less of an issue.

But if you are having a destination wedding, or wedding with many events, you’ll need an invitation design that has coordinating enclosure cards. Or a design that includes room for additional information.

Similarly, if you would like to use your last names or need room to list your parents look for invitations that have enough space for wording.

If you find a design you like, you can often ask if there’s room for what you need.

Wedding Invitation Search Hack #3
Then consider any special details you’d like

Sometimes it’s the finishing touches that make an invitation come to life.

That can be coordinating color layers, wraps, ribbons, tags, crystals or something else.

If you would like a special detail added to your invitation, you can often find matching options provided by your invitation designer.

And if not, you can often find the perfect stationery detail to add on yourself.

Invitation designs featured:

The right invitation is waiting for you. And now you can find it quickly!

2 Secrets of Stylish Geek Weddings

Aug 28, 2015 | Blog, Tips and Advice

Are you looking to add your favorite movies, TV shows, comics, sciences or games to your wedding? Awesome! If you want to keep the geek in your wedding without losing the style, we’ve got some pro tips just for you.

Geek Wedding Style Secret #1:
Pair it with a style you already love

Not only will this make your wedding more special and more unique, it’s also an easy style cheat.

When Haley and Chris were thinking up their fantasy fiction wedding table names, they could have printed out scenes from each movie or used covers from each book as table cards. And that certainly would have been cool.

But instead they paired their love of fantasy with their vintage style. And it looks great.

Now their tables relate to each other and their entire wedding more cohesively. Plus using real maps is like saying Hogwarts and Rivendell are real places. (The geeks in us delight at that thought!)

photos by Imbue You (that’s us!). This vintage table card design is available here and the vintage place tags are available here. Choose your colors, and of course wording to make it as Geek Chic as you want to be.

Geek Wedding Style Secret #2:
Keep it simple

For your wedding, the easiest way of “keeping it simple” means looking for iconic shapes or elegant details that express your fandom or geeky love.

If you loved Star Wars, you could use a cut out silhouette of the Millennium Falcon as a guest book sign in.

This wedding of chemistry lovers featured beakers and test tubes with flowers as table decor. Very chic, and very simple!

photos (including first featured photo) by Jason+Gina Wedding Photographers via When Geeks Wed

And that’s it, if you keep these 2 secrets in mind, you can have your geeky cake and eat it stylishly too!

Fun, Fresh and Fast: New Modern Thank You Favor Tag

Aug 21, 2015 | Designs

Sometimes impulse buys are the most fruitful.

A few months ago on a whim I bought a bundle of fonts by independent designers.

Did I know what I wanted to do with them…no idea. But many of the fonts were cute, quirky and fun.

Plus, it’s also great to support indie designers.

So I took the plunge. And boy am I glad I did!

There were some gems in there. Including the font featured on this new thank you favor tag.

This font is so great, it allowed us to do something we’ve been thinking about for awhile: offer fast shipping while still allowing you to add your personal style.

So with 20 ink colors to choose from, and your choice of white or ivory cardstock, these tags can fit your modern, stylish or fun wedding style. And because there’s no proofing, they ship in 4 to 8 business days.

And oh, the colors! There’s one for any type of wedding or shower.

Customize this design…

So what’s your thank you style? Order this thank you favor tag here.

Fall Wedding Color Palette: Coral and Brown

Aug 19, 2015 | Color Palettes

We recently worked with bride Victoria on customizing the Florida map wedding invitation to match her fall wedding.

She used a color palette that we haven’t seen on this design: deep coral and brown. Around here, we loved it so much, we put together this fall wedding palette inspiration featuring, light coral, dark coral and brown.

Enjoy!

Photo credits

Like what you see and want to know where to get it? See below.

1st row: Bouquet via thefrenchbouquettulsa.com and photographer Chris Humphrey

2nd row: Groomsman (left) and Wreath (right) via photographer Katelyn James | Reception decor (middle) via

3rd row: Florida map wedding invitation via Imbue You (that’s us!)

4th row: Wedding party (left) via photographer Katelyn James | Vintage cake (right) via Ruffled and photographer Amy Zumwalt Photographers

5th row: Painted jars via Beach Blues on Etsy

Customize this design

You can use your own color palette to make this Florida map wedding invitation fit your wedding. It’s available here, and shown below.

Creating A Personal Destination Wedding Your Guests Will Love — and Never Forget

Aug 12, 2015 | Designs, Tips and Advice

We recently had the pleasure of working with Julie, who was having an intimate wedding in Italy with close friends and family.

It was clear that she and fiancé Dennis were putting a lot of thought and care into the experiences her guests would have in Tuscany.

They had found the keys to creating a personal, memorable destination wedding. Read on to learn how you can do the same for your own destination wedding.

Put your guests at ease

All of Julie’s guests, a small group of 10, had already been invited.

So Julie didn’t really need invitations exactly.

But she wanted to provide a wedding packet — with details of the events leading up to and including the wedding. That way, her guests would know what to expect, how to prepare and what to pack.

You can do this with additional information or cards you send with your invitations, a wedding website, or a separate email or mailed package sent after your invitations.

The important thing is answer key questions for your guests, so they don’t feel unprepared once they arrive at the destination and are miles from home.

Provide a little home comfort

That being said, no matter how well you plan, you’ll always forget something. Right?

Your destination wedding guests may feel the same way.

Julie prepared a personalized welcome package for her guests, including caps and scarfs.

But this doesn’t have to be elaborate. Many of our couples will simply provide a welcome kit or bag of emergency pain relievers, snacks, water and other little things that your guests may have missed.

With guest welcome packages the thought really does count.

Display your own signature style

Your guests are traveling so far to spend time with you and to share your special day.

So don’t forget to share your own style.

Julie and Dennis’ style was more modern and traditional. So their stationery was a no-script font zone.

She was also worried that her preferred colors “weren’t very Italy”. But really, there’s no such thing.

Her family and friends can look at this wedding stationery and see Julie and Dennis in them. And that’s what’s important.

Feel free to put your own stamp on your destination wedding design, even if you don’t think it matches what most people think of as “beach”, “Mexico” or your destination.

Experience local culture to create once-in-a-lifetime memories

Julie included a few trips and events at the winery and in the town they were staying.

These will become cherished memories that her family and friends will keep long after the “I do”s.

Local or abroad, almost every town has something special that you can share with your wedding guests.

And it doesn’t have to be expensive either. It can be as simple as choosing to spend a morning or afternoon walking around — visiting shops and meeting the people who live there.

Thank them for coming

There are many ways to thank your wedding guests.

Julie chose to add a thank you message on her itinerary cards. So they were thanked as soon as they arrived.

But you could also do a dedicated thank you card, a note on your wedding programs, or a simple thank you message on your favor tags.

Customize this design…

Julie’s invitation design was customized from our Italy map booklet invitation, shown below, and available here. Julie added a wrap with tag to the base design. And for her additional stationery, she added a her own compass logo.

For additional customizations not shown on the product page, please contact us.

Thank Your Wedding Guests with Vintage Travel Style

Aug 2, 2015 | Designs

It’s party time on your wedding day.

The “I dos” have been done, and you are now in the warm glow of being newly married.

Your dearest friends and family have a gathered.

And you want to thank them — for sharing this place and this time with you.

There are many ways to do that. Recently, our vintage map thank you cards have become a popular way to do so.

Many couples are going more personal by using special maps of their states or wedding destination countries.

We’ve recently added more vintage map thank you designs to our collection. And I wanted to share these with you today.

Want more maps than just these shown?

Select the “Map Colors and Changing Maps” section on the product page, and more options will drop down for you. And if you don’t see the state or country map you need listed, we can usually acquire it for you. Just drop us a note at ido @ imbueyou.com to learn

Caribbean Map Thank You Card

This map shows the Caribbean islands, specifically including:

Jamaica
The Bahamas
Puerto Rico
The Dominican Republic
Haiti
Cuba
and more

We can move the map around to focus on the area you need. Just let us know in the note box when you place your order.