The starting line: our invitations!

Whew, I’m back!  It actually happened, I am actually married!  I still can’t believe it.  After 6 and 1/2 years together, and 20 months of engagement, a whirlwind of anticipation, preparation, realization, celebration and recuperation, we are husband and wife.  I couldn’t be happier.

I really can’t wait to share all the details and *amazing* photos with you – but hey, you can’t really “come” to my wedding without an invitation, right?!?  Its about time I shared the thing that kicked off the whole parade……. our invites!  Check it out – our very own Rebekah from EAD did consulting on the design and printing, and we recruited a friend to draw an illustration for us.

The first thing the guests saw when they received their mail, was a jupiter stardream envelope (just like we used for our STDs), with the Ganesha image we are using in lieu of a monogram, printed on front.  Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of one before send-off, but you get the gist!  Printing them was just easier than handwriting, and we don’t have great handwriting, so we picked a funky font to give off the right vibe from the get-go.

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First things first: pockets that I made using sari material from ebay, fabric glue, and pinking shears – easy peasy, and they really upped the glamour of our parcel.  The fabric was gorgeous in person.  I even steeped the fabric (and by ‘steeped’ I mean stored the fabric with) chai tea bags, so it smelled exotic and warm!

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We decided to go with posters and a website link as a great way to cut down on inclusions that would just up the cost and carbon footprint of the suite, and they were quirky enough to suit our taste.   The front was an 11×17 image of Hunter and I (and Paco) in the style of TinTin, one of Hunter’s favorite characters as a child.  We love the playful feel that our friend brought in, with the little animals and celebrating crowds.  Its so cute!  On the back were the details.  Rebekah used the lotus vector image background from our Save the Dates, and we found a Bharaat (or indian wedding processional) to march the border.  We had a lot of fun coming up with elements and wording that would be evocative of our wedding so the guests would know what to expect – since an invitation is a first impression of sorts, it can really set a mood.

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We chose the wording on our posters very carefully, because we really wanted to set up the guests for the tone of the day, which I think we accomplished really well.  Unorthodox? Maybe. Fun? Definitely.

Our RSVP postcards were printed on an opalescent Stardream cardstock, which had a gorgeous shimmer – which you can sort of see in the light.  We did them MadLibs-style to keep it fun and interactive.  Later, we displayed everyone’s answers one a board at the cocktail hour, which the guests really enjoyed.

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We got so many great compliments on the invites, and loved how they both helped to set up and carry out key design themes and the mood we were looking for!  They were just perfect for us!  Thanks, Rebekah, for all your hard work to make these!

Did you use your invitations to set a mood?