It's Monday and I couldn't be any happier! I know some of you are like what? Why? Well, Monday is the beginning of the work week for me and it signifies new beginnings and a fresh start. Who wouldn't like to just hit the reset button each week.
Anyway, I wanted to have a little "stationer chat" with you today. Most days I'm wearing my planner hat, but today I wanted to talk to you guys about some of the chatter I've been hearing from different people. Some in the wedding industry and some who aren't. What I get asked a lot is "why would anyone spend so much money on invitations? IT'S JUST PAPER!" Well my answer to that is "It's NOT just paper! It's an experience!" Here let me explain.
It's Not Just Paper! It's An Experience | Stationer Chat
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I'd like to think that you really cannot put a price tag on the happiest day or event of your life. Creating a moment that two people and two families come together as one. However, before you can get to "I do" there are some steps that you have to take to get there. One of those major steps, if you're planning to have witnesses is letting people know about your big day. Of course there are several ways of communicating this news to your friends and family: word of mouth, emails, phone call, but my favorite and the most common and traditional way is sending a formal invitation.
Now there are several ways to send and recieve invitations: the dreadful e-vite, the party-store invitation, or the semi or custom invitation (another favorite of mine). One day soon I'll discuss with you the difference of semi-custom and custom invitations, but for today we're simply discussing why invitations are more than just paper!
Now that you're "in the know" regarding the different forms of invitations and ways to send out an invite let's dig a little deeper into this discussion! You're hosting the biggest day of your life so, wouldn't you want that to be memorable?! Start creating that memorable experience "at the door" as they say. This means that the experience starts when your guest recieve your invitation. There is nothing like being able to touch, hold, feel, and smell the experience! You can't do that with an email.
Paper comes in so many different styles, textures, and a variety of hues. You can transform paper into just about any shape you want. Paper helps with the branding of your event in the form of escort cards, menu cards, signage, invitations, and programs tying your one idea into a huge concept that is then brought to life. Yes, paper can do all of this and more! You know that beautiful cake that you ordered with all the embroidery details of your dress, yes we can carry this through your paper invitations and day of stationery too!
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You can feel the embossed elements on the paper. Okay, hold up your right hand, no I mean your left hand. You need your right hand to use the mouse to move the screen up or down (hahaha) anyway hold up your hand and reach out to touch your screen. What does it feel like? Right, you can't get that EXPERIENCE with an e-vite. You can't feel the embossed details of the invitation, but if you'd ordered that custom or semi-custom PAPER invitation you'd get to EXPERIENCE that!
Now, imagine your guests walking into your reception space. They are looking around! They finally stumble over to a table. They're checking out the centerpieces. They either get in the buffet line or the server brings them salad, then an entree. Now, they head over to the bar area to grab themselves a signature cocktail. Now they have no idea what they're drinking, because there's no signage explaining what it is, etc.
They have no idea what you've served them until it's in front of them, because you didn't order menu cards to place at each setting or a signage for the buffet station, but wait, they stumbled to their tables, because they had no idea where to sit, because there was no seating chart or escort cards telling them which table to sit at. Or the 6 lost guests who didn't get the reception details, because the they didn't know the reception was at a different location, because there wasn't a reception card included in the invitation. Is this the experience you want your guest to have? Well it can happen when you think that it's ridiculous to spend money that you've budgeted for invitations on something else other than invitations and day of stationery. Not mention that when your guests do arrive to your reception it looks like everyone else’s, because there's no branding! There's nothing that sets your wedding apart from the other 50 weddings we've all seen this year alone with the same wedding colors. What makes yours different? I'll tell you what, it's the PAPER, it's the Experience that the paper gives. So, remember it's not just paper! It's an experience! Give your guest an experience of a lifetime.
So, what do you think? Leave us a comment below. We want to hear from you! Also, join the conversation on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!