Things Wedding Stationers Do You Probably Never Knew
Custom wedding invitations and paper goods are such a beautiful aspect to your wedding day. They give your guests a first impression of your event, portray your overall style, and oftentimes are a one-of-a-kind design that is unique to you and your fiancé. And most of the time, they look effortless. Like your designer was able to come up with the design in an instant and then put the idea to paper in a matter of minutes. Sometimes, this is actually true. Other times, though, it takes much longer than that for the idea to come to fruition.
Here are some of the things your wedding stationer often does that you probably would never even know about:
Develop scar tissue for you.
This may sound a little extreme, but...it's true. Over the years, I've developed numerous callouses and scars from deep exact-o knife and scissor cuts. And I wouldn't have it any other way!
Spend countless hours searching for the perfect paper.
If you don't spend day in and day out working with paper, you may not realize there are literally thousands of paper options to choose from (and don't even get me started on which printing methods work best with which papers on top of that...). We spend countless hours making sure the paper texture and color we print your final design on is going to enhance the overall look and feel without being too overwhelming...and that your chosen printing method works well with the final paper choice. And then we find the perfect envelope to match that perfect paper. You can see how this starts to add up in the time department, right?
Become BFFs with the post office (or FedEx, or UPS...).
Ah, yes. The post office, FedEx, and UPS all know me by name now - and about my life. I get paper supply deliveries from UPS and FedEx on almost a daily basis, so it's hard not to become friends with them. I also ship my packages through FedEx, so I'm constantly in the store. They have actually been known to call me on several occasions, and in fact, my husband has even run into them at a grocery store and he's handed my husband my packages. The post office, on the other hand, probably can't stand me. I'm constantly having to ask them if a specific invitation style needs extra postage, asking very specific questions about postage designs, and dropping off hundreds upon hundreds of envelopes to be mailed out.
Wash our hands constantly.
I am always so nervous that I'm going to get even the tiniest speck of dirt on a piece of paper I'm working with, so I wash my hands about a million times a day. If I leave my office just once and touch something that is not paper or ribbon, I will wash my hands. This also means my hands are forever dry and cracking...because the only time I can moisturize them is at night.
Spend embarrassingly too long trimming ribbon until it is just so.
Both sides of the ribbon must be exactly the same length. And then if I trim it too much and it's too short altogether, I take it off and start all over. There's a science to all this, I promise.
Spend hours comparing butter to marigold to sunflower to sunshine.
Because everyone knows those are completely different shades of yellow, right? Whether it's a shade of pink, green, or blue you are looking for, we spend tons of time searching for that perfect shade that will balance your invitation suite and achieve the style you are going for.
Hand-fold every single envelope liner.
Believe it or not, envelope liners don't come pre-folded, and they certainly don't come already in the envelopes. Someone has to put the liners in your envelopes for you...that someone is more than likely your stationer. I couldn't even tell you how many envelope liners I've assembled over the years. Oh, and if I can't find an envelope liner printer who will print the exact color ink I want in my pattern, on the exact paper I want, in the exact size I need...I will create the envelope liners myself and hand-cut every single one of them before I assemble them in the envelopes. This is real life, y'all - and I absolutely love doing every single one of them!
Test out countless watercolor brushstrokes and colors until the perfect one is achieved.
That brushstroke or illustration or watercolor palette you see on your invitation? It didn't happen in a matter of seconds. Most likely, it happened over a matter of hours or even days of practicing to get the correct color tone, brushstroke width, and texture. So even though it may look simple and quick to you, trust me, it took much longer than you probably think!
So tell me, are these a surprise to you?
Photo by Bamber Photography.Styling by Sarah Ervin.