Monday, March 7, 2011

the invitations

So as you already read, these little suckers have been giving my emotions a run for their money. I have had my heart set on letterpress for years. I am very much aware of the cost, but the beauty gets me every time.
I love the texture and warmth of the paper, the nod to the past, and the bit of whimsy that this technique holds. Most importantly each one is hand made and you can tell just by looking at it, let alone holding it.  I always imagined sitting with a designer and creating a personalized invitation that would reflect us as a couple and the introduce the feel of our day. The people who create these invites are typically small businesses just like me and I feel it's so important to support them.
This "dream" has gone to the wind now. I gave it a shot, knowing it was a long shot. The timing alone would be a huge factor. No one I contacted could design and make these in the time frame we need. Keep in mind this wedding is over Memorial Day weekend and we did not send out save the dates. We need these invitations out asap. So the custom designed press was out.
Then I moved on to the template style letterpress.  I actually did find a few that would work with our wedding. So now the questions arise........
These invitations tend to be more expensive than the themography style. This is something I could be ok with if the invitations were a personalized creation. Buying them "off the rack" so to say is something else.
Our wedding is lightly formal, mostly indoors, and playfully modern. I feel like all of the pretty and sometimes quirky details, which to me define letterpress and bring the real beauty to the paper, may convey a more casual vibe.  Many of the beautiful floral or natural designs just seem out of place for our event. The styles that lend themselves best with our wedding are the ones with mostly text and only a bit of formal embellishments. So now I am giving up 2 important elements of the letterpress.....one of a kind design and beautiful artwork.
I was left wondering if it is worth the extra money just to have the letterpress. I pondered over this for quite a while but have come to the conclusion that if I can find an interesting looking font and layout in themography I will go with that. I just can't see spending the extra money.
So....one loss due to timing. Hopefully I will find a better substitute just like I did with the bridesmaids dresses so I can move this out of the loss category.
{above images: left column Smith Letterpress I really love the use of the non traditional Arabic elements. Bravo! right column A Day in May Check out the story on the whole design process on how they came up with the beautiful monogram.}

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