Invite or Not Invite: Kids at your Wedding

You love them. They're great in candid photos. Their spontaneous moments can make your day more light-hearted. But how do you politely request that you don't want kids at your wedding? And what wording should you use on your wedding invitations? It's a tough subject because people will secretly disagree with your decision. In fact, 37% of brides have an adult-only wedding (according to Brides Magazine, 2012), so you're not alone.

If you'd like to have a kid-free wedding day, I recommend these five tips for your wedding invitation wording:

1. On your wedding invitation outer envelope (and inner envelope if you have one), be very clear about who you're inviting. Using parents' names only is a good way to indicate who exactly is invited. Or maybe you decide that children over the age of 10 are to fine to invite. List their names individually and stay away from using "Mr. & Mrs. Gary & Judy Duffy & Family". It's too vague.

2. On your RSVP card, you could use wording such as these options:

• "No children please. We'd like our wedding day to be an adult-only celebration." It may be tacky to print this right on your wedding invitation, so save it for your RSVP card or wedding website. 
• "We have reserved ___ seats for you" (and that number would only include the adults). 
• "We're having an adult-only reception"
• "We hope you understand that our wedding is not suitable for children. Adults only, please."
• "Due to the limited number of seats, we request that the reception be an exclusively adult celebration"
• You could also add something like, "Sweet Dreams for those under 15" (or whatever the cut-off age would be)
• "This is a day to enjoy yourself too. Leave the kids at home (with our babysitter) and help us celebrate!"

3. You may want to break the rules to allow your flower girl, ring bearer, or close family to be at the ceremony and reception. (It's your call, though.) It would be nice to offer babysitting services and activites for the kids to keep them occupied at the reception (play-dough station, crayons, toys). If you truly wanted everyone to have a worry-free, let-your-hair-down-and-put-your-dancin'-shoes-on good time, be sure that the kids who do attend your wedding are in good hands. Consider a special kids' room where they can have the time of their lives...while you do the same.

4. Although each of your wedding reception cards will be printed with your no-kids request, do make phone calls to the exceptions at your wedding. Tell the parents of the flower girl and ring bearer what your expectations are for the day.

5. Be firm with your decision. One exception for out-of-towners leads to another exception and then another. And then inevitably, feelings get hurt when your personal attendant sees kids at your wedding, but hers couldn't come. Kindly say "no" and stick to your wishes. Word of mouth is probably the best way to pass along the information.

Good luck! I hope that helps.

How Much Do You Know About Renee?

Do you want to know more about Renee? Only four of these statements are true. Can you guess which one is false?

1.) Renee has been to 11 foreign countries, including the smallest country in the world.

2.) One of Renee’s favorite bands is Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. Roger put his arm around her once for a photo and she's been to Mexico to see his band play.

3.) Renee can name all four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and her favorite TV show as a kid was McGyver.

4.) Renee won her first coloring contest at age 6, which sparked her artistic career.

5.) Some of Renee’s favorite childhood memories are playing with Cabbage Patch dolls and Barbies, and bringing cats into the house to play with her.

Branded Rustic Wedding Invitations

What a great way to use your engagement photos in your wedding invitation! As requested by Erin, I used a vintage butterfly brand and a burnt-looking wildflower stamp on the inside to create a rustic looking wedding invitation. And because the invites are two-sided with a gate-fold, Erin and Derick put all their information on one wedding invitation with an RSVP card. Add the kraft-paper envelopes, and you have the perfect wedding set for their chocolate brown, latte, and coral-colored wedding. 

I love this look! It fits you perfectly, Erin & Derick. Wishing you the best!

Click these images of Erin & Derick's wedding invitations to see more of their photos from Copper Ink Wedding Designs

Wedding invitations, Sioux Falls, SD

Copper Ink Wedding Designs, wedding invitations, Sioux Falls, SD

Black and Bold Wedding Invitations, Sioux Falls, SD

One thing I love as a wedding invitation designer is providing lots of options. You shouldn't settle for only part of what your heart was set on. You deserve exactly what you have in mind. It's similar to shopping for your wedding dress, cake or flowers. Options help you narrow down what you want...and make sure it's perfect.

That's exactly what I did for Rachel & Tony. From purple, to black, to daisies, we eventually decided on this bold, wedding invitation set. And I love it. And more importantly, so do Rachel & Tony.

We used shimmery white paper and covered the entire paper with black ink and bursts of fuschia pink, bright purple and aqua blue. She chose the font she wanted and the envelope she wanted and now you can see what the final set looks like. Good choice, Rachel & Tony. We love choices.  :)

Congrats!

Click the images of Tony & Rachel's wedding invitations to see more photos. In fact, you can see all the wedding invitation options that Copper Ink has designed lately.

"Black and Bling" Bachelorette Party Invitations by Copper Ink Wedding Designs

Black and Blingy. That was the theme of the dresses we wore...and this bachelorette party invitation. When we say blingy, we mean silver shimmery paper, black shimmery envelopes and a crystal glued to the invite. Copper Ink Wedding Designs does much more than just your wedding invitations, save-the-dates and programs. We also do shower invitations, thank you notes, custom stationery, bachelorette party invitations (no matter what your theme is) and eventually....baby announcements.  :)

Wedding invitations, programs, save the dates, thank you notes and even bachelorette party invitations by Copper Ink Wedding Designs, Sioux Falls, SD

Happily Ever After: When Your Wedding Invitations Tell a Story

They're a little bit country, a little romantic, and completely in love. Their wedding invitations tell their love story too. Mitch proposed under a huge tree while he and Claire were riding horses. 

If you're a fan of the country rustic look, mason jars, western fonts, and twine, you might like these wedding invitations. Click the photos to see more photos of Claire & Mitch's invitation designs. Or check out the full wedding invitation design gallery.

Thanks to Megan Nelson who designed these amazing invitations for Copper Ink Wedding Designs, Sioux Falls, SD

Custom Thank You Notes

Bridal showers, bachelorette parties, and the wedding...they are all events worthy of sending out great thank you notes. Even after the wedding, it's nice to have some personalized stationery on hand. Bridesmaids, this is a great idea for a gift for the happy couple!

Click here to read one of the wedding blogs featured in Brides Magazine, alwaysablogsmaid.com featuring these custom (often letterpressed) thank you notes!

Click these Thank You notes to see more by wedding blogger, alwaysablogsmaid.com

Ukrainian Wedding Invitations

We created three versions of these wedding invitations: six different photos, on two different sides, with two different languages. Congratulations, Kristina & Vasiliy!

There is a quote on the back of their invitations that was translated in English and Russian/Ukrainian that says: "Two lives, two hearts, united forever in love."

And I truly wish that for you both! Thank you for the opportunity to work on these multi-lingual wedding invitations. You learn something new every day.

There are a lot more versions of these wedding invitations by clicking on the photos.

Wedding Invitations with Fall Colors

Nora & Travis had the vision of bringing together a modern black demask pattern with rich, fall colors. Copper Ink Wedding Designs designed wedding invitations with a coppery-orange, deep red and shimmery latte paper. Put that look together with a Euro-flap envelope, and you get autumn love on paper.

Congratulations, Nora & Travis! And I've been praying for your little guy.

View Nora & Travis' wedding invitations, Sioux Falls, SD

Adding a Photo to your Wedding Invitation

You don't want your wedding invitations looking like a Christmas card, so adding a photo to your invitations is a delicate process. Lindsay and Lucas did it perfectly on their one-piece wedding invitation. Inside the flap, they worded the invitations by saying "Quinn & Isaac invite you to join in the celebration of the marriage uniting their parents..." Cute. And on the back, all the details are outlined to keep all the wedding information in one place.

Wishing you the best, Lindsay & Lucas!

See more of Lucas and Lindsay by clicking the wedding invitation photos.

Wedding Planning: Japanese Cherry Blossoms!

John & Anna are one of the greatest couples I've ever met. They met in school, then parted ways and started down individual paths, and then eventually...their paths crossed in life once again. And on June 30, they were married! Anna's mother is 100% Japanese and passed away not long ago. So, with Japanese influences, cherry blossoms, a mother's memory, and lots of love, they had the most beautful wedding ceremony in the Japanese Gardens in Sioux Falls, SD. 

Copper Ink Wedding Designs had the honor of decorating for their wedding ceremony and reception. Much love and best wishes, John & Anna!

Copper Ink Wedding Designs does wedding coordinating, wedding planning and wedding styling for your big day. Just let me know how involved you want me to be!

South Dakota Wedding Style Magazine

It's incredible. And it's free to download.

South Dakota Wedding Style just launched the first issue of it's e-zine. This downloadable PDF is a free magazine and has over 100 pages of wedding ideas for your big day in the South Dakota area. It's full of real weddings in local South Dakota towns with local vendors! Unlike the national magazines, when you see something you fall in love with something from this magazine, you can actually contact the vendor who can help you.

Click here if you want to read the free issue. It's packed with beautiful photos. And on pages 111 and 113, invitations from Copper Ink Wedding Designs are featured. (Thank you MacKenzie & Larry, Katie & Russell and especially Ashton Dockendorf!)

Click the magazine cover to download the free issue. You have to create a free account before you can access it, though

Here's a glimpse of what you'll find from Copper Ink Wedding Design inside the magazine. Designed by Ashton Dockendorf, Copper Ink Wedding Designs, wedding invitations, Sioux Falls, SD

Lifelong Lesson

Be kind to everyone you meet and never under-estimate what the power of a smile or kind word can do. That's what I learned from this... How about you?

"During my second year of nursing school our professor gave us a quiz. I breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was a joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before the class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our grade. "Absolutely," the professor said.  "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy." 

~Joann C. Jones

Put Your Stamp On It: Wedding Invitation Postage

There are some great, fun, colorful and customizable options when it comes to stamps for your wedding invitations! You can get stamps from the last 30 years, like vintage-looking flowers and scenes from $2 each (postcard rate) from sites like www.thepostageservice.com. 

Looking for modern, custom-designed stamps to give your envelopes some color? Zazzle.com and Storkie.com offer lots of options for custom stamps. You can put your own photo on the stamp, or choose from tons of others. Prices start at $19.99 for a sheet of 20. They also put a black bar code on the stamp, which isn't the most elegant, but most guests won't notice.

It's fun to choose a stamp that doesn't match your wedding stationery suite exactly. Colors, patterns, images, and artwork are all fun to play with as you design and choose.

Let Copper Ink Designs know if you need help designing a custom stamp. I can use the same artwork that's featured on your invitations and programs to match your stamp! (Don't forget, thank-you notes would be nice with a photo stamp of your wedding photo.)

Custom stamps from many websites and designs from Copper Ink Wedding Designs in Sioux Falls, SD

Laser-Cut Invitation Designs

A bit more expensive? Perhaps. But are laser-cut invititations worth every penny? Absolutely. Laser-cutting involves a single sheet of paper with a pattern or image laser-cut out of it--and it really adds to the effect of your wedding invitations. People love details they can touch and feel. I'm sure your guests haven't seen anything like this coming through the mail for them!

Although Copper Ink Wedding Designs doesn't do the actual laser cutting out of paper, I have the resources to do so. This could be a pattern of snowflakes, the skyline of Chicago, or the paisley pattern/hearts/polka dots you're incorporating into your wedding. Anything goes! You could also choose a templated pattern, like the images below. Let me know if you'd like a price quote for your idea.

Thank you LasX. I found them at a trade show this weekend in Boston!

Wording Options for your Wedding Invitations

Of course, there are no hard-and-fast rules for the "request" wording on your wedding invitations, but here are some tips to follow if you’d like some help. 

If you’re getting married in a house of worship, you could say “the honor of your presence is requested” and use something like this:

If you’re getting married outdoors or in a more casual place, you could say “the pleasure of your company is requested” and it could look something like this:

Some couples ditch the formal wording altogether and opt for a more non-traditional request line. Maybe something like this:

You could also include a nice quote on your invitations. “I love you not only because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you.”

Or one like this:

Sometimes your personalities are just too much fun to be constrained by these suggestions, So, skip the rules and make up anything you want!

“Because you are near and dear to us, please join us with joy in your hearts (and your dancing shoes on) to celebrate our marriage. [wedding info] Dinner, dancing and happily ever after to follow.”

If you need more ideas, more help or more inspiration, contact Renee and she'd love to share ideas. Good luck. If you're ready to get started with Copper Ink Wedding Designs, fill out this easy "Let's get started" form.

Modern Wedding Invitations

Black and white foil on black matte paper makes these invitations so modern! And even better, Russell & Katie's wedding colors are neutral colors (beige, latte, cappucino, cream, etc.) and black. The only thing I love more than these wedding invitations (black and white foil-printed invitations in a #10 black matte envelope, with a crystal brad connecting the perforated RSVP cards to the invitation card. Cool, right?) is the couple I designed them for. 

Love you, Russell & Katie! (my little brother and his fiance.) I couldn't be more excited to be a part of your wedding. xoxo

Click this link to see Russell & Katie's black & white wedding invitations

Country Chic Wedding Invitations

I feel very blessed. One of the things I love most about my job designing wedding invitations is getting to meet all of the happy couples. Some just touch your heart more than others. For me, it's Mackenzie & Larry.

They just make me smile. I have this deep gratitude for Larry serving our country. While he was fulfilling his military deployment, Mackenzie was the steadfast, humble, gentle soul planning their wedding. A smile. A kind word. And a gratefulness you can't forget. 

And their wedding invitations are just as beautiful. Twine, wild flowers, a burlap background, kraft-paper envelopes and some country bliss makes these invitations 'country chic'.

With my deepest wishes, I hope you have the HAPPIEST wedding day life can bring you!!

Click these photos to see more invitations for Mackenzie & Larry in the Wedding Invitation Gallery by Copper Ink Wedding Designs in Sioux Falls, SD

I owe another huge thank you. Thank you, Ashton for your hard work designing this wedding stationery set! 

Purple, Silver & Gray Invitations

And shimmery, of course. What a beautiful combination, Lindsey & Kevin.

Happy wedding day!

View more images of Lindey & Kevin's wedding invitations by clicking the photos

How Many Wedding Programs Should You Order?

Want to see the entire wedding invitation and program gallery by Copper Ink Wedding Design? Click the image above!

Your wedding invitations were sent out on time (6-8 weeks before your wedding date) and that's checked off your list. Now the programs. How do you know how many to order? 

• You can order the same number of programs for your wedding as you did invitations. You could order a couple extra, just to be on the safe side.
• Better yet, order about 75% of your entire guest list. After everyone has RSVP'd for your big day, you can assume that not everyone attending your ceremony will take a program. Most likely, one per couple, and a few per family. So, take your final RSVP number and order 75% of that.
• Be sure to keep a few as a keepsake.