From save-the-dates and invitations suites to place cards and menus, the amount of personalized printed stationery that a wedding requires can be overwhelming. Today on the podcast, Pamela D’Orsi of New England Invitations and PDR Events is here to help you combat that decision fatigue! Pamela teaches us about the different printing methods, paper types, and so much more! No matter where you are in your wedding planning experience, this episode is for you!
So, fun fact: Pamela was actually the event planner at my wedding. I’m so excited that she’s here on the podcast today! Can you introduce yourself for our listeners?
My name is Pamela D’Orsi. I’m a wedding and event planner, as well as owner of New England Invitations that’s located on Main Street in East Greenwich. I’ve been a wedding planner for over 15 years. I’ve produced weddings in Rhode Island, focusing on Newport, Palm Beach, New York City. Additionally, I have a wonderful invitation company called New England Invitations, where I create invitations for clients not only in Rhode Island, but throughout New England and abroad.
Today we’re really going to talk about your paper products and that part of your business, but I want to hear about your event planning first! Can you tell us about that part of your business to begin?
Certainly! I started my event planning business about 15 years ago and before that I was a buyer for a major retail company. At that time, I dealt with a lot of textiles and I was also a planner for that company. Dealing with numbers and spreadsheets were part of my job. I took all of those skills and put them together, creating PDR Events. There, I concentrate on full wedding planning – I love the designs and aesthetics of it all. I also love the details, logistics, putting together a timeline, and most importantly, I really love my clients and their families.
So the planning came first, then the invitations?
Event planning came first and then, two years into event planning – before you could get everything on the internet – I found the need. I was a stay at home mom and began to realize I could provide the things clients were looking for: table numbers, place cards, invitations. So I started New England Invitations. From there, I got into paper products and really love it!
Totally makes sense. Being on the scene probably helps because you can see the trends, what they need and want, then serve them full stop.
Exactly. And, I have to say, one of the specialty items that we do is menus with a person’s name on them so they serve as place cards and menus. I love seeing the expressions when people pick up the menu expecting to read what’s there but then they see the personalization. I love being a wedding planner, but I’d never get to see those reactions.
It’s sometimes the personal touches that go a long way. So, let’s dive right in! What’s one of the trends you’re seeing right now with paper products for weddings?
One big trend I see with invitations are personalized envelope liners. This year, every single order I’ve taken has had an envelope liner with all sorts of customizations from fabrics to watercolors of the venue. For a lot of those couples, we’ve then incorporated that special touch somewhere else – like their table numbers – to just bring that a bit more into the day. One wedding, I actually had leftover liners so I cut them and had one of my calligraphers do the numbers right on top of it then added it to cardstock. I would say that everyone is coming back to more traditional invitations but with modern spins – like those liners.
So when you say everybody’s getting back to the classic, like invitation, what do you mean by that?
We had a time where people wanted things like vellum overlays or pockets, a lot of colors. But, what I’m seeing now is the pop of color in the invitation liner or weekend card, but the invitation or RSVP card is more traditional. Another big trend I’m seeing right now, by the way, is the wax seal for the envelope and ribbons around the invitation. Again, a classic look with a custom spin.
That’s interesting to hear, because flatlays have become really popular again in the wedding world. I have people asking me to photograph the inside of the envelope and I always laugh. But, now I can see why!
Exactly. Another thing we’re seeing is taking something from the invitation and bringing it to the full stationery set. We see a lot of monograms still – but they’re in color more now than before, sometimes in watercolors too! By the way, a reminder: monograms are usually using your new last name – bride’s initial followed by groom’s initial with the new last name initial in the middle.
What are some other trends that you’re seeing with other paper products?
One of the trends I see right now is that people are really embellishing things like table numbers. I’ve had someone put dried flowers on theirs, another did a die cut. We’re also seeing more pops of color on the menus or playing off the linens to just bring a little life to the setup.
When people come to see me, I always try to find out about the feel of their day. The invitation really sets the tone for so much of the day. Do you want black tie? Do you want rustic? Is this in the mountains or is this on the seashore? We start from there, then start to talk about the venue, the colors, and the tablescapes. A lot of times, we see more color in the tablescapes than on the invitations – especially with place cards.
Another big trend I’m seeing are acrylics – boards for place cards – and then you can put candles and flowers behind it to make everything pop. It’s a freestanding board – that’s a really big trend! We’ve also done the seating chart on a mirror or a big colorful board. Those have been popular, too, along with antique gold frames.
Yes! We’re seeing some of those at our weddings too. Now that we’ve talked about trends, can we get into pricing?
Here we go! A quick note: as with so many things right now, there’s a lot of cardstock and paper that’s on backorder because of what’s going on right now. So, of course, pricing goes up (economics 101!) because of all of that. To get into pricing, we have to talk about the different forms of printing. The oldest and most expensive form of printing is the letterpress. It’s actually done with a raised plate that has all of your information on it. You get a proof before the plate is made then they put ink on it before pressing it onto every invitation. In comparison, engraving is the opposite. The press is done from underneath and it becomes raised in the final version. Those are the two most expensive forms of printing. They also take the longest – anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks to approve your proof.
What are the pros and cons of those options?
The biggest pro is that they’re absolutely gorgeous. You can feel it. You can touch it and you’re like, wow, oh, yeah. It’s also on much thicker cardstock so it holds the ink. It’s like you’re getting magic in your hands! The con is definitely the price tag. Now, when I talk about pricing I’m talking about the whole suite – invitation, RSVP card, liner, wedding weekend card. But these wind up starting about $12 each. Obviously, that can be adjusted based on how much you order but, that’s the starting place often.
Now, we’ve got something that’s called thermography which is just as beautiful. It’s a raised print, too, but it goes through a printer. The ink is wet resin and then it dries. It’s a raised print but since you’re not making a plate, it’s less expensive. It can be done on 300 gram paper, which is just as thick as letterpress papers so it’s still stately and beautiful.
What’s a smaller price point option?
So the smallest price point will be digital or digital offset printing that’s flat. With digital, you can do 2-3 colors because of how it’s printed. With letter press, multiple colors mean you have to do the printing process twice and a second plate is made. Again, more money.
So, basically the paper weight, the printing process, and colors all affect pricing?
Exactly.
You just talked about the different types of printing that can affect your price. But now let’s talk about the different types of cardstock. I would assume, the thicker the cardstock, the higher the price?
Absolutely. The thicker the cardstock and different printers they have to use will impact the pricing. We have cotton cardstock which is beautiful. You can get that in smooth options, which is honestly about 90% of what I use. There’s another beautiful cardstock called Lettra which is 100% cotton. That’s always used for letterpress invitations and it’s got a gorgeous feel to you. When you open it, you know you have something special.
What else can affect the pricing?
Certainly! Embellishments can definitely impact your pricing. This would be things like wax seals or ribbons around your invitation with a vellum overlay. Depending on the type of stamp you want to use, you may find yourself paying more too. You also need to remember these things – it’s not just the physical seal, but also the work it took to get there, too, so that’s factored into pricing for companies who create them or custom stamps.
What about turnaround time?
So, with a raised print like thermography, that’s about a two week turnaround time after you approve the proof. Letterpress and engraving can take up to 4-5 weeks. Remember that these vendors have busy seasons too, so thinking ahead is important. Obviously, digital printing will be the fastest because it’s a flat print and “mass produced”, if you will. Some of the things that we do in house, like table numbers or place cards are usually 5-7 business days.
Tell us about the proofing process.
With the invitations, what we do is pick out your ink colors and fonts based on the style of your wedding. Then I’ll work with you on your wording. This includes menu cards and RSVP cards, too. Once we have all of that information, I can start to type up everything and send it for you to review. Make sure you’ve included information about hotel blocks, welcome events, or other things you’re hosting that weekend. Once the wording is correct, we can start the design. I’ll begin with the fonts and layout. You’ll get a chance to look at it all before it goes to a printer. These are digital proofs, too, by the way.
I suggest that everybody prints it out to review. Make yourself your favorite drink and sit down with the layout. Really look at it all and decide what you like or don’t. Once you’ve signed off, we’ll send it out and into production. We do have fees associated with the layouts and proofs because there’s work that goes into that. One way to avoid a ton of extra fees is by ensuring you have all of your information upfront for us! By the way, another little tip: your RSVP date should be 5 weeks before your wedding date. That gives you time to check in with anyone who hasn’t RSVP’d and then you can start giving the names to your designers and counts to your other vendors.
With that said, you’ll want to be signing off on your proof for your invitations at least 3.5 months before your wedding date at the very least. Ideally, it’s 6 months out. Your Save the Dates should go out 8-10 months or so before your wedding date. Include your wedding website on that, if you have one! That’s really the sweet spot so no one forgets about it.
Okay, so we’ve talked about save the dates, invitations, proofs, and pricing. What are some of the extras that you offer?
So one thing that we do is we do welcome boxes! They’re white gable or craft boxes. We can deliver them to a hotel or have them passed out at a reception. But it’s a nice little surprise at the hotel when people check in. It usually has a personalized tag and ribbon. Inside, there’s a schedule of everything, transportation schedules, bottled water, snacks, or chips. You can also customize it with other fun stuff like bottled coffee or Tylenol. Whatever you want.
We also have couples who order thank you notes. It’s a nice way to acknowledge who came and if they gave a gift. We also do a lot of signage – for the gift table, card box, guestbook. It’s nice to see it put out there. We have also made signs for dessert tables to label the cookies or cupcakes or whatever. But I do think we’re getting away from a lot of signage on wedding days which is interesting. Things are becoming more simple again, which is nice!
Wrap-Up Question
What are some key points that couples should be asking their invitation and paper companies, when they are inquiring to make sure they’re working with a professional company, and to ensure that their wedding day is going to be absolutely perfect?
Do your homework and make sure you’re working with someone who has experience. See if they’ll show you prior work and connect you with prior clients, too who can share about working with the designer.
Be upfront about your pricepoint. Everyone wants custom invitations but you need to be honest with yourself and your vendors.
Make sure you bond with the designer and their personality. Just be sure this is someone you want to work with because odds are, they’ll do more than your invitation – they’ll do your menu, program, place cards, escort cards, a little bit of signage… so it’s really important that you have a good rapport with that person.
What We Discussed
Print and Price Options (13:48)
When You Should Send Out Invitations (24:27)
Signage Trends (41:43)t
Wrap-Up Question (45:10)
Links Mentioned in the Episode
You can find New England Invitations and PDR Events: Website (New England Invitations) and Website (PDR Events) | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | 36 Main Street, East Greenwich, RI
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