Save The Dates
Just as an FYI from way back in the process--I did actually send save-the-dates, they just weren't very creative. I purchased postcards from the Delaware River Mill Society (the group that maintains the buildings and grounds where we held the reception) and sent those as STDs. I typed up a little blurb in Word, printed it out on clear Avery label sheets, and stuck it on the back of each postcard. I think we spent about $60 for 100 cards and about $15 for the label sheets, so it was inexpensive, but a great way to support the Mill Society. I don't have a photo of the finished product anymore, but here is the plain postcard:
Menus
I always like to know exactly what I am eating, so while these may have been unnecessary, I would have appreciated them as a guest. I just purchased white table tents and khaki A7 cards from Paper Source, printed up the menu from the caterer in the LainieDay script we used for everything else, and applied a little double-sided tape. I placed two menu cards on each table (18 total). Total cost: about $20.
Escort cards & Programs
The Gartner invitation kits (that I purchased super cheap off Ebay) also contained place cards and programs. I thought these were a no-brainer to use, but I ended up paying more in printing costs than these things physically cost themselves. Unlike the invites, which I was able to run through the laser printer at work, the stock for the placecards and programs seemed to be thicker and got stuck in the work laser and my home inkjet printer. I ended up having to go to Kinkos at midnight two nights before the wedding to have these printed. (There was also a bit of drama regarding them not having the LainieDay script, me freaking out temporarily and then later realizing I could download it onto my jump drive along with the Word docs and Kinkos could load it into their system.) My retrospective advice--print this stuff out in advance of two days before your wedding. It will save you stress.
The programs were simple. I just used the Gartner template with our "signature" fonts (LaineDay script and Adobe Garamond Pro) and the outline the priest gave us for the service. On the back cover we typed our thank yous, info on uploading digital pics to our Flickr account, directions to the reception, and things to do around town in between. I was going to tie a ribbon around the folded side of each program, but that ended up being one of several things I ran out of time for (along with finding something cute to put the programs in--I went with the closest basket to my hand when I entered Michael's the day of the rehearsal dinner). Sorry for the crummy pictures.
Not too much to say about the escort cards. I put names and table numbers on them. We did use the inside of the escort card to once again provide our guests with info for uploading their digital photos to our Flickr account. We used twine and clothespins to hang the cards near the entry table (more about that later), and I was really pleased with how that turned out.
Total cost for printing--about $30 (I am not including the paper costs since I included the full Gartner kit amount under invitations)
Total cost of gas used driving back and forth to Kinkos in the middle of the night--unknown and upsetting
Other than the stress I brought upon myself by procrastinating on a few of these items, I am glad I went the DIY route. It was overall a lot of fun, and I was able to save some money while still staying true to the vision I had for the day.
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