Featured this Month - Stationery Stamps

With a large percentage of junk mail hitting those mailboxes each day, coming up with ways to make sure your invitation stands out is so important. The style of envelope or size of your invitation is one way to make that happen, but take it one step further with Stationery Stamps!

Create the perfect complement to your wedding invitations, save-the-dates and thank you cards with Atlas Designs Stationery Stamps. We can offer hundreds of designs tailored to your event, or create a one-of-a-kind stamp that matches the design elements of your invitation. Using monograms, text or images, Atlas Designs is THE place for custom invitation postage! Our stamps are official US postage authorized by the US Postal Service.

Featured this Month - Cartoon Creation Invitations

Oooohh, we love this! For the superheros, cartoon afficionados and those that just like to see their face in print, this is right up your alley! Teaming with a very talented Canadian artist, Atlas Designs now offers Cartoon Creation Invitations. Tell us your story and we'll design a strip that combines your likeness and your unique event.

Check out this picture of Zacharie that our artist used as a springboard for this special boy's fifth birthday party. Then see how Zach was transformed into a birthday superhero. His cartoon image was used as the front of his folded birthday party invitation.

What about you?

Did he propose in a special way? Tell us about it and we'll design a strip for you to use as your Save the Date cards!

Does the new momma-to-be have a baby bump that just needs to be immortalized? Let us design a unique baby shower announcement with Mommy on the front!

Does your son imagine he's a flying superhero? Have a unique Birthday Party invitation designed with his image on the front just like Zacharie's design.

Offering one to four frame cartoon strips, we guarantee you won't see anything like this anywhere else! Visit Atlas Designs today by clicking here or call us at 561.445.7630. Our design studio and showroom is now open and we'd love to design the next unique moment of your life!

Wedding Planning Templates

Are you planning your own wedding? Trying oh so hard to stay organized? Check out this great site we found that provides templates for you to print and insert into your wedding planner. You'll find vendor contact sheets, photo shoot lists, reception floor plan layouts, fashion worksheets, guest list trackers and awesome budgeting worksheets. Oh yeah, and Wedding Invitation Worksheets, too! Click here to jump to this great resource, thanks to russellandhazel.com.

Are You a Bridezilla - Take This Survey for a Great Laugh (or not)!

OK ladies, time for some fun. We all laugh ourselves silly at some of those TV shows and can't believe how the stressed-out brides act toward those they love (and those they don't!) But are you in danger of turning into a "Bridezilla"?

Take a deep breath, and take this quiz from The Knot to see if you're in danger of letting your wedding planning get the best of your manners. And remember - be truthful!

Elements of a Perfect Invitation - Part Two

Here it is! We promised a little shout out to those needing some advice on getting those amazing wedding and party invites sent out. Here's a few pointers for you.

Sending Your Invitations

Formal Events
For formal events, invitations should be sent a good six weeks in advance. If guests might have to arrange travel and accommodations, make sure to send the invitations out far enough for their convenience. For those anticipating a number of out-of-towners, the courtesy of Save the Date cards, sent up to one year in advance, is always appreciated by the guests. This allows for the scheduling of travel arrangements at optimum prices and flexibility. If your event will be held in a popular seasonal spot, you'll want to send invites out up to two months ahead of time.

Informal Events

Where little or no travel is required, plan on sending or handing the invitations out at minimum two weeks in advance. This time frame ensures guests receive the invitation early enough that they haven't already made plans, yet not so early that they might forget about the event by the time it occurs.

Creating a Guest List

Your guest list depends on a number of factors, including intimacy, event space and budget.

Intimacy

First, decide on the degree of intimacy you'd like for your party or event. Smaller events will allow you to mingle with all your guests and give you enough time to catch up with everyone. The hardest part will be keeping your guest list small -- some difficult decisions will be made if you have a lot of friends. Larger parties can be a blast, but you may have to sacrifice being able to spend time with each and every guest.

Event Space

The size of your event space is often the determining factor in the number of guests you can invite. If you're planning a dinner party, you may want to keep the guest list under twelve people. Any more than that will crowd the table and make intimate conversations difficult. Know your space. Don't try to cram more people into your living room than will fit comfortably. Formal events can be pricey, so keep your budget in mind when inviting guests. For birthday parties or weddings, consider the size of your reception hall. Your party/wedding planner or reception site will be able to tell you exactly how many you can squeeze onto your guest list!

Budget

The final thing you'll need to take into consideration before creating your guest list is your budget. This is most relevant for formal events or parties that require rentals and catered food. Make sure you define your cost per person before going wild on the invites!

Tracking RSVPs

Keeping tabs on your final guest count is an important and sometimes stressful task for those who don't possess the organizational or detail-oriented skills that make it a breeze for others. We suggest the following for hassle-free tracking: Create your guest list in an Excel spreadsheet. Create separate tabs for "Invited," "Attending," "Not Attending" and "No Reply". And remember, if the spreadsheet is even a hassle that you don't want to deal with, Atlas Designs offers RSVP Tracking with their party and wedding invitation design. Visit our site at http://www.atlasdesigns.org/ for contact details.

Dealing with Non-Responsive Guests

Once you reach your requested RSVP deadline, you might still have guests who haven't responded. The best way to manage stragglers is to call them individually and politely let them know that you would love for them to attend your party and want to know if they can make it. You can even blame it on the reception venue who is pressuring you for a final head count! Most stragglers have simply forgotten that the RSVP card didn't make it to the mailbox and a loving reminder will not be offensive to them.

Even with all these pointers, working through the etiquette and details of getting your guest list prepared, envelopes printed and RSVPs tracked can send the party planners or busy bride into a tailspin. Atlas can help you with all those details, and even provide a customized spreadsheet to help you in typing up your guest list. Once your list is typed up, let us do the rest, including your envelope printing, stuffing the invitations, sending them out and tracking the responses. All you need to do is watch your email for daily or weekly reports on who is attending and then focus on tackling the menu!

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Leave a comment and share your fun stories about getting those invites out in time and help the other brides and party planners who are stressed and need a good laugh!

Elements of a Perfect Invitation - Part One

Now that you've have had a chance to ponder the considerations for your wedding invitation, we're breaking down our earlier post into more detail. Ready to move forward? Ponder this...

Choosing the Writing Style for your Invitation
The first important consideration in creating your invitation is to select the best writing style. There are three major options:

Third-Person Formal - Use this for formal dinners, fundraisers, balls, galas, black tie affairs, and formal weddings.

Semiformal - Use this for cocktail parties, dinner parties, big birthdays bashes, graduation invitations, bridal or baby showers, cool theme parties, and less formal weddings.

Handwritten Notes - A great choice for very intimate or casual affairs including small birthday dinners, back yard barbeques, mothers day get togethers and housewarming parties.

Composing the Right Wording for your Invitation
The right wording can make or break your invitation. It will also set the event's tone and formality for your guests even before the event begins. Remember that your invitation is the first glimpse your guests will receive into the type affair you wish for it to be. Consider this:

Formal - On the invitation, the hostess usually "requests the honor of your presence", followed by the day of the week, date and the month spelled out, and the time and the place (i.e. "Sunday, the first of January/ two thousand and ten/ at half after six o'clock/ Sundy House, Delray Beach, Florida"). Engraved or raised print is the best choice with the formal invitation, typically written in an antique typeface. Consider, though, that laser printing and the myriad of computer fonts now available makes the formal invitation even more affordable for those on a budget. If you wish to go with the engraving but find it a little too pricey, consider the more affordable raised-print option of Thermography.

Semiformal - Semiformal invitations do not have to adhere to the etiquette of a strict writing style. You may choose a variety of ways to create your invitation, from bordered, textured or patterned paper, and size of the paper can vary as well. Many brides and party planners are moving away from the traditional 5 x 7 style and going with fun square or tall shapes so their invitations stand out. When creating a semiformal invitation, incorporate the event's theme to get guests on board and excited. Use ink and fonts that match the party's theme and stationery such as pumpkins for a Halloween party, fireworks for July Fourth, engagement rings for a bridal shower, a baby stroller for the baby shower, grill utensils for a BBQ...you get the idea.

Handwritten - The most important elements with handwritten invitations are the stationery and the legibility of the lettering. Make sure to choose beautiful stationary that really stands out, and either write very neatly or hire someone with excellent penmanship to write the text you've chosen. A calligrapher is a great idea for a truly beautiful and unique handwritten invitation.

Getting Your Wording Started
One of our favorite sites for invitation wording ideas is http://www.verseit.com/. You can browse by event type and get the idea juices flowing. And while you work on getting just the perfect wording, tune back into Part Two of our Elements Post coming soon, which will walk you through the tricky subject of working with a guest list and addressing your invitations.

Don't forget to check out the galleries at http://www.atlasdesigns.org/ for additional wording ideas.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Share your ideas for wording with our other brides.

Consider This When Choosing Your Wedding Invitation Design

So many details, so little time! Here's a quick checklist to think through when pondering what type of wedding invitation you want to go with. Stay tuned for our next post, which will run you through the Elements of a Perfect Invitation. Ponder this:

• In what type of setting are you getting married – church, formal, casual, outdoor, beach, gazebo, destination?
• What are your wedding colors?
• Is there an overall theme to your wedding?
• Will your wedding be ethnic or religious related?
• In what season will your wedding take place?
• What personal touches will you be adding into your ceremony?
• Are there symbols that you might want on your invitation that will carry through the wedding?
• What is the style of your wedding - will you want traditional or modern invitations?
• What type of flowers are you having in your wedding?
• How important is traditional wedding etiquette to you?
• Do you want to include your photo on your wedding invitations?
• How much have you budgeted for your invitations?
• Does your budget include any other print items, such as ceremony programs, reception table and place cards, etc.?

Having a good idea to most of these points will make the process much smoother when you sit down with your wedding planner or invitation designer. Call Atlas Designs today or visit our site to see a gallery of designs our brides have loved. We're at http://www.atlasdesigns.org/.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? How did you narrow down the myriad of invitations out there to the perfect one that will herald your event?

Announcing Your Wedding Without The Invitation

A huge trend in weddings this year is the "non-wedding" wedding invitation. There are many reasons to send announcements and other wedding-related correspondence, even if you aren't inviting friends and family to an actual wedding event. Here are just a few fun ideas.

Engagement Announcements
Engagement Announcements can be as informal as a phone call, or a picture postcard or personalized stationery. If you are looking for something somewhere in between, Atlas Designs offers a huge collection of beautiful engagement announcements to help you spread your happy news.

Wedding Announcements

If you got married spontaneously or held a small, intimate affair, you can still savor the moment and share your happiness by sending announcements to your family and friends. Consider including a photo of your wedding so your loved ones feel truly a part of your happy occasion.

Renewal of Vows
A few years down the road, many couples choose to renew their love and affection for each other by renewing their vows. It can be a beautiful symbol of commitment, and a wonderful reason to celebrate! Traditional or trendy invitations are equally appropriate for this type of sweet and nostalgic occasion.

Marriage Blessing Ceremonies

On or around their anniversaries, some couples choose to participate in marriage blessing cermonies. In many cases, these religious or non-religious ceremonies will be followed by a formal or informal reception. If you are considering hosting such an event, you can choose from any style of wedding or party invitations in any style that suits your needs.

Atlas Designs has the invitation that is perfect for all events! Contact us today is 561.445.7630 or visit http://www.atlasdesigns.org/.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Tell us the fun, adventurous, or just plain cool ways that you announced your wedding without the traditional invitation .... we love to read your comments!

Wading Through Wedding Invitation Etiquette

Invitations are the first glimpse your guests will have of the nature of your event. Your invitation sets the theme and mood for your wedding. When picking out styles of invitations you need to remember the invitation may be the only clue your guest will have in deciding how to dress, what to bring and what to expect of the grand affair you dream your wedding to be.

Working with your Guest List

Make sure you count the addresses and not the guests when budgeting for your invitations. What special arrangements need to be made for your out of town guest? Should you send them their invitations earlier than local guests? The best thing to do is send your out of town guests a "save the date card" which contains information about the wedding as well as information about any special accommodations that have been reserved for them. This card should be mailed out as early as one year before the wedding so that your guests have time to plan and make flight reservations if necessary.

Can I Invite Some Guests to the Wedding but not the Reception?
Yes, this is perfectly acceptable. Your invitation can have a separate card used to invite special guests to the reception.

Sending out your Wedding Invitations
Wedding invitations should be sent out 6-8 weeks before the wedding. The response cards must always be sent with postage. Make sure you have the right amount of postage on the response cards. You should never assume you are putting the correct postage on your invitation. Take one of your completed invitations to the post office and have it weighed. The correct postage will ensure prompt delivery with no postage due. Enclosing gift registry cards with wedding invitations should never be done...your family can get the message out about where you are registered.

Hand canceling your invitations is also a nice touch. It looks nicer and the envelopes tend to not get as damaged in the mailing process. Your local postal worker will frequently assist you with this. During the week mail gets set aside and sometimes misplaced so it best to mail invitations to your local guests on a Thursday. By doing this your guests receive them on a weekend and will be more likely to take the time to read and enjoy the invitation. Send invitations to out of town guests earlier in the week to allow for the extra mailing time. Always include your return address. This will guarantee that you know if your guest has not received their invitation.

Tracking Your Invitation Responses

Often one of the biggest headaches for brides is keeping tracking of who is coming, are they bringing a guest, are their kids tagging along, have they even responded? Atlas offers Invitation Tracking along with our design services. Your rsvp card would return to our office and we track every guest for you. You can receive daily or weekly reports of who is coming, who is not, and who you're still waiting to hear from without the hassle of trying to keep track of it yourself.

Is it Mandatory to send a Thank You, even though I spoke to them already?

Yes, social etiquette says that you should always mail out a thank you note, regardless of if there was already a verbal thank you. A written thank you note should be sent out as soon as possible after receiving a gift. This is normally within 2 to 3 weeks of receipt. You do have up to about three months to send them all out.

Contact Atlas today and let us take care of all the details of your invitation, envelope printing, and guest list tracking. Email us at contact@atlasdesigns.org or by phone to 561.445.7630. We look forward to helping you Design the Unique Moments of Your Life!

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Any tricky wedding etiquette questions you're dealing with? Post your comments and questions ... we love to hear from you!

Oh Baby! Welcome Your Little One With A Custom Birth Announcement

Love, love, love those baby pictures! And what better way to herald the birth of your little one than with a customized birth or adoption announcement that puts your little one front and center. Just like your precious baby, each announcement designed by Atlas is completely unique. Visit our website today at http://www.atlasdesigns.org/ for a full gallery of adorable designs.