A brand new collection: Glitterati

I worked with a lovely bride earlier this year to create a bespoke design, with the brief: 

"I'm going very simple and elegant for the wedding. Just white flowers and candlelight with navy bridesmaids. I want to keep the stationery very unfussy to reflect this". 

If you'd like to read more about the design process we went through, there's an article all about Tina & Wayne on my website HERE

I sourced some beautiful, sparkling white glitter board to use as the basis for her design, and ordered some swatches of other colours at the same time.  When the sample pack arrived I was so impressed with the quality, sheer amount of glitter on the board and the dazzling array of colours I just knew I had to make a collection with them!

A few months later, based on that initial bespoke design, the Glitterati collection is now live on the website.  It is a full suite of wedding invitations (including pocketfold, classic folded, cheque book and flat designs) and coordinating on the day stationery, all printed and made to the very highest standard, by me, in my little studio just outside Cardiff.

There are a few highlights here, but you can view the entire collection, along with prices and how to order, on my website HERE.

I've also been putting together a mood board HERE on Pinterest, so you can see how you might pull a whole 'glitter & sparkle' wedding theme together.  I hope you like it!

 Glitterati pocketfold wedding invitation in gold and ivory

 Glitterati pocketfold wedding invitation in gold and ivory

 Glitterati folded evening invitation in black and ivory

 Glitterati folded evening invitation in black and ivory

 Glitterati flat wedding menu in silver and white

Glitterati wedding place card in white

 Glitterati luggage tag style place card in white

Just some of the range of dazzling colours available

I'm a Wedding Invitation, open me!

Who says wedding invitations have to have 'Wedding Invitation' printed on the front of them?  Nobody, it's not a rule, it's not set in stone.  At byjo we print everything in house, so the front of your invitations, as well as all the inserts, can be personalised to say exactly what you want them to.

Names and wedding date are a popular alternative.

Or if you're planning a seasonal celebration how about something like 'Winter Wedding'?

For the more quirky amongst you, and perfect popular for whimsical, tea party themed events a simple 'Open Me'.

The sky is the limit - how about a lovely romantic, poetic love quote.

Pretty pink, pistachio & pearls

I do like a pretty pink and green colour scheme, throw in a few pearls and I'm in love!  Romantic and a little bit vintage, but with a fresh feel just perfect for a spring wedding.

Kellylouise didn't want to give away too much of her colour scheme with her wedding invitations, and so chose to have simple pocketfolds from my Vintage Pearls collection in a gorgeous dusky pink board & with ivory satin ribbon.  Her evening invitations were a pared down, flat version of the design, again in dusky pink and ivory.

The pink and ivory was carried through to the order of service booklets for the church service - still not giving anything away about the green!

And then, at the reception the wedding guests had their first glimpse of the whole colour scheme, with ivory & pistachio personalised place cards.

Kelly's table plan brought all the colours together, and looked amazing mounted on a vintage style mirror.

After the wedding, Kelly left this lovely message on my facebook profile:

Hiya Jo, 
I am very happy with all that you have done for me over the last few months, I loved the day and evening invitations, the table plan, order of service, place cards. Everyone has said about them, I cant wait for photos from the photographer to send them to you of how it all looked at the venue. We had a lovely day and thanks for all that you did. I would definitely recommend you to others. 

Mr and Mrs Davies

Congratulations Kelly & Martin!

Winter and Christmas Wedding Invitations

It's not unusual for me to be thinking about and making Christmassy themed invitations well before our Summer has even started.

Today I've been putting together samples of invitations from my Winter Holly collection for a wedding in December.

I'm trying out a variation on the design using velvet ribbon instead of satin - I think it has a lovely wintery feel.

Happy clients - Beth & Nick

I met with Beth and Nick back last year after they saw me at a wedding fayre in the Millennium Stadium.

They were first attracted to the simple, slightly rustic & vintage feel of my Just Gingham collection.  Then, while at the studio, I showed them a new natural cotton twill ribbon with a bold stripe and they loved it!

They wanted their wedding stationery to be very simple and elegant, with pocketfold style for the day invitations and smaller flat style for the evening.  For their order of service they kept it super simple with a printed booklet (you can read more about them HERE)

The recycled kraft card, teamed with ivory inserts and a vintage typewriter font worked beautifully with the cotton ribbon and achieved just the look they were after.

They collected their order of service booklets last week and emailed me over the weekend to say:

"Thank you so much for the Order of Service. They are exactly what we wanted.

Thank you for all your help and the wonderful products that you have supplied, you made the whole process stress free and we have had so many comments about how much people loved the invitations.

I will be recommending you to any friends and family in the future."

I love it when I get such lovely feedback!

Sunshine & colours!

Wow, what a difference a little bit of sunshine makes.  My run this morning was (dare I say it) enjoyable, the beach house is starting to warm up and well, everything just seems brighter & happier!

It seemed appropriate then that today's to do list included these gorgeous wedding invitations hand made from rustic kraft card and finished with an eclectic mix of turquoise blue, lime green and flaming orange satin ribbons.  I just couldn't resist getting some shots of them in the sunshine - it really brings out the colours, and they looked AMAZING!

These invitations are from my Simply Ribbon collection, HERE on my website.  A totally versatile collection that can be made in literally thousands of colour combinations.  It's also at the more affordable end of the pricing scale, and so ideal to mix and match with other collections if you want to.

Striking ivory, black & scarlet wedding invitations

I have really enjoyed working on this striking stationery set this week.  The black damask print and stunning scarlet red ribbon really set each other off perfectly.

It's a change from lots of neutrals and pastels that have been on my desk recently, and just goes to show that you can create an elegant vintage style theme whilst maintaining a strong colour scheme.

Pocketfold invitations for the day are complemented by a simplified version of the flat invitation for the evening, a narrower ribbon and smaller diamante buckle.

www.byjo.co.uk/collection/vintage-damask

This design is from my vintage damask collection and you can find more details on my website here:

Looking forward to putting together all the on the day items to go with this a little later in the year.

Sparkling Snowflake Winter Wedding Invitations

Wedding invitations are often the only detail of the wedding that are revealed before the day itself.  Most couples send them out 8 to 12 weeks before the wedding (although this can vary a lot depending on the time of year).

Consequently, as a stationery designer, I am always working quite a few months ahead.  Springtime then, obviously means it's time to start looking at winter wedding designs!

These are a bespoke design that I have put together for a couple this week, but I like them so much they may well make the main collections on my website very soon.  Check out the 'seasonal & destination themes' section on the website for more winter designs.

Black and ivory vintage style invitations

Today I packed by kiddies back off to school after their Easter holiday and got back to my studio for some serious work!
It was really satisfying to see a table full of finished invitations ready to pack and send out tomorrow.These are an elegant vintage style set of invitations, a variation on my Charming collection, with black ribbon, ivory lace and a gorgeous oval shape pearl and diamante cluster embellishment.

Wonderful White Wedding Invitations

Neutral & monochrome invitations that give nothing away about colour scheme on the big day can be so elegant and sophisticated. It's true - sometime less really is more.

It's also a handy 'fallback' option if you haven't quite decided on your final colour scheme and theme before you send out your invitations!

If you're going for all white or ivory, I think it's a good idea to include a mix of textures and perhaps a little sparkle to give depth and interest to the design.

These invitations are a pocketfold from my 'Charming' collection, matched with super simple (and affordable) flat evening invitations from my 'Simply Ribbons' collection.

Envelopes for your wedding invitations

Are you worried you might make a mistake when writing the envelopes for your invitations? 

Don't panic, I always include a few spares for you just in case - I'm nice like that ;o)  

All invitations from www.byjo.co.uk come with high quality 130gsm white or ivory envelopes included in the price.  If you would prefer coloured envelopes, or perhaps deluxe postal boxes instead, just let me know and I can give you a quote.

Of course, if you want me to, I can print all the names & addresses (either direct onto the envelopes, or onto labels for postal boxes) for you too - save the hassle!

More details on the website here - www.byjo.co.uk/help-guide/envelopes

pocketfolds

Pocketfold style invitations are an ingenious and stylish way of ensuring your guests have all the information they need in preparation for your big day.  Particularly useful if you have guests travelling from far afield, and who will probably be grateful for some information on local accommodation, directions to your venue(s) etc.

Our pocketfolds have a single fold along the top, and so will stand up nicely in a 'tent' style on the mantle piece!  When you open it up, the invitation is printed on the inside top flap, and below a built in pocket holds (usually) up to three loose insert cards.

The insert cards can contain whatever information you wish, although we generally send out samples with suggested Accommodation, Directions, and RSVP postcard inserts.  There are some other suggestions for information to include on our website HERE.

Our basic prices include an rsvp postcard and the other two inserts printed on one side only, to your specifications.  We include the rsvp postcard as standard, but can easily incorporate an rsvp card with an envelope if you would prefer.  Also, if you have a lot of information to include then the other two inserts can be printed double sided, or an extra insert can be included.  All of these options would be a little more than the standard price, so please contact us to discuss your requirements and we can give you a price.

information and etiquette - wedding invitations

It is usual to send out invitations 6 to 12 weeks before the wedding. If you are getting married at a busy time of year, such as a bank holiday, at Christmas or during the summer holiday season you may want to send them out earlier than this to allow your guests to plan.  Or consider sending Save the Date cards a year or more in advance.

pocketfold invitation (inside)

classic folded invitation

A pocketfold or classic folded card is generally more suitable due to the amount of text and information required. It can also be useful to include a pre-addressed RSVP card (included as standard with all pocketfolds) to help ensure prompt replies!


The wording will depend on the formality of the occasion and who is inviting. You may or may not want to have space for your guests names to be written or printed.  We have some example wordings on our website HERE.

If children are invited, make this clear by including their names on their parents' invitation. Parents should assume that the invitation is for them alone if their children's names are not specified, but some couples like to include a note along the lines of 'we are sorry but we are unable to accommodate children' so that there is no room for confusion.

It is usual to send invitations to close family and the bridal party, consider also sending to friends or family who you may know can't make it, but would appreciate an invitation as a keepsake.

You will need one invitation per person, couple or family. It is advisable to order a few extras in case of errors or last minute changes to the guest list, and don't forget one for your keepsake box!

Posting your invitations

We recommend that wherever possible you hand deliver your invitations to ensure they reach your guests in perfect condition.  If you are posting them remember that Royal Mail now charge according to the size, thickness and weight of letter/packet:

Letter
Length: 240mm max
Width: 165mm max
Thickness: 5mm max

Large letter
Length: 353mm max
Width: 250mm max
Thickness: 25mm max

So we strongly advise that you check the dimensions and weight of your invitations before posting them. Many of our designs will need ‘large letter’ stamps. Remember too, particularly with pocketfold invitations or if you are including your own inserts, that any letter weighing over 100g will need extra postage. If you don’t have the correct postage on your invitations then your guests will be charged the shortfall plus a handling fee (usually £1.00) before they can get their invitation from the sorting office!

You might also want to consider postal boxes or protective card envelopes to help ensure your invitations arrive at their destination in pristine condition.

Certificate of Posting

Should the worst happen and an invite gets lost in the post, you can only claim the costs back from Royal Mail if you have a stamped and signed Certificate of Posting. A Certificate of Posting is free, you just need to take your invitations to a Post Office and request it, rather than putting your envelopes into a post box.

You can find more information on current postage rates and Certificate of Posting at www.royalmail.com

Post Box Image: Graeme Weatherston / FreeDigitalPhotos.net