Brides, did you know your wedding invitations can establish your wedding’s tone, give guests all the information they need, and provide a tangible way to remember your special day? With so many purposes contained within invitations, these pieces of paper need to make the best first impressions. Fortunately, brides, with local stationery company 1st Impressions Invitations, you have someone who can guide you through a stress-free process to create memorable invitations everyone will love!
“When it comes to invitations and … all your paper products, they’re one of the few tactile items that your guests get to keep, that helps them remember the wedding day,” Cathy Colbert, owner and designer at 1st Impressions Invitations, said at the most recent Bridal Spectacular bridal show.
While 1st Impressions Invitations’ dedicated staff creates artistic stationery that always becomes a worthy keepsake, they also help brides and grooms make a potent first impression with invitations that reflect each couple.
“Whatever impression you make on guests with that first piece of stationery is the impression they’re going to have of the wedding,” Colbert said.
So how do a bride and groom make their best first impression through stationery?
Know your Inspiration
“Get an idea of your inspiration and what kind of wedding you want,” Colbert said. “If it’s going to be a formal affair, the invitation should really emulate that. If it’s going to be more casual, then go with a casual, really fun invitation.”
Once a bride and groom know their event’s tone, they can meet with Colbert for an initial design consultation. During this meeting, Colbert gathers details about the couple, their love story, and their wedding style. Even for couples who aren’t certain what they’d like, 1st Impressions Invitations offers opportunities for brides and grooms to discover their ideal stationery designs.
“I had one bride who came to me,” Colbert said, “and she gave me a scarf. She said, ‘I have no idea what I want to do, but I want it to be this color.’ And we said, ‘Okay!’ We’re happy to work with whatever inspiration they have.”
Keep it Personal
As couples consider inspiration, 1st Impressions Invitations also encourages each bride and groom to create an invitation that holds personal significance.
“When it’s a personal invitation or you reveal something really intimate about yourselves to your guests, it makes them all the much more want to come and share with you,” Colbert said.
Through this approach, each invitation becomes more than mere information about an upcoming event. Instead, the invitation becomes a way for a couple to share a special part of their love story.
“Think about the things that are really personal, that are really important to you,” Colbert said. “The best idea I can give for this is I had a couple who for their first date went and saw The Hangover. So they really wanted to incorporate that somehow in their wedding. So on their invitation … on the front pocket, it read, ‘A wolf pack of one now becomes a wolf pack of two,’ which was such a famous quote out of the movie. Everybody loved it!”
Share Important Information
While an invitation’s design reveals a couple’s personalities, it should also inform guests about noteworthy features surrounding the wedding day.
“The more information you give your guests, the easier it is for them,” Colbert said. “If it’s a location that’s … difficult to find, giving directions is a huge help. Also, if people are coming in from out of town, [provide options for] accommodations.”
Also, for brides and grooms who aren’t certain what to include or who have specific requests for guests (i.e. no children please), 1st Impressions Invitations can make recommendations on invitation etiquette to fit couples’ unique needs.
“We’re here to make that process easier on you,” Colbert said.
Make an Impression, Give a Memory
With the proper etiquette, accessible information, and a well-designed, custom invitation, brides can make beautiful first impressions for their special days. Then if a couple chooses, they can continue to show their style throughout all their wedding stationery, including save-the-date cards, ceremony programs, or place cards.
“Whatever your style is, really try to bring that forward in all your stationery,” Colbert said.
Similar to the invitation, each piece of stationery gives guests more than information. It gives them a memento, a piece of the wedding they can hold and remember that special day with its many memories.
“So whether it’s a very special invitation or a very special item as part of the reception … one of those pieces is going to be kept as a memory of your wedding,” Colbert said. “However you want your wedding to be remembered, remember that when you’re designing your wedding stationery.”
Brides, to partner with a wedding stationery store that truly understands the importance of the first impression, choose Las Vegas’ 1st Impressions Invitations. For more information or to schedule a consultation, please contact Cathy Colbert at 702-290-6805 or visit her website.
For information about additional Las Vegas wedding invitations stores, please visit the official website of Bridal Spectacular.
Author: Allyson Siwajian © 2012
Photographs of 1st Impressions Invitations’ displays: Allyson Siwajian