Here a font, there a font. Everywhere a script font. Choosing a font for the Non-Designer.

Choosing a font can sometimes be a daunting task when it comes to wedding invitations. You want a font to really mesh well with your dream design and you still want it to be legible. And most non-designers are unaware of “Font Politics.”

There are literally thousands upon thousands of fonts to choose from, it’s no wonder couples can get lost into a deep abyss of choices. If you’ve ever seen the documentary “Helvetica” you’re aware of “Font Politics”. Some people (Designers, Hipsters and Librarians) feel very strongly about certain fonts. Using the wrong font can almost be insulting to some designers, while others can see the same font as “adorable” or “fancy”. Recently I was reading Emily Post, the foremost leader of wedding etiquette, and she suggested for more casual invitations to use the font “Comic Sans”. As a designer, I almost had a heart attack after reading this. How does Emily Post not know of the secret (or not-so-secret) war against the font “Comic Sans”?!! Then it hit me, only designers know or even care about font choices. Comic Sans has long been the font that is over used and often misused. Designers all recognize fonts have personalities. Some are more causal, others are more formal.

When choosing a font for your wedding invitations you may want to consider if you want to play “Font Politics” and stay away from “controversial” fonts, like Comic Sans and Helvetica. However, if you really like a “controversial” font and you’re not marrying a graphic designer, go for it. It’s important to really love your wedding invitations.

For those non-designers here is a cheat sheet to help you choose a font.

To really simplify things there are 4 different kinds of fonts:

1) Serif Fonts:
A serif is the little bar as the end of the stroke of each letter. For example: If you are using “Times Roman” you’ll see a little bar and the bottom and tops of the letter “T”. These are the serifs. These fonts are more traditional and formal.

2) San Serif Fonts
These fonts are without serifs. So if you were using the font “Arial” you’ll see there is no little bar at the end of the letter “l”. These fonts are more modern looking and easier to read.

3) Script Fonts
These fonts look like cursive. The most common script for wedding invitations is “Edwardian Script”. One things to look out for is to make sure your script font is still legible. Some fonts are more traditional looking, while others are much more modern. I would say, if the font looks like something your grandmother would have had on her wedding invitations it’s more of a traditional script font. If the script font looks like it would only appear after 1960 it’s more of a modern font.

4) Novelty/Decorative Fonts
Well, Wingdings is a novelty font, but I doubt you’re considering for your wedding invitations. Other great novelty fonts to look at are ones that look like old typewriters or handwriting.

If you are making your own wedding invitations and are looking for some new fonts take a look at www.dafont.com
This website is full of great fonts. Some are free and other s you have to pay for.

(Some people make fonts for a living!)

Tips for combining fonts:

Just like how polka dots and stripes don’t go in fashion, certain fonts don’t go together. A good rule of thumb is not to combine a serif font with a modern script or a novelty font. San Serif fonts go well with more modern scripts and novelty fonts. Serif fonts go well with traditional script fonts. A way to tell if your script font is more modern or traditional, ask yourself, would this font be used 1950 or earlier? If the answer is “yes”, it’s likely a traditional font. Of course, rules were meant to be broken. Try different combinations and ask a few of your friends who have an “eye” for design for their opinions.

Remember, have fun with font just like you would with fashion!

Wedding Invitations Cost How Much!!!??

You’ve gotten engaged and you’re ready to plan your wedding. You know the dress, food and venue will be expensive, but there are many other little details that cost more than you think.

Wedding invitation pricing can vary greatly. If you are looking for traditional engraved or letter press invitations be ready to use a good chunk of your budget. Letter press invitations are very beautiful because they leave an embossment in the paper. These can run you up to $2.50-$3.00 each. The reason these invitations are so expensive it because of the intense labor that goes into printing these types of invitations. Everything is done by hand, from setting each letter to hand inking each print. There is nothing more luxurious than a traditionally printed invitation; however, like most beautiful things in life, they don’t come cheap.

Most couples today opt for invitations that are printed digitally because they are much more cost effecting. Invitations can run you anywhere from 60 cents each to $1.50 each. Most of the major wedding invitation websites offer digital printing. Most of these websites offer designs in a few colors and simply cut and paste your custom wording onto them.
These invitations are usually not printed on archival paper, so make sure to check the fine print.

A great site for very unique wedding invitations (besides my own website! www.cottontaildigitalpress.com) is Etsy.com
There are many great designers on there that will work directly with you to create any type of custom invitation design. These may cost you a little more than a major wedding invitation website, but you’ll get something very special and custom.

Now, maybe you’ve found the invitations of your dreams, but it’s still costly. Here are a few tricks to lower the cost:

1) Don’t opt for the inner and outer envelopes. Just get a simple envelope to encase everything. I know they look beautiful, but your guests will likely throw them away.

2) Do an RSVP post card. This will save you from purchasing matching envelopes.

3) Get a website through www.theknot.com or a similar website and have guests RSVP through there. Simply put a line at the bottom of your wedding invitation: Please RSVP on our website at: www.ourwedding2011.com

4) Forego the tissue inside the invitation. The tissue is necessary if you are getting traditionally printed wedding invitations (Letter press or traditional engraved ones) the tissue keeps the ink from your invitation from bleeding to the rest of the paper inside your envelope. If you are getting digitally printed invitations these are not necessary. Some people still use them simply out of tradition.

5) Print your own wedding invitations. There are many free templates online to print your own wedding invitations. (I only suggest this to people who are computer and printer savvy.) Check Out http://www.downloadandprint.com/invitation-templates/
You can also contact designers on Etsy and some will be willing to sell you a custom invitation in JPEG format that you can print at home.

6) Instead of hiring a calligrapher print out your addresses in a nice font on clear address labels. Keeping in mind to to use too crazy of a font, the post office still needs to read the address.

Remember wedding invitations set the tone for your wedding. What’s most important is that you find the right design that works best for your event and fits within your budget.

One last tip: Many couples forget you don’t need to order as many invitations as there are people invited to your wedding. You only need 1 invitation per household address.

Is Your Wedding “Normal”?

After stumbling across this link you can see how your wedding stacks up to the typical U.S. wedding.

The Stats:
• 2.3 million couples wed every year in the US. That breaks down to nearly 6,200 weddings a day

• Average age of the bride in the US is 25.3

• Average age of the groom is 26.9

• Average number of wedding guests 178

• The average wedding budjet is $20,000

•The average cost of the bride and groom's rings $1.016

• Average honeymoon budget $3,657

• The average wedding guest spends $70 and $100 on a gift

When are all these weddings?
January 4.7%
February 7.0%
March 6.1%
April 7.4%
May 9.8%
June 10.8%
July 9.7%
August 10.2%
September 9.6%
October 9.4%
November 7.4%
December 7.8%

Creative Guest Escort Ideas

Some of the most creative ideas I’ve seen at weddings come in the form of escort cards. From stunning trees, to compasses there are a range of creative products to help make your reception unforgettable.

These BEAUTIFUL compasses are made by LHCalligraphy over at ETSY. Your guests will be sure not to get lost at your reception.

For the DIY Brides this looks like a fun project!

A LOVELY DIY Project from Here Comes the Guide. This tree can be used as both a place where guests can post "wishes" for the Bride and Groom, or you can modify it for a very elegant escort tree.

Martha Stewart always has fabulous wedding idaes. For your upcomming summer wedding these escort cards are perfect way to bring the beach to your guests. You can purchase a bag of seashells from your local craft store and some printable cards, super glue, and Voila! You're guests will be impressed.



Sweeping the nation these simple, yet fun escort cards are becoming a staple at country weddings. Featured here at TheBridesCafe.com you can see how these escort cards become a part of the decor at the reception.


A super easy DIY project. Supplies: Clothes Pins, String, Stamps, Ink pad of your wedding colors and a pen.



Taking a Gamble? These playing escort cards are perfect for your Las Vegas wedding. You can purchase them here at MyAsianWeddingFavors.com and have your calligrapher do the rest. Or, if Aunt Sally has great handwriting enlist her to compelte your escort cards in exchange for a tickets to a show at Cesars Palace!

How To Politely Limit Your Guests From Brining A Guest.

After working with over a hundred brides this question comes up a lot “How do I politely tell a guest they cannot bring a plus one?”

First, I’ll cover the reasons you would limit your guests, and then I’ll cover how to write the RSVP. Limiting guests can be a touchy subject and can be the cause of a lot of stress when planning your wedding. I’ve seen more drama over the invite list that anything else. Make sure you and your fiancé discuss the guest list and are on the same page when it comes to budget, capacity and rules.

There are pretty much two reasons you want to limit your guests from brining a guest:

1) Personal Choice
Most etiquette guides will tell you that if you want to invite your cousin Jennie you must allow her to bring her unpleasant boyfriend to your wedding. Not allowing your cousin to bring her chosen plus one is the same as telling her you do not approve of her choice. I will say from experience working with other brides that not allowing someone at your wedding can make the event about the fact that “that person” was not invited, and has the possibility of taking attention away from your beautiful day. So make sure you and your fiancé talk about who and why you are limiting at your wedding and if the fuss will be worth it.

2) Budget
There are other reasons that many couples decide to limit the “plus ones” at their wedding, and its simple- Budget. It’s not that you don’t approve of your cousin’s boyfriend, but you just don’t want to fork over $35 to feed someone you’ve never meet. If budget is the issue, make sure you and your fiancé lay down some rules as to who can bring a guest, and stick to your set rules! Other guests will take note if you bend the rules for one family member and not others.

Tips to keep in mind:
If you are going to limit your guests from brining a plus one you need to set a rule across the board. I’ve had brides limit guests who live with their boyfriends to bring them; if they are not co-habituating they are not invited to bring a guest. Remember- you can’t allow one family member to bring a boyfriend and not another simply because you don’t like them. This is a quick way to bring drama to your wedding.

I’ve had some brides place guests that have the most concern about near the back away from the front tables. I’ve also had brides assign another family member to keep the guest in question busy and occupied during the event.

I’ve also had brides that wanted to limit children at their weddings and made a rule of “no one under 16 can attend”. Make sure your fiancé does not have any relatives that are 14 or 15 that would be hurt by such a rule.

How to write the RSVPs
Now that you and your fiancé have figured out where you will draw the line on who can bring a guest and who cannot you can start writing the language of the RSVPs.

I’ve had brides get pretty creative with these little return cards. They key is to remain positive and stay away from phrases like “Limited to invited guests only” or “Due to budget you are not allowed to bring a guests”

Here are a few ideas:

1) Write their names on the card
- This makes it pretty clear who is invited.

Please RSVP by September 1st, 2011

Mrs. Jennie Smith ___Will Be Attending ___ Regretfully Declines
Mr. Robert Hawthorne ___Will Be Attending ___ Regretfully Declines

2) Write the number of guests invited on the RSVP
- This is good for families that say have a newborn and a toddler. Letting them know the invitation is only for 2 people makes it pretty clear.

Please RSVP by September 1st, 2011

Name(s) ________________________________
___Out Of 2 Will Be Attending
___ Regretfully Declines


Some of the hardest work and planning comes from managing the guests list. Keep in mind that despite all your hard work and actions some guests will inevitably not listen and bring a guest or their child. Some will cancel and the last minute and others will let you know the day before they are coming. Remember you can only control so much, so let go as the wedding day nears and enjoy the day, it’s all about you and your fiancé (despite what Aunt Sally tells you).

Say “I DO- Love your mustache”

I can’t tell you how many weddings I’ve attended where guests sit back patiently at the reception waiting for dinner and cake while carrying on polite conversations.

The weddings I have thoroughly enjoyed are the ones where the bride and groom focused the reception around the entertainment of their guests. Recently, I attended a wedding that had some wonderful felt photo props that made for some whimsical photos and some wonderful interactions. My friends and I are always trying to create amazing facebook profile pics and these little props were in full use for the entire reception.

In the past year I’ve seen the rise in popularity in these adorable felt photo props. The mustaches, glasses and lips are always a crowd favorite. These photo props are available all over ETSY like at the wonderful shop of “FunnySideofLife” or "WhiskerWorks".

If you’re a DIY kind of bride you can check out this great tutorial for making your own photo props.

If any of these fun props are left after your big day you can always keep them for future house parties. However, at the wedding I attended all of these cute props made their way home with happy guests.

Back in Business!

Cottontail Digital Press is back in business and ready to help brides all over the world bring their dream weddings to life!

After a 1 ½ year hiatus, I’m finally ready to give 100% to my baby- Cottontail Digital Press.

This blog will be dedicated to talking about anything related to weddings, special events, and the love of my life- paper.

I’m looking forward to sharing with the world my passion for weddings, paper and crafting.


Take a look at my new ETSY shop: http:adrianneasu.etsy.com