Posted By Suzanne Carvlin on March 16, 2011

Earlier this week, Martha Stewart Weddings hosted a live online luxury wedding expo that I had a lot of fun attending.

I am excited to report on my favorite live Q & A sessions.  Also, by popular demand, my photos will be much larger! (Or at least as large as I am able to make them.)

First up, Cheree Berry of Cheree Berry Paper.

Here is Part 2 of 2!

Note:  To view Part 1 of 2, click here: Martha Stewart Weddings Luxury Expo - Cheree Berry Paper - Part 1 of 2

Q. Is it ok to have people rsvp online instead of cards they mail?

A. It would depend on the size and formality of your wedding. A black tie wedding would have a traditional rsvp, but a destination wedding can be less traditional and you could do rsvps online. It is fun to get the reply cards back in the mail, though. Brides are often excited anticipating the cards.

My tip: Leave a space on your rsvp card with, “Write a message to the bride & groom.” It is a lot of fun to see what guests may write and you can keep your rsvp cards for your wedding scrapbook.

Q. Where do you send rsvp cards? Is it ok to have them sent to the bride?

A. Reply cards can go to the hosts of the wedding or the bride. Either is fine.

My tip: If for some reason you are too busy, or may be moving, you can choose to send your rsvp cards to your parents, your maid of honor, a relative or even your wedding planner. When you order your rsvp cards, simply put the hosts’ names, and then “in care of” with the person and address who will receive the response cards.

Q. How can one do bilingual invitations?

A. One thing you can do is to have an overlay in vellum, which could sit on top of the invitation. You can also do a folded invitation where the left side is in one language and the right side is in the other. In addition, you can also do double-sided invitations and have the preferred language facing up when you stuff your suite.

Q. How do I make my DIY invite look more professional?

A. DIY invites can look more professional by using high quality paper and print in a font that resonates well. Also, print with a high quality printer and ink. Perhaps do some research on the fonts and the typeface so it looks more luxe and less DIY.

Q. Does my save-the-date need to look the same as my wedding invitation?

A. The save-the-date can be its own thing. You can be cohesive, but you can also highlight your story or photos of you or your venue and get people excited about your wedding. Send your save-the-date to your stationer so she can develop a connection to your invite so they both complement each other. Cheree Berry Paper has some invites on Minted.com as well so you can choose things that complement one another.

My tip: The save-the-date is an excellent opportunity to reveal your personality as well as your story as a couple. You can do a booklet, a link to a video, or find other unique ways to tell your story.

Q. For wording, if the bride and groom are hosting and paying for the wedding, would you include the parents name on the invitation?

A. According to Cheree, it is about preference. Typically, the hosts are at the top. You can have your names at top and then honor parents by listing their parents’ names underneath without it looking as if they are hosting.

My tip: Ettiquete shows that the hosts of the wedding are the ones who invite the guests to the wedding on the invitation. As Cheree says, you can give an honorable mention to your parents in your invitation such as:

Suzanne Margaret Knittle

and

Christopher David Carvlin

invite you to the celebration of their wedding

together with their parents

Robert and Joanne Knittle

and

Jeffrey Carvlin and Karen Gomer

on Saturday, the sixth of November

two thousand eleven

at six o’clock in the evening

Five Pine Lodge

1021 Desperado Trail

Sisters, Oregon

If you have any questions about stationary or other wedding-related things, just post a comment or submit your question via our contact form or email:  Suzanne@SuzanneThePartyGirl.com.  I will be happy to answer your question!

Thank you for your time and expertise, Cheree and the Cheree Berry Paper team! It was wonderful listening to your Q & A!

And, thank you for your amazing wedding details.  I could seriously live in your wedding.  In fact, I may reconstruct it one item at a time.  Is that creepy?

Here are a few more amazing details from Cheree and Jeff’ss wedding:

Cheree's totally divine wedding bouquet. I love the embroidered handkerchief.

Candy trees. We made similar trees for a holiday party at Nordstrom. Pretty fun and easy to make. Don't they look awesome?

Spray-painted styrofoam balls have NEVER looked so good.

Custom printed napkins that coordinated with the invitation hung on the backs of guests' chairs.

Fun little goodie bags filled with toys provided extra entertainment. We had glow-in-the-dark necklaces at our wedding, so, needless to say, I love this!

Ah. Still swooning.

Stay tuned for more on the live Q & A’s with Sylvia Weinstock, Matthew Robbins, and Jeffrey Selden.

Suzanne

Category: DIY & Handmade, General, Invitations & Paper, Wedding Expos, Wedding Planning, Wedding Tips & Organization
Tags: cheree berry paper, How To, invitation questions, martha stewart, Wedding Expos