Bridal Shower Paper Goods

Bridal showers are an excellent way to show your creativity and honor your great friend! Historically speaking, the Maid of Honor, bridal party or friends host the bridal shower and should be thrown two months to two weeks ahead of the wedding date. Below are a few ideas of the paper goods you might want to consider to make your shower as lovely as possible! And if you know me by now, the more colorful and vintage, the better!

Bridal shower invitations by Gilded Swan Paperie - Photo by Marisa Peterson

One needs an invitation, of course, and paper invitations are a must. A Bride cannot put a digital invitation into her scrapbook. Make her (or his) day last forever with a paper invitation. Wording this invitation is quite easy. Start with the basics:

You are invited to a bridal shower in honor of

Taylor Kelley Saturday, October 19, 2019 Noon Marmalade Restaurant

Please reply to Margo at 212-444-5690

Michelle is registered at Target and Macy's

Unlike the main wedding invitation, you can print registry information on this card..

Place Cards:

Thank you note cards make a great bridal shower gift for the Bride. She can hand-write her courteous words If you are having a tea party or whimsical little garden party, you might want to consider place cards to give the guests a little bit of "fancy." Make each one different with vintage words of advice or quotes.

Menus:

It's always a good idea to let your guests know the dining choices they are going to experience. If you are hosting a tea party, then having a list that describes the variety of teas offered is beneficial.

Party Favor Tags:

Party favors are not a requirement, but it is nice to offer a treat or small token to your guests to show your gratitude for their gifts and attendance. Hang tags, stickers or cards all do the trick! Silk ribbon or baker's twine makes it special.

Recipe Cards:

A thoughtful keepsake for any Bride is to receive recipes from her family and friends. A vintage-inspired design is an attractive way to do this and better than blank index cards

Advice Cards:

Another excellent way to impart wisdom to the Bride-to-Be is to print advice cards. They should be attractive, easy to write on and can be placed into a keepsake album or decorative box.

Thank You Cards:

Thank you note cards make a great bridal shower gift for the Bride. She can hand-write her courteous words of gratitude to all of her guests for their generosity. Don't forget pretty stamps or even vintage, unused stamps to complete the look. A fancy pen is also a lovely added gift.

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All paper goods designed by Gilded Swan Paperie

Photo 5 photo by: @daybreakanddusk & Planniny by @anythingbutgrayevents

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Make the Most of your Post

You've just licked your last envelope flap and you breathe a heavy sigh of relief that you are finally done! But wait, you have one last very important step to seal the deal and make the most of your post. Before you purchase any stamps, please take your finished invitation to the post office to be weighed. If you have several cards, museum board invitations or even a square invitation, you will need more than the standard "Forever" stamp.

By far my favorite way to add postage to your invitation envelopes is to use vintage, unused stamps. They come in every color and in every denomination from one cent and up. You can mix and match different styles and colors to come up with an effect that works with your color palette. One of my favorite vintage stamp vendors is Virginia Sauder at Verde Studio. You can choose from a variety of themes like history, nature, love, botanicals etc. She can also put packages together for you if you tell her your needs.

Your next option is to purchase new stamps from the post office. Their "love" themed stamps are not my favorite. To be honest, I don't find them imaginative and vintage enough to my liking. But I do love many of their historical and botanical themed stamps. If you are having a very vintage wedding, you might use a mix of their WWI and Classics Forever series.

The last option is to have your own custom stamp designed. You can use your couple's logo, an image from your invitations... anything. The main drawback about this is that a standard .55 stamp can cost up to $1.30 each. More importantly, they come with a very unsightly black and white QR code on the design. You can purchase these from Shutterfly, Minted, Zazzle etc. I say stay clear from these-- you can spend the extra expense elsewhere and the black and white code is really a drawback.

Once you drop your lovely little packages off at the post office, they are going to be machine sorted and stamped. To ensure your invitations do not bend or smudge, you can ask your postal worker to hand cancel each one. This ensures that they will not rip or tear in the stamping and sorting process. If you are using wax seals, this is a must. Hand canceling can only be done once you have sealed, stamped and addressed your envelopes. Hand canceling does take a bit of time and some post offices may charge for this. Make sure you ask which day is the least busy at the post office.

But before you do any of the above, please take your finished invitation to the post office to be weighed. If you have several cards, or one of my pocket folders, you will need more than the standard stamp.

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Vintage, unused postage

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Go Gatsby Glam with Luxurious Silver!

I am over the moon with silver! I have several new designs that feature a subtle shimmery silver ink. Choose from an array of beautiful and boldly colored paper stock, pair with silver envelopes and you have instant drama! Next year we will usher in 2020, and that means the Roaring 20's will be back. Art Deco Wedding Invitations and Gatsby Party themes will be hotter than ever! Even if you are not going Gatsby Glam, other designs work nicely with my new silver as well-- check out my Shooting Stars theme. What a great way to add a spark of luxury to your wedding day. Contact me for any questions you have as not all of my designs are suitable for metallic printing.

Silver ink on midnight blue paper stock - The Astoria

#artdeco #artdecowedding #artdecoweddinginvitations #speakeasywedding #gatsbyweddinginvitations #weddingstationery #gildedswan #gildedswanpaperie #vintageweddinginvitations