Vintage-Inspired Wedding Guest Books

I am over the moon excited about my new venture into designing wedding guest books and photo albums. Nothing holds your memories better than a lovely custom printed book that matches your wedding color palette. Available with shimmery gold foil, silver foil or rose gold foil. Or no foil at all if you like a more subtle look. All wedding guest books and photo albums are hardcover and feature a velvety soft feel. All interior pages are 70lb acid-free to keep your photos safe for your lifetime. A white ribbon marker comes with each book. Perfect for weddings, birthday parties, anniversary parties or just a gift for yourself or loved ones.

Add a polaroid camera to your reception table and let your guests customize on-the-spot memories for you! Fuijifilm Instax on Amazon sells affordable instant polaroid cameras in a variety of colors. Get some props, washi tape and a few colorful pens and you will have memories that last a life time. If you like journaling, order the books with the lines-- a perfect place to write your thoughts.

And because I love all things vintage, you can order guest books to match any of my Art Deco, Victorian, or Art Nouveau wedding invitation designs etc. Below are just a few of the ideas. Order guest books through my Etsy shop or just hit the contact button above.

Custom Printed Wedding Guest Books and Photo Albums. All photos by @peterson.design.photo

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Digital vs Printed Wedding Invitations

According to many online stationery retailers, digital invitations are socially acceptable and a great way to trim costs at your wedding. I see the allure for some couples; they can be convenient and less expensive. But are they the right choice for you? Online wedding websites will tell you they are. I consider this marketing propaganda. Let's take a closer look at a few reasons why you may regret this irreversible choice forever.

SETTING THE TONE

Sending a digital wedding invitation conveys the tone of extreme thriftiness and perceived tardiness on the part of the sender. That may sound a little harsh, but it is true. Is that the impression you wish to make for your wedding day? It also denies your family and friends a physical keepsake of your meaningful, beautiful, and ever-lasting union.

OUT OF SITE, OUT OF MIND

Just how many emails go into that dark hole of the universe, never to be seen again? The importance of your wedding day communication may end up like space trash circling the galaxy, gone forever. Even if the digital invitation does make it to your guests, the sentimentality is lost, and it becomes just another email among the thousands they receive. No matter how "casual" your wedding is, a digital invitation lowers the importance of your wedding down to an evite potluck party or email bill reminder. It is painfully true

SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT

Many couples wish to reduce their carbon footprint as the reason to forgo printed stationery. If preserving the environment is a priority for you, you can always ask for paper that is sustainably sourced and uses eco-friendly inks.

PROPAGANDA - DON'T FALL FOR IT!

Digital invitations are virtually free for online retailers to produce, and that is why they market them to you. They tell you a digital invitation is perfectly and socially acceptable because they do not have to produce a tangible product, which means they do it for pure profit. They do not care if you have a lasting memory to mark the most important day of your life.

MOST IMPORTANTLY - SENTIMENT

Think about your amazingly brilliant wedding day. You spent thousands of dollars on fragrant roses you will never smell again, on a scintillating dinner you will never taste again, on a dress you will never wear again, and on furniture you will never sit on again. Trust me when I tell you the year-old wedding cake you stored in the freezer for good luck tastes like s***. So what is left? Your darling spouse of course, wedding rings and your photos. Not much else- nothing tangible. And that is why you need a printed save the date and wedding invitation.

PRINTING WE WILL GO...

So now that we have decided you need printed stationery for your wedding, let's look at the two options available: a downloadable PDF you print yourself or professionally printed invitations from a Stationery Designer.

PDF PRINT YOURSELF

There are several things to consider when printing an invitation yourself. You will need to purchase a downloadable PDF file from an online vendor. The vendor will customize the art to your specifications and then give you a PDF print-ready file. Make sure you have the ability to cut straight lines. It is very easy to trim a stack of invitations off-center with a paper cutter. To be entirely accurate, you may have to use an x-acto knife, straight edge, and cutting matte to trim each invitation out individually. Unless you plunked down several thousand dollars for a high-quality laser printer, you may not achieve the quality of a professionally printed invitation. 

PDF PRINTED BY A LOCAL PRINT SHOP

If you are not feeling up to the task of printing and trimming your own invitations, you can take downloaded PDF files to a local print shop to print and trim for you. Be sure the Designer's file is in the correct format that the Printer can use. There are several different PDF format settings available, and every print shop likes to receive files in a certain way. They may also have different "bleed" specifications. Some Printers like 1/8" trim, other 1/4" trim. If the file does not comply with your Printer's specifications, they may send it back to you, and you will have to ask the online vendor to adjust the files to your Printer's needs. Your local Printer will be using a digital printing press. Digital printing is a higher quality xerox print and can print a bit shiny depending on the papers stock you choose. You will need to ask for test prints to make sure you are happy with the quality.

WORK WITH A PRO

Choosing to work with a Stationery Designer who sends you printed stationery is the easiest and most stress-free way to send invitations. Having a professional Stationer design and print your invitations may cost you a bit more money, but will look stunning and save you hours of hassle in the end. All you have to do is proof your beautiful designs and then open the box when they arrive. You can then focus on the other overwhelming bridal tasks at hand like whom to invite. 

Printing to me is so special- it's such a beautiful form of communication, and your wedding day should never be something that ends up in a junk mail folder or thrown in the recycling because it looks like a xerox. When you celebrate your Golden anniversary in 50 years, imagine pulling out your gorgeous invitations. The colors and tactile nature will remind you of that phenomenal day.

Gilded Swan Paperie only sells professionally printed custom wedding stationery. Invitations are inspected and carefully wrapped to ensure safe delivery. Our printing presses use vegetable oil-based inks and recycled papers from certified sustainable production systems so you can feel better about reducing your carbon footprint.

Custom Printed Wedding Stationery by Gilded Swan Paperie. Photo by @peterson.design.photo

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Beautiful Adornments... Luxury Folders

You are knee-deep in clicking, pinning and saving and what you find is that you have a bevy of beautiful wedding invitations that all start blending together. Pocket folders are a unique way to stand out from the crowd! Not only do they enclose all of your pieces in one neat little package, they are a sure-fire way to set a luxurious tone to your wedding. Most couples have several cards included with their invitations; reply cards, reply envelopes, details cards, maps, rehearsal invitations, brunch invitations, etc. The pocket folder is a great way to hold all of these items together. Even if you just have the standard invitation and reply card, it makes the set look so striking! They add magnitude and luxury to your suite and cost far less than say, letterpress invitations or gold foil embossed suites.

Pocket folders come scored for ease of folding and a vertical or horizontal pocket of your choice. When you receive your folders, you just need double-stick tape or Glue Dotz from the craft store to adhere your invitation to the back panel. All of your other items just sit in the pocket.

Getting creative with securing the folders is the fun part! I routinely scour Etsy, eBay and flea markets for vintage ribbon, brass stampings, and antique jewelry to adorn the folders. And they do not have to match! You can get as unique with each guest as you like. If you do not have the time or inclination to search out for these items, I can always design a round or square hangtag that you tie with a ribbon as well. You might not be able to design or print your own wedding invitations, but you can surely tap into your creative side and have fun customizing them!

Shimmery black pocket folders with a gold foil Gatsby invitation

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