Invitations and More by Karen

Cleveland, Ohio – Wednesday, January 21, 2010 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Invitations & More has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for invitations and calligraphy!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Invitations & More is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Invitations & More is among the very best at custom invitations and calligraphy within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at www.weddingwore.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools in the Weddings section of www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Winter wedding invitations are beautiful - they can be a themed invitation with snowflakes, pine leaves, holly, etc. or just plain winter white and simple.   Winter weddings are easier to plan as they are not the hectic busy summer months. 

Invitations should reflect the bride and groom’s taste as well as set the tone of the event.   This is the first official communication your guests receive in connection with your big day.  Let the invitation speak for you - there are so many choices in styles, colors and price ranges.  Let Invitations & More help you choose the perfect invitation to set the tone of your wedding!

Many brides and grooms think the process of selecting the perfect invitation is a daunting process and get overwhelmed.  Yes, there is a lot to choose from and many ways to go - internet, bridal magazine catalog or a personal representative.  Well, we all know which way I vote!  I think having a personal representative guide you through the process is the only way to go. 

My office is filled with thousands of samples of all the different styles and price ranges of invitations and accessories.  I am able to help guide you through the process of selecting your invitations by listening to you - what kind of wedding are you having - formal, casual, destination etc. and then I help steer you in that direction.  This eliminates the need to go through invitations that will not fit your event.

Additionally, I help with wording and which accessories do you need.  And to top off all that, I offer you FREE ENVELOPE CALLIGRAPHY with any invitations package order.  What more could you ask?!

The National Stationery Show was held last week in New York City and all the invitations manufacturers were there with their new offerings.  I picked up several new lines including one from India that features very ornate and stylish invitations in bold bright colors and very reasonably priced.  The 2 books that were ordered are for wedding and bar/bat mitzvah invitations.  These will be a wonderful addition to the large collection of invitations that I currently offer.

Pocket invitations continue to be a growing trend and new styles are available. 

For all of you summer brides - now is the time to consider having a wedding coordinator - someone who is there for the rehearsal dinner and wedding to make sure that everything goes as planned.  You can’t be the bride and coordinator at the same time!  Make sure you have someone there who can orchestrate the date (and rehearsal) to make sure your vision of your perfect day is realized.  Call me to reserve your date.

Many brides and grooms today think that taking advantage of technology and self printed invitations products that are on the market today are a better way to go than having their invitations professionally printed.  Is this a cost effective strategy? 

My answer is no.  Designing and typesetting your own invitations may seem like an easy thing to do but it is not.  It takes hours and hours to decide on what to say, what color to print in, what font to use, etc. as well as setting everything up.  What is your time worth?  What happens when th ings don’t turn out the way you wanted them to do?  What happens if you make a mistake and realize it after you’ve done all the printing? 

Let Karen at Invitations & More help you with this project.  My 20+ years of experience in the field is there to help guide you through this process without it being a waste of your time or resources.

Invitations & More of Orange Village, Ohio received a Carlson Craft excellence award for 2008.  Each year Carlson Craft, the nation’s leading wholesale printing company, presents only a few select businesses with this prestigious award for outstanding performance and exceptional sales achievements.

This is the second year in a row Invitations & More has won this award!

Imagine - you’ve planned every detail, taken care of every item on the list and the day has finally arrived - YOUR WEDDING!  Now is the time to let someone else take over and run the show.

Hiring a wedding coordinator for the day of your wedding is a necessity often overlooked in the planning process.  How can you be a bride and make sure everything goes as planned?  You’re busy with hair and makeup, getting dressed in your gorgeous wedding dress and making sure you get to the ceremony on time.  You can’t be worried if the florist shows up or the cake is delivered.  You can’t get the bridal party lined up and ready to walk down the aisle.  You’re busy taking photographs after the ceremony and can’t be at the reception site to make sure all is as it should be.  Guest who responded that they can’t be there suddenly show up and now what to do?  What table to seat them at?  Need a last minute special meal?  You’re busy cutting the cake or dancing with your new spouse. 

Hiring a coordinator to run the show is the way to go.  A coordinator will run the rehearsal and then be there on the day of to make sure everything is as it should be and goes smoothly throughout the event.  Be a guest at your own party and let someone else take care of the details!

Invitations & More can take care of all this and more…

Good event planners are worth their weight in gold!  Planning a wedding or other special event can be very stressful and time consuming.  There are so many details and things to worry about and plan.  It is easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed out.

Hire someone who knows the field and can help you.  A certified event planner knows the ins and outs of planning a wonderful fun filled event and can help in every area.  Event planners can help find vendors to provide what you need for your event, help with time lines and keep you on track so that everything gets done.  They become your right and left hands and are there to offer support and encouragement as well as expertise in planning your event. 

It’s important to have guidance and support in planning your event.  This also enables you to be a guest at your own event.  That is so important - you work for months or years to plan an event and then you need capable hands to make sure your efforts are carried out to your satisfaction. 

Let Invitations & More help plan your next event!

Pocket invitations are all the rage this year and Carlson Craft, the country’s largest invitations manufacturer just released its new Pockets book today!   I just received it hot off the press!

Included in the new book are additional paper choices, layouts, designs, ink colors and so much more. 

Carlson Craft is just one company that produces pocket invitations.  There are now so many different types and styles to choose from - the possibilities are almost limitless!  I just had a client who used a lavender pocket witih a darker purple color ribbon that came out exquisite! 

Invitations & More has the pocket invitation you are looking for!

If you go to invitations sites on line, they say they discount and the number is usually a substantial one - 30%, 40% even 50%.  So what does this mean?  Is it a true discount and what is the base price that the discount is taken from.  Well, truth be told, not all on line invitations suppliers are honest and they offer discounts that really don’t exist, but they look good and tempting.  You are given a number of what the invitations cost but how do you really know that it is a discounted price?    At Invitations & More, I offer a true discount off retail prices plus very personalized service.  In addition, I offer free envelope calligraphy with any invitations package order - can you put a price tag on that?  This is a chore n o one wants to do and I do it for you and for free!!!

Additionally, on line sites offer you no personalized service whatsoever.    What happens when something goes wrong?  Who goes to bat for you against the manufacturer?

Invitations & More is my business and I am the only one you deal with.  I am accountable to you the entire time we work together.  You have my 20+ years of experience and my full attention.  Plus free envelope calligraphy with any invitations package order!