Bride’s Interview with Maria Lewis and All In The Invite Stationery Designs
Please take a moment to read this before hiring All In The Invite as your invitation designer
How long have you been doing what you do and how did you become an invitation designer?
In 2008 while planning my own daughter’s wedding I noticed something lacking within the invitation industry. The following year I helped my youngest sister plan her own wedding. It was then that I realized my true passion and saw there was a need for a wedding stationery designer that offered something more than those catalog companies presented. I went on to design invitations for family members and friends, and a couple of months later, a friend of a friend contacted me asking if I could design hers. I was flattered and said “sure, this should be fun!” The thought of tackling on different kinds of design projects became appealing. I had no idea you could have this much fun “working”.
What do you love most about your business?
I love being part of a couple’s wedding planning. It’s very moving getting to know them and their story. It’s so very special, and I get to know them personally. For many people, I’ve become someone they can trust and talk to, and I can offer advice based on my own experience. I enjoy sharing their story and keeping in touch over time. We have several clients that have come back to us for party invitations, baby announcements, shower invitations, and even logo and business card design for their personal businesses.
How far in advance should couples start the invitation design process?
Five months or more is best. The process flows so easily when there’s plenty of time to research, pick over colors and paper samples (either in person or through email), and discuss ideas. Getting to know the couple gives us an even better idea of who they are and what type of design will really work for them. This will also help to avoid rush charges.
Everything sounds fantastic… There are so many different stationery suppliers, tell me what sets you apart from all of the other invitation designers out there?
That is a really great question and our team loves answering it for clients. All In The Invite offers wedding invitations that are extremely unique…from one to another, meaning that they are custom to our couples, not to what we love or to what our tastes are. It’s not about us – it’s about you. You wouldn’t be happy if we did that, and neither would we, to be quite honest. We’ll always get back to you and you’re always a priority for us because we only work with a limited number of brides per year. You’ll have one chance to get the details right and that is important to us as well.
Choosing the right paper can make even the simplest invite look like a million dollars. We love bringing a client’s ideas to life and showing the wedding couple how to have the look of a custom invitation without the high price tag. Designing is a challenge but so rewarding when you see how delighted they are when they view the final result.
This all sounds so wonderful but it also seems expensive. Are we going to be able to afford this?
To be perfectly honest with you, one of the things that we take personal pride in the most about our business is making our clients happier than they ever thought they could be, over something as simple as a piece of paper. When your wedding day is over, nothing remains but your photographs, your video and your invitation.
Consider the big budget items when it comes to weddings…what’s the biggest? Food, beverage, and the venue. Can your guests keep it? No. Even if it is the most impressive meal of their life, there’s nothing remaining. But invitations and wedding day stationery, that’s something that remains for possibly many years. It’s something you can keep, and something your guests can keep, as a reminder of that day.
We’ve heard all the comments about how “everyone is just going to throw away the invitation”, “it’s not that big of a deal”, “we can just make them ourselves”…and in some cases all of these statements may be true, however, we are a professional stationery company and we know how to work with a client’s budget, yet still achieve the WOW factor they’re looking for when the recipient opens their save the date, invitation or announcement in the mail or when guests want to actually keep the wedding ceremony program because they’ve never seen anything quite like it.
Take a minute to schedule your complimentary invitation consultation with us today and you will be ever so glad that you did!
Who do you work best with?
The clients who benefit the most from working with All In The Invite want to have invitations that most people only dream of. They are smart enough to utilize our expertise and guidance to the fullest extent to achieve their vision of their wedding. They are conscious of their time and budgets and place their complete trust in our expertise!
Who is not going to benefit ordering invitations through All In The Invite?
We absolutely love helping clients and their families create their unique statements using invitations and stationery, but we also have to have a mutual appreciation and respect for each other. If you’re a person who thinks everyone will just throw away your invitation, or that sending an e-vite is just faster and cheaper, then we aren’t going to be a good fit for working together on your invitation and stationery projects.
I thoroughly enjoy having a part in helping you create the most amazing day you could ever have dreamed of, but our personalities also have to be a match for each other. If you are a skeptic, don’t appreciate the value of wedding invitations, or have trouble realizing that you actually deserve the most fabulous wedding possible; we probably aren’t meant to work together. Please think about all of these things before we meet, otherwise we won’t be able to help you in the way that you need it.
Do you take credit cards or offer payment plans?
Yes, we do accept all major credit cards. If paying by credit card a small surcharge will be applied to cover the cost of the processing fee.
We do have payment plans available. To make sure your wedding stationery costs do not add to your stress, we offer an easy payment plan which will enable you to split your payments over several months with the last payment due 2 weeks prior to the delivery of your items. It really couldn’t be easier.
So what are you waiting for? The earlier you book, the cheaper the monthly payments!
This sounds like everything we’ve been looking for. What happens next to start the process?
Wonderful! We can’t wait to sit down with you, get to know you and have our first one-on-one invitation consultation to discuss all of your wedding stationery needs. We look forward to helping you select the invitations and stationery that fits your unique style.
Congratulations on your engagement! I can’t wait to meet you!
Best wishes,
Maria