I’ve never done this before but I wanted to try something a little different and share some of my party inspiration before I throw the actual party (and share the final photos here). The main reason I wanted to do this is to show of the invitations and tell you a little about them!
I used Basic Invite to get them printed and I am SO happy with both the quality and the experience. The website was not only easy to use but has some exceptional features! You can easily upload your own design, or choose from one of theirs. The project can be saved for later (even without signing in) in case you need to come back to it which is great for people like me who get easily distracted (ahem, babies…). My favorite aspect of the design process, though, were the envelopes. Your order comes with free envelopes (!!) that can be printed with your addresses. There is also a ton of fonts to choose from, I went with their Happily Ever After font and I love how the names are bigger than the address, I think it makes them look so professional.
I have this problem where when I design something specific for an actual event I’m already planning, I usually start like five different designs. The problem is, I always have this vague feeling of what I want to accomplish with the design but not quite the visual of it, does that make sense? So it takes some work to realize my vague vision, starting what I think will be perfect but as I get a little into it, I realize it’s just…not.
Somehow, this invitation was not that way at all! As I’ve been planning this bridal shower (which I will throw next weekend), there were a few things I knew I wanted to incorporate. I know I want some lush greenery, pink flowers (unfortunately I think I’ll miss peony season by a hair), and some rich vintage details. Specifically these awesome chairs that were left in my house when I moved it. The chairs are a deep pink velvet and they really made the whole style of the party click for me.
So when it came time to make invitations, I looked for inspiration in those items and decided to go with a wreathe of florals and leaves, accented by goil foiling and featuring some great vintage-style fonts. The flowers were purchased here and I forgot I had them. But the moment I came across them on my computer, I knew they were perfect! I began placing the elements around my canvas and the whole thing came together in no time at all! It truly was a record for me :D
The thing that really gave me a lot of comfort though was knowing that if inspiration didn’t strike, Basic Invite has a great selection of pre-made, customizable designs to choose from. Since I am studying graphic design, I feel compelled to always make my own cards (I used their upload your own design 5×7 card) but there are dozens of bridal shower invites options on their site I would happily use. Here are a few of my favorites:
And, since they have almost unlimited color options, with instant previews online, making a custom invite is a cinch. Once you select a design you can change the color of each element on the card to over 180 different color options! In my experience, this really sets Basic Invite apart (and makes them not-so-basic)! They also have over 40 different envelope colors and they are all peel and seal, aka lifesaving when you’re sending out hundreds of invites.
Speaking of hundreds of invites–they have over 200 wedding invitation sets. Each of their wedding invitations is part of a set. You can find everything from save the dates to wedding invitations and enclosure cards, wedding menus, wedding programs and even matching thank you cards! I love this! Not 100% sure about your colors, fonts, or the finish you want? Basic Invite is one of the few websites that allows customers the ability to order a printed sample of their actual invitation so they can see exactly how it will print as well as the paper quality before they commit to a whole order.
A really really great feature on the addresses too is you can just upload your spreadsheet of addresses and they will import them so you don’t have to type them all in. I love that! Even easier–share a link, collect addresses through it and have them automatically placed on your envelope-all for free!!
Now that I’ve waxed romantic about Basic Invite, head on over to see their fab selection of bridal shower invites, cool wedding sets, save the dates, and more! I’m so proud of these invitations and can’t wait to put the rest of this party together! I wanted to share a few more photos of the inspiration for it, lets hope the real thing turns out half as fab!!
For more party inspiration and decor ideas: visit our party pinterest board right here!
*I received product for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own.
