Non-Traditional RSVP Cards

Hello friends! It's been a while, hasn't it? My personal life has been packed these last few months, so I apologize for the lack of new posts. Well, that and the office studio is way too hot right now for me to sit at the computer for any longer than I have to (we have a big window that the sun hits in the afternoon and no AC).

Above is a photo of some RSVP cards from an order for Jennifer in San Jose, CA. Jennifer wanted to do something unique with her reply cards, and not limit guests to just replying "Will attend" or "Sends regrets". In fact, I have seen photos of what people do with these "text box" reply cards, and it's actually very fun! Along with indicating whether or not they are going to attend, people draw pictures, write silly poems for the bride and groom, and I've even seen an RSVP where the guest sent back a collage within the text box. Pretty creative!

I always tell our brides and grooms to buy a nice folder to put their RSVP cards in once they come back so that a) wedding planning is made easier when everything is in one place, and b) even if you have a traditional RSVP card, people often write you a personal message, and it's nice to go back and look through them every so often. I remember a very touching RSVP note from one of my grandmother's friends who was too ill to attend our wedding, and I will keep it forever.

I've also seen RSVP cards get jazzed up a bit by changing the wording from traditional to non-traditional. For example, some people will substitute "Will attend" for something like "I wouldn't miss it for the world!" or other such expression. If your overall invitation suite is relaxed and fun, then playing with the RSVP card wording can carry the theme through.

Of course, if you are having a traditional wedding (like I did), there is nothing wrong with keeping your invitations formal, and sticking with the tried and true traditional style and wording.

So, that's my RSVP talk for today...

Next week we are printing some notecards for a local wedding photographer, designing a wedding suite for a couple getting married in Maui next year (at a gorgeous location in Wailea), and working on a promotional piece for a Calgary-based home furnishings boutique. It's great to have such a variety of projects to work on.

Last weekend I finally had a chance to watch "Seven Pounds" with Will Smith - which, as you may or may not know, has a character (Rosario Dawson) who is a letterpress printer. It was a pretty good movie (though I knew right away what the jellyfish was for, having learned all about them while traveling in Australia), and I was quite excited to see the presses in a major motion picture. If nothing else, at least now when I tell people what I do for a living and they give me a blank stare, I can say - "Hey - You know "Seven Pounds"? I do what Rosario did in the movie."

Yeah, it bugged me when she pulled a print on her platen with no ink on the disc, no set-up work, and it was miraculously what looked like a 4-color print, but we all know that directors have to take some creative license here and there with movies, or else they'd turn into documentaries about minutia.

Oh, and the idea that a printer would fall madly in love with someone who fixed her busted Windmill is not at all far-fetched!

And finally, I received a very nice call from Crane (see my mini-rant below about Lettra) to inform me that they have decided to keep making the 8x12 110lb. Pearl White Lettra, instead of getting rid of that size as planned. Thank you Crane, you have made my life much easier!

Have a great weekend, and happy letterpressing!