Wedding planning is stressful, there are so many little details that you’re trying to work out. One of the key details are your invitations (and accompanying pieces). Your invitations will do more than just tell your guests when and where, they will also set the tone for your wedding! Are you planning a formal wedding or is it a casual backyard, rustic wedding? Your love is unique, your wedding invites and accessories should be too!

I have been working in print design for 8 years, and one of the most common things I hear from my wedding clients is “I ordered this online and when it arrived it wasn’t what I expected,” so I want to talk about the importance of working with a local printer and also hiring a graphic designer.

Although online templates are convenient and helpful, if you are a bride or groom with very specific expectations I always recommend personally working with a graphic designer and also venturing to your local print shop.  A local print shop will be able to show you many aspects that you just won’t get with an online vendor including samples of paper stocks that you can actually see and feel in person,  they can also closely match color samples  you may bring in that you want to match, and most importantly they can provide you with a physical printed sample with time to review and approve unlike online where you realize you misspelled your own middle name only after you clicked “Place Order.”

Not everyone is a graphic designer, which is why online templates have become so popular – they ARE convenient – but thinking back to where we started, your love is unique so your wedding invites and materials shouldn’t be a template that thousands of other people have all used. A graphic designer can make invitations that perfectly match your personalities and wedding theme and will add a one-of-a-kind aspect to your wedding. I know most people want to think that hiring a graphic designer for their wedding is an “unnecessary expense,” and I get it, but what those same people probably don’t realize is a majority of today’s print shops also have in-house graphic designers, or have one they refer customers to at a discounted rate. The cost is usually minor because it’s part of your printing expenses. This is a great benefit to customers because they are now all on the same team to serve YOU. If there are file issues, color issues, etc they can all be worked out together instead of the endless back and forth which will delay production.

My other key point about working with a graphic designer for your wedding is UNITY and COHESIVENESS. Your invitations are not going to be the only thing printed for your wedding. There are save the dates, envelopes, thank you cards, programs, table settings, bar signs, dessert signs, menus, unplugged ceremony signs and believe me speaking as newlywed here, the list goes on and on! If you choose to work with a graphic designer, all of your pieces will go together for your big day – fonts, design elements, colors etc will all match.

Your printed materials can also easily become keepsakes of your day that you can display for years to come, make sure they look the part – hire a graphic designer and a quality printer! 

You can contact Lauren for your next project from her facebook page.

You can also find local print shops that can help you translate your gorgeous design created by Lauren or another graphic designer here: https://www.expertise.com/in/indianapolis/print-shops