Going To The Chapel and the Invites Were a Breeze

Planning a wedding can be crazy. Simplify the invitations with gorgeous designs from independent artists that are a breeze to prepare. They even address the envelopes for free!

Post shared in partnership with Minted.com

… Going to the chapel and they’re going to get married …

In just a few short months, the third of my four sisters (I’m one of five girls… no boys… yes, my Dad survived it.. so far) will be getting hitched to her college beau. As I watch (and help) her plan the wedding, it’s crazy to see how much has changed since I got married almost nine years ago.

Thanks in large part to Pinterest, there’s a much bigger DIY culture. Instagram, Facebook and other social media channels have made it easier for freelancers to forage into the big, bad wedding market and offer brides and grooms unique options for everything. Marketplaces likes Minted.com help the community of creative, independent designers thrive by bringing them a steady stream of customers.

While I have no regrets about my own wedding, I would definitely do a few things differently were I planning my wedding today, only because there are so many more options.

I wouldn’t change the location or the guest list. I definitely wouldn’t change the chocolate fountain with all the fixin’s we chose instead of a cake. And I certainly wouldn’t change the man on the other side of the “transaction”.

But I probably would have changed my invitations. Nine years ago, we had simple invites that were still pretty pricey. We paid some woman in Michigan to hand address all the invites in calligraphy (I have no recollection of how I found her). I remember liking the invitations, but not loving them, though I never lost any sleep over it.

My sister, on the other hand, spent maybe a couple of hours whipping up her invitations using this beautiful foil-pressed design (that’s currently on sale) on Minted.com. They’re so pretty, and her envelopes have pre-printed names with floral details that match the cards. No addressing over 100 envelopes? Sign me up!

She even included a few of the engagement photos I took for them on the back, to make the invite really personal.

I’d never taken engagement photos for anyone before, so I was pretty pumped when she asked me to do it for them. As you might expect of a blogger, I really enjoy photography and challenging myself to continuously create better photos. Maybe one day I’ll turn this little photography hobby of mine into a small business. Who knows???

Beyond the beautiful invitations, Minted.com has a host of other wedding resources to make planning a wedding easier for any bride. They offer thank you cards, custom postage stamps, wedding websites, programs, menus and more.

They’re also in the midst of a sale for their graduation announcements for those with older kiddos ready to leave the nest.

This isn’t our first go-round with Minted.com. We ordered our holiday cards from Minted.com last year and will likely do the same again this year.

Cheers to big celebrations, happy occasions, and simple yet gorgeous invites to spread the word about the festivities!