One of the most common questions we get asked about wedding invitations is “how much do they cost?” One of the things that I love about my job is that I get to work along side brides and grooms and help educate them on the art of putting together a wedding. Most couples that I work with have no idea what invitations should/could cost. I thought I would share a little bit about what you can get in different price points in case you were wondering how much invitations cost as well!

I typically quote invitation prices as an “ensemble”. What I mean by this is your invitation, the invitation envelope(s), the response card and the response card envelope. I think this is an important distinction to be aware of. Most websites will only tell you the invitation price which can be quite misleading! I should also note that the following prices are based on an average of 100 invitations. (If you only need 25 or 50, the price per ensemble can actually be quite a bit higher.)

2.00 – 5.00 per ensemble

If you are on a tight budget, this is the category you will be looking in. These styles tend to be fairly basic - flat invitations without pockets or layers of paper. As a rule, they don't offer many customization options (other than font, wording and ink color.) They also tend to be a bit more traditional, although if you have the time to flip through a number of albums, you can find styles mixed in that are more contemprorary and graphically oriented. Here is an example of an ensemble that would cost 142.80.

3.00 – 6.00 per ensemble

When you get up into this price range you will find a couple of different options. First, you will find simple styles that look similar to the lower budget invitations but offer a higher paper quality.

Second, you will find flat invitations with some customization. For examples, you can choose two colors for the following invitation as well as a colored envelope of your choice. (this invitation would cost 319.30.)

Third, we also carry a line of budget pocketfolds that will cost between 5.00 – 8.00 per ensemble based on the options you choose. These pocketfolds have fairly limited color options and come unassembled.

6.00 – 10.00 per ensemble

This price range offers many more options and is our most popular price range. You will have a lot of customization options including shapes, sizes, papers, colors and printing styles. We carry a number of different albums that offer layers, beautiful graphics and/or ribbons. Here are a couple of examples with their corresponding prices:

This style would be 762.00:

This Letterpress invitation would be about 750.00 depending on the options you choose:



This is one of our in-house customizable invitations that would be 838.00:

10.00 and above per ensemble:

This price range offers you the most custom options available. We can design a custom letterpress invitation for about 12.00 per ensemble or a custom pocketfold invitation for 10.00 – 15.00 per ensemble. Here are a couple of examples of our custom invitations:

There really is a huge range for invitation pricing. When you are creating your budget, make sure to also think about additional options that you may want such as guest address printing, reception cards or direction cards. You may also want to consider additional stationery items such as save the date cards, programs, menus, place cards and thank you cards which all need to be factored into your budget as well.

If you have additional questions or want us to work up an individualized quote for you, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us!

Did you know that Paper Fling carries paper, matching envelopes, ribbon by the yard or spool, Envelopments brand pocketfolds and invitation assembly supplies? If you are planning on making your own invitations, we would love to talk with you! Feel free to drop by the store anytime to browse through colors, design inspirations and more.

If you are anything like me, you still have a good amount of Christmas shopping to get done. (If, however, you are one of those people who completed their shopping back in July, I would love to know how you did it!)

Here are a few fun gift ideas that we have around the store...

These amazing journals by Compendium feature beautiful artwork and sayings that range from deeply meaningful ("She climbed until she saw") to just plain old fun ("He offered her the world. She said she had her own.") They come in a mini size that would fit nicely in your purse and also in a larger composition size.


These beautiful luminaries are perfect for lighting up your pathway or for decorating your mantle. (We even think they would make an amazing gift bag with a little tissue!)


Black and White Damask is such a striking pattern. This patterned ensemble features a journal, note cards and a lovely pen that is just right for stuffing a stocking!


We also have a really fun selection of gift bags, wrapping paper and tags. (Look closely at the Santa/Rudolph bag - it makes me laugh every time I see it!)

Way back in June Hayley and I started selecting our Holiday Card designs that we would carry this year. When they arrived a few weeks ago we were so excited! Turning Paper Fling into a little winter wonderland with all of these great cards has been so much fun. We have some great boxed Holiday cards this year! Stop in soon for the best selection. Here are just a few of our favorites - we hope you love them as much as we do!

This design was one that we made in-house. It features a hand-glittered treatment and luscious Envelopments brand papers.


This cute little snowman card actually has a pop-up belly!


These glittered cars remind us of all of the fun outings and events that we have throughout the Christmas season...


This beautiful card features a metallic blue cover with silver foil snowflakes and trees - it is traditional with a twist!

One of the best choices you can make in your wedding or event planning process is hiring an event planner. A good planner will ensure that your planning process goes smoothly and that the event itself is as stress-free and fun as possible for you and all of your guests. We are fortunate to have worked with a number of very talented wedding and event planners and today, we wanted to introduce you to BreeAnn Gale, owner of Pink Blossom Events.

BreeAnn excels at helping her clients plan out-of-the box style events that are unique and unexpected. She specializes in coordinating weddings, auctions, corporate events and milestone birthdays. She offers a variety of services and levels of planning including full service, day of and destination event planning.

One of the most recent projects we worked with Pink Blossom Events on was a beautiful golf course wedding. BreeAnn always impresses us with her creativity and this event was no exception. She asked us to create these custom golf ball style place cards.

If you would like to learn more about Pink Blossom Events, please check out their website: www.pinkblossomevents.com

I love the Holidays for so many reasons but one of my favorite things is receiving all of the beautiful holiday cards in the mail. I love decorating my work area with cards from my clients, vendors and friends. If you own a business or are in a position where you work with clients, here are the top 3 reasons why you should consider sending out a holiday greeting card for your company:

1) Holiday Cards are a great cost-effective advertising campaign. Not only will your cards be a constant reminder of your company for weeks or months while they sit on display, they  also have the potential to put your name in front of countless other potential clients. If this is your goal, we have some great designs that can highlight your company name and or logo right on the front of the card!


2) Sending a Holiday card generates good will and a positive image of your company. Everyone loves to receive something fun in the mail - why not associate your company with that feeling of excitement! Here are a few ideas of our custom designs that will really put a smile on your client's faces:





3) Holiday Cards are a great way to show off your creativity, style or even a new product. Here is a great example of a card from Wave Link Music that we did last year highlighting their lighting:

Now is the time to get your cards ordered! Call, email or stop in today and we would be happy to discuss your holiday card goals, budget and choices!

Calligraphy is nothing new of course. It has been the standard and etiquette correct way of addressing your invitations for many years. That being said, what is new and fun, is the unique ways that bride’s are choosing to incorporate calligraphy into their wedding stationery. Here are some great ideas and inspirations from some of our favorite stationery blogs:

Use calligraphy to highlight the important details. Tennessee based Arbo­real designed these beautiful invitations featuring calligraphy elements throughout the suite. Cal­lig­ra­phy by Bar­bara Thomas and images reposted from www.ohsobeautifulpaper.com 


Don’t want the stuffy look of traditional calligraphy? Try using a unique style of hand lettering like the one featured in this wedding stationery suite as seen on www.invitationcrush.com design  by Brandon Kirk and Jacob Gerber; letterpress printing by Lilco Letterpress; envelope lettering by Camille Long

Don’t have the budget for calligraphy on your envelopes? Try a custom calligraphed address stamp for your rsvp envelopes and outer envelope return addresses. Here’s a great example from www.marthastewartweddings.com

Every year I look forward to getting in all of the fun new merchandise from Meri Meri for Halloween. I always joke that it feels like Christmas in October! This year is no exception. Meri Meri has outdone themselves with amazingly cute halloween items that I can't wait to decorate my house with. Here's a little preview. They always sell fast so stop in soon for the best selection.

This haunted house is truly a work of art. It folds back down flat so that you can use it year after year.

Seriously, could this cupcake holder be any cuter! They come 8 per package with 24 cupcake wrappers included.

These luminary bags are just perfect to light the path to your house on Halloween night.

There is lots more in the store to round out your halloween celebration including plates, cups and napkins, cupcake kits and over-the-top cards (like a vampire themed one that says " did somebody say bite me?"

Happy Halloween!

This week Paper Fling had the opportunity to visit Wine World in Seattle. This place is over 23,000 square feet of all things WINE! They carry over 8,000 different kinds from all over the world and nearly 600 from right here in the good ol’ Pacific Northwest. If you want a one stop shop for picking up a bottle, some wine glasses and yummy cheese for a dinner date at a friend’s house this is the place to be. They offer wine tasting every night of the week so if you are looking for something special for your upcoming wedding or event, this is the place to go. The staff is super duper friendly and knowledgeable; I learned stuff while sipping and savoring.

Wine World offers a private event space that can be rented for weddings, corporate events, private parties etc. It has great city views and feels warm and cozy with their soft lighting and rich colors, but with windows looking out onto the warehouse floor it feels spacious. They have been opened about 10 months, but they run the business as if they have been doing it for years. I enjoyed my time there last evening, and you would as well. Check out Wine World – wether you need an event venue, are looking for a special wine for your wedding or if you just want a great wine tasting experience - you won’t be disappointed.

There are so many great events at this time of year if you are planning a wedding! Paper Fling will be attending the Voila Wedding Show coming up on March 20, 2011 at the Woodmark Hotel in Kirkland. We would love to have you stop by and say hi! For more information and to purchase tickets visit: www.VoilaWeddingShow.com