The Process
What is the process to design a fully Custom Invitation?
The best way to explain our process for our Custom Designed Stationery Package is to outline the steps that we take with our clients that inquire about designing a custom invitation.
step 1: Call, email, or inquire directly from our website.
Step 2: Within 24 hours of sending in your inquiry (except Saturdays and Sundays), you will get a call and/or email from Christine Eberle to schedule a time for an initial discussion about your custom design project. She will also have a few questions for you in advance regarding what you are looking for so that she can best prepare for an in-person meeting or video call.
Step 3: Christine will speak with you one-on-one about your design project during the in-person meeting or video call. Together with Christine’s help, you will choose paper colors, sizes, printing method, and any other relevant information for her to provide you with a cost estimate.
Step 4: Once the estimate is agreed upon, a deposit and contract are due to begin the design process. The deposit or initial payment is determined based on the turnaround needed from the client. If the client needs the completed project within 6 weeks, then payment in full is due upon contract signature. If the turnaround of a project is less than 6 months from the date the contract would be signed, then there is a 50% non-refundable deposit. If more than 6 months, the non-refundable deposit is $150.
Step 5: A “Getting Started” email will be sent to you upon completion of payment/deposit and signed contract. This email, or series of emails, will provide you with wording samples, wedding etiquette, and other relevant information. You will need to provide us with the wording for your invitations to begin the design. You are free to ask as many questions as needed, as we are here to help you during this time.
Step 6: Once the wording is provided, we will move to the design phase. Digital (PDF) proofs of the design ideas will be emailed to you. Once a digital proof of each design piece has been approved via email, you will receive a digital rendering of what the suite will look like prior to final approval. This gives the client the ability to see all of the pieces together in a digital (PDF) format. The client also has the option to purchase a hard copy sample for an additional fee (as long as the timeline will allow). If you are requesting any type of specialty printing (thermography, letterpress, foil, or engraving) your hard copy sample will always be digitally printed.
STEP 7: Upon proof approval, the final payment is due and you will sign off on each piece to be printed. Eberle Invitations will send the official text to send everything to print. Once your order is printed, you will not be able to make edits to your design,
FAQ
Do you have a minimum quantity or amount?
For our fully Custom Designed Stationery Package our minimum spend for invitations is $1500 with the starting cost per suite at $12. This minimum spend is for the main invitation set only and does not include other stationery, such as programs, table numbers, thank you cards, etc. After that original $1500 is met with the main event invitation set, then there is no other minimum spend for any other stationery.
Our Custom Designed Stationery Package is by far our most popular package and includes
- Initial phone conversation where we go over basic ideas and details
- In-person meeting or video call where we will discuss your project in more detail.
- You will pick paper and style selections
- A custom proposal
- Up to 5 PDF proofs of each piece of the overall design.
- A digital mockup of the entire suite so you can visualize how the suite comes together.
Our non-custom package, Portfolio Stationery Package, is perfect for that client that loves our work and still wants something of very high quality but may not have the time and/or budget for a fully custom project. This package includes:
- No minimum spend and the client will receive up to 2 PDF proofs of each piece.
- This package (along with the Semi-Custom Package) does not include an in-person meeting nor does it include a hard copy sample prior to full print.
The client does have the option to set an in-person meeting and/or receive a hard copy sample if they would like but there are additional fees for those
services. Our Portfolio Stationery Package does not allow for any change to the design or the font selections but the colors of ink or paper can change. Our digitally printed invitation sets for our Portfolio Stationery Package do start out at $12 per set and that includes a digitally printed invitation, response card with envelope, one additional insert (Hotel Accommodations or Reception Information
or Parking, etc), and a single outer envelope. - The minimum fee does not apply to any digital file order where the client will simply receive a PDF image of a design and prints on their own nor does it apply to any invitation design that only requires a single invitation and envelope (one-piece design).
What is the turnaround for a custom design project?
Throughout most of the year, the typical turnaround for a digitally printed wedding invitation set once the proofs have been approved to print is 6-8 weeks. We can finish invitations sooner than that, but it will be at the discretion of Christine Eberle depending on the current workload and deadline schedule. For any other printing method, the turnaround is between 6-9 weeks. For items other than wedding invitations, the turnaround is typically 2-3 weeks depending on the design chosen and whether or not any specialty materials need to be ordered or assembled
Do you offer any DIY Services?
Of course, we do! We offer two different options for our DIY Bride.
- Design only: we will design the invitation for you and you can then print and assemble it on your own. You will provide us with the size or sizes of the pieces to design. The design fee is determined based on the scope of the project.
- Design, print and cut only: we will design the invitation, print it for you, cut the items and then you will do all of your own assembly. We can order materials or specialty stocks for you but you will do your own taping or gluing of cardstock layers or pocketfolds.
If I designed my own invitation, can you print it for me?
At this time, we do not digitally print work from anyone other than the staff at Eberle Invitations. However, if you would like your invitations to be letterpress printed, thermography printed, engraved, or foil printed the decision to print will be at the discretion of Christine Eberle. Please contact us if this is something you would like to do and she can discuss the project in more detail with you.
