Invitations, schminvitations

So many options for invites ranging from the simplest (phone calls) to the most elaborate (custom-designed letterpress extravaganzas).

Simple:

Simpler:

Simplest:

Once upon a time...

... there was a girl/ woman/ chick/ person who met a boy/ man/ woman/ person.  They fell in love.  They shared dreams.  They decided to get married.

Things got a little less fun from there.

See, the world of engagement is a big, deep, wide, expensive one filled with themes and dreams and itty bitty details.  It's a world built around the idea of regret.  Buy this thing to make sure you don't regret not buying it.  Do this other thing just in case, lest you regret not doing it.  Plan this way or else... you get it.

I've been there. A little more than two years ago, my man and I became fiances and the world got a little less simple.  For the better part of a year, we muddled our way through planning a wedding, more than once asking, "why is this necessary for a wedding?"

We survived, got married, and are living in happily wedded bliss (most of the time).  But if I had to do it all over again, I'd keep it simple.

A wedding is, after all, a ceremony between two people who commit themselves to being a family, often followed by a celebration with those who love them and pledge to support them.  That's all.  
Ceremony.
Two people.
Commitment.
Celebration.
People who love them.
Pledge to support them.
Ah, yes, and some way for people to know where and when to show up.

Optional:
Rings.
Religion.
Bridespeople.
Groomspeople.
Best people.
Letterpress invitations.
RSVP's.
Catering.
Fancy dresses.
Custom suits.
Personalized napkins.
Color schemes.
Candy buffets.
Favors.
Toasts.
Cakes.
Open bars, cash bars, or booze of any kind.

True, generally people like to look their finest when pledging themselves to another, so finery is welcome, as are rings and suits and napkins and anything else on the optional list, if that suits your fancy, but if it doesn't, you mustn't.

If it doesn't suit your fancy, you musn't do it!

Consider this: the average cost for a wedding is around $20,000.  If you're spending that kind of money, you'd better be getting everything you've always dreamed of, that's all I'm saying.  And if your dreams never even considered whether the cocktail napkins should bear your married monogram, leave 'em out.

We'll start with the very minimum needed to make this thing a wedding and go from there.  If you want to add a bit here or expand a bit there, it's your call... but we'll make sure you're choosing it, not getting swept away by the wedding industry.