If there was ever a bride qualified to give a testimonial about our company, it would be Karrie! She and Chris explored just about every facet of Paper Persuasions. Their save-the-dates were ordered from one of the many catalog vendors we carry, their invitations and programs were custom designed and made by hand in our studio, and their menus, table numbers and escort cards were made by them – utilizing our DIY project services. Although most of our meetings took place with Karrie and her mom, Chris was definitely involved in the process which we love to see! And honestly, as much attention as their invitation and program still get (they are included on our display wall), it feels as if they are current clients since we are talking about them so often! After all, they were the couple who inspired us to create a ceremony program with a tissue pocket attached to the back cover. And my-oh-my, you wouldn’t believe how many people love that idea!  Check out a few of their fantabulous photos below….as well as a brief interview with Karrie about the wedding process and her experience with us.

What part of the wedding planning was the most fun?
We had the most fun personalizing and putting our own special touch on all the details of our big day! While it was AWESOME to have amazing vendors who we could trust to take care of everything for us, the most fun we had was working with them to make sure the final product was just what we wanted. From save the dates & custom invitations to the goodie bags and homemade wine for our overnight guests, we loved every minute of it!

What part of the wedding planning was the least fun?
With so many decisions to make, it is easy to involve parents, family, friends, etc and get their opinions. It started to be hard though when we worried about making everybody happy…that can get stressful and you have to remember not to lose sight of what you and your fiancée want!

 Did you receive comments from your guests regarding the invitations and accessories?
Most definitely! Many of our guests wrote notes on the response cards truly raving about how gorgeous the invitations were! People were still talking about them at the wedding – along with the other accessories…Chris’s guy friends were even commenting!!!!

 Please list anything you would like to include regarding your experience with Paper Persuasions:
I can’t say enough about our experience with Stacy and Stephanie!! They are truly remarkable people and have surely left a permanent mark of excellence on this industry, even with the few years they have been in business! I came across Paper Persuasions on a random internet search and they were the first place we looked and my mom and I were SOLD from that day forward! They are professional, prompt, creative, thorough, and, most of all, just so much fun to work with! During the custom design of our invitations and programs they listened to our thoughts and ideas, added their expertise and style, and before we knew it we had the most unique, gorgeous stationery and accessories we’ve ever seen. They even helped us order some fantastic save-the-dates by catalog as well as design some DIY accessories…again with great skill and perfection! The quality of their work is over and above any expectation…just look around their studio! Search no further – they are the best of the best!

 Do you have any advice for the bride-to-be currently planning her wedding?
Everyone tells brides to “slow down” and “take it all in”….and it is really true! The day goes so fast, my best advice is to really try to step back and let all the excitement sink in….even just for a minute. Whatever you do, don’t let something little ruin such a big day…for the one little thing that may go wrong, there are a million other things that go perfectly and will make your day unforgettable! Planning-wise, my best advice is…don’t skimp on things like invitations, linens and flowers. Your invitations really will set the tone for the event and get everyone as excited as you are! The flowers and linens really pull any room together and keep that “wow” factor going!

 Here is Karrie and Chris’s vendor list!

Ceremony: Immaculate Heart of Mary
Reception: Marriott at Key Center
Bride’s Apparel: All Brides Beautiful – Hudson, Ohio
Groom’s Apparel: American Commodore Tuxedo
Floral/Lighting: Neil Leeson Decor
Photography: Rich Pappas – Dreamcatcher Studios
Videography: Moonstruck Productions

Reception Entertainment: Scott Jones / Jerry Bruno Productions
Cake: Fragapane Bakery
Stationery: Paper Persuasions

Top Left: Bridal Shower and Rehearsal Dinner Invites. Some you print at home, some you write on. Prices range from $3.97 – $9.00 / packs of 8 or 10.
Top Right: Print at home Place Cards and Pre-Packaged Thank You Notes
Bottom: Print at home Wedding Invitation Kits. Prices range from $29.97 – $39.97 / set of 50 invites & envelopes PLUS 50 response cards & envelopes

Top: Baby Shower and Baby Announcment Kits, Thank You Cards
Bottom: Graduation, Baptism/First Communion and Birthday Party Invitations

On a personal note: I have to say that it was difficult to narrow down our initial investment to something managable both cost-wise and space-wise. Stacy and I spent hours – and I mean HOURS – selecting from the thousands of options out there. It got to the point that we couldn’t spend any more ’studio’ time on the decision so I brought the 3 inch stack of papers home thinking we could sort through without feeling rushed. It had been quite a long time since I had brought work home with me and I must say: my cats -although super cute about it- did not enjoy the diversion.

Jackson and Bunker were tag-teaming me! Notice all the various piles we had things sorted into....

Sissy plops down RIGHT ON TOP OF the calculator and growing stack of 'keeps'.

We step out of the room for 5 minutes and the stack of papers from the coffee table was knocked off - and the culprits weren't being shy about it!

We first met James and Ashley on a CRAZY BUSY Saturday. They are one of those couples who are just…well…infectious. They are both so nice, smiley and awesome that you can’t help but be in a great mood after talking to them! They knew they wanted to make their own invitations – already having purchased a DIY kit – but just weren’t satisfied with the results. James’ mom encouraged them to take the 1 hour+ drive down to our studio after hearing about us on Fox 8 News.

Not wanting the hassle of printing the invitations, they knew they wanted us to provide the printing but handle the rest of the project on their own. Their initial visit lasted about 1.5 hours and we were able to work with them to finalize their design, wording, typestyle and layout. They weren’t sure of their final counts – so a quick email and phone call later in the week was all we needed to get the proper amount of product ordered. About two weeks later, their product was here, printed and ready for pickup. The rest is history…..and the couple has shared photographs and a few tips from their DIY journey……

To conserve paper, we printed multiple pieces on a single 8.5 x 11 sheets. We were able to get 20 tags per sheet, 4 invites per sheet, 5 rsvps per sheet and 6 reception cards per sheet.


James was the designated cutter….

And tape gluing for the cardstocks….(this is our tape gun – they are available for rental with any DIY purchase)

We ask all of our DIY clients to complete a brief survey to share with other prospective DIY’ers. Here are the results of theirs:

Did you initially plan on making your own invitations? Yes

Approximately how ling did your project take to complete: 20 hours

Was was the difficulty level of your project compared to what you expected?: About what I expected

Please describe your project in as much detail as you’d like. Feel free to include funny stories, hassles and mishaps, your over all experience, etc. : Advice would be to have a paper cutter! Split the project up over days, I (James) did all the cutting while watching the basketball playoffs and Ashley did the gluing of the invitations while watching movies in the background. With the cutting, be sure to “Math Out” how many sheets of cardstock you will need for each card before cutting and place them in separate piles. When gluing, the gun saves so much time and is easy to use. Make sure to have old newspaper down for the spray adhesive as it travels everywhere no matter how careful you are. Save all left over pieces – you never know when they might come in handy again. Be sure to get your invitations weighed. Our finished invite mailed at $.61 even though it was a standard sized envelope. Again, spread the project over a week as taking your time will give you amazing results! We had a great time making our invitations and now have even more special memories as we did them together.

Do you feel Paper Persuasions was a valuable partner in helping you throughout your project?: Yes. Stephanie was very helpful and spent so much time explaining and helping us pick out and individualize our invitations.

James and Ashley – thanks for taking that long drive down to the studio! You both were a pleasure to work with. Your project turned out amazing and we are happy to have provided the paper products and printing services for your DIY Invitations. Best of luck as you continue to plan the wedding…and Ashley – we hope have a blast at your Bridal Shower this weekend!!