In preparing the details of our wedding, I was clueless where to start when it came to Save the Dates, Invites, programs… and all the other paper designs here and there that would make our wedding day complete. I saw some Do It Yourself kits at Michael’s, but I knew in reality, I didn’t have time to do it myself with all the other wedding planning I had to do in between my real job. Then I knew about a cute paper store at the mall, but it had closed down a few months before and I didn’t know where else to go locally. But then online I ran across a paper designer in Chicago of all places and immediately fell in love with her style! After a few emails with her, I realized I could design my programs from the convenience of my computer. I was sold!
So now I want to introduce you to Jessi Cabanin of Just Invite Me! She was seriously one of my favorite vendors from our wedding, not only for her amazing talent, but for her amazing experience she created for us. When I received the HUGE box of all her paper designs for our wedding, it was then I realized how thankful I was to have an expert do this part for me because she did so much more an amazing job than I could have ever done trying to do it myself. And she helped save me so much time with all her cute little touches and attention to detail. She included a pink pen I could write with for my thank you cards! She’s an example of how the little things go a long way.
Because of how impressed I was with Jessi, I wanted to share her with you too! Here’s an interview to help you learn more about the process and how brides can win some FREE save the dates!
1.How did you get started?
I graduated with a degree in Graphic Design, but I always kind of knew that I never wanted to work at a design firm or anything like that. I mean who wants to work for someone else? 
Would I have taken a firm job had the opportunity arose? Most definitely. But lucky for me, I never had to make that decision. After graduation, I actually took a job at Staples in the Copy & Print department thinking, hey, this could be an ok use of my degree right? Fast forward a year, and my sister is now engaged and planning her wedding. Who else to go to for fabulous ideas but her sister, right? So this was my first “client”. Well once she got married, 3 other people in my family got married. So when they saw the invites, they called my sister gushing about them, demanding to know where they were from. So, boom, 4 clients. Fast forward another year, and I now have had 98 clients (in my FIRST year). So Just Invite Me basically took off and wiped me right off my feet!
So long story short, how did I get here? WORD.OF.MOUTH. It is seriously THE most powerful tool. Treat your clients right and give them a fabulous experience, and you dont NEED to advertise. Oh, and then Facebook, OBVIOUSLY. To this day (almost 3 years from my official first client) and I have NOT advertised a dime and have had the pleasure of working with almost 300 brides. I’ll actually be coming up on that big milestone here VERY soon. So if you’re reading this, and might be interested in our services, you will want to stay tuned because we are giving away something HUGE. 
2.What exactly do you offer brides?
We offer a full service, custom invitation + stationary experience. I encourage brides to start out with Save the Dates to give your guests a mere glimpse of whats to come. Up next we design FABULOUS invitation suites, all based around your theme/colors/etc. These are {almost} guaranteed to leave your guests dying to see what the wedding has in store, with anticipation just bubbling over. Then comes the big day. What’s a big day without lots of details? In this phase, the sky is honestly the limit. I love when brides come in with all these crazy awesome ideas, because as a creative, I love trying new things! Menus, programs, placecards, favor stickers, table numbers, napkin rings, CD labels…..YOU NAME IT, we do it. =)
3. What are the creative trends you see on the horizon for next fall and spring weddings?
One of my favorite newer creative trends is ditching the graphics and using text only to work the invitation. I was sketchy about it at first, but I have always been a huge typeface fan, so I loved the challenge! Also, brides are getting more and more creative about the colors they are mixing. My favorite project that I’m working on right now is purple, orange and green. It sounds a little strange, but these invites are BALLIN’. Keep a look out on the fanpage, because I can’t release them just yet 
4. What are key elements brides need to have in an invitation, program and save the date?
PERSONALITY. Incorporate your personalities, what drew you together, what you both love, etc. You only get married once, so why not tell your guests your story?? Why not give them the best invitation they’ve ever seen? They’ll still be raving even AFTER your wedding. Oh and then of course, don’t forget to tell them when and where to be 
5. What’s the most unusual paper design you’ve done?
My two most favorite things are custom maps and colored envelopes!! They really add soooooo much to the invites. I also love when clients have me print the guest addresses on the envelopes as well, because it allows us to carry over the graphics from start to finish! Its bound to stand out from the daily ‘junk mail” too!
6. What are the benefits of why brides should hire a professional designer vs. Do It Yourself?
The only benefit I think there is to DIY is cost. I totally understand that there are budgets that need to be met, and if thats how you need to do it, then so be it. BUT, I bet 95% of DIY brides have that “OMG i didn’t think it would be that hard” moment. Its very hard to know (and understand) the amount of work that goes into paper details for a wedding. Also, most DIY brides aren’t really familiar with the process or tools. I would say this biggest benefit to hiring a professional designer is TIME. Your time (as well as ours) are WORTH something. I have many brides that actually choose our Premier Package, which actually has us design, print, produce AND send the invites out. Why? Because time is of essence, and not everyone has it! Wedding planning in general is usually a full time job on top of whatever other job you have. So if you find a fabulous vendor (insert me here), why not let them do what they’re good at, and let you get back to the other stuff?
7. You have something special you are giving away that all brides can win through this post, what is it? 
We do!!! We are offering FREE Save the Date postcards to not one, not two, but THREE lucky couples! Here’s the rules:
1. Go “like” http://fb.com/scarlettandstephen
2. While you are on FB, go “like” https://www.facebook.com/JustLoveMePD#!/customizedperfection
3. Come back to the blog and leave a comment below with your wedding date and THREE words that describe your relationship. I love to see what people think of themselves! 
Winners will chosen at random and be announced this Friday afternoon, so check back to this blog post to see if you won!
Here’s some more awesome samples of Jessi’s work!
