First off, it's important to remember that the website is just the starting point for your order. A lot of brides feel overwhelmed because there are so many options and so many possibilities for customization, but placing your order really just becomes the starting point for you to work with our designers. Nothing is locked in stone yet - changes can still be made and you won't have to pay until everything is looking just right. That being said the first step for ordering any product on the website is finding that product's page. The easiest way is by using the navigation bar at the top of the website (if you're on a computer) or under the site menu button (if you're on a phone). From there you can go to save the dates, invitations, thank you cards, or extras (insert cards, envelope addressing, wrap-around bands, menus, etc.). Once you choose a product you will be brought to a page with a variety of templates for that product. Choose the template that you want to use as a starting point. The first option on any product page is the "Upload My Own Design" option. Use this option if (1) you have designed your own invitations / save the dates / etc., (2) if you want to order a template that you saw somewhere else (like at a bridal show or in the sample packet) but you can't find it on the website, or (3) if you want us to start from scratch or work from an image of something you saw somewhere else that you want us to use for inspiration (note that custom invitations like this will almost always have an additional design fee depending on how extensive your design needs are). Once you have selected an option then fill out all of the details that the website asks for (quantity, paper type, etc.) then give us any details that our designers will need when putting together your product (names, dates, etc.) and upload any pictures or other files that our designers might need as a reference. More information is always better, but don't worry about getting it all perfect, you can still make changes after placing your order. Most products will have a list of add ons that you can choose from, feel free to select any of them or you can move forward and add your product to the cart. Repeat this process for as many items as you are ordering. From the cart page you can make any changes to quantities, paper types, notes, attachments, etc. for each individual product. You can also enter coupon codes here on the cart page or on the checkout page. On the checkout page simply fill out the information that it asks for and then select a payment method. The recommended method, the default option, is "pay on approval" which means you don't pay until after you have approved your design. And that's it! Once you submit your order everything gets handed off to a designer and you will hear from them soon! (see the FAQ "how long does it take to get everything from the time I place my order?" for more information)
Here's a timeline of what happens after you place your order that should help answer that question:
1.
You place your order (most brides use the default option of "pay on approval" so you don't have to pay until you have approved the design)
2.
Our designers get an email with all of the information and attachments that you provided and you are placed in the design queue. It usually takes 2-3 business days for you to move your way up through the design queue and get an email from our designers with the completed design for your invitation / save the dates and any extra items
3.
If we captured your vision on the first try, great! If not then you have two free change emails that may include as many changes as you need so that your announcements will turn out just the way you want (additional changes may be charged a design fee by the hour, but we will always let you know ahead of time). Each round of changes can add up to one business day to your order
4.
Everything looks good? If you decide to see a printed proof (a physical copy of your design printed out on the paper of your choice) then this is when we would send that to you. Typically it takes 1-3 business days from the time it is requested to the time that it arrives. We always recommend getting a printed proof if your schedule allows for it. Those that are local to the Salt Lake area can (usually) pick up their printed proof in person in our shop the same day that it is requested
5.
Once you have approved your design and paid any balance on your order we get you on the print list. For most items and orders it takes 2-3 business days from the time you approve and pay your balance until everything is printed. Note that specialty orders like acrylics, pocket style invitations and other upgrades like foil / embossing / letterpressing will take a little longer, even as long as 7-10 business days in some cases
6.
After everything is printed it typically takes another 1-3 business days to ship to your location. You can always pick up your order from our shop if you are local to the Salt Lake City area (
see where we are located)
And that's it! As you can see above there is some variability, but for most orders you can expect between 5-10 business days (2-3 weeks) from the time you place the order to the moment you have everything in hand (we also have rush options available for those that are in a hurry,
contact us for details)
Answers will vary depending on where you look, but typically we recommend sending out your Save the Dates anywhere from 7-11 months in advance (9-13 for a destination wedding) and sending out your Wedding Invitations / Announcements anywhere from 6-12 weeks in advance (5-10 if you also sent out a Save the Date). Of course all of that depends on the circumstances of your wedding, your guest list, and most importantly: your personal preferences and what you feel comfortable with. The natural follow up question then is how soon should I place my order? We are good at what we do and we have a faster turnaround time than the industry average, but we still recommend placing your order about 3-4 weeks before you plan on sending out your Save the Dates or Invitations/Announcements (4-5 weeks for specialty orders like die-cuts, acrylics, foiling, letterpress, etc.). If you decide you want to see a printed proof (which we definitely recommend) then you may also want to add a few more days to allow for the time that it takes to have that mailed to you. Following these guidelines will leave us with plenty of time to make sure that everything is looking perfect and there are no mistakes. All of that being said, whatever you decide for your timeline, whether you're a planner or a procrastinator, we are happy to support you. Whenever you're ready, we'll be ready! (we have rush options available for those that are in a hurry).
Absolutely, after you have placed your order and seen the digital preview of your product you can request to have a printed proof mailed to you, you can even request multiple proofs on different paper types. The cost is $5 for your first printed proof and $3 for each additional proof on a different paper type plus the cost of shipping via priority mail through USPS (or you can pick up your printed proof
from our office if you are located in the Salt Lake City area).
We always recommend that you get a printed proof when possible so that you can see specifically how your invitations / save the dates / etc. translate from a computer screen to the printed page (see the FAQ entitled "Why do images sometimes look different when printed vs on a screen?" for more information).
Definitely! We can schedule a 60-90 minute design appointment (in person or over video call) where you get to sit with one of our designers and create your invitation suite together. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the website or if you would like to be more hands on with the design process then this option is perfect for you. Not only will this appointment help you to get your perfect design but it will also save you time, allowing you to bypass the design queue and move straight to the print list. Design appointments cost $80 with payment due at the time of the appointment.
Contact us if you are interested in scheduling an appointment!
We love custom orders! Our talented designers are creating beautiful custom work all of the time. To place a custom order select the product that you will be ordering and then choose the first template that you see, the one called "Upload My Own Design" (don't worry, you don't actually have to upload a design that you have made). Next be sure to upload any information that our designers will need to make your vision a reality (images, instructions, links, examples, sources of inspiration, etc.). Note that custom design work will almost always cost extra based on how extensive your design needs are. Our designers will always give you an estimate for design costs before starting.
Definitely, you just need to make sure to send it to us as a high resolution pdf with the correct dimensions for what you are doing (for example 5" x 7" for most invitations, 4.25" x 5.5" for Save the Date or Thank You Posctards, etc.). Sometimes we will have to reformat your design if it doesn't include a 1/8 inch bleed (you can learn about what a bleed is and how to create one
here). Don't worry, even if your design needs some reformatting to be print-ready we will help you do that and make sure everthing still looks just how you like it. If you have any questions about your design or what it takes to make a design that won't need any reformatting then don't hesitate to
contact us.
Guest addresses can be shared with us as a Google Sheet (make sure to change your permissions so that we can access it) or as an Excel Spreadsheet. You can share / email this file to
collette@shopbwa.com. Be sure to use the following format when setting up your file:
-
Please name the file as "(the bride's first and last name) Guest List"
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Column A: Guest first and last names exactly as you would like them to appear (we don't edit or proofread for proper capitalization, punctuation, etc.)
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Column B: Street Address
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Column C: City, State and Zip Code
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If you are sending anything out of the country please add Column D: Country
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Fonts, colors, and graphics: we will use fonts, colors, and graphics that match the theme of your invitations / save the dates / etc. but everything is customizable, just let us know what you are thinking
-
Please use only one tab / sheet for all of your guests, it is likely that any guests on other tabs will be overlooked.
You can see a sample Google Sheet of the correct format
here.
Note: You do not need to have this file ready at the time of ordering, you can get it to us later
The default (and recommended) option when checking out on our website is "Pay On Approval". This simply means that you don't need to pay for your order until you have seen and approved a proof of your design. We do that so that you can feel confident in knowing that your invitations / save the dates / etc. are going to look just how you want before you commit to paying for them. You will need to pay any remaining balance on your order prior to printing (whether you are picking up your order in the shop or having it mailed to you). In some instances, such as when you you receive your first digital preview and you would like to make changes, you will be asked to pay a $50 deposit towards your final balance before we can proceed.
Once you have given your approval to print you will be emailed a link that you can use to pay the balance on your order. You can also pay your balance over the phone by calling us at (801) 254-2778 or, if there have been no changes made to your invoice since you placed your order, you can pay any balance on your order by logging in to your account on the website and going to the "orders" tab (do not use this option if your order has had any changes in quantities, papers, products, or upgrades)
The best way to request changes to your design is to respond to the same email where we sent you the digital preview and as clearly as possible describe what you would like to change. You are allowed two free change emails for your design that may include as many changes as you need so that your announcements will turn out just the way you want. If your design needs are extensive or you require more changes then we may charge an additional design fee for your order. These design fees are charged by the hour and we will always let you know ahead of time our best estimate of how much it will cost.
If you received a special offer at a bridal show or you were one of our prize winners then you should have received an email with the coupon codes that you would need to use. If you can't find that email or if you never received it then just
contact us and we can help you. You are also welcome to place your order without your coupon codes (be sure to select "pay on approval" at checkout) and leave us a note describing what the special offer or prize should have been and we can update your invoice as necessary.
Sometimes we will rotate out the designs that we have on our website or sometimes newer designs aren't uploaded yet. If you want to use a template or style that you can't find on the website then the best thing to do is choose the first template option for that product, the one that says "Upload My Own Design", and then in the instructions for the designer you can do your best to describe the template that you saw that you are wanting (even better if you have a picture that you can upload, but that's not necessary). From their just place your order as you would normally. (see the FAQ "How do I use your website?" for more information)
Yes. When placing your order choose the listed quantity closest to the your specific number and then somewhere in the notes for your order be sure to tell us what your actual needed number is ("I actually only need 60 of the Save the Date Postcards", etc.). Later, after you place your order (be sure to select "pay on approval" at checkout), we will email you with an updated invoice that reflects the prices for the exact quantities that you need (you can get a good estimate of the price for your specific quantity by comparing it to the listed numbers above and below)
You are always going to get the best price by ordering all of your invitations at once and for that reason we always recommend to overestimate when in doubt. That being said, if it turns out that you didn't order enough invitations / save the dates / etc. the first time and you need to come back and order more we are always happy to help you. You don't need to place a new order. The fastest way to handle things is to
contact us and let us know how many you need. We will get back to you with a price and move forward from there.
No, we do not offer free shipping. Shipping via UPS is usually $25-$35 depending on weight, size and location. We will often use the US Post Office for less, but we are limited by the box sizes available for priority flat rate shipping. You also have the option to pick up everything from our office, even if we have done everything online up to that point (
see where we are located).
Standard Papers that are included in all prices:
-
80lb White or Cream Matte
Specialty papers that we offer for an additional fee:
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Translucent Vellum Overlay
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80lb White or Cream Linen
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80lb White or Cream Felt
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130lb Extra Thick White Cardstock
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various Colored Cardstocks (included in the price for pockets, additional fee for all other products)
-
various weight Lettra paper (ideal for letter-press)
...other paper options are available as well,
contact us for more information
There are several factors that can contribute to your pictures looking different on a screen compared to on printed paper...
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The first and most important aspect regardless of anything else is the quality of the picture, and usually that comes down to image resolution and lighting. If we are provided with a high resolution picture with good lighting then there is no question, the final product is going to look nice. It still might not match the colors you see when you view the same picture on a screen (see the next two bullet points), but it's going to look clean and crisp. Keep in mind that a low resolution picture can look nice on a computer screen but not be a nearly high enough resolution to look nice on paper. To really understand the concept read up on dpi and resolution online - there's a little bit of math involved but it's not too tricky.
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Since a screen is itself a light source and paper is not, images almost always look much brighter with more vivid colors on screen than they do when they're printed. Screens are not calibrated by default to provide a good representation of what a printer will produce. The big issues are screen brightness and saturation. If you want what you see on your screen to better approximate what you will see on paper you can try searching online for tips to calibrate your specific device or monitor.
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Screens and printers use fundamentally different technology to create color. Screens will create colors using RGB (Red Green Blue) light combinations, which works great for light emitted from an otherwise dark screen, but does not translate well to printing. Printers will create colors using CMYK (Cyan Magenta Yellow Black) ink / dye combinations, the appearance of which will rely more heavily on the ambient light in the location in which it is being viewed. If you are a designer and you have created your design in an RGB color space you will want to convert it to CMYK in order to better preseve the integrity of the printed image when compared to the screen. If this went over your head don't feel bad, it's a pretty heavy topic. If you want to do more research a good starting point is searching topics like "why are printers cmyk and not rgb".
TLDR - we use high end digital printing presses that will always produce high quality prints when provided with high quality images, but the colors of the printed image will not always match the colors of the image when viewed on the screen. This is one of the reasons why we always recommend that you order a printed proof prior to approving your product for printing (see the FAQ entitled "Can I see one sample of my product before you print them all?" for more information)
We have been doing design and print work since 1979, but have been focusing on and specializing in wedding invitations/announcements since 2001. You can read more about us and our story
here.
We are located in Riverton, Utah which is the Southwest corner of the Salt Lake Valley. We are just 12 minutes north of Thanksgiving Point (for those familiar with the area) and 15 minutes South of Salt Lake City. Our address is 2120 West 12600 South, #C. The best way to find us is to come from I-15 and take the Draper/Riverton 12300 South Exit and go West until you reach 2120 West which is on the North side of the road behind State Farm Insurance (
see our location on a map)