Disclosure: This post was created in partnership with Minted, who provided credit for me to purchase these items. (Though, I already had ordered samples and knew I was going to order from them anyway!) The links below are affiliate links.ย I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through one of these links. Thank you for your support of my work here.
After a slow start, wedding planning is now in full swing! It started to get exciting a few weeks ago when we received our save the dates from Minted. Something about seeing the date on paper, and putting them in the mail screamed: “IT'S ON!”
I've been a fan of Minted for a long time, constantly perusing their site for art, holiday cards, and stationery from some very talented independent artists and designers. Minted Weddings has all the paper products you could think of for the big day: save the dates, invitations, envelopes, custom stamps, menus, place cards – the works. There are so many gorgeous designs to choose from, and I had my eye on several of theย save the date designs. From simple to extremely ornate and colorful – there are options to suit nearly every style. I narrowed down my search by looking for designs with foil (you know I love sparkle), no custom photo upload, and something that would suit the color palette of what we envisioned. The photo cards were gorgeous, but we had already used our engagement photos on holiday cards, and the save the dates were going to the same set of people.
After narrowing the options on the site down, I ordered a lot of samples! This is one of my favorite things about this ordering process: I was able to order samples of whatever I had my eye on. They arrived promptly, along with a beautiful envelope containing their fonts, color options, and paper options. I'm a tactile person, so being able to feel each type of paper really helped. It also ended up saving me money: Without having felt the papers, I automatically assumed I would need to order their doublethick paper to get the luxe feel I desired. Turns out, while their doublethick paper is AMAZING, their signature paper was perfect for what I needed. (It's 120 lb, 17 point thickness for all you paper lovers.)
When I say “a lot” of samples? Take a look at my samples haul!
It was quickly evident that the photos on the Minted site were very good representations of the actual product. Armed with a load of sample save the dates and invites, Steve and I quickly agreed on both!
When it came time to customize, there is an on-screen preview. They also have a designer review your submission and you can tweak as much as needed until it's perfect! We had a couple of things we wanted to change: Add the venue name, add “Friday” so no one was confused at the date, and also add our wedding website. The designer sent a perfect proof on the first try.
We opted to go with the free recipient addressing, and uploading the names and addresses into their system was really easy.
Gilded Frame Save the Date by Stacey Meacham c/o Minted
We were thrilled with how they turned out! The signature paper feels great, and the gold foil is just enough shimmer. Our venue is traditional and ornate, and we wanted to set the tone with the classic feel of these save the dates.
Having a wedding website was important to us as well, so we can communicate things like hotel reservation information, directions, and other information for guests. Steve and I both agreed on the same invitation from the samples I had ordered, and Minted had a matching wedding website design. While I'm pretty website savvy and could have built something, this out-of-the-box option from Minted took less than 20 minutes to set up. Plus, I can upload all the guest information on the back end and they can RSVP online instead of mailing it back to us. It's convenient for guests, and also convenient for me so I can keep all RSVPs in one place. The best part is that they have free wedding websites, so it doesn't cost you anything to create one. We upgraded to a custom URL and photos, but the price was very reasonable.
Some of the save the dates have already gone out, and we've gotten comments on how nice they are. Next up are the invitations, which I'll share with you as the date draws closer!
Also, check out Minted's new FREE monogram maker.
The 4th of July Event: 15% Off Wedding and Baby + Kids Orders with code FIREWORKS18 at Minted
25% Off Save the Dates with Code FIREWORKS18 at Minted Ends 7/5/18. Not ready to order yet? I'll keep this post updated with the latest offers!