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vendor reviews: custom invitations
Story: Wedding Worthy Spaces Banquet Rooms, Reception Halls & Wedding Locales
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Interviewing Veronica Mackereth Davies and Erin Taraborrelli of Cinnamon Saturday
Cinnamon
Saturday is definitely one of The Ring's favourite new finds of 2008. This
locally operated, web-based stationery store offers a line of
Friends and business partners In 2006, Veronica and Erin, who are close friends, planned their weddings together and were married within a month of each other. It took time to reach that point because their husbands, who are also friends, were both slow to propose. By the time the men were on bended knee, Veronica and Erin were planning their weddings with wedding dates three weeks apart and at opposite ends of the country (with Veronica in Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, and Erin in Guelph, Ontario.)
Having so much fun planning their own weddings, the women brainstormed and came up with the idea to revolutionize the invitation industry with gorgeous, environmentally friendly, customized wedding invites, cards and envelopes. As a freelance graphic artist for more than four years, Veronica had strong design talent and Erin had ambitions to be an entrepreneur. It was a natural partnership to create Cinnamon Saturday.
Business smarts and design expertise Their decision to create a new line of wedding invitations did not happen by accident. As a graphic designer and illustrator who studied in Vancouver, Veronica had several years of experience, four of those years as a freelancer. Being a skilled artist, Veronica was able to create custom invitations for her own wedding, knowing that she wouldn't be satisfied unless she got exactly the design she wanted.
Erin had ordered her wedding invitations from one of the many available, 'generic' books. When she couldn't find the look she was hoping for, she settled for what was available. When the order arrived, she embellished and personalized the invites to suit her needs.
Erin loved planning her wedding and enjoyed the experience helping friends and family with their wedding events so she knew she was on the right path with the creation of Cinnamon Saturday. Once the idea of designing a new line of stationery was born, Erin was able to put her skills at embellishing and proof reading to full use. Very craft oriented and hands-on, Erin is a perfectionist who can support Veronica with design advice. Since their start-up, Cinnamon Saturday has evolved to offer custom invitations and other stationery for weddings, showers, birthdays, anniversaries, and important milestone occasions.
Cinnamon adds style options to the internet Whether you want a bright and fun look or more of an elegant, traditional design to your stationery, you've got more than your fair share of options at Cinnamon Saturday. Veronica and Erin offer a long list of invitation styles, colours and designs to choose from, all of which can be customized to suit the personality of the wedding as well as the bride and groom. They can layer papers and accessories such as bows, ribbons and buttons or vellum to bring the pieces together in a finished product that is absolutely gorgeous.
Though the company is run locally and in person in the K-W and Toronto areas, Cinnamon Saturday has also found that the internet (www.cinnamonsaturday.com) is a great way to reach their clients. Their website allows them to reach the Canadian wedding market and beyond, with clients from across Canada and the US - they even recently designed birthday invitations for a client in England! Their website isn't just for show - Veronica and Erin have designed their website to be an online gallery and stationery shop of dozens of stationery ideas that allow brides and grooms to select, customize and even sample the wording of their invitations. Invitations are shown inside and out, in colour and in detail.
For Maria and Steven Quileza, Cinnamon Saturday's ability to work with them over the internet was a big selling point in the time leading up to their August 2008 wedding. Maria told staff at The Ring, "Since we lead such busy lives - who doesn't?! - we will take advantage of any service that is open 24-7. I could email Veronica if I had a question or request at 2:30am and trust that she would reply by the next morning!"
Design that sets itself apart Cinnamon Saturday's stationery is designed using a combination of obvious graphic design talent that uses illustration and colour to stand apart from other companies. Some of their pre-designed lines include Cherry Blossoms which is a dreamy pink and white design of a cherry tree in bloom; dramatic black and white Damask; earthy Bamboo featuring green and khaki tones; Pink Stripes which has a cosmopolitan, retro feel; fresh sea blue colours of Aqua Floral; traditional and elegant Fancy Monograms; and Falling Leaves, which is a seasonal offering ideal for an autumn wedding.
Veronica and Erin layer different papers and use accessories such as ribbon, buttons or vellum overlays in combination with the initial designs to pull everything together. In Maria and Steven's case, ribbon, gemstones and coloured envelopes were chosen to match perfectly with their colour scheme. "She understood very clearly what my vision was... My invitations are very Art Deco - chic, modern and unique! The paper is very high quality and they look like I spent 3 times more than I did... Very luxurious!"
Custom is key Aside from offering incredible design options for brides, Veronica and Erin started Cinnamon Saturday with flexibility and customization being their key values. "Couples can choose from an existing design they've found online and then make changes to customize it to their own wedding style," they told staff at The Ring, explaining that this may mean revising the font, text or pattern – or even changing the colour and paper. "You can also collaborate with me to create an entirely new design that will be completely unique to you and your event," says Veronica.
Cinnamon Saturday gives brides another reason to love them by allowing them to change the font, wording, colour or pattern on existing design lines for no additional charge. The stationery store can also print on both sides of the invitation, with the back featuring a monogram or pattern.
"We want to help couples make their invitations as unique to their style and personality as their wedding day is rather than having to simply order from a book." Amanda Afonso and Carlos Raposo felt their invitations by Cinnamon Saturday definitely showed their personalities, saying it was everything they'd hoped it would be. "Veronica was very friendly... She was also helpful in taking our ideas and putting them together," explained Amanda who described her Save the Date cards and wedding invitations as unique, different and fun.
Veronica and Erin also offer help with personalizing wording. They agree that the message should reflect you personally as a couple, and they've been known to suggest using poetry or song verses or even scripture to achieve this. If you don't know where to start, Cinnamon Saturday provides samples ranging from traditional to contemporary – from there, you make it your own.
Drawing it out, taking shape
Taking style a step further, invitations can be designed in custom shapes such as in the form of a plane ticket for a destination wedding.
Being eco-chic in print Many modern brides are looking for new ways to offset their carbon footprint and 'go green' for their wedding. Tying into this trend, and of course to the cause, Cinnamon Saturday says they use recycled paper for the majority of their stationery. "We are dedicated to hiring suppliers for Cinnamon Saturday that use alternate power sources such as wind and bio-gas energy," they explained, "We also work with companies which adhere to environmental regulations and who aim to become carbon neutral and reduce their ecological footprints."
Taking eco-chic another step forward, Cinnamon Saturday says they use one of the newest, most efficient printing processes available to ensure high quality printing. Using liquid ink, the digital press also delivers printing that is quick and affordable. "This digital process is far better for the environment because it doesn't use plates and chemicals to make the film."
Cinnamon Saturday's designs are available printed on 100% post-consumer recycled card stock and matched with 100% post-consumer recycled envelopes in a range of styles and colours. Post-consumer paper has already been recycled and when it reaches its end use, it's recycled once again. This special paper is FSC certified (Forest Stewardship Council) and created using bio-gas energy.
Other eco-options for clients include choosing postcard style reply cards which saves the use of RSVP envelopes. If you choose this method, Cinnamon Saturdays offers a discount.
Veronica and Erin are working towards delivering their items exclusively by way of Carbon Neutral Shipping which is serviced by companies that offset the CO2 emissions caused by the transportation with carbon dioxide reduction projects. Cinnamon Saturday style is young, fun, modern, and eco-friendly. Times have changed... This is definitely not your mother's wedding invitation!
What to expect To decide on your design, you'll want to discuss your needs either in person, by email or by phone. You'll talk colours, theme, pattern, papers and accessories. After the consultation, Veronica will send you a mock-up of the designs discussed. From this point you can tweak the design until it's at the stage where you are fully satisfied. Sarah Pate and Greg Kerr, who will be married September 6 2008, liked that they "were able to completely customize our stationery after first receiving three design prototypes for our entire invite package."
Proofs are then emailed to you for your approval, though meetings are available if you are in the Kitchener-Waterloo or Toronto areas. The length of time the design process takes will depend on your selection. If you have a strong idea of what you are looking for, you may get a proof within a week (depending on design, approval and changes). Once you have approved the proof for print and provided payment, your order will be shipped. This process usually takes an average of three weeks, depending on proofing time. There is no minimum to order, but the cost is reduced per invitation for larger orders. Invoices are payable online with MasterCard, Visa or PayPal. Please inquire if you would like to use another form of payment.
Invitation pricing The starting price per set supplied by Cinnamon Saturday is $4.75 which includes the invitation, envelope, reply card and reply card envelope (return address included on the reply post card or reply card envelope.)
If you are custom designing something specific for your stationery, a design fee will apply. "We have a lot of ideas and we're happy to work with the bride and groom to make their stationery as customized and personal to them as they'd like."
A $125 deposit is required for a custom proof, and then it is applied to the order's total. A complete custom design starts at $75, depending on what you are looking for, and as for extras, if you want to include a map with your wedding invitation, it's a $25 drawing fee and an additional $1 per invitation set.
Maria and Steven believe they got a lot more than they bargained for. "Veronica's prices are more than competitive with many of the invitations we had seen. We have an internet business and it is so important to make a 'human' connection to set yourself apart from all the other e-businesses out there. Veronica certainly succeeded at that for us. The invitations fell within budget but I would say that her service level and her finished product are worth more than what she charges!"
Bachelorettes, babies and beyond Cinnamon Saturday also provides additional stationery services you might consider purchasing for a special occasion. Bachelorette party invitations are gaining in popularity quickly, say Veronica and Erin. Thank you cards are often requested, designed to match the wedding invitation with the option to add a wedding photo. Down the road, Veronica and Erin would be happy to help you with your baby announcements or shower invitations. They consider it their job to create appealing stationery for any occasion in your life.
In other words... "Veronica, working with you has been a dream. Cinnamon Saturday offers a variety of eco-friendly, stylish invitations to choose from, they are the most reasonably priced for the quality that I have found, and you provided much needed guidance in selecting appropriate text. You responded immediately to any of my inquiries and offered advice that even allowed me to save a bit of money. I will recommend Cinnamon Saturday wholeheartedly to my colleagues and friends." - Alexia
"I have gotten a lot of great feedback on [the invitations]. Everyone loves them! I was very happy to see them and get them - they look better than the proofs! And the red turned out gorgeous. I can't thank you enough - we are very pleased with them. Thank you so much for getting them to us so quickly! I will definitely be in touch for the thank you cards! I was very impressed with the service you provided..." - Kathy
detailsdetailsdetails • Veronica & Erin recommend hiring them to do your wedding stationery at least 4 to 6 weeks before you plan on mailing out your Save the Dates or invitations • There is a 3 week period in between the finalization of the design and when you will receive your invitations • A non-refundable $125 deposit is required at booking, and will then be applied to your total order • Your balance is due, payable by MasterCard, Visa or PayPal before your order is shipped out to you - after you have fully proofed the design. • Additional design fees may apply. • Go online to view the many great samples!
Contacting them for your stationery needs...
- The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca * Prices are all approximate and are subject to change and verification by authorized staff and management of Cinnamon Saturday. |
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Run by
As
an illustrator, Veronica takes pride in her ability to create invitations that
are based on the likeness of you and your groom (for an additional charge). This
is by far one of the coolest options that any bride can have fun with,
especially if she's planning a diva-esque bachelorette party or shower. Veronica
says she once did an illustration for an invitation depicting a couple getting
married with the site of their wedding - a golf course - as their background.
She also has fun illustrations that you can choose from with details of shoes,
dress, hair or heads to mix and match. 
