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vendor reviews: invitations |
Reviewing Kerri Jesko, Owner, RSVP
RSVP's Kerri Jesko says that if you're tired of traditional, out-of-date, cookie-cutter invitations, her London-based custom invitation design company is perfect for you. Gearing her company to serve brides who want to be unique with their stationery, Kerri uses her brides' creativity
alongside her own talents and education in the graphic arts to help couples design their own wedding stationery. And her services don't stop there. Kerri helps you design reply cards, envelopes, maps, directions, menus, programs, place cards and much more. Basically, if you can put it in print, she can help you put your personality stamp on it.
Using colour, layers, embellishments, design and text styles, Kerri had a lot to show us when staff at The Ring sat down with her in her cozy home office. It was easy to see why vendors and brides would so highly recommend RSVP for wedding stationery that makes an impression - and here's why...
From the beginning After graduating from Fanshawe College, Kerri worked as a Graphic Designer for a local print company, putting her skills into practice. When she gave birth to her son two years ago, she elected not to return to work. Instead, she focused her time and attention on raising her son and growing her new business. Originally, Kerri started out making invitations as a wedding gift to her friends and family members who were getting married. Word-of-mouth quickly did its job and soon Kerri had a rapidly growing business creating unique and customized invitations as well as other stationery. Over the past couple of years she has done wedding invitations for twenty clients, not to mention countless friends and family members.
Personally speaking... Kerri says she's "creative and eager to help women create beautiful invitations for great prices." In fact, Kerry guarantees that the invitation part of your wedding will be stress-free because she will personally take care of all the work.
Kerri doesn't believe in limiting your ideas, or your options, "I love working with brides who are interested in trying something new," she told us. "They're looking to make a statement with their invitations. They don't just want the same invitations every couple can find a mail order book. RSVP invites are very elegant, without being boring or traditional."
Styles&packages An invitation at RSVP begins with two basic invitation style options to choose from; pocket fold or flat panel (which is also available with fold). From there, everything else comes into play - colours, style, personality, design, embellishments, and of course, which package to choose.
Kerri says, "One thing that brides seem to love most about RSVP is the all-in-one approach to packages." Their prices include envelopes, invitations, maps, directions and any other inserts you'd like. And just to save you even more time during your wedding planning, Kerri will address your invitations for you - all that you have to do is put stamps on and mail them!
Pamela, who was married on August 30 2008, says she would absolutely recommend RSVP to another bride planning her wedding. "RSVP had so many options of styles, colours and formats for the invitations. We spent hours looking at the various invitation types, picking out colours of paper, and talking about our vision for the invitation... Our invitation was original, personalized, and inspired the kind of feeling we wanted for our day." She and her husband-to-be had only six months to plan their wedding and chose a three-fold invite with lots of personalization. "It had a pocket for the RSVP, directions, accommodation and schedule cards. It was sophisticated, quirky... totally us!"
In addition to invitations, Kerri also creates place cards, save the date cards, shower invitations, programs, menus, and thank you cards (which also include addressing) so all of your wedding stationery will match, and you only have to stop at one shop.
Because all couples are different - some being more hands-on and crafty than
others - Kerri can do as much or as
little as you'd like. "I've created the invitations and then
the bride and her maids have taken care of adding the embellishments and
ribbon, assembling the invitations, stamping and mailing them. I've had other
brides who only wanted to assemble them. We can jump in with two feet or
just lend a hand and some professional design. It's completely up to the
bride."
Pamela told staff at The Ring, "RSVP did everything for us... We had multiple proofs for wording of the internal parts of the invitation, a physical proof of the layout, as well as lots of dialogue back and forth about things. I don't think we could have gotten that kind of attention from anyone else."
Adding to the niche of service and creativity that RSVP has established for itself in London and surrounding areas, Kerri offers invitations in other languages. So far she says she's done them in Polish, Italian, Greek and (obviously) English. She has a computer program that allows her to create invitations in most languages. But you will need to proof the invitation to ensure accuracy.
Another specialty of Kerri's is utilizing raised or embossed writing for couples who want a bit of a fancier look. And if you want to save paper, invitations can be printed on two sides with accommodations on one side and directions on the other. She is always adding new colours to her offerings, and embellishments are limited only by your imagination – you can add ribbon, cut outs, or sparkles, and more.
And since most couples stress about accuracy and the proofreading process, Kerri and her husband Martin both lend their eyes to the invites, checking over every detail to help you make sure that you get fabulous invitations and stationery for your day.
Walking you through... Once you have the essential details of your wedding set, and you have some ideas for invitations, check out the samples Kerri offers on her website, or email or call to book an appointment at her home office to browse the samples in person.
When you meet with Kerri she will want to discuss your needs, styles, theme, and budget, which is very important to her. "I can help most brides create invitations that are perfect for their day and for their budget. I'll never let a bride fall in love with an invitation that is out of her budget range." Kerri can meet you at your home if you prefer, but since all of her samples are in her home office, it's easier to meet there.
Once you have checked out her samples in person and zeroed in on something you love, Kerri will help you come up with a unique design. All designs are completely customizable so if you see four different invitations that you like you can select elements from each to create your perfect invitation. Or you can come in with a photo of an invitation or design idea and build from there.
Then you can add embellishments, choose any colour of ink and font, which she has over 1000 styles of and will purchase special request fonts if you find something you just have to have, for a small fee. You can choose basically everything from your paper colour to its thickness and sheen.
During this meeting, Kerri will also discuss all of your other possible stationery needs - like reply cards, envelopes, maps, directions, etc. Depending on what you're looking for, she may be able to create your custom quote during this first meeting. However, if you have special orders, she will email you the accurate quote as soon as possible.
Once you've decided on what you're looking for, Kerri will create a sample invitation based on the design that you discussed. The cost for your sample is $20, which will be credited toward your total order amount. She can create more than one sample if you are looking for selection, but each sample will cost you $20, and you will only be credited for one. If you're happy with the sample, you sign off on the proof, and it's set in paper (no changes will be made after this point).
A deposit of 75% gets the actual printing started. Changes to the materials can be made up until this point. Once the materials have been ordered, you are committed. If you really want to make material changes, you can, but you would have to cover the cost of the unused product. The balance isn't due until your order is delivered or picked up, whichever the case may be.
Ordering&pricing Because custom invitations can be time intensive, Kerri recommends booking at least six months prior to your wedding. It takes time to design, approve, order materials, print, assemble, address, and deliver - not to mention that you want to mail the invitations about two months before your wedding day to ensure that you get your replies in good time. She can take some last minute bookings, but flexibility is required as some items take a long time to come in... though she has done invites and stationery for a wedding in three weeks.
Kerri also recommends ordering 5% to 10% more invitations and stationery than you expect to need because you will want a copy for yourself, and you might have last minute additions to your guest list. Kerri only orders what you need so if you need more, you'll have to wait for a new batch. The minimum order for a second printing of invitations is 20 copies, plus rush shipping costs, if any.
The price for custom invitations ranges from $4 to $13. The average bride spends about $7 to $8 per invitation set, plus PST and GST. When you book the full package (invites and envelopes, reply cards, maps, directions, accommodations, menus, programs, place cards and thank you cards) you save an additional 10% on your order.
To peruse the samples and discuss your unique designs visit Kerri Jesko at her home office at 1601 Micklebourough Court in London. Or check out her portfolio online at www.kerrijesko.com. Call or email for an appointment at 519-494-9252 or invitations@kerrijesko.com.
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The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca |
