Interview :: Tracy Osborn of WeddingInviteLove

Hey there! We are so excited to talk to you about a new site called WeddingInviteLove. It’s a new site that will  make searching for your perfect invitation designer, calligrapher, illustrator or printer that much easier and visually fun! We’re thrilled for the opportunity to get behind the scene and virtually interview Tracy Osborn, the founder of this amazing website.

What is WeddingInviteLove?

WeddingInviteLove is a curated directory of wedding invitation vendors, including designers, printers, calligraphers, and illustrators, and is a part of the WeddingLovely network of wedding vendor directories (which also includes WeddingPlannerLove, WeddingPhotoLove, and soon, WeddingVenueLove!). WeddingInviteLove was the first thing I’ve ever built and now lists almost 400 invitation vendors worldwide.

What made you decide to create this awesome resource guide?

Google would drive me insane whenever I was searching for a local designer — the results are filled with the giant invitation companies with terrible quality and large marketing budgets. Etsy exists, but their search functionality is also really difficult! There are so many amazing small-business vendors who were getting shut out, and I wanted to promote them and make them 1000x easier to find!

Swiss Cottage Designs

You have quite an impressive collection of invitation designers on the site. How long did it take you to compile them?

WeddingInviteLove launched last January, so it’s been almost a year, and growth has been pretty steady almost the entire time. Luckily, most of our signups come naturally, though we sometimes find an amazing vendor and I can’t resist sending them an email asking them to join! It’s really important to me not to have a pushy sales process, nor would I ever sign up vendors without their consent or charge them to be listed (unlike some other directories out there).

Ruby & Willow

Can anyone get listed on your website as a designer? Or is there a selection process?

Our application is open to anyone who designs invitations, but we only approve accounts who have a good quality profile, checking their description and their portfolio images. Probably about 1 in 10 are not approved, since it’s important to us to have great vendors, not just every wedding vendor under the sun.

Bella Figura

What cool features does this site have that other similar sites don’t?

WeddingInviteLove is dedicated to invitation vendors, so we’ve tried to tailor the experience to people searching for invitations. You can search for vendors who work remotely, vendors who offer letterpress printing, vendors who do custom illustration (you should see some of the amazing work that they do!), and other invitation-specialized criteria. We want to make the site the best place for the invitation information gathering and buying experience!

Studio SloMo

When a bride goes to this site, where should she start?

If a bride just started the process of looking for her invitations, then we’d recommend some of the amazing articles written by our vendors, right on the WeddingInviteLove homepage. If a bride wants to start searching for vendors to contact, she can choose her location or online for remote vendors, as well as choose a budget range — so a budget-conscious bride can avoid being tempted by the couture vendors! And for the bride who’s just looking for inspiration, the site is set up so it’s easy to go through the profiles and browse all the beautiful invitation design.

Spinsugar Stationery

What things should a couple consider when looking for their perfect invitation?

Price is usually number one — invitations can go up as high as $15 per set (which would be an invitation, RSVP, envelope), so for a wedding with 150 guests, a couple could pay over $2000 for invitations alone. But there are many ways to reduce cost while still having an amazing product, such as working with a remote vendor or choosing offset printing rather than letterpress. Before making any sorts of decisions, a couple should decide what style they’re looking for, their budget, and then take that information to find a custom invitation designer who can create an amazing product that won’t break the bank and totally personalized for their wedding.

What’s the WeddingInviteLove lookbook and what’s so cool about it?

Pretty much everything is going online — who uses the Yellow Pages anymore? But while I love providing an online resource, there is just something about having a physical product that you can turn the pages, look closely, and hold in your hands for when you’re browsing for inspiration (another reason why wedding magazines are so popular!) The lookbook is essentially WeddingInviteLove in magazine form — I wanted to bring the online experience of WeddingInviteLove offline for people to browse, as well as including the amazing articles from our vendors (truly, the vendors are the experts here!) Even if you’re not getting married, it’s a pleasure to flip through the pages and browse through all the amazing designs.

How can I get one?

We sell the WeddingInviteLove lookbook online for $22, and it’s super simple to order and buy right from Magcloud. It’s also available for online viewing on Issuu, AND we also have five lookbooks to giveaway to the Utterly Engaged readers!

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Enter for a chance to win 1 of 5 copies of the WeddingInviteLove lookbook! Here’s how:

1. Leave a comment below for 1 entry

2. “Like” the Wedding Lovely Facebook for 1 additional entry, and leave a comment below afterward.

3. “Like” Utterly Engaged Facebook for 1 additional entry, and leave a comment below afterward.

Winners will be randomly picked this Friday, December 16! Good luck!

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