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#1 Proofreading Tip {Ideas & Information}

Danielle — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 06:08:28 +0000

We've talked about proofreading before on the blog but there's one thing we've left out. I read a tip a few years ago, and was so surprised I hadn't known about it before. When proofing, to read the words backwards. It seems if you are reading a word right to left your brain will catch things, where when you read left to right it is easier to miss something. This totally works! You might have received fun emails over the years, where you read a paragraph which is missing many letters, but you can still read it because your brain just sees the word. I think this follows along those lines...when reading it backwards your brain is confused, and it can't substitute or add letters. I always proof backwards now and it's saved me more times then I want to admit. Do you have any great proofreading tips you've found? We'd love to hear them!

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Most Common Misspelled Words on Invitations {Stationery Tips and Tricks}

Danielle — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:01:00 +0000

There are a few words and phrases that a majority of brides use in their invitations; whether it be on the actual invitation itself or on the cards inside the invitation. And some of those words are almost always misspelled without the bride even knowing it sometime. You see, our friend spell check sometimes gets it wrong. And our friends over at Custom Paperworks have pointed out a few key words that you might want to double check the next time you type up an invite.

Here's what they've found:

Accommodations - two c's and two m's
website - no capital W
email - no capital E and no hyphen
traveler (or traveller in the U.K.)
regrettably, regretfully - one had two t's
two thousand eleven - now this was a big one for me... there is no AND when typing out the date
honour vs. honor - both are correct but, as Custom Paperworks points out, be consistent with other O and OU words
presence - you don't want people thinking that you want their presents only, that's rude.
St., Ave., Blvd. - Spell out each word... it's prettier.
Double spaces between sentences do not exist in the graphic design world. Ever.
dessert is what you serve, desert is where you go for sand
hors d'oeuvres/hors d'oeuvre - the correct way to spell them
Now this has nothing to do with your invitations and wasn't included on Custom Paperworks' list but it's a big one we see commonly misspelled... stationery is spelled with an E. Not an A. Whew... it felt great to get that off my chest.

Want more great tips? Check out what else the great folk over at Custom Paperworks have to say on their blog! They have plenty more stationery tips for you to check out.

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The Importance of Proofreading {Ideas & Information}

Danielle — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:02:00 +0000

So you've created the perfect custom invitation and are ready to tell us to send it to the press. Before signing off on your custom invitation we highly suggest going over your final proof with a fine tooth comb. Proofreading your invitation could mean the difference between having your friends and family show up at your wedding location and having them show up two counties over.

While proofreading is a seemingly simple task, it can prove to be a challenge not because you don't know the information, etiquette, etc. but because you have had your head immersed in the design and proofs of the invitation (and the wedding!) from the beginning. Plus, your invitation designer might not personally know the names of those involved and the locations of your events meaning that they can't know if an address or name is incorrect.

Below are a few great tips and tricks to proofreading your invitation before giving the go-ahead to start production:

Read through your invitation slowly

go to a quiet place away from friends and family
make sure there are no distractions around - turn off the tv, cell phone, radio
once you've read the invitation top to bottom, reverse yourself and go from the bottom to top
put the invitation away and take a break, come back to the invitation a few hours later

Enlist the help of others

have your fiance read through the invitation
have your mother or mother-in-law read through the invitation
have your boss read through the invitation
have your next door neighbor read through the invitation
make sure those who are directly and indirectly involved in the wedding help
do not stand over the person proofing your invitation

Read through your changes

check to make sure you aren't making the same mistake twice
see if what you are changing reads correctly, type it out and re-read it to make sure
if needed, re-type out the invitation sentence by sentence to double check what you've requested

Go through the checklist

Spelling of ALL names - including yours
Check all dates - Wedding date & year, RSVP date
Spelling of ALL locations and venues
Verify all addresses and check driving directions
Check spacing between words and sentences
Verify monograms, stamps, etc
Check shape and size including font shape and size
Check general colors to make sure that your computer monitor isn't changing anything

Request a final proof in a sample

To really verify that the look and feel of your invitation is correct ask for a sample mock up of the invitation
Re-review each of these steps once you receive this proof

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