Love at The Ranch: Thank You Cards

There were two things we really wanted to include in our wedding that didn't happen: 1) our dogs and 2) our calligraphied "thank you" signs. The reasons we didn't include our precious pups as ring bearers? Debated here.

Our "thank you" signage, penned by Pretty Pen Jen, never made it out of the cabin where all of the ladies got ready on the morning of the wedding. There was too much going on and they simply got left behind. Halfway through the night, our photographer, Tec, asked if I wanted someone to go grab them but I declined his offer saying, "We'll shoot them when we get home." And that's just how our thank you cards came to be.

This makes me giggle.

I knew I wanted a thank you card with a full-bleed image on the front (as you see above). The website I found that had this option was Cardstore.com. Once I'd made the card above, though, I started playing with another format (see below) and ended up splitting our order between the two cards. I just couldn't choose between the two!

We bought 50 7 x 5 cards (25 of each) at just under $2.00 per card. The total (with $10 of shipping) came to $85.

I was excited to have two different cards for a couple of reasons. I felt like card number one would go to our more silly guests who we knew would laugh when they saw it. The other reason was that certain households were receiving multiple thank you cards (i.e. one for my parents and one for my brother), so it was nice to switch it up. I also knew certain friends would be at each other's houses and, should the card be out somewhere, it might be fun to see a variation of it.

I'd never ordered or heard of Cardstore.com but I was really impressed by the quality. The cards were thick and the images printed flawlessly. Bonus: Cardstore uses 130-pound heavy white card stock that also happens to be recycled from 100% post-consumer waste. The paper is produced by 100% wind power and the printing process is also eco-friendly.

The other bonus?

They print your return address on the back of the envelopes for free! Below, you'll find an image of the thickness of the cards (and the skis that Mr. CB just won't put away, even when his nagging wife asks him to!). :)

Interested in outtakes of Odin (black dog) and Rio (red dog) from the shoot?

Rabbit?

"Profile picture? This is my better side."

"Ants are more interesting than this!"

Rio says, "I'm outta here."

Odin says: "Are we done yet, dad?"

Are you including your dogs in the wedding? Or are you doing anything creative with your stationary?

To Pooch or Not To Pooch?

For months now, we've been going back and forth about whether to include our beloved dogs in the ceremony. From the moment we were engaged, we were gung-ho on the idea of them being our ring bearers. I mean, we got them when we moved to New Mexico together two years ago as teacup-sized, two-month-old puppies. Okay, they were never teacup-sized, but 17-pounds is pretty small compared to their current state.

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Meet Odin (below), our year-and-a-half Pit Bull-Lab mix. Or Odiferus, Wilbur, Yoda (check out his ears) or Pequeño Toro. Yep, those are all of his nicknames. All of which happen to be longer than his real name. We got him from the pound as a sick little puppy and he's grown into a handsome young chap. It would be a mistake not to include him in the wedding. I mean, he already has his tuxedo on! But, because he was a stray for the first two months of his life, he has his quirks which include quite a bit of anxiety in crowds of strangers, horrible leash-pulling habits, and an obsession with licking any visible skin. Hmmm...

Odin

Just a few months older than Odin is Rio (below). Two in April, Rio is a Saluki-Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. She hasn't taken on as many nicknames as Odin (Riolicious usually does the trick) but she does have a few idiosyncrasies that he doesn't. First, talking. She is probably the most vocal dog I've ever met. And it starts up if she gets bored--which is often because she's a high energy hound mix. (Think whippet, greyhound, anything that could run for twelve hours straight and still want more). Second, she is light as a feather, but she often gets the inkling to jump on people when she's excited. I see our wedding as one of those times. Taffeta + nails = disaster.

Rio

Thus, we're stuck with the question: To pooch or not to pooch? We really want them to be a part of our day. They're practically our kids. (Wow, I sound like Angela from The Office. I promise we don't lick them clean like she does her cats). But is it worth all the worry? Take a look at this picture. Then tell me how you can turn that down.

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Are you including any unexpected guests in your ceremony?