There is so much about the world of stationery that we could talk about it for days. With all the complexities that run with customization of stationery, and the fact that there are endless numbers of paper, printing and accessorizing combinations, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Like we have said multiple times before, asking, “how much does an invitation cost?”, is about the same as asking a realtor “how much does a house cost?” It comes down to what each client wants.
Like any good business, we like to have some process in place to make things easy on our clients and us to navigate these complexities. Each of the different milestones in the custom-stationery journey are set up with specific starts and finishes. All the aspects of one part of the journey must be completed prior to starting the next. You can’t print before you design, right?!
Our milestones include:
• The Consultation Phase
• The Design Phase
• The Approving Phase
• The Production/Printing Phase
Today we will be talking a bit about what happens when you come in for a consultation!
So, you discovered us online, like what you see, and would like to sit down and see what we can design together! Great! We are so excited that you are interested in working with us!
To book your 45-minute, complimentary consultation, we ask that you hit up our online scheduler found HERE. You have the option of doing an in-person meeting (over coffee!) at our office, or if you are from out of town, you can choose an online Zoom meeting. This is like Skype or Face time, but we provide you with a link to follow to the digital meeting room. If you DO choose an online appointment, please book at least 1.5 weeks out from the current date. We have some samples and a workbook that we would like to send to you!
Once you set your appointment, we have an online form that we require you to fill out a minimum of 3 days (72 hours) prior to your appointment. This form includes important details like the who, where what and when of your day, and also allows us to prep materials and samples that we think may be applicable to what you are looking for. If we don’t receive this form 3 days prior to your appointment, we will reach out to reschedule.
When you arrive for your consultation, we will be going through a work booklet and discuss paper, dreams and vision. It’s super important for you to come with at least an idea of the direction that you would like to head into. Forty-five minutes is not long enough to discuss all of the design possibilities out there! Pinterest boards, magazines and other design ideas are a great place to start.
DOING QUOTING DIFFERENTLY
We have a bit of a different quoting process here at Wedding Design by Anika. Instead of giving you a per-invitation cost, we build a list of everything that we discussed at the consultation and an approximated amount of design time we think is required. You as a couple then have the ability, through our amazing online program, to build your own design package. This leaves the budgeting totally in your hands.
We normally get quotes out to you within 4 business days after you come in for your consultation.
Once you are happy with your quote, follow through to put a 50% down payment on the order and choose your allotment for our SHARE YOUR LOVE program. The final portion of the invoice will be required prior to sending any order to production. This allows us to square up on any additional items added after the order was placed, and also gives us the ability to calculate the exact design and setup times.
SO that’s the consultation process! If you have any questions about our programs and how we do things differently, let us know! We are so happy to help!
