Royal Steamline The Blog | Inspiration for Brides & Grooms

The lowdown: We’ve upgraded almost all of our double-sided designs from 80# to 100# paper!

The backstory: Over the last year, we’ve offered a paper upgrade to several customers who voiced a desire for a thicker, heavier invitation. We were really happy with the results of those projects; the invitations were more substantial, more impressive and more likely to become keepsakes. So we looked into making the permanent switch but never pulled the trigger.

Well, we recently got word from our print house that the price of 80# linen was going up. We figured that since we were being forced to raise our prices anyway, why not add a little more and make everything 100#? So that’s what we did. While there are a few exceptions (for example, the Wireless Series is still on 80# paper because of the special texture of those invitations), we’ve officially bulked up. (Oh, and just in case you’re wondering about our duplex invitations, they’re still going to be on Neenah 120# linen paper. Super premium, one might say.)

Now, let’s be clear about a couple of things. First is that our new prices aren’t a money grab. They reflect a better paper and when you see your invitations — to paraphrase Eric Stolz’s be-robed drug dealer from Pulp Fiction — you’ll know where your money went. Second is that if 100# paper just isn’t in your budget, let us know and we’ll give you a quote for 80#. Times is still tight, to be sure, and we’re always willing to try to work something out.

Thanks!

Well, not really. But I couldn’t resist the temptation to make a Stereo Total reference:

The actual details are these:

1. We’ve made sure that all of our papers are Carbon Neutral Plus. What does that mean? Well, that means that Neenah Paper is part of a voluntary partnership to reduce carbon emissions associated with the production of their papers “through mill-based energy efficiency solutions and investments in renewable energy, plus [contributions] to projects which conserve natural resources and wildlife habitat.” Go here to learn about other ways in which Neenah paper is a better environmental choice.

2. Royal Steamline is now part of Northwest Natural’s Smart Energy program. We have selected the Carbon Neutral option which means that we pay extra for every therm of natural gas we use here at RS headquarters. NW Natural uses this money “to support development of renewable energy projects and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

So does this mean Royal Steamline is indeed “exact neutral?” Not by a long shot — but we are trying to be more conscious of the energy used to make your invitations. As we move forward, we’ll be looking for more ways to limit the environmental impact of our business; we’re kind of crazy about this ol’ planet of ours!

Anyway, we’ll talk more about weddings and less about carbon in the next post — promise!

We just realized that we’ve never mentioned Nearlyweds on the blog. (To paraphrase Black Francis, “Where is our mind?”)

If you haven’t checked them out, Nearlyweds offers customizable wedding websites that match print invitations. So, for example, if you’ve purchased a Para Siempre wedding invitation set and are interested in a matching wedding website, it’s available right here.

Para Siempre Wedding Website via Nearlyweds

Nearlywed website templates are easy to customize and you can test drive before you buy via a free trial offer.

We’re attempting to make a website template for (almost) every Royal Steamline invitation — and you can see that we’re well on our way. But if you don’t see the one you’re looking for, get in touch and let us know which RS design should get the Nearlyweds treatment next.

As hinted at yesterday, we’re pleased to announce a new twist on our 10/6 invitation design…10/6 Mad Limited:

It’s a limited edition release that will be available only throughout Alice in Wonderland’s theatrical release, so do hurry!

What a week: I had a milestone birthday (and was treated by the missus to some amazing–and sustainable–sushi), little Khan passed his Kinderpuppy 1 class with flying colors, and we introduced several new invitation designs.

First up is Entwined:

Inspired by World War II-era propaganda posters and Hitchcock’s espionage thrillers, Entwined has all the intrigue and romance of a Bogart/Bacall matinee.

And that’s just one of the new designs. Oh, and we’re going to have a special design announcement tomorrow in honor of a certain movie that’s premiering this weekend:

Stay tuned!

Here at Royal Steamline, we think about love all the time (you kind of have to in our line of work). But for Valentine’s Day, we wanted to introduce something a bit different: a bachelor/bachelorette party invitation we call Speakeasy:

If you’re planning a party to celebrate your last days of being single, this saucy invite is the perfect way to spread the word.

Happy Valentine’s Day from Royal Steamline!

Another new rockabilly invitation that really lets you be in kontrol: Full Kustom:

Five different pinstripe designs and fonts (”Burbank,” “Vegas,” “Santa Fe,” “Palm Springs,” and the George Barris-inspired “Dragula”) let you create the perfect invitation. Simply select which styles you want to combine when you’re checking out and we’ll build your kustomized invitation just for you!

"Burbank"

"Vegas"

"Santa Fe"

"Palm Springs"

"Dragula"

We recently added a new flavor to the Coney Island 1896 line-up: black.

We’ve unofficially dubbed this palette the “Tim Burton” version because of the auteur’s predilection towards these stripes. Why, exactly, did it take us this long to realize that a predominantly black-and-white Coney Island design might be a good addition to the menu? We have no idea, but we hope that it might be just the thing for certain couples out there…

Mon dieu! Like many, we’ve been fascinated by the myths and realities that surround Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna von Habsburg-Lothringen. As Marie Antoinette, she’s come to symbolize beauty, youth and extreme luxury. Allow us to introduce our first invitation design to salute her legend, Petit Trianon:

Not only does Petit Trianon reference the young Dauphine de France, it alludes to a perplexing and eerie incident in which time itself may have become momentarily and capriciously malleable. A bizarre incident matched only be the decadence of the court at Versailles…

Last week, we posted about our new Broadside invitation style. It didn’t take us long to realize that this design was crying out to be steampunkified. The result of our, um, enhancements is Steamside:

Like Broadside, we’re offering customers the chance to customize most of the wording should you wish to do so. Have fun with it!