Frequently Asked Questions

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Ordering - Payment - Shipping - Invitations - General Information

Ordering

How do I make an order?  There are two main ways of ordering with MDC Designs: fill out one of our order forms or book an appointment to see the invitations in person and discuss your options.  Please see the Order Process page for the order form and more detailed information.

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How long before my event should I order my invites?  As all invitations are handmade, factors such as the quantity, invitation style, customized requests and the number of other orders we have will influence the timeline to completion.  We recommend that you order your invitations at least 3 to 6 months in advance of your event.  This is at least 1 month before you intend to send out your invitations.

Generally speaking, an order takes 4-8 weeks to complete. MDC Designs is a small company dedicated to making high quality unique invitations. We run on a first-come first-serve basis.  We give clients longer production timelines the busier we become in order to ensure that all our project can be made to our exacting standards.

If your event is during the busy season of spring to fall you may wish to avoid the seasonal rush by reserving your time well in advance with a $50 deposit. You may contact MDC Designs before ordering to receive an estimate of your timeline.   

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When should I send my invitations?  Invitations should be mailed 6 to 8 weeks before the event. If many of your guests are from out-of-town or if the wedding is on a holiday, consider mailing the invitations ten weeks or more prior to the wedding. This courtesy will allow time for your guests to make the necessary travel arrangements.

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How many invitations should I order?  When you have created your guest and announcement list, you will need to calculate the amount of invitations. There should be one invitation and response card for each couple (married or living together), pair of adult siblings who live together, family with children and single guest. Friends living in the same home together should each receive a separate invitation.

Add 5 to 10 extras for keepsakes, plus extra for additional last minute guests, invitations that are returned to sender due to the wrong address or invitations that get lost in the mail.  It is a good idea to order these extra invitations at the time of your initial order to take advantage of volume discounts.  As well, it may be 2 to 3 weeks for additional invitations.

Please note: You will be able to add invitations after you start date but subtracting invitations from your order will incur an excess materials charge.

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Is there a minimum order?  We do have a minimum of 20 on each item that you order.  However, we do not require you to order in groups of 25 like many other invitation designers do.  You may order 21 or 232.

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Do you mail out samples?  We offer two options when it comes to samples. The first option is lets you order samples of our paper free of charge so that you can see the exact colour and texture of the material.  To order paper samples see Paper Sample Order Form. The second option is to order complete samples of our invitations.  You may order  2 samples for $12 plus PST. Shipping is included in the price.  To order invitation samples click here.

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Do you do rush orders? We try to accommodate these orders when possible, but factors such as the quantity, invitation style, customized requests and the number of other orders we have will influence the timeline.  However, you can request, at no extra charge, for your envelopes to be mailed ahead of your invitations to give you plenty of time to address them.

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What are my payment options?  For our invitation orders we accept checks, money orders, cash (in person), online money transfers through Certapay as well as credit cards through PayPal.  If using PayPal you will be invoiced by email with a link to PayPal.  For more information on these payments please contact us or go to http://www.certapay.com or http://www.paypal.com.

Cheque Payment orders will not be processed until Cheque has cleared. Any NSF Cheque will be automatically subject to a minimum $25 service charge.  Also, invitation orders by Money Order will not be processed until Money Order is received and cleared by MDC Designs.   Cheque and Money Orders must be made out to MDC Designs.

The online store only accepts payments by credit cards or PayPal account through PayPal.

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Do you do custom designs? Yes, something completely original can be created to fit your unique personality.  Please contact me either by phone or e-mail and we can discuss your needs.  From there I prefer to sit down together in person so that you can see and feel the many styles and paper options that you have.  However, if you are not in the area or if you would prefer, we can work over the phone or by e-mail.

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Can I mix parts of one invitation with pieces of another?  Most of our work is custom so we can change any part of the invitation to fit your needs. We encourage creativity. Keep in mind, if you alter a design, it may also alter the price.  Please let us know your request before your initial order to make sure that we can assist you.  If you are having trouble narrowing your choices, feel free to call or email us for more information or guidance on which design might best suit your wedding.

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I need something in a particular colour. Can you help? Many of the papers that we use come in different colours. So, if you find something you like, it may be very simple to switch to that colour.   We have hundreds of different papers so, even if there is no exact match there are many options. Please contact us for more information.

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Can you use my professional photographs in your designs?  Yes, but they must be accompanied by a photographer's release form.

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What are the maps like?  Most maps are 4 x 5 inch cards printed on ivory or white.  Some invitations do have different size and paper if they are meant to be a set.  Maps are supplied by the client and can either be sent in paper or electronic format.  Please note: maps from the internet are not print quality and will result in a grainy picture.  Many halls and churches can supply better quality maps.  Hand-drawn black and white pictures are excellent and will be improved by MDC Designs as will most maps that are supplied.  A custom map from scratch can be created for $50-75.

Maps are double sided.  2 maps may be used at no extra charge or directions can appear on the backside.  Please do take note of the size of the map card when creating directions.  Less text will always look better.

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Are the invitations fully assembled? Most invitation companies do not assemble your invitations, leaving you responsible for folding, assembling and tying the ribbons for each invitation.  Or they will assemble your invitation for an added fee.  At MDC Designs we believe this is part of the service. All of our invitations come fully assembled.  You are however, responsible for stuffing your own envelopes as you will still have to stamp or address the reply envelope.

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Are envelopes included with the invitations? The price of each of our invitations, reply cards and thank you cards includes one high quality envelope in either white or cream. We are an eco-friendly stationer therefore outer envelopes are only supplied upon request.

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Can you address my envelopes for me? Addressing your envelopes can be a long process when doing it by hand. MDC Designs will address both your invitation envelope and your reply envelope with the matching colour and font from your invitation. Depending on the font Postal Codes may be changed to block letters to conform with postal regulations. Prices for envelope printing is located on each price list.

Please note: in order to save time and avoid costly mistakes MDC Designs will only accept guest lists in electronic form. (ie: Word, Wordperfect, Excel, text format or access)

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What should I know about mailing my envelopes? Different styles of invitations require different stuffing methods.  With a pocket fold invitation all the stationary accessories will be stuffed into the pocket for you.  You will need to provide stamps and purchase reply envelope printing for this service.  For most invitations, it is recommended that you tuck all the accessories behind the flap of the reply envelope with the reply card on top.  Then, place this package behind the invitation so that your beautiful unique invitation is the first thing that is seen.

Be sure to get the entire invitation package weighed and measured at the post office to ensure correct postage.  We do our best to let you know if the invitations are oversized, but the weight varies from order to order depending on what has been chosen.

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Do you carry eco-friendly products?  MDC Designs has been using eco-friendly products right from the beginning.  Many of the most beautiful papers in the world are environmentally friendly.  Papers such as mulberry(kozo), nepal, hemp and cotton are made from sustainable plants and in the case of cotton are often made with the recycled waste from another industry.  We also use many recycled products as well as, paper made using alternative energy sources such as wind.

We use all non-toxic glues and recycle everything possible.  We try to use all our material, giving paper samples from pieces that are too small to use in invitations.  We are lucky to be based in Halton region which has instituted green waste which allows us to divert all our tree-free papers from the landfill.  We also reuse all the packing material sent to us by our suppliers.  These policies are not only environmentally sound, but economical too, allowing us to keep our prices lower.

Check out our DIY section for tree-free mulberry pocketfolders and petal folders. In the coming months we will also be adding more recycled and tree free designs to both our DIY and handmade wedding invitation lines. If you love a design from our assembled line please keep in mind that we would be happy to switch any papers to add more recycled content or tree free paper.  Please contact us for more information.

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Do you have a store that I can visit?  No, we do not.  One of the ways in which we are able to keep our prices lower is by not having a retail location.  We have an online store on this website and we do encourage appointments if you are near the Burlington, Ontario location.  In fact, this gives us more flexibility with our hours then if there was a retail location.  Appointments are available most evenings and weekends.  Contact us for more information.

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