Jan,
Let you have a clearer idea (I hope) of costs depending on options you choose,
* <u>Invit cards</u>
I took TD's invit cards (same price range as MM's so no top-up for the cards). Mine are traditional red invit. cards with READY shiny gold-stamped
Xi cover.
Note you can use MM's invit cards (w/ MM logo printed at the BACK of the card) or TD's SAME PRICE-RANGE invit cards (w/ TD logo printed at the BACK of the card). Or top-up for their ready-made more expensive range. Or fully customise like Seiko's.
Seiko's are white invit cards with glossy 4-tone pic on cover.
This should be the bulk of her costs.
* <u>Hotstamped logos</u>
You can still opt to have MM's logo INSIDE the card if you choose hotstamp printing (ie. instead of the words "Meritus Mandarin" for the venue, just use the logo- I'm doing that, no extra charge for using the logo mould).
TD has other cute moulds of cartoons, if you choose those, pay additional $20-50 (I forget exact) and can be stamped anywhere you like
Seiko's has a cute one in her inserts and the
Xi logo at the back of card should have cost her addition.
* <u>Invit Wordings</u>
My invit wordings are shiny goldstamped printing in English and Mandarin directly inside the invit cards.
Seiko's are shiny or matte gold invit wordings, can't recall exact.
Hers have additional names goldstamped on the cover (very nice effect)
so should be extra for that.
Note that matte gold more expensive than shiny gold. Even cheaper would be normal printing (no need to make a mould unlike hotstamping).
* <u>Inserts</u>
You can have invit wordings directly on the card (if using normal printing your card colour must not too dark, if using goldstamping the card must not be too light) or on paper inserts (more costs plus need gold string costs).
My invit wordings were directly goldstamped on red invit card but I added cream postcard inserts. These inserts- one side with glossy 4-tone pic (names are added in normal printing method not goldstamped so definitely will not be as nice effect as Seiko's goldstamped names on her pic), the other side with grey words (normal printing) of Program/ Menu.
This is the bulk of my costs.
Seiko's invit wordings were goldstamped on light pink inserts w/ additional gold string to hold- you can buy yourself and tie, or pay more for them to do it for you.
* <u>Envelopes</u>
I chose cream envelopes (no top-up, included with that "free" range of invits) to match my cream postcard inserts.
(Seiko chose light pink to match her light pink inserts).
Note you can upgrade the paper quality of the envelopes with a top-up, or do fancy printing of whatever. Hmm, wonder how much to hotstamp MM logo and
Xi logo on the envelope (can one look see it's a red bomb ahaha).
Final note about hotstamping- they MAKE a metal mould of the words (which you can keep), if you do NAMES eg. "Seiko & Seiko's HB" you can reuse this mould to stamp anything (my gf used hers to stamp angbaos so she can give on her AD and CNY too). My heart itching to do that too cos the names on my pic won't stand out without hotstamping... but extra costs leh.
I'm so far very satisfied with the level of service from TD, their prices I heard are NOT the lowest in town, but for the service and experience (Seiko and I used CONNIE from TD- I really think she's the best there).
I haven't seen Belvedere's layout but Seiko and Dolly is certainly right- sometimes red carpet is overkill and dated (just like ice carving, personalised name backdrops). In my case, I'd still have ice carving (sentimental reasons- I liked it as a child hehe) and red carpet (I find the Mandarin Court march-in "lane" needs more definition, or else it's right next to rows of tables. Also, I like over-the-top glam hehe).
