Thank-you card photo help

[purplegirl247]

You guys are so great with offering helpful insight that I thought I'd engage your help. I haven't sent out our thank-you notes/announcements yet because I was waiting to get our Magic Kingdom castle pics back. Then I found out that to buy a single hi-res Disney from Disney costs over $60. That just didn't make sense to me since we only have a handful of cards to send out.

Anywho, which of these do you like best and why?

Option 1

I like this one because it shows the bouquet, the cake, and especially, the cake topper.
Adds that Disney touch, you know?

Option 2

I like this one because it has a "happily ever after" feel and we look so happy.

Option 3

This one is super romantic. It's ok I don't show my face, right? Everyone I would send an announcement to should know who I am, I would think. Hmm. Except maybe some of his family. In any case, the only reason I am leaning away from this photo is because the first thing *I* see is that I'm not sucking it in and you can see my stomach!

Your thoughts? We're ordering tonight so any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[princessdisneybelle]

Christine I like the second one alot. You both look great. Might want to crop the other guy out though.

 

[Chantelle]

I really like the middle one.

And I wanted to know if your cake was upgraded from the standard intimate?

Also, I was on the photoworks website and they have photo postcards that I think I am going to send out for my thank-you's. They print your picture on the front and the back looks just like a postcard. You'd just have to write your message and throw on a stamp. Just an idea I thought may interest you or other brides.

 

[karentan]

i love the composition of the first one, cos it shows all the wedding-y stuff, but i think the second one looks beautiful, its romantic, and its got that "we're so happy cos we just got married" look to it!!
i vote for the second one!

 

[sunsh1ne]

i like the second one the best i think it works for the thank you cards.

 

[purplegirl247]

I really like the middle one.

And I wanted to know if your cake was upgraded from the standard intimate?

Also, I was on the photoworks website and they have photo postcards that I think I am going to send out for my thank-you's. They print your picture on the front and the back looks just like a postcard. You'd just have to write your message and throw on a stamp. Just an idea I thought may interest you or other brides.

My cake was a standard. I had asked for a splash of color (purple) and that's what they came up with. I told my planner to alert me in advance if my request was going to cost extra and it didn't, so huzzah!

I've seen the postcards on snapfish and shutterfly as well. Right now I'm torn between a postcard and more formal notecards. I'll keep everyone posted!

 

[Chantelle]

I had asked my coordinator for something like that with Mickey's spotted all over the cake and she said I would have to upgrade to fondant to get a smooth look. Is it just buttercream on your cake? If so, I am going to e-mail her your picture and ask again if I can get the cake I want. The intimate cakes are nice, but they are a little too frilly for my tastes. Yours is nice and clean and simple and I love the mickey's.

 

[hmgolden]

I love the second one, for exactly the reasons you posted.

 

[MickeyAnne]

Another vote for the second one. I like that you are both looking at the camera and that you can see your whole bodies. It also looks like you are walking off into your future together. I like that idea!

 

[Janet2k]

I haven't sent out our thank-you notes/announcements yet because I was waiting to get our Magic Kingdom castle pics back. Then I found out that to buy a single hi-res Disney from Disney costs over $60. That just didn't make sense to me since we only have a handful of cards to send out.

...In any case, the only reason I am leaning away from this photo is because the first thing *I* see is that I'm not sucking it in and you can see my stomach!

Your thoughts? We're ordering tonight so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Purplegirl247, congrats on your recent marriage.

Your photos are lovely and all of them will do nicely for a thank you card. But if you like one photo over the other, consider using a little Photoshop (or any photo-editing software) magic to hide/remove an unwanted item in a photo. For example, it should be easy to remove the extra bit of dress that you don't like in photo # 3.

As to the $60 price tag that you mentioned, when you're old & gray like me, you honestly won't remember what you spent, so please don't let that cost hold you back from purchasing something that you really want.

As to what I did in the way of "thank you" notes for my FTW, I'll mention it here. I took my favorite photo and turned it into a photo greeting card via Shutterfly.com. Since my vow renewal was at the very end of October, when January rolled around, I decided to turn my "thank you" card into a Valentine's Day card. I sent the following to my guests (just click on the links):

Card In Progress
Card's Cover
Card's Insides
Card's Greeting
Card's Personalized Note

Each card had an identical cover and the following greeting:

- - - - - - -
Roses Are Red,
Violets Are Blue,
Our Vow Renewal Was Magical,
Thanks To You!

Janet & Rick
- - - - - - -

However, the personalized note section in each card was different. I tailored them for each guest who had attended my vow renewal. What follows is just one example:

- - - - - - -
I have wanted to send a “thank you” card for months now but just have not found the time. Luckily, Valentine’s Day is upon us and that gave me the perfect excuse to finally do the right thing.

Rick and I can’t tell you how much it meant to us that you were there to share in our 20th wedding anniversary celebration. Your presence made it even more magical than it already was. For that we will always be grateful. Thank you so much for joining us on that moonlit evening in October. It truly meant the world to us.

Janet & Rick
- - - - - - -

I've been using Shutterfly for years and have been pleased with their work. Sometimes I have Shutterfly mail the cards directly to my recipients, while other times I have them mail the cards to me first. I then turn around and mail the cards to my recipients (usually after I’ve added additional photographs or a handwritten letter). Since I'm pretty lazy, Shutterfly normally mails my cards for me. That way I know the greeting cards get sent.

I hope this helped. Again, congratulations on your recent marriage. I wish you all the happiness in the world.

 

[purplegirl247]

janet2k, thanks for the great advice. I was just playing with shutterfly versus snapfish to decide which styles I liked best. I had no idea they could send them for me or that you could send them out with a personalized message in each! Both would be great.

I was going to work in Photoshop or something similar once I chose a design (to crop or take out that random guy, for example). It did not occur to me to "fix" my little bulge there. Great idea! As for the castle pics, I'm still going back and forth. Part of it is just the principle of the thing: one of the reasons I went with an outside photographer was so I could do fabulous snapfish-y things with the photos. I really only like the castle pic idea because it truly gets across the "we got married at Disney!!!" theme. I like the look of these 3 better.

Wow, this is tougher than I thought it would be!

P.S. I love that you have your screenshots of your work in progress! Soooo helpful! Thanks again!

 

[jenny08]

Just a suggestion but why not all 3. A lot of brides on the knot make collages using powerpoint with "thank you" written in the middle. They then upload the image to shutterfly, snapfish, vistaprint, etc. and have them print it out. They come out looking great! You have all those amazing pictures from Randy to use! Again just a suggestion...

 

[Emwit27]

I have to say all three are great, but I like the first one. It is uniquely Disney and that's why I like it. And I am assuming that is why you want to use the MK photos?

Did you use Randy as your photographer? The pictures are great!

 

[myprincessgirlisa]

1st choice is #2
2nd choice is #1

or i really like the idea of the collage!!

 

[marywdw]

I also like all 3, but hands down #2 is my favorite - you just look so happy, you're literally glowing! 2nd choice is #1 b/c you can see the cake and everything. I've sort of eliminated #3 b/c I think you should see the bride's face in the one pic that you're sending everyone...it is a beautiful shot though! I can see why you had a hard time choosing....
Another question regarding your cake......is it buttercream or fondant??
Thanks for posting the GREAT photos!!!

 

[JackieSparrow]

oh this is a tough one!! they are all really great pictures... I am having a tough time deciding between #1 and #2... you guys look super super happy in #2, the whole "just married!" look... kinda leaning toward that one good luck deciding!!

 

[purplegirl247]

Just a quick update: Based on the overwhelming votes for #2 (and the fact that DH liked that one too), we went with that one. I wanted to write "And they lived happily ever after" on the front, but DH nixed that. Said it was too cheesy.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Janet2k]

Just a quick update: Based on the overwhelming votes for #2 (and the fact that DH liked that one too), we went with that one.

Purplegirl247, you made an excellent choice.