It takes a lot of planning to accept hundreds of orders in such a short amount of time. We have to operate differently than the rest of the year. That includes more staff and more space to place orders. We also have a system in place that allows us to space out the orders so that we can have your order ready when we promised it.

Hard work and long hours is another key ingredient to accepting a large amount of orders. I personally worked seven days a week for 10-12 hours per day from December 1-23. It is very tiring and I’m glad it is over, but it is very satisfying to know that we helped people give a personalized gift that will last a lifetime. An example is the lady who came in who is battling cancer and engraved ornaments for her children with a personal message. It is orders like hers that keeps me going when I get tired.

Personalization on the glassware adds that personal touch. You can engrave the first names or initials of your attendant on the glass.  Some people have also been engraving their wedding date on the back.

The most common complaint that we’ve received about people who ordered online wedding invitations is the quality of the paper.   We have had several customers come into our store with invitations they had ordered online or through a catalogue, and the quality of the paper was very poor.  They had to re-order their invitations from us so that they would have quality invitations to mail out.
If you are concerned about the quality of the invitation from the company you would be ordering online from, we strongly recommend that you order a blank sample of the invitation.  Most companies charge a small fee for this, but it is well worth it considering the amount of money that you will be investing in the invitations.

The Engravery uses Carlson Craft to print invitations.  They have been in the invitation business for over 50 years, so you can be assured that invitations coming from us are of fine quality.  It is still a good idea to order a sample of the invitation you are interested in to be sure that you will be happy with it.  You can do this by going to our wedding album page and click on “Samples” on the bar at the top of the page and follow the directions

Another common complaint is that if there is a problem, good customer service is hard to find.  I would be a little cautious about ordering from a dealer who is deeply discounting invitations.  These dealers must cut costs somewhere, and it is usually cut in customer service.  I’m sure that there are some exceptional dealers who deeply discount their invitations, but how do you know which ones are good?

The Engravery’s error rate is less than 2%.  If you happen to be one of those 2%, we will take good care of you.   In fact, we will take good care of you even if YOU made a mistake when you typed in your wording on the online order form.  In that case, we will pay for a large portion of your order for you.  Many other dealers will force you to pay full price.   How’s that for customer service?

If you have an invitation order where you need custom art work done, or if your order is very complicated, you would be better off ordering them from a local store in your town.   Face-to-face customer service would be ideal for these situations.  This way will assure you that they will be done exactly as you would like.  We have referred one or two potential online customers to local dealers for this reason.

Ordering your wedding invitations online can be a convenient and pleasant experience if you order from the right dealer.   If you follow the recommendations in this article, you should be absolutely delighted when you receive your invitations.

Father’s are usually pretty easy to please.  Being a father myself, just give me some cans of tennis balls and a bag of peanuts and I am happy.  I think my daughter is frustrated too when I tell her that’s all I want.  So what else is there that a father might want?

If he uses a money clip, check to see if his is worn. It may be time to buy him a new one engraved with his initials.  If he works in an office, a pen set or paperweight with his initials on it is ideal.  An engravable can koozie to keep his beer cool is another idea.

Before you get something to give your Dad, just think whether it is something he would want.  Like lost headphones.

Click here for many more personalized gift ideas for Dad.

The awards that seem to be most appreciated are those that can be used for something.  For example, instead of just giving a plaque, give something like this:

Book Clock

It’s a plaque, but also has a clock.  It’s the best of both worlds!  If you don’t have a lot to say,  desk clocks also make a nice award.

Most of the people who buy attendant gifts in our store buy everyone the same item.   This ensures that no one will have his or her feelings hurt or wish that he/she had received something that someone else received.   The thing to keep in mind when choosing a gift is to find something that is useful, rather than something that will be thrown into a drawer.   One idea for the ladies is to give them a piece of jewelry that they can all wear at the wedding.   It is something that they will appreciate and can wear after the wedding is over.

Other ideas for the ladies include picture frames, jewelry boxes, purse mirrors, bracelets, pens and key rings.  Popular men’s gifts include mugs, money clips, key rings, lighters, flasks, pens, business card holders, and pocketknives.  Personalizing these gifts adds a special touch and shows that you put some thought into the gifts.  They can be engraved with the recipients name or initials.

We don’t recommend that you engrave your wedding date on those items.  Although your wedding date is very important to you, most recipients would tell you that they prefer not to have the date on their item.  Click here to check out some other personalized gift ideas.

Getting everyone something different is another option.  This can be a great idea if you know everybody’s interests.  We recommend staying close to the same price-point for each gift.  This method of choosing a gift shows you put great thought into each person as an individual, and you know that they will enjoy a gift that caters to their interest.

How much you spend on an item depends on how much you want to spend.  We have customers spending in a range from $10 to $60 each.   The average customer spends approximately $20-$30 each.

Put some thought into the attendant gifts you buy.  If you do that, it is likely your recipients will greatly appreciate them.

Interior of The Engravery

The brick and mortar store has been around since the mid 1970s and is currently on 132 & W Center Rd in Omaha, NE.   I have owned the store since 1990.  The store is 1600 square feet and is stocked with engravable gifts.  In addition, The Engravery also sells wedding invitations and graduation announcements and offers services such as engraving, hot foil stamping, and baby shoe bronzing.  Photo gifts has been one of the newer services that we are offering.