shecreates offers tailored and customized invitation designs at competitive prices, minus the stress
Reviewing Cindy Holland, Owner & Designer of shecreates
Review is written by Staff @ The Ring and is based on • Interviews with this vendor • Interviews with past brides
When you meet up with Owner and Designer of shecreates, Cindy Holland, she comes with her trusty tote that holds every swatch, sample and design she has ever created since she began designing wedding invitations in 2005. But, this is just the beginning, because Cindy can not only tailor already made designs to better suit your needs, she can also completely customize your stationery from scratch. And, the more you get to know Cindy, the more you realize working with her isn't just about her passion for creating or the fact that she says there's nothing she can't do; it's also about her creative style that ranges from contemporary to traditional to eclectic, and her ability to gain the trust of her brides, like they've been friends for years. That's just what we were told when we asked past clients why they love and recommend shecreates.
Couples with mid to high budgets are likely to find a design they love at shecreates. And with Cindy behind the scenes, they're even more likely to find a professional they can count on whose flexibility has them raving about how much less stressful she made their wedding planning. So, with that in mind, and a suitcase of samples that we loved to browse, we couldn't believe that it took us this long to find Cindy and shecreates; and now that we have, here's why we think you'll love her, too...
Personally speaking...
When you're sixteen and live in the country, Cindy says the first thing you save for is a car. But not her. When she was sixteen, she bought a brand new computer to create cards, calendars, CD labels and newsletters. "This was just the beginning," she told us.
After graduating from the Advertising Program at Conestoga College in 2004, Cindy started working as a print production coordinator and designer before moving onto a different company as the advertising coordinator, which she did until 2009.
It wasn't until Cindy's husband proposed to her in 2005 that she found her true calling - weddings. "There was no chance of me picking an invitation out of a book from a box store..." she says. "So, I set out to design my own, outsourced the printing, and searched far and wide for an envelope supplier that carried the colour and low quantities that I was looking for." Well, that was all the advertisement Cindy needed to open shecreates on a part time basis.
"From there on out I helped my cousins, friends and their friends create the perfect wedding invitations," she explains. Then, after four years and countless happy brides, she decided not to return to her advertising coordinator job after maternity leave and instead began to focus on shecreates as a full time career. "Not many people can say they love their jobs," says Cindy. "I can, however. Every day!"
She adds that her inspiration comes from weddings themselves and that there's just something in the air. "That may sound cheesy, but it's true... There hasn't been a wedding that I have been to that I haven't felt the love." With that romantic thought already in mind, Cindy's morning begins every day at 5:30 am with a cup of coffee and the Internet in front of her. "Every day tons of websites (including The Wedding Ring) are updated with new pictures and stories of weddings around the world that are inspiring," she told us. "The stories and photos make you feel like you are there and they really get my creative juices going."
On top of weddings, Cindy adds that brides also keep her going with their own creative ideas that they may need a little help with.
Flexible style
When looking for a stationery designer, Cindy thinks that couples will choose someone they feel comfortable working with, someone they can talk to, relate to, and most of all, they will choose someone because they love their designs. "I stop at nothing to make sure that my couples LOVE their wedding stationery," she adds.
We're sure that part of this attitude is also the fact that Cindy's style is flexible. While she says that her personal preference for designs would be contemporary with a mix of 'pretty', "there is nothing that shecreates can't do! I very rarely turn down a bride's request," she adds. "No two couples are alike; that is why when I create new designs they vary from contemporary to modern to traditional to eclectic." She knows that designs she creates for a hot, urban couple may not work for a country couple looking for classic with a hint of vintage flair. "The diversity in all of my clients makes me a better artist, an artist who is flexible at reaching the look that suits their personality to a tee."
Upon meeting with Cindy to discuss her September 2010 wedding invitations, Laura Errey and her then fiancé say they immediately knew that "she would create something that beautifully reflected the nature of our relationship. Cindy took the time to listen to our ideas, asked us to share our inspirations with her and truly got a feel of who we were and as a result, shecreates delivered stunning and uniquely personal invitations for our special day." Laura adds that though she saw Cindy’s style as contemporary meets traditional with a touch of elegance, Cindy is great at adapting and incorporating a variety of different styles into her own, "and for this reason, her style can be extremely diverse."
Briana Simpson agrees as she told us that Cindy's style is eclectic. Briana had Cindy create invitations and reply cards for her August 2010 wedding and says she was looking for something a little more non-traditional and interesting, which she found at shecreates. "The thing I liked best about the options was that they were extremely varied," she adds. "Cindy offered us some designs that were more original than others I had seen... she really tried to communicate with us about what we wanted." Briana also recommended shecreates for her sister's wedding and Cindy created invitations that were equally fantastic but much more her sister's style. "Cindy can cater to many different tastes."
Jacquelyn Scott-Wells had shecreates do her October 2010 wedding invitations, map cards and response cards and had only one email conversation with her before Cindy sent Jacquelyn her proofs. "I felt that she nailed exactly what I was looking for, but made it 100% more beautiful," Jacquelyn told us. "It was an absolute pleasure working with Cindy and she made it a great experience."
What she creates...
Cindy says she usually adds at least one new design to her collection each month, allowing brides to choose from fresh designs. "I really love to get creative," she says. "Why does your wedding invitation need to be paper? Why not mount your invitation on a textured laminate flooring and hand deliver them in little boxes lined with tissue paper?"
She adds that most brides don't necessarily need their stationery to be custom designed because they already have a style or design in mind that they'd like to tweak. For no extra cost, shecreates offers brides the opportunity to pick a design they like and mix and match it with a style (like pocket fold, booklet, etc.) and finish it off by choosing the fonts, text and colour. "This gives them a somewhat unique design that I wouldn't refer to as custom, but tailored."
"Cindy’s options were limitless," says Jacquelyn. "I never felt that I couldn’t do something because she lacked the resources. Cindy never said the word 'no' to me." She adds that the paper Cindy used was amazing to the touch and eye - "it looked like I had spent a fortune on invitations, when really, she was quite affordable... I was surprised at how affordable the invitations actually were... The value of the work that I received was more than what I paid for her service and invitations."
If a bride chooses to tailor a pre-designed stationery set, Cindy says they can order a flat invitation with a reply card and two envelopes for as little as $3.63 a set. Or, if you'd like to tailor a stationery set and order a Pocket Folds® invitation, you'd spend about $6.23 a set. "These are base prices," she adds. "If a bride chooses metallic paper and envelopes the price will increase."
If you want a custom design, you're charged a $45 design fee, which includes four custom designs to choose from with three rounds of changes. "After it's designed, the set will start as low as $3.63 a set depending on the design and style chosen," says Cindy. Each sample she sends ranges in price within your budget and is different, giving you many different options, plus the flexibility to change it. "If they love the design from one and the fonts from another, let's switch them up."
Within the first couple meetings with Cindy, Laura remembers Cindy saying that she could work with any budget, which was reassuring for her. "Cindy wasn’t putting any expectations or pressure on us financially, and we could reach a price point we were both happy with," says Laura. They also loved that when they were having a difficult time narrowing down between their sample invitations because they liked elements of all of them, Laura mentioned it to Cindy and by the end of the day, she emailed Laura a mock-up of an invitation that contained all of the qualities that they loved about the ones they were having a hard time choosing between. "I remember thinking that this was a business who goes above and beyond what is expected of them, to ensure that you are completely happy with the product," she says. "I already know that twenty years from now I will still be pleased with our invitations made by shecreates."
"shecreates prices were reasonable and varied, so we were able to choose an invitation that we liked and that fit into our budget," Briana told us. "Cindy gave us several options price-wise, which was really appreciated."
Walking you through a wedding with shecreates
Cindy recommends contacting her anywhere from four to twelve months before your wedding date, which you can do by email and can pretty much expect a response right away. "My goal as a business is to respond quickly to emails," Cindy says. "If I need time to work out the details of your request I will always reply back with a timeline as to when I will touch base with you again."
This was really convenient for Eleanor Dubrick when she was conversing with Cindy about design ideas for her invitations and thank you cards for her August 2010 wedding. "I have a very busy lifestyle and found it very convenient to email ideas," she told us. "I also appreciated the fact that Cindy replied quickly to my emails. She even took the time to drop off the invitation for final approval, and the finished product so I didn't have to take time out of work and wedding planning. That was so helpful."
"Cindy was great to work with!" says Laura. "She was easy to get a hold of, addressed any and all comments and concerns I had, and together we established a time line that kept both of us on track and on the same page at all times. I felt extremely comfortable and confident working alongside of Cindy."
Cindy made Jacquelyn feel like everything was under control with constant updates on what she was doing during the design process. "The proofs were sent back to me quicker than I could have imagined and her design work was incredible... Cindy’s style is so relaxed, it’s a breath of fresh air for brides to work with her." She adds that she would absolutely recommend shecreates to all brides, saying that "Cindy will make the experience a pleasant one. She is such a warm person and you feel like you have become a friend of hers after meeting her for the first time."
Since Cindy doesn't work a regular 9-5 job, she's pretty flexible when it comes to meeting you. "If a client wishes to meet on a Thursday night at 8 pm because they don't want to take another minute off work, then great, let's set-up a meeting... in the evening or on weekends...."
Cindy works from home so she normally meets her brides in a central location, "somewhere where the coffee is hot and the atmosphere is relaxed," she says. And, she comes prepared with her trusty tote that holds every swatch, sample and design she's ever created.
Consultations with shecreates are free of charge and give you a chance to touch and feel all of the samples that Cindy has, as well as the over 100 colour samples available. She also encourages you to bring colour swatches, magazine cut outs, Internet printouts and anything that might be an indication of your wedding style.
You'll also discuss details of the big day, and once you've looked through samples and given your input, you can determine what best suits your needs.
Eleanor loves that Cindy's catalogue was so big and she was able to combine different aspects of the various designs to have exactly what she wanted. "There were plenty of designs, colours, and fonts arranged with different names, so that creating what I wanted was simple," she adds. "It was very helpful for someone like me who knows what she wants but does not possess a gift for design."
For a custom design, a $45 design fee is required. Then, the digital designs and quote are sent and if you choose to continue, a contract is signed and a 50% deposit is made.
Laura told us that when Cindy met with her she got a feel for what she and her fiancé wanted out of their invitations and quickly sent them four different invitation samples . "Each invitation was uniquely different from the other, yet all seemed to contain elements that we were looking for," she says. "The invitations ranged in prices and attached to each invitation was a breakdown of the cost of the stationery, as well as the cost of assembly, which was extremely informative and helpful."
Once all of the changes are made, you can expect to see a hard copy sample within two to three weeks. And when that's approved, production can begin. After another two to three weeks your order is ready for pick-up or delivery. "If the couple ordered programs menus and other such items that don't necessary need to be completed at the same time as the invitations, they will go on 'hold' until the couple has the necessary information needed for that particular project," explains Cindy.
Cindy usually isn't present on the wedding say unless it's a last minute project; but, we hear that she stay friends with her clients even after their stationery has been signed, sealed and delivered.
Briana told us that Cindy was an absolute joy to work with and made this exciting, but somewhat nerve-wracking, part of the wedding planning process a breeze. "I would not hesitate to use Cindy in the future," she adds. "Cindy is professional, kind, and finds something to fit you... You will not be disappointed with her communication, her work, or the end product."
Details, details, details
• Cindy recommends booking shecreates 4 to 12 months before your wedding.
• A $45 artwork fee is due before she comes up with a custom design; and a 50% deposit is required before any artwork changes are made. The remaining 50% is due when the stationery is picked up or delivered.
• 50 invitations could cost anywhere from $200 to $800 total, depending on style and materials.
• 100 invitations can cost between $400 to $1000 for invitations, reply card and envelopes.
• Extras like direction cards/maps, programs, table names, table numbers, seating chart, thank you cards can also be created at additional prices.
• HST applies to all orders.
• A $5 per item artwork fee applies if any changes need to be made to stationery set after final approval.
Contacting shecreates
Cindy Holland at shecreates can be reached by email at cindyholland@shecreates.ca or by phone at 226-338-4041. You can also visit shecreates online at http://www.shecreates.ca.
