How sweetly romantic is this save the date wedding announcement for Cristin Witcher and her fiance Adam Siegel’s fall Chicago nuptials?
Adam designed the whimsically simple letterpressed announcement and matching tree branch mailing labels using The Giving Tree
I love that the concept is so versatile. Use it for summer and spring weddings and showers by coloring the mailing label and invitation leaves in shades of green. Change the text for a children’s birthday party invitation with an eco-friendly theme.
Cristin and Adam have graciously shared their tree template here at Merriment for free with the request that anyone using the template post a comment below or email me to track its usage.
Supplies:
- Cristin and Adam’s free Giving Tree fall save the date announcement template (PDF, edit using Adobe Illustrator
)
- Luna font (free!)
- Color printer
- #10 size flat cards (if letterpressing)
- 8.5 x 11 cream luxe 210 weight paper (if printing yourself)
- Paper trimmer
- #10 size envelopes
- Optional: Cristin and Adam’s free envelope label template (Microsoft Word)
- Optional: Avery labels
Download Cristin and Adam’s free template. Open in Adobe Illustrator
NOTE: If you don’t have Illustrator, there are several options. FedEx Office has Adobe Illustrator that you can use on their computers for a nominal fee. Alternatively, there is a 30-day trial version that you can download at Adobe.com. Be sure to download and install the font too so that it looks OK, and print out all your copies before the 30 days expire. Also, save it as a PDF file in addition to the .AI extension so that you’ll have it in case you need to print more copies after the expiration. Lastly, either Cristin or I can update the file for you with your information; we would need to charge for our time. Anyone interested in that option please email me what you’re hoping to change and we can give you a quote.
Cristin and Adam had their announcements letterpressed. If printing yourself, adjust the file to print multiple announcements onto 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper and trim to size using your paper trimmer. Place in envelopes and seal.
Enter guest names into the Word document template and print in color on the Avery labels. Cristin says this was the hardest part of the whole deal. You’ll want to buy some extra labels to give yourself wiggle room to ensure it lines up cleanly. Cut labels on lines using your paper trimmer.
Be sure to dress it up by creating personalized postage at PhotoStamps.com. Custom stamps make a big difference so ask me questions if you need help.
Cristin and Adam are getting married the same weekend where Shane and I did at A New Leaf. They’re in for a treat. It’s a great space, especially in the fall. Congratulations, Cristin and Adam, and many thanks to you both!
COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this project and pattern for your own personal use. Please post a comment below or email me if you use the template so that Cristin and Adam can track its use. Like this free project? See more in our weddings category.
Posted by Kathy on July 28, 2008
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March 10th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Thanks again for featuring another awesome project. I shared this with my readers on my blog.
http://wevegotitchicago.blogspot.com/2010/03/giving-tree.html
March 4th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
Using these as save the dates for our September wedding. My father gave my mother a copy of “The Giving Tree” on their wedding day, and I am giving them a copy on my wedding day. To say the least, the book has great meaning in our family and, thus, these will be perfect.
March 1st, 2010 at 2:45 pm
@Rachael That’s a great way to reuse it. Happy graduation!
February 28th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
I’ve actually customized this template to use for my graduation announcements. I love it. Thank you so much for making this beautiful invitation.
February 19th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
these are perfect for our fall wedding! thanks!
February 16th, 2010 at 9:39 am
I love this- thank you so much for sharing this. It’s perfect for our mountaintop wedding in the spring
February 16th, 2010 at 12:16 am
thanks! this is sooo cute! :D
February 12th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
thanks SO much for sharing. this is perfect for our upcoming wedding in a park surrounded by tress. i’ve already received many compliments on it. thanks so much!!!
February 8th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
Absolutely love this template! Thanks for sharing it. We are using if for an email save the date and a printed invite.
February 7th, 2010 at 9:30 am
love it – absolutely perfect.
thanks for sharing!!
all the best!!
February 6th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Love this! thanks so much for posting it. My fiancee and I will be using it for our save the dates.
February 5th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Thanks so much for the template! I love The Giving Tree. My mother read it to me when I was little. We are doing a tree themed wedding on Oct. 30th so this will be perfect!! Thank you so much
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:14 pm
This Save the Date is SO perfect! I was trying to use illustrator for the first time to make one of my own…and then I found yours! I really appreciate you sharing your design. Thanks!
January 31st, 2010 at 5:23 pm
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful template. It’s fits our style perfectly! I’m excited to use it for our STD’s!!
January 25th, 2010 at 9:44 am
This was my absolute favorite book growing up! I was beyond excited to stumble upon this website when looking for save-the-dates. Thank you so much!
January 24th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Hello,
I LOVE this template. This design is so sweet and simple. Thank you for sharing the joy in allowing us to use the template for our save the date.
Lily
January 21st, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Thank you so much for this idea! We are getting married in September and will use these for our save the dates. They are so simple and sweet! Thank you so much.
January 20th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
My fiance’s grandmother gave him this book just before she died when he was 6 years old. This book is very near and dear to his heart and your template will be a great sentimental piece in our wedding. Thank you so much for making it available.
January 16th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
These the most perfect save the dates in the world. Many thanks for making this available for us.
January 13th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
This is the perfect template for my save the date cards. The story says it all.
January 12th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Love this template! My fiance and I are getting married in October in our backyard which has a lot of large oak trees… I was trying to find a way to tie our location in to the save the dates & found this template. It’s so simple & so cute!
January 10th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
I love this! I was googling images from that book to use for my fiance my save the dates and this popped up!
Thanks for being so generous with your creative idea : )
January 10th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
I would love to use this template for my save the date cards. What an absolute cute idea…so creative! Thanks
January 5th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
So excited about using this! It is EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for!
January 5th, 2010 at 10:25 am
Thank you so much for this template! It will be perfect for our outdoor wedding! I love it!
January 4th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Thanks for the great template! I love this idea, I am going to use it for my save the date!
January 3rd, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Thank you for sharing the template! We will be using this for our electronic save the date. It is perfect!!
January 1st, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Thank you so much for this template! I was looking for something simple and yet elegant and you have done it!
December 30th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
thank you so much! i love that book and we are having a bird/nature themed wedding. couldn’t be more perfect!
December 30th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Thank you so much for the template! It’s beautiful. We are tentatively planning to use it for our rustic, outdoor barn wedding. Thanks so much!
December 27th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
I absolutely love this design and my fiance and I have agreed to use it as our save the dates for our Fall wedding. The only problem I am having, is working the envelope template. Can anyone please be kind enough to explain how to work the template? I would appreciate it.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:49 pm
I will be using this. Thanks
December 15th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Hi Amy, is there something specific you’re having trouble with? You’ll be using the text tool the most to make your changes. Click on the individual text area, delete and replace. You can also search for general Adobe Illustrator instructions …there are a lot of good Illustrator how tos out there. Come back and let everyone know what you find!
December 14th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I love this save the date! I am trying to make mine by using the adobe illustrator trial, but I can’t quite seem to figure it out. any advice?
December 13th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Thanks! These are great!
December 3rd, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Thanks! This is so beautiful! I love the template! :)
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:07 am
thank you so much…it’s the perfect save the date. i’m hoping to use it for our august wedding
November 4th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Cambodian Student Association of CSUF adopted this template and theme for our 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Potluck this year.
This is such a wonderful concept, we couldn’t have passed it up!
Thank you!
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:24 pm
We’re using your beautiful design for our August, 2010 wedding in Tennessee! Thank you!!!
November 1st, 2009 at 3:07 pm
We are using your Save the Date design for our Michigan wedding. Thank you!
October 30th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Amazing! Will be using this for our Save the dates!
October 26th, 2009 at 3:49 am
Love the save the dates they look fantastic!! I am printing them myself and having trouble printing 3 to a page help! I am using CS3
October 25th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Love this. Planning to use for our Save the dates. Thank you!
October 18th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Thanks so much! I love this cute sate the date and will be a hit. I’m so glad you posted and allowed us to borrow the idea!
October 17th, 2009 at 11:39 am
This is amazing! Just what I was looking for! Thank you so much with sharing these amazing Save-the-Dates. My fiance and I will cherish your artwork.
October 15th, 2009 at 7:17 am
I LOVE these Save The Dates! And I am planning on using them. I had great success using the Illustrator, even though it was my first time, and it was a little intimidating. Shel Silverstein is partly responsible for my falling in love with my fiancee. I have a Shel tattoo, and the first time that my fiancee and I hung out, we got to talking about it. And it turned out he loves Shel too, and he had a bunch of songs in his Itunes of Shel Silverstein songs. Over that weekend he burned me a copy, and left it on my desk at work. That Monday morning when I saw the CD, I knew he was a keeper!
October 7th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Love the idea, but can’t get the envelope labels to work :(…is there a trick to getting the text on them?…would appreciate the help lots!
October 6th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Excellent. My fiance and I will be using this as our save the date. He loves the giving tree, one of his favorite books. So glad I found this! Thank You!
October 6th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Thanks for a great, simple, and creative idea!
October 5th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
I love this idea! We are going to use it for our summer wedding in Virginia! Thanks so much for sharing!
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:31 am
Thank you for sharing this! I love this book and the design. It is appropriate for so many occasions. I wrote a blog article about it as well to pass on this wonderful idea!
September 19th, 2009 at 9:24 am
My fiance’ and I are HUGE “Giving Tree” fans, all whilst we were growing up and still today. Our wedding is coming up in 6 1/2 months and we needed a save-the-date like, now. This is perfect. Thank you SO much for sharing!
September 14th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
I love this, we are using this template for our spring wedding and running with the tree theme!
September 13th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Woop! So excited about using this template for our e-mail save-the-dates!
Ours is a spring wedding, but we still LOVE the tree motif.
THANKS!
September 13th, 2009 at 9:54 am
AMAZING! This Save the Date is incredible. Many thanks to Adam and Cristin for being so creative and extremely thoughtful when they shared this with all of us! I couldn’t be happier right now!
I am having trouble downloading the font though and would appreciate any help you could provide. I have downloaded it successfully but am wondering how do I get it to show up in word? Usually I don’t have such trouble with computers…perhaps it is because I am so flustered by this beautiful save the date and heartwarming generosity of two wonderful people!
September 3rd, 2009 at 1:45 pm
I have been searching for months for something rustic, charming, nature oriented and inexpensive; FINALLY, I have found what I was looking for! Thank you!
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:54 am
Thanks so much for sharing! I love this Save the Date!! Anywhere where you can lower costs on a DIY is great too. Thank you for being so generous! :)
September 1st, 2009 at 3:33 pm
this is SO cute! i may end up using this for my save the date! thank you!
August 30th, 2009 at 7:24 am
The Giving Tree is one of my all-time favourite stories, and I love Shel Silverstein’s poetry and illustrations. I’m using this template for my wedding invitation (over here in Singapore, we don’t usually send out Save the Date notices). Thank you for being so generous and helping to make our wedding especially meaningful!
August 27th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Thank you so much! These are great!
August 27th, 2009 at 10:46 am
I like the concept of the calendar and 3. I don’t have adobe illustrator to edit it but I would like to use the concept and use other three and calendar style.
Thanks,
_angelica
August 26th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
My friend and I are going to use this awesome template for a baby shower!! The mom-to-be’s fav childhood book is the Giving Tree!
Thanks so much, what a wonderful idea that is elegantly executed!
August 26th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Me and my fiance loved the template. Considering in possibly using it.
Thanks
August 24th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
It’s completely lovely. I hope to use it–thanks!
July 24th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Thank you so much for this template!!!! I’m not getting married now, but I’ll definitely be hanging on to it to use when the time comes!
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Hi Ashley, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator are different programs. It would probably be easiest for you to download a 30-day trial copy of Illustrator and change it that way. While it’s certainly possible to do it in Photoshop, if you’re new to the program it may be challenging. (If you want to try it, select your marquee tool, highlight and delete out the text you don’t want, and then use the type tool to add your own copy). Hope that helps!
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:06 pm
I want to thank you for letting anyone take this wonderful template for their own. I just recently got adobe photoshop but I don’t know if photoshop and illustrator are the same thing. Anyways I can get the image on the adobe program but I just can’t figure out for the life of me how to put both me and my fiancee’s names and wedding date on there. I’m not a computer wizz or anything so it’s probably right in front of me, ya just my luck. Any help would be very much appreciated.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:43 pm
I used these templates! Fell in love w/ the sweet design. Thanks for posting and sharing.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Hi Jameelah, several other people have had the same question. Simply scroll through the other comments and you’ll see that you have several options – either download the trial version, go to FedEx Kinko’s, or I can put you in contact with Cristin to make the changes for you based on an hourly fee. Congratulations on your engagement!
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:48 am
I really want to use these save-the-dates, but I don’t have Adobe Illustrator…what do I do? Thanks!
June 21st, 2009 at 1:20 am
Hi there.
i used this for a family get together and posted some link love on my blog post. thanks so much for designing such a fun invite.
June 16th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Love this template!! I plan to post this Saturday with a direct link to this post.
June 15th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
We used this design for our save-the-date cards. THANK YOU for the design and files! They have been a big hit. Getting Illustrator to cooperate was an interesting experience (I’m not a graphic artist), but I managed to get enough out of it to make our wedding website use the theme as well.
June 11th, 2009 at 8:24 am
I have loved this book since I was a teenager.
June 4th, 2009 at 6:48 am
Hi Thuy, I think that’s a really creative way to make the template your own. Yes, there are some suggestions in previous comments about what to do if you don’t have Illustrator so I recommend scrolling back through them. For instance, you can download the trial version for 30 days, or you can go to Kinko’s. Please take a look and I’d love to see how it all turns out!
June 2nd, 2009 at 11:35 am
Hi there–
The giving tree is my favorite book and it would be great to use this template as part of our save the date. We were hoping to make a magnet of it, but I do not have Illustrator and therefore cannot edit it. Can you give me some other suggestions? I really do appreciate it.
Thank you.
May 29th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Hi Amy T, thanks so much for your kind comment! I passed it onto Cristin and Adam and they are thrilled to hear it. And eco- and budget-friendly sounds right up our alley so please consider sharing any crafting things that you might make for your big day. I’ll post it and give you all the credit, of course.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:38 am
How appropriate for The Giving Tree-inspired images… I stumbled across this page and my heart fluttered. WHERE did someone get Giving Tree wedding stationery?! I quickly scrolled down expecting to see a custom-designer link (and price tag), only to find FREE DOWNLOAD. Amazing! I am so thrilled! My fiance and I are planning an eco- and budget-friendly wedding that really works to give back (we’re using local vendors, making a donation in lieu of favors, etc.) Stumbling across this page seems like fate:-)
Thank you, again, for sharing!
May 26th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
We are definitely using this template — it fits perfectly for us because this book also has a special meaning in our relationship. It was the first gift he ever gave me! Thanks for sharing this template :)
May 26th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Amazing!! I’m hoping to use some of the elements of this design in our invites!
May 22nd, 2009 at 9:19 am
Thank you so much for this design! My fiance and I have used it for our wedding program (modified into a foldable 4 pg design). We love it – I have shown your website to all of my friends :) Jenny
May 2nd, 2009 at 12:45 am
hi there i love this project and hope to use it too! thank you so much for such a wonderful idea!
April 28th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
i love this and it goes so well with our wedding theme. thank you very much for being so generous!!
April 19th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Hi Cris, yes and yes! Thanks for letting me know you’re using it …it totally makes me happy when people take Merriment things and make them their own. Hope your sister enjoys it!
April 19th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Hi Michelle, thanks to you for commenting and pointing me over to Kellie’s super fun poster adaptation of this save the date. The whole theme of MerrimentDesign.com is to ‘Craft and Pass It On’ and Kellie’s poster is a fantastic example of just that. Enjoy your free poster!
April 16th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
I love this! I am using it for a different purpose… to make a poster. I got the link and idea from Kelli’s site… http://www.dykast.us/scraplog.
Thank you!
April 16th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
thanks so much for sharing this…I hope its okay – I’m passing it on through my (non-profitible) budget wedding website. I’m also planning to remove the text and enlarge this for a birthday gift for my sister – The Giving Tree is her all time favorite book.
April 16th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Right now the adobe website is not working properly. You can use a free 15 day trial of Corel Draw and I did this in one day! thanks so much for the template!
April 15th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Wow! What a great idea! Thanks for sharing the template with us. I actually tweaked it a bit and used it as wall art. See my post on my blog about it: http://www.dykast.us/scraplog/don-t-cost-a-dime-tree-poster
April 14th, 2009 at 8:29 am
I love the giving tree! This is such a cute idea!
April 9th, 2009 at 9:48 am
i am so in love with this design. It’s amazing! I’m definately bookmarking this. thank you so much for making this available to the world!
April 5th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Hi Sarah, here’s where to find the Adobe Illustrator CS4 trial. Roll over the product name, click “try”, register, download and install. You’ll have 30 days before it locks. Congratulations on your engagement! Kathy
April 4th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Where do you find the 30 day trial?
April 4th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Hi Sarah, yes. You can download the 30 day trial or go to your local FedEx Office or other local business center and use it by the hour. Thanks for stopping by! Kathy
April 3rd, 2009 at 9:56 pm
I love this template, and would like to use it for my save the dates. But that Adobe Illustrator is really expensive. Any way around that? Thank you!!!
March 29th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Adam and Cristin, I want to thank you for your generosity of sharing such a beautiful design for other couples to use. I’m so happy to use it for my save-the-dates, and appreciate you making it so easy to do so!
March 29th, 2009 at 11:50 am
These are absolutely perfect! These save the dates fit perfectly with the wedding my fiance and I are planning!
March 28th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Hi Kathy. Your blog is fabulous. I spent the better part of the evening going through the archives.
I just blogged about The Giving Tree save the dates this morning. Thanks for sharing!
March 19th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Fabulous! Shane and I lived in Sydney for a year and I am a HUGE fan of Australia so the thought of you using the template totally makes me smile. Thanks for writing!
March 18th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
This is beautiful!! As bridesmaid I said I’d help out with my friends’ invites and something very similar to this is just perfect for my outdoorsy, green conscious & low-maintenance mates :)
March 15th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
I’d LOVE to use this. This template AND this site are my two new favorite things. Love love LOVE it. (Did I say I love it? Maybe I need to say it once more just in case….LOVE IT!)
March 12th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Here’s a shout out to Cristin and Adam on my blog, thanks again for the template!
http://ricachica81.blogspot.com/2009/03/diy-save-dates.html
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:26 am
Thanks for sharing the template!
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Does anyone have the Luna regular font for this Giving tree save-the-date template?
February 11th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Thank you for the template. It’s perfect for our fall wedding!
February 11th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
I am having a fall wedding, and have been looking for a unique save the date idea! These are stunning, and I may have to use them, thank you for sharing :)
January 29th, 2009 at 8:49 am
We used the template for a fundraising event for my children’s school. It was such a great idea, we could not pass it up. Thanks so much!!!
January 26th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I would really love to use the templates. What a clever idea! Thank you!!!
January 21st, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Ohhh, the nostalgia is flooding back! I used to read this book as a kid! Every child should have a healthy dose of Shel Silverstein! Thank you for your inspiration.
January 17th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Thank you! I will check with Fedex Kinkos, someone told me they have programs you use for a slight fee. If that doesnt work, I will try the 30 day free offer. I appreciate your help and thank you again for the template. It works prefectly with my theme!
January 17th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Hi Krystal, do you have any friends who are graphic designers? They could take this file and make the changes for you because they would likely own Adobe Illustrator. Alternatively, there is a 30-day trial version that you can download at Adobe.com. Be sure to download and install the font too so that it looks OK, and print out all your copies before the 30 days expire. Also, save it as a PDF file in addition to the .AI extension so that you’ll have it in case you need to print more copies after the expiration.
Otherwise, either Cristin or I could update the file for you with your information although we would need to charge for our time. Let me know what you’d like to do and what you’re hoping to change and I can give you a quote. Thanks for visiting, and congratulations!
January 16th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Wow! This is great…not sure when I will use it
January 16th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
I don’t have Illustrator, is their another way. Where I don’t have to buy the program?? Please help.
January 16th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Thank you, thank you. So cute!!!
January 16th, 2009 at 11:21 am
I would absolutely LOVE to use the template for our STD’s. We were JUST talking about creating giving tree themed papers for our wedding. YAY!!!
January 16th, 2009 at 10:26 am
i love this! soo cute! i would like to use this.
January 10th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Great! Cristin and Adam will be thrilled.
January 9th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
I would love to use the templates! Such a cute idea!
January 9th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Lovely!
And I like the font (thanks for the link to dafont.com).
November 7th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I would love to use the template, as a base for my save the dates.
July 29th, 2008 at 8:30 am
No need to use the templates, but I just wanted to tell Cristin and Adam that I LOVE, love, love their Save the Date! It’s so creative and absolutely perfect for ANL!