About Virginia James Paper Co.

Where are you located?
We are in sunny Southern California. More specifically, Orange County.

How can I contact you?
You can get in touch via our contact form or email us directly.

Who is behind Virginia James Paper Company?
The brains behind the operation is Jessica, a graphic designer with over 15 years of experience. The name comes from Jessica’s family members -- Virginia is her mother who passed away from cancer in 2006 and James is her brother. (Still living! In Long Beach!)

Do you have a shop or studio I can visit?
We don’t have a store-front, which allows us to keep our prices low.

Are your products available in shops?
Our products are currently only available online. If you are interested in adding our cards to your own store, or want to make a recommendation, please email us!

I’m not ready to order yet, but I’d love to get updates from you…
No problem! Join our email list and you’ll get all the updates you desire! (Don’t worry, we don’t spam, we don’t sell our lists, and frankly, we only send email when we have something super cool to share, so your inbox is safe.)


How will my order be shipped?
You precious order will be sent in a padded envelope to ensure it doesn't get hurt along the way. For larger orders, I use a stay-flat envelope for shipping.

Can you ship to post office boxes?

Can you ship internationally?

When will my order be delivered?
I ship orders every Monday. How long it takes to get to you will be dependent on your mail carrier and the shipping option you chose.

Do you offer rush orders?
It depends. Rush orders usually means that someone didn't plan well enough and that usually is a person I don't work well with. I also have a day job, so I may not be available to do a rush project. Drop me an email and we can discuss what you're looking for and your timeline and we can go from there.

Returns & Refunds

Can I return my order?
Of course, though we hope it wouldn't come to that! The product must be in its original packaging and be completely undamaged. This applies only to greeting cards, planners, and art prints. Semi-custom and bespoke design have exceptions to this rule. See below for that.

Semi-Custom Designs

What are my options for the design?
The design is set as the template, but you can customize from there.

Can I customize the colors?
Yes! You can choose any selection of colors you want or we can provide you some color options that we think would also look good.

Can I change the wording?
Of course! When you make the initial order, you receive information about how to customize your template. This includes providing the wording.

Can I change the fonts?
If you don’t care for the typeface I selected (sob!) you may request an alternative, at $30 per piece to update. I will come up with some suggestions from the hundreds I have on file. If you want to select your own font, please note I will not use a font that doesn't best compliment the design or is not allowed for commercial use.

Can I include the guests’ names on each invitation?
Sorry, this is something we just can't do yet. Maybe someday...

Can you match a color?
I can match CMYK or PMS values.

Can I have invitations in another language?
Of course! It's part of the wording customization so if you want a different language, go for it. (Just be sure to triple check the word document you will ultimately send me.)

Can I include a photo?
No, as mentioned earlier we're working from a template so you can get something fast and more budget-friendly. If you want full customization, consider bespoke design.

Can I return my order?
Sorry, no. Custom is in the name, so there isn't really anything I can do with your order once it's produced. If a product arrives damaged, that's a different story. We are happy to replace any items that get manhandled by the postal service.

Bespoke Design

Can we have an in-person consultation?
Absolutely! If I’m in the neighborhood. I'd be happy to meet you in Orange, San Diego or Los Angeles County. Otherwise, Skype is a beautiful thing.

Can you work with my wedding planner?
We love working with wedding planners/stylists to ensure a consistent vision for the day. We offer a 10% discount to jobs handled by your planner, so they get compensated for their time while you don’t have to pay a cent more than retail to have the whole thing taken care of by the pros. Everyone wins!

I have no idea what I want. Help!
That’s okay! We can help you figure out some focus to nail down something you will love.

We’re a little bit, er, different. Are you able to create something that will suit us?
Um, HELL YES! We are all about pushing the boundaries of creativity as well as what people consider “normal.” Bring it on!

We’re a same-sex couple. Can you do invitations for our gay wedding/commitment ceremony?
Of course! We don’t discriminate here and think that people who do, suck.

Do I have to book ahead?
Here’s an old design adage to consider. Choose two: fast, good, or cheap. It works to your benefit to book ahead since printers charge for rush, and so do we, depending on your timing. Plus, the more time you give us, the better the final product!

Bespoke Design Ordering

How far in advance do I need to order?
Technically, etiquette deems that the invites should be sent 6-8 weeks in advance of the wedding. I recommend starting the process at least 4 months from the wedding date. Earlier is even better.

Can you do other printed materials as well as the invitations?
Absolutely! We've done place cards, maps, giant seating charts, and more. Your wish is our command.

Can I order from overseas?
Yes, but you'll be responsible for ensuring you've given yourself enough time for it to get to you. 

What do I need to know before I order?
Your wedding date. Everything else we can discuss. If you have a vision, start capturing photos of things that you like. Or, if you have no idea what you want, that's why I'm here.

How do I order?
Complete our Bespoke Design Quote Form and we'll get in touch! A 50% deposit will be due once we decide we'd like to work together.

How do I send you my wording?
You'll send that to me as a word document. (Be sure to proof thoroughly!)

How do I send you my guest list?
If I am also doing your envelopes, you'll send your guest list in an excel spreadsheet with each field in a separate column (ex. First Name, Last Name, Street Address, City, State, Zip -- each comma starts a new column).

What happens after I order?
Sit back, relax, and let the magic happen.

What if there are more changes after that?
As long as the piece(s) haven't been send to print, we can make changes. You'll sign off that the final design is, in fact, final. If you have more changes after we've completed the final, I charge a $100 fee. If the piece has already been printed, you'll also be responsible for the cost of reprinting.

Can I get a hard-copy proof?
This is a tough one. Printing one-offs of anything is very expensive, but if you insist on needing to see a hard-copy there's a $150 fee to do so.

The invitation looks perfect! What now?
I either send you the digital files to work with a printer of your choice, or I'll send it off to one of my trusted vendors for printing.

What if I need more invitations later?
We can always order more invitations, however there may be a minimum amount (i.e. 10) to do so.

Bespoke Design Pricing

How much does it cost?
Bespoke design fees begin at $350 dollars.

What are your payment terms?
A 50% deposit is due upon booking your order. 

What payment methods do you accept?
Credit cards, cash, and cashier's checks.

What currency do you use?
US Dollars.

Bespoke Printing & Paper

How do you print the invitations?
I work with incredible vendors who produce amazing results. Please remember, the printing cost is not included in the design cost. I can get you a quote from one of my printers so you know what you can expect to pay.

Can I buy the digital files for me to print myself?
Absolutely. The design fee stays the same, but you are more than welcome to use your own printer. If you go this route, you will need to provide exact specifications from your print vendor. Any changes required due to spec errors will incur a $100 fee.

What paper types are available?
We have an assortment of paper types to choose from. When we first meet to discuss your vision, I'll bring samples of the papers we can use.

I’m having an eco-friendly wedding. Can you recommend ‘green’ options for paper?
Save Mother Earth! There are some "green" options for paper, and I'd be happy to design for that type of product, but keep in mind the cost tends to be higher than "regular" paper.

Bespoke Envelopes

Do the invitations come with envelopes?
Yes. Premium envelopes are available at an additional fee.

Do you offer inner and outer envelopes?
Yes. Premium papers are available at an additional fee.

Do you offer envelope liners?
Yes, at an additional fee.

Can you address the envelopes for me?
Yes, at an additional fee.

Can you print the return addresses on the envelopes?
Yes, at an additional fee.

I’m having my envelopes addressed by a calligrapher. How does this affect my order?
You'll need to coordinate the timeline with your calligrapher to determine how much time they'll need and that your order is complete before then.

Bespoke Samples

Can I have a sample customized with my wording or colors?
No, this is the same as a hard-copy proof. See above about that.

Do you have paper samples?
Yes, in our initial meeting I will bring the paper samples. If we're not located in the same area, I'll send them to you with a return envelope so you can send them back.

Bespoke Cancellation & Returns

My circumstances have changed and I no longer require my order. Can I cancel?
We're sorry to hear things didn't work out. If I've already started on your project, you forfeit your deposit. If I haven't, you'll get a full-refund of your deposit.

Can I return my order?
Um, no. Because Bespoke Stationery is meant to be one-of-a-kind, there isn't really anything I can do with your order after it's complete.

Eeeeeek! There’s an error on my invitations!
This is why I specify to double and triple-check everything before we send to print. I'll fix the error for a $50 fee and you'll be responsible to pay for a reprinting. If it was MY fault (i.e. your word document was correct, and I was not), I will fix the error for free and pay for a reprinting.