Custom Invite Take 2...

**BACK**

Well, it's been a month since my last post. Mainly due to how discouraged I was from this custom invite. After my last post regarding the wedding invitations I was so excited to be working on. I came up with something I was really proud of (the images above and below minus their last names) that seemed to tie all of the required elements together. I sent them the PROOF and got a return email saying "our friend will be doing our invites, thanks for all the help". I was stunned. Rule # 1 when doing business for yourself GET A DEPOSIT!!!!!!
While I was understandably upset after spending upwards of 8 hours working on these, I was left with nothing to compensate for my time. Well, nothing but a great save the date postcard that can be tweaked for anyone- so I guess I was left with sooooomething- but, you know what I mean. I just felt robbed of my hard work and ideas.

**FRONT**

So, fast forward to yesterday- I get a voicemail from the bride-to-be asking if they can "buy the design from me"- get this....for $50!!!! I hadn't heard from them in a month and then she calls wanting my hard work, pretty much for free.
On the invoice that I sent them along with the Proof, I billed them for a $50 Design Fee along with the price it would cost for me to screenprint a two-sided color postcard. While it cost me much more than $50 in time, this seemed fair. The bride called me on it asking why she knew nothing of it from our initial meeting. Because of this, I told her I would waive the $50 Design Fee that is mainly in place to cover my tookus, if it meant having her business. It seemed the right thing to do. Apparently not. After they said their friend would be doing their invites, I assumed that they were going to try to use my design and that I'd just learned a valuable lesson - GET A DEPOSIT! It was my own fault - mostly. I always trust people and think they mean well. So, here is my new dilemma.... The design is already finished (with me making not one copper penny on it)....do I offer to license the design to them for the hourly work that I put into it? Do I take the $50 and run, since it's more than I thought I'd be getting after they'd 86'd me? Do I never return their call because my work and time is better than stooping to $50? I have no clue. For now, I'm sitting on it. Feel free to guide me!!! Hope this wasn't too much ranting!! ;-)