Envelope Garnish!

You've spent the time perfecting the invite, the respond card, the accommodations card, etc... now that the inside contents are taken care of, don't forget about the last piece to your ensemble... the envelope! The outside of the envelope is the very FIRST thing your guests will see as a part of your special event. Don't just slap an Avery laser-jet label with your return address printed slightly crooked onto your masterpiece! Take the extra step to wrap up your invite with a pretty little bow.

Below are some ideas of how to add that extra garnish to your invite, super cute huh!?

Return Address Printing: Coordinating fonts and inks stay with the theme of your invite and looks effortless. My personal favorite is to add a motif or monogram on the flap.

Envelope Icing: Truly the icing on the proverbial cake! This new twist on an address label also doubles as a guest address label for the front. Either have these addressed by a calligrapher or pre-printed digitally during the production process of the label itself.

The last idea is the most common but still adorable. Envelope seals: This literally seals your envelope with an adhesive label. Have a monogram or a cute quote printed on it and tada! Your envelope is officially garnished.

Hand Cancelled Invitations

For those of you who are new to this stationery thing, here is your little "learn something new everyday" moment. Hand cancelling an invitation is simply when the post office hand stamps each envelope with a post mark instead of running it through a machine which does this automatically. Why do this you ask? Well, there are several reasons... First a foremost it is an added personal touch for your special event, you put so much tought into the contents inside the envelope why stop there?! A more practical reason is because this takes away the possibility of one of the invites getting ruined running through the machine, which if your invite is overly thick it may have to be hand cancelled anyway. Lastly it eliminates all of the other "not so elegant" marks the postal machine puts all over your envelope.

Yes, I have heard that some post offices may refuse to hand cancel invites upon request, but I have also heard that if you go into your local post office at a slower time that you should have no problem. I'd say it is certainly worth a try, think how they will look to your guests when they receive it in the mail. Just another special added touch that will remind them how lovely and elegant your wedding was or is going to be!

Jessican & Chad - 9.25.10

I had the pleasure of working with this adorable couple, Jessica and Chad. They were so easy going and laid back! They came to me after they fell in love with my own wedding stationery suite, the black, ivory and apple green damask but of course wanted it to be their own with a twist. The wedding was held at the amazing and oh so charming Glen Foerd Mansion! If you haven't seen this venue yet you MUST check it out... I got to visit it recently for a Bridal Expo and was so amazed at it's old world charm, tons of space, and elegance.

Save the Date! They wanted a postcard save the date that incorporated their theme of green damask. They gushed over a latte shimmer stock which we incorporated into the rest of their stationery. Engagement photo by Suzanne Collier Photography.

When it came time to design their invites, we found a way to give new life to this green damask design, of course printed on the lovely latte shimmer stock. I think I may love it more then my own invite ;) All of the printing for the invite was done in raised thermography too.

The last element I did for their wedding was this awesome seating chart! This was my first go-round on a seating chart and if I must say so myself, I think it turned out awesome! As you can see the damask design is incorporated as a border with their monogram placed front and center.

Congrats to Jessica and Chad! Talk about a beautiful couple inside and out.

Open House with Conner Catering at the Merion Tribute House!!!

I had the pleasure of attending an open house hosted by Conner Catering and the Merion Tribute House last week! They asked me to provide all of the menus, table numbers signs, and several other little paper treats for their guests to enjoy throughout the evening. Of course I accepted their invite and jumped into the project head first!

Their open house consisted of a cocktail hour for guests to mingle around the venue tasting several of their scrumptious hors d'oeuvres while asking any event related questions they may have for either Conner Catering or Merion Tribute House. Oh yes, I was there too! I was able to meet several Brides and Grooms and hear all about their wedding plans. I had my own display set up in their notoriously known stone vaulted two story ceiling foyer. Guests were able to look at my recent work up close and personal and ask any questions they may have for me.

In the Legion Room they had several cocktail tables for guests to stand at next to their "oh so tasty" martini bar. Both fireplaces were lit which gave the entire evening a cozy and elegant feel. After cocktails and hors d'oeuvres guests were invited into the ballroom for their three course dinner. Each table had a different theme to which I added to with custom designed menus and table number signs. After they scraped the very last crumb of chocolate cake accompanied with chocolate drizzled pomegranate sorbet they were able to leave at their leisure or stay to discuss more questions with the hosts.

All in all it was a lovely evening and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the couples that attended while catching up with Conner Catering and the Merion Tribute House! Here are some pictures from the custom stationery I provided, enjoy. All floral designs were provided by Fresh Designs Florist. (Stationery design (C) JW Impressions 2010)