New Favor Alert: Personalized Note Card Sets

I saw this idea in Martha Stewart Weddings magazine and had to share it with you all! A stationery lovers perfect favor, personalized note card sets for each guest attending your wedding. Put these note cards at each place setting acting as both place card and favor (I would recommend still having escort cards to escort the guests to the appropriate table). Each correspondence card is 4" by 5.5" in size, using your choice of color for the cardstock and coordinating envelope. Simply tie each bunch, 8 per set, using ribbon, raffia, or twine and tada! My personal idea is to add your personalized wedding monogram on the back of each card for extra wedding flare.

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.

Wedding Tree Guestbooks

I have been admiring this idea from afar for quite some time now... so of course I wanted to share it with you. Wedding tree guestbooks!! This traditional guestbook alternative is a fun and interactive way for your guests to "leave" their mark on your special day (no pun intended). When the day has past, hang this one of a kind piece of art in your home to cherish for the years to come.

There are a couple ways of producing your wedding tree, below are some ideas I came across. Cute, right!?! Of course I would provide the tree print with a custom wedding monogram to match.

The trees above have a multi-color leaf design. These leaves are die-cut from different colored card stocks that have little permanent adhesive glue dots on the back of them (keep paper backing on each glue dot for ease of handling, when guest is ready to hang their signed leaf all they have to do is remove the paper backing and stick it to the tree! Simple as that. Glue dots brand are my recommended dot of choice and can be found at your local craft/office supply store.

 

Above are thumbprint tree designs; guests will stamp their thumbprint using provided ink pads (that won't leave ink on them after washing of hands) on an open tree branch and then sign their name next to it- and ta-da, your tree is complete!  Ink for these "fingerprint" leaves can be found at JoAnn Fabric.

Luminaries...

One of my Brides came to me with a decor idea for her wedding and asked for my help. She wants to put candle lit luminaries down the isle of her wedding ceremony. Gorgeous right! Now, the dilemma for me was to figure out how to give her a custom monogrammed luminary that, A) won't burn the place down, and B) actually have the design show through. Being the DIY girl that I am, I took this project on with open arms, even though I have never made these before, I am certain they will turn out spectacular and be an amazing addition to her wedding.

Check out these different types of luminaries... you can use them for table number signs, simple decor placed around your venue, down the isle, and even at each table in a cluster of different heights for added ambiance! Depending on the type of luminary, whether it's glass or paper you can use standard white tea lights or battery operated tea lights. Wish me luck ladies! Pictures of the finished product to follow...

OBSESSED with these Custom Hangers!!!

When I first saw these I immediately thought.... "Why didn't I have this for my wedding?!?"... and then I thought, I must spread the word. Seriously I'm in love with these adorable and sentimental custom hangers! Check them out for yourself. I linked to a few etsy sites that make them. Talk about the perfect gift to give a Bride-To-Be. This is a must have!

Aressa
Dawns Craft Store
Lilafrances

Wedding Thank You Cards!

Your wedding has come and gone, and it was lovely! Everyone had a blast and you are on cloud nine… Now for the inevitable thank you note task. Of course you are thankful that everyone was able to share in your special day and really thankful for their generosity so do yourself a favor and end it on a good note, a thank you note that is! This is the last point of contact your guests will have from your blessed wedding therefore sincerity and promptness must not be taken lightly. There are many "time lines" out in the world for how long you actually have before you are officially behind and dare I say… On the cusp of being rude!?! I follow my etiquette rules from the one and only, Emily Post… And according to her you have THREE months to get your cards out. I know, I know, I have heard the year rule or even six month rule too… But it just isn't so!

Here are some helpful tips and proper etiquette rules to consider when writing your thank you notes:

• Your thank you note must never be preprinted or typed, it's a personal thank you to that specific guest and therefore needs to be a personal handwritten note. The same rule applies to the envelope, it should be hand written, showing your guests they were special enough for you to take this extra step.

• Simply writing “Thank you for your gift” is considered ill mannered. Each gift must be noted and discussed, even if more than one gift was given. "Thank you for the beautiful crystal vase, it will look lovely when we cut fresh flowers from the garden we plan to start!" This lets the guest know the gift is appreciated and how you look forward to using the gift. If you receive a gift of money, never mention the amount or the words “money,” “cash,” or “check.” “Thank you for your generous gift. It is going towards our savings for a house” is a nice way to acknowledge the monetary gift, and it also lets the guest know the gift will be put to good use.

• Another thing to remember is to thank them for coming to the wedding and sharing in your special day. This will let them know you aren't just thankful for the gifts, but thankful for them being there!

• It’s a good rule of thumb not to start the card with the words, “I,” “me,” “my,” “we,” or “our.” keep as many of these words out of a thank you note as possible.

• Make special note to those that had official responsibilities at your wedding (Bridesmaids, Groomsmen, Readers, etc.) and let them know how thankful you are that they were there to support you in your special day and for all that they did to help it come to fruition.

• For those that want to include a wedding picture in your card, listen to me when I say, do not let that delay the process! I know, you want a cute picture of your wedding day, as did I… If it puts you past your three month deadline I am sorry but you need to move on. Try to ask your photographer if they could at least send you a small handful of formal shots of the two of you to expedite the process.

• Lastly, and most importantly, always always send a thank you card to each and every single person that gave you any sort of gift along the way of your wedding. Before, during, after… They all get one! Even if you are past the three month deadline, or even the fictitious year deadline… Please still send them.

It may seem like a lot to remember and a humongous task to achieve but if you break it down to manageable steps it's really not that bad. I personally had a goal to write 10 notes a day, and I was done in a week and a half! And when you are done make sure to celebrate your accomplishment with your hubby and toast to a new chapter that has been started in your life!


Here are some of my favorite thank you cards:

Back of card above

Christina & Brian - 10.10.09

Christina and Brian's wedding was a fabulous project for me! I was so thankful for them to give me the chance to really get knee deep into the design of their wedding. This is a couple who didn't always know what they wanted, but together we created a vision that kept right in the theme of their fabulous navy and hot pink glamorous wedding! They were married at the Cairnwood Mansion in Bryn Athen, PA. My husband and I were delighted to be invited to this amazing wedding!

The venue is a very "Old World", castle-like, beautiful on it's own sort of place! So when it came to creating a design to fit this look, I knew exactly where to go... SCROLL! Scroll work screams classic and elegance to me, and Christina agreed the first time I showed her a sample of what I had in mind!

Christina and Brian wanted it all from me... it was SO fun! We ended up doing Rehearsal invitations, Wedding ceremony programs, beverage napkins, matches for their cigar bar, and lastly favor labels for their super cute and fun Chinese take out boxes that held custom and hand painted Christmas ornaments for each of their guests. (Talk about being thoughtful!)

They had their invitations done and sent out before they were introduced to my services (that's ok guys!), so we really wanted to keep with the theme and feel of the invite, but also make our pieces "a little more fun"! Between the scroll, hot pink and navy blue we also incorporated a pearl shimmer stock that we used for all stationery. The end result was just gorgeous! For the beverage napkins and matches we did a custom monogram that also ties into their thank you cards. So as you see, no detail was left behind!

All in all, this wedding was a lot of firsts for me, and I will forever be thankful that they put their trust in me to help create this beautiful and fun look for their special day! Thank you Christina and Brian, we had a blast at your wedding! A special thank you to Mike Landis Photography for these awesome pictures below!

Erin & Clint - 10.03.09

Erin & Clint were recently married at the very beautiful Stonebrook Farm in Perkasie, PA. The wedding was a rustic chic theme, with colors of "wine & champagne". I met Erin in September and knew right from that initial meeting that this couple was going to be super fun to work with! We spoke about how they met, and their courtship...I just fell in love with them!

They were interested in my services for their wedding ceremony programs. I looked at their wedding invitation and save the date and thought to marry the two elements together! The style of the program we ended up working with is what I like to call "The Flip-book". This was the perfect style for Erin & Clint who had so much they wanted to say to their very important and special guests. This flip-book consisted of 5 pages, everything from a dedication to an entire page of thank you's. This program was truly unique and beautiful and fit this couple to a "T".

We used a metallic "champagne" card stock, and kept the design on the front page consistent throughout each page. To finish it off we fastened the pages together by using "wine" colored satin ribbon through a small hole in the top left corner.

I was so excited to try this style of program for the first time, and I personally think it's one of my favorites! The photography was done by the wedding photographer, Suzanne Collier Photography.

Congratulations Erin & Clint!

HERE I AM!!!

Wow- my very first blog! For those of you who follow my every move with JW Impressions, you know that this is a very exciting landmark for me. I thought to myself, as I am preparing to launch my official website the first of the year, why not get my blog started a while! So HERE I AM! 

For those that don't know me and what it is I do, here is a little brief overview to catch you up to speed...

JW Impressions specializes in social and corporate stationery. Everything from wedding invites to business cards. Creating a design as unique as your event and your vision is what I strive to do. Perfectionism meets creativity in my world so the possibilities are endless! I like to meet with my clients first to get to know them and the theme of their event. Then I go to town creating different looks and ideas inspired by my client. Once we have found the right theme and design, I can create an entire ensemble based around that theme. Custom and personal stationery will make your event memorable for all attending. It's really the icing on the cake!

So in effort to stay in touch with my family, friends, clients, fans, and well, anyone who cares enough to read this- this is my journey. Let the fun begin and wish me luck!!