danielle and mark~the process of designing a custom invitation

the final product assembled in a pocketfold

more ideas and variations....

options and ideas for the bride and groom to choose

i thought it would be good to show the process of a custom wedding invitation. each one has it's own organic process. i love the process...it blesses me with new relationships, and deepens already established ones.

this design:

danielle and my daughter are friends from high school, so this was a fun one to do.

1st step: to meet the couple and listen to their ideas and inspirations.

(mark and danielle wanted to incorporated their theme of "love makes life a paradise" and a clean look)

2nd step: taking the ideas and giving them numerous options and design paths to take.

3rd step: creating a mock up sample for approval

4th: refine design, print and assemble

thank you, danielle and mark it's been a pleasure

love kendall's unique headpiece

i love my daughters beautiful style. her choice of a headpiece for her wedding gives you a feel for what i am talking about. this unique creation was the work of the talented designer/sculptor Beth McGowan. her crowns are all hand made in Madrid, Spain. These designs are created as heirlooms to be passed down through generations.Each piece is cast in sterling silver from designs based on antique lace.
http://lascoronas.com/
beth has featured kendall on her site...check out the rest of her beautiful work:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=80205&id=31339743132&saved#/pages/Las-Coronas-of-Mary-Beth-McGowan/31339743132

photo credit: erik hernandez, look photography
black and white photo of the couple on beth's site courtesy of sisselbyington photography

Napa Wedding Style-meghan & emiliano

some days you really enjoy your work...this is one of those days.

after my computer "died", and men in little white coats took it away to perform a transplant, i felt a bit lost without the creative joy of my computer. not to mention the pressure of work needing to be done. so thank you to the most WONDERFUL computer guys Scott and Tony! (your skills are beautiful!) today i have my computer back and running! wha hoo!

but, back to why i love my work...it is due to the beautiful creative freedom that meghan and emilano gave me in designing their wedding invitations. they are getting married in napa, (sigh!) love napa! so, here is a sneak peak into the design they are going with. the colors are amethyst/natural kraft and fushia.

they are environmentally friendly couple so, to keep paper to a minimum we are doing a self mailer and a postcard response card.

huddleston wedding

the huddleston family has been so much fun to work with. the bride wanted a fresh yet elegant approach to her invitation. i gave her a new approach to the 'damask' artwork that is popular. the couples colors of amethyst and green gave the invitation a unique feel. congratulations ashley and damian!

wedding jones...

who wouldn't love having your own soda for your special day? great ideas for out of town gift bags. check it out:http://www.myjones.com/

protect, defend and love til'....

marie and court are a beautiful couple who both defend and protect as peace officers. so i loved their choice of colors.... navy and silver. clean and crisp and classy was the feel. a small clear crystal was placed on a swirl to add a bit of glam.

(i have such a soft spot in my heart for all those who defend us...shout out to my brother davey and my uncle bino!)

custom leaf silhouette...love it!

today i found another fabulous example of extraordinary from ordinary. jenny leefowler at etsy does these creative and lovely custom portrait silhouettes. check them out:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15192923

what a great wedding gift! get the bride and groom done and have it mounted on a museum board.

happy wednesday everyone!

i am especially excited to have the midweek hump over with, cause "mr. l" comes back soon from visiting our son in australia! whoo hoo!

kristin & dimitri

kristin and dimitri are getting married memorial day weekend! they are such a beautiful couple and are celebrating with a greek orthodox wedding. since kristin was a small child she always loved purple. so of course needed to bring it into her wedding. here is their design.

congratulations meghan and brian

march 7th i had the honor of attending the mcbride wedding, and what a wedding it was! every detail exquisite, rich and full of love and joy. (thank you marsha & meghan for the joy of designing the printed work for this stunning wedding)
when you see all the pics i am sure you will agree....

it is worth your time to check out the beautiful photography, of joe photo who perfectly caught the celebration:
http://www.joephoto.com/BrianMeghan/

(great work joe...it makes me excited to see my own daughters wedding photos by the talented sissel byington and eric hernandez) :)

the fabulous kathy wright and co. were the event designers.

http://www.kathywrightandco.com/index.html

(my favorite was the chocolate garden)

i'm craving cake...

okay, i have to admit i have a weakness for wedding cake. when i saw this fabulous bakery i had to feature them today.

http://vanillabakeshop.com/index.html

going green today

copywritten'"three strands"

thought i would take today to show my favorite green wedding invite.

i enjoy featuring something 'tactile' in invitations. on this invite we celebrated the theme of "a cord of three strands are not easily broken," Ecclesiastes 4:12. a hemp cord wrapped the invite and the response card 'three times'.

happy st. p day!

on a budget? creative fun...

jon and heather save the date

one of the couples i am working with is jon and heather. They are a beautiful couple getting married on the beach in santa barbara. they asked for a romantic, beachy feel, with Burgundy and black. so, this is what i came up with. i loved the photograph. thanks to kim fox at kimfoxphotography.com.

a great weekend...

what a wonderful weekend....

friday... i got to spend the night with 6 dear friends celebrating sweet Krissy's big 5-0 at Sandy's beautiful beach house. laughing...enjoy good wine...walking...healing and celebrating together. (sigh)

saturday... we were blessed to attend the most beautifully designed wedding event. (more details later) i loved doing the printed work for this stunning event. congratulations brian and meghan! (gorgeous couple)

the wedding event coordinator that did the wedding is one of those designer extraordinaries that fully inspire. i love finding these event designers that inspire me. so, until i get photos from the mcbride wedding, i will inspire you all with the work of 'salt harbor designs' i recently discovered their work and thought i would share with you with this inspiration board.

guest book idea i love...

loved this vintage typewriter that was used by wedding guests, in lieu of a traditional guestbook. the couple hung the pages in their home. this definitely falls into the extraordinary from ordinary file. thank you snippet and ink for this inspiration.

Napa Wine Picnic

my dear friend kim will be celebrating her 50th birthday. consistent with her giving nature, she has chosen to make this birthday about "Celebrating a Lifetime of Friendships" I love her thought and theme. she wanted a casual yet tasteful invite to invite her friends to celebrate. i was excited to design this fun invite for her.

good stuff found here...

i am always exploring for great places to purchase unique items that can make weddings or homes a more beautiful experience.

farmhouse wares is such a place. i am featuring this inspiration board of their items. each item made me smile.

check out their site:

http://www.farmhousewares.com/

"tea for two before the i do..."

the brides grandmother collected tea cups from all over the world, which helped to direct the theme and honor the legacy of the family.

the fold out of the "Tea Bag" reveals an actual tea for the invitee to enjoy.

this design was for a tea wedding shower for the beautiful bride-to-be jackie.
i wanted to make the invite whimsical, vintage and romantic.

sigh.....

happy valentines day....

i am inspired by red today.

i celebrate love today.

the love of my 25 year valentine "mr. l"

the love of friends and family

and...."The One" who has shown us all the meaning of true love.

olives oh my!

(click photos to enlarge)

a worthy photographer i would like to feature today is, aaron delesie. thanks to style me pretty i got a good gasp of wow today!


check out the rest of the details:


http://www.delesieblog.com/day-and-max/

who says you have to print on paper

just had to share this...a save-the-date that is silk screened on a vintage hankie. (the guests can bring it to the ceremony to shed a sentimental tear or two) love it. it set the vintage feel for the wedding.

a guests guide to the ceremony...

programs, just another detail that makes the guest feel welcomed and informed of the goings on of the ceremony. each one with a unique flavor that shows the style of the couple.