Stationary love

We just got a invitation to my cousin's wedding... and it is flippin cool! I had to share asap. The two sides fold in together with this cool square smack dab in the center.

Love that shade of blue and the monogram "T". I might be a little biased... you know, since Tucker was my maiden name for 20 some years of my life. I almost miss it. Until I remember I moved up in the world. From a "Tu" to an "Sc". And then I get over it. Oh, and there happens to be a pretty amazing guy attached to "Sc" as well. ;-)

Anyway, back to the invitation... all of their information was so well displayed without any extra cards or inserts. The accommodations and gift registry on one side...

With the main invitation and reception information on the middle panel. And an adorable engagement picture on the right side. (Note, photo NOT taken by me. Bugs me that I can't give credit to the photographer. I'll find out and update: Photo taken by Milestone Portraits)

Super cute invitation! Might just be my favorite one to date. And I'm super excited to attend their wedding in a little over a month!

Wedding invite

Two. The number of weddings I will attend this year and not photograph. I'm kind of excited. As much as I *love* photographing weddings, it will be a nice change of pace. Just for a couple though. And it's not like they can make me leave my camera at home.

We got an invitation in the mail for the first one, and my obsession with stationary means I have to share! This invite is very traditional. There's a second envelope with metallic purple lining. The invitations themselves were on a beautiful silver card stock. The semi-abstract hearts and design looks like it might be hand drawn.

Additional information included a reception card with details for the party and an RSVP card. The font matched the flowing artwork, and the purple matched the envelope lining.

Doesn't it look very elegant together? Really looking forward to J & A's big day!

Amber and Dan: Wedding invite

Yipee! Dan and Amber's wedding is this weekend. So I figured it was a good time to share their wedding invitation. And because I love me some stationary and invitations.

I blogged their wedding save-the-date awhile back. The wedding invitation follows suit with the unique blend of traditional and modern.

The script font of the W and their names feels very 'old English'. And the two little love birds shilouhettes brings in a little modern feel. This photo is a little too far away to see, but there's a little green heart below the two birds that finishes it off.

I love the contrast of the angled ribbon with the straight edge of the card stock. And I love the fact that they took the extra time to loop the ribbon through so even the back looks 'finished'.

Getting the invitation always makes me even more excited for the wedding. And now it's just a few days away! There's going to be a candy bar - my first. And I'm way excited about it. Not to mention blue glass mason jars and skeleton keys.

Stay tuned - you aren't going to want to miss it!

Amber and Dan: Wedding save-the-date

Here's another paper/font/stationary obsessed post for ya...

This save-the-date for Amber and Dan's wedding is so charming! I got it awhile ago and I've been waiting to post it forever. Now that my sessions have finally slowed down (snow will do that) I have time to post it.

Isn't it cute? I really like the "love birds" theme - but adore the fact that it's subtly implied. In my opinion, a theme shouldn't over shadow the meaning of a wedding. It's a lot like reading a novel - I don't want to be told what happens. I want just enough detail to figure it out on my own.

The combination of elegant scroll and serif fonts is a complementary twist of modern and traditional. Something pretty difficult to pull off well. Too often combining traditional and modern makes something appear disjointed. I think what seamlessly joins the two approaches on Amber and Dan's save-the-date is that the birds are traditionally shaped, but the silhouette smooths them out a little. Which transitions nicely into the branches with the modern touch of using circles and hearts for leaves. Kudos to their designer! Wouldn't surprise me if it was Miss Amber herself.

Like I've said before, save-the-dates and wedding invites give you a glimpse of what to expect on the big day itself. Pretty sure Amber and Dan's wedding is going to be amazing!

DIY Wedding Invites: Part III

A little more wedding invite fun on the blog. This is the last in a three part series where I decided to show you three invitations we received recently. I've gone on and on about my love for all things paper and stationary related in the previous two posts. Since you're all well aware that I'm obsessed... I won't make you hear it again.

Instead we'll skip right to the last invitation - Allison and Terry. They're getting married in October. Their invite is the most formal of the three, again setting the stage for their big day. A gorgeous chocolate brown envelope with a hint of metallic gold started things off right.




Inside was a second envelope - a sign of a more formal invitation - sealed with a gold sticker embossed with their monogram "M".



The invite was printed on a beautiful gold and copper colored paper that reminded me of fall leaves.

The third panel was a pocket that held a card with the important information as well as the RSVP card - both printed in chocolate brown.

I really love personalized weddings when the couple infuse as much of themselves into the day as possible. And it all starts with the invitation. These invites are all so different, and yet absolutely perfect for the couples they're designed to celebrate. I absolutely ADORE it when couples send me the invitation to the wedding I'll be shooting. Not that they're "inviting me" to the wedding necessarily (although that happens frequently too). It gives me a sense of what their big day will be like which allows me to brainstorm photo options.

Do me a favor? Leave me a comment and let me know if you felt these posts were helpful, entertaining, or just plain boring. This way I'll know whether or not I should do stuff like this in the future. -Thanks!

DIY Wedding Invites: Part II

I'm having so much fun sharing wedding invitations with you. This is the second of three. I just heart invitations. So I felt like sharing for several reasons. I know brides are always on the look out for ideas. And since I assume some of you are in fact brides I thought you might appreciate another idea source. And I'll give you my two-cents, just for fun.

Plus, there's a chance some of you out there are obsessed with paper and stationary like I am. In which case, you'll enjoy a little invitation eye candy.

What I love about invitations is how different they are. It's all about making your day a reflection of the couple. And so... here's number two from Kady and Brian. You can't see it in the photo, but the envelope is a really cool metallic silver.


There's isn't a 'traditional' hand made invite. Kady did her creating on the computer instead of cutting, punching, and gluing. Same amount of freedom, just a different method of implementation.

Kady has a strong design background. Matter of fact, she was a designer at a newspaper when we met. She has since taken her design full-time and started her own business called Wishful Thinking Designs. So for all you brides, if you like what you see check out her website!

So needless to say I new their invitation would be focused on graphics rather than the 'scrapbook' approach.

*Note: the RSVP card didn't make it in the photo. It fell out of the envelope, and I didn't see it until after I'd taken the pictures.

The design is simple and very beautiful. The lines are clean and the fonts are classy and elegant. I wouldn't expect anything less from Kady. Not only did they get exactly what they wanted, but they were able to incorporate Kady's passion into the wedding as well.

It's those little things that make the day yours.

DIY Wedding Invites

I have a slight obsession with paper. All the different colors. The different patterns. It goes hand-in-hand with my addiction to pens and markers. And old fashioned letter press. I love the way paper smells. And I enjoy the smooth glide of a good fountain pen or Sharpie marker. Scrapbooking, decorating, and handmade invitations make me swoon.

With a blank sheet of paper and a good pen, the possibilities are endless. Just like photography.

So given my passion for paper, pens, fonts, and printing... I love getting wedding invitations. I love it even more when they're handmade! We got three wedding invitations this week. I was so excited to discover all three of them are made by hand.

Given there might be other paper fanatics, I thought I would share them with you over the next few days. They're all very different, unique to each couple. The first wedding invitation we got is for Bobbier and Adam. If you didn't know them, you would after getting this in the mail.




They (I'm assuming probably Bobbier) even made the envelopes! I didn't think about blogging these until after I opened them. Had I gotten the idea before I would have been more careful about opening them.



Bobbier and Adam love the outdoors and nature. They love hiking, backpacking, camping, and taking their dog Sally anywhere outside. The browns and greens are very natural. As are the stiff textures of the rough brown card stock and the raffia tie.


The green velum added a fun element and a new texture on the inside.

I l.o.v.e. this embossed stamp! I believe it's a hydrangea.

This is a perfect example of why I love invitations. It's one of the best ways to personalize your wedding. And it's the first glimpse your guests will have of what's in store for your big day. Sets the tone if you will. Personally, I think making your own invites gives you the freedom to do exactly what you want. But it's not for everyone.

And after tying over 100 bows for our wedding invitations almost six years ago, I completely understand why buying them is so appealing!

Look for Kady and Brian as well as Allison and Terry's invites coming soon!