Friday, February 26, 2010

Save it!

On Monday, I showed you a glare filled sneak peek of our save the date! 

Well, here's the real thing!   I had a little photoshoot with it.
Here's a look at it all together.  I used A Giftful Heart to make the magnet, which I actually designed myself in Microsoft Publisher.  I designed the postcard in Publisher as well, and ordered it through Vistaprint.















Here are the different pieces taken all apart:
The envelopes also came from A Giftful Heart.

Here's what happens when I decide to play with angles!















Here's my input on ordering . . .

Vistaprint is very cheap and they run great deals!  If you're even thinking about doing anything with paper goods, I recommend using them.  Once I got engaged, I immediately signed up for their email alerts.  They have discounts and coupons a few times a week, and being on the list allowed me to pay only shipping for 100 postcards.  I paid a little over $10.00 for the postcard.

The quality might not have been the fanciest and the best, but the postcard was exactly what I needed it to be and I was very happy with it.  Plus, they have fast shipping.  I got these puppies in the mail in about a week.

I really liked using A Giftful Heart.  Their prices were pretty fair and in my opinion, they had the best size magenets that I could find.  The only other options I could find elsewhere for cheaper was 1" x 3" or 4" x 6", which for me was too big and too small.

They have already made designs that you can plug your photo or information into, they also sell postcards to correspond with the magnets and envelopes.  I like to do things difficult, so I bypassed their designs and emailed their customer service to ask if they could use my design.

I got an immediate response and they were willing to work with me.  I felt like their customer service was great, I always heard back from them within a few hours of emailing and they always answered my questions clearly.  I also had an option to see a physical proof of my magnet, which was great.  They sent it priority and when I approved the proof, they immediately went into production.  The final product was also sent priority.

The magnet was great, it had a glossy finish, which I really liked and the envelopes were beautiful.

I was very happy with both companies and I would definitely recommend them to anyone!

What do you think about my save the dates?

Thursday, February 25, 2010

As of Now . . .

In the first few months of getting engaged, I worked really hard to really get my vision for the wedding together and start the process of putting it all together.  I am not a visual person, it's not difficult for me to put images and ideas in my mind and have a good understanding of how they will come together.  But, sometimes it doesn't work.

So, when it comes to the wedding, I am not just trying to rely on my imagination, not when I can find resources that let me see what I have!

So, I took all the items that I have purchased, plan on doing or are in the process of being done and put pictures of them into an inspiration board.



Seeing it all together really does reassure me that my imagination is going to produce something that I am very happy with!  And, as we continue with our wedding planning and add new elements, I'll keep updating my "inpiration board," just to help me see the cohesion of everythign!

What do you think?

P.S. - Made with Mosaic Maker

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Under the Stars

I love this wedding concept that was in Martha Stewart Weddings.  I've always been a fan of stars and moons, and was completely swept away by this idea.

It looks like Martha uses the color and pattern to warm up a stark room, but I kind of like the idea of this decor at a wedding outside and under a white tent.  Kind of a wedding under the stars . . . I'm imaging it with lots of soft pink, peach and cream roses, vintage touches and candlelight!
























Source

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Speaking of Gingham . . .

How about one of these dresses from Modcloth?

I favor the one in the middle, bottom row.

I have a red gingham dress from Modcloth that I am thinking about wearing for our engagement photos, if I get a wardrobe change!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Sneak Peek . . .

What's that in my hand, you might ask?
It's my save the date . . . YES!  Luckily, the glare makes it so that you can't really see what it looks like . . .



















You'll see more on Friday!

PS - That is my "Are we really taking this picture?  Oh God, we really are . . . Fine,  I'll smile but I'm gonna make it look goofy" face.  By that description, you might guess that it was my mom taking it.  Not so much.  It was her friend, B., as my mom cheered her on for subjecting me to this picture.

It's for my scrapbook.

You can probably guess who took this picture (with the binder that M. thought I should get myself):

Friday, February 19, 2010

Weddings That Inspire Me: Part 5

This is the finale of the weddings that I have felt inspired by.  I've saved this one for last, because it's the one I have most recently stumbled upon.  When I found it, I banged my hand to my head and breathed a deep sigh and thought "This is it."  I have had so many ideas that I saw reflected in this wedding.  It gave me confidence about my projects, my thoughts and my execution, because this one was so obviously a success.  I saw that my literary theme wasn't so out there and that it could be done with class.

I am so happy that I found this blog because it made me even more excited about what's to come!

By the way, the luminaries at the end . . . I'm doing those.  I immediately sent them to my mom and she agreed.  Another small project for this summer!

**And I finally have a wedding with a source!**










































Source

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Weddings That Inspired Me: Part 4

When we originally talked about getting married, I was determined to do it in May.  I wanted Daffodils and Tulips and Hyacinth and whatever other spring flowers you can think of.  And since I wanted Daffodils, I wanted my flowers to be yellow.  I was determined . . . . And, obviously that didn't stick, because we're getting married in September.  But, my flowers will still have yellow in them!  I'm still getting my yellow!

I also loved the lush, handmade, personal feel of this wedding.  I also liked the simplistic look of everything.  Nothing was over the top or too in your face.  It was just simple and beautiful.  Plus, who wouldn't like to have a big yellow heart on the side of a building?

**Please pardon my lack of sources. This was before I knew I was going to blog about them. If anyone knows who took these pictures, please let me know so I can give proper credit. **















Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Weddings That Inspire Me: Part 3

I intially wanted our wedding colors to be pink and green.  However, I couldn't quite figure out how to combine those colors without going too preppy and too Lily Pulitzer.  Pulling off that color combination was probably my biggest obstacle, which is why I scrapped it.  It was too much work!

This wedding was the first wedding that I found, that I thought successfully used pink and green without feeling preppy.  Also, it gives off the exact atmosphere that I want . . . Kind of backyard BBQ, casual, yet elegant and classic.  It has a few homemade touches, that really make the wedding feel personal.  I love love love the set-up for the escort cards!

And I never realized how drawn I am to gingham, until I started doing this!  Did you notice that this is the 3rd wedding that injected a little gingham into it?!?

**Please pardon my lack of sources. This was before I knew I was going to blog about them. If anyone knows who took these pictures, please let me know so I can give proper credit. **








Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Weddings That Inspire Me: Part 2

There are a lot of aspects of this wedding that reminds me of yesterday's wedding.  They incorporate some country aspects into the wedding, mainly with the gingham linens, but manage to make it look fresh and chic.  And, they add pops of color.  The combination of pink and orange with the black and white help to make this wedding look modern and fashionable, while still making it look warm and homey.

Oh, and I would be more than happy to take home a Fat Witch brownie as a favor.  This introduced the idea of edible favors to me, and I love it!

**Please pardon my lack of sources. This was before I knew I was going to blog about them. If anyone knows who took these pictures, please let me know so I can give proper credit. **







Monday, February 15, 2010

Weddings That Inspire Me: Part 1

Long before getting engaged, I sifted through different wedding sites and blog, saving anything and everything that inspired me.  Periodically, I would find a wedding that would make me gasp a little bit and say "This is what I want!"

So, I am going to do a little series this week of those weddings that have inspired me. 

The wedding below was one of the first weddings that made me excited.  I love the clean look of the black and white colors.  I love how lush everything looks, lots of greenery, lots of trees . . . It looks like the slipped into a secret garden and set up a wedding.  I also love how the wedding looks country chic, but not cheesy and folky.  And, I really love so much more about it.  I imagine being at this wedding, eating delicious food, drinking delicious wine and just being surrounded with love.  I want my wedding to feel like this.

**Please pardon my lack of sources.  This was before I knew I was going to blog about them.  If anyone knows who took these pictures, please let me know so I can give proper credit. **