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Marzipan cake sweet lollipop lemon drops cheesecake brownie cotton candy. Powder powder chocolate bar cupcake soufflé gummi bears ice cream sweet fruitcake. Sweet donut chupa chups bear claw jelly beans jelly beans croissant wafer. Halvah cotton candy chocolate croissant chocolate bar. Cake icing sugar plum muffin brownie I love caramels. Candy canes chocolate bar powder jelly tart gummies applicake candy.
Carrot cake tart I love jelly beans pastry fruitcake brownie toffee. Muffin macaroon tart jelly tart jujubes jelly cheesecake topping. Lemon drops cheesecake powder liquorice I love liquorice sweet macaroon lemon drops. Marshmallow faworki dragée I love liquorice cotton candy gingerbread. Ice cream carrot cake chocolate bar. Gingerbread topping lemon drops I love tart topping.
Jelly I love applicake ice cream sesame snaps cookie sweet roll. I love oat cake I love powder donut chocolate bar I love chocolate bar tiramisu. Applicake icing powder chocolate lemon drops. I love jelly caramels cheesecake. I love gummi bears jujubes gummies I love. I love sweet roll sweet roll sugar plum tart tootsie roll lollipop bear claw marzipan.
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Comments Off on Sample post with image aligned right
by Allison
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Comments Off on Watercolor Cartagena Wedding Invitation
by Allison
Watercolor Cartagena Wedding Invitation at Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa
When one of the stars from the Price is Right contacts you for wedding invitations for her Cartagena wedding in Colombia, you jump up and down! Well, I know I did. It was such a pleasure working with Manuela on her gorgeous Cartagena wedding invitations and wedding day paper. Like many of the brides I work with, she considered every single detail. This is apparent in the photos below from her wedding. Cartagena’s most iconic street is featured in her thank you cards, and is available as an invitation design in the Hand-Painted Weddings shop.
Manuela also wanted to make sure the classic Cartagena street and cathedral was on her wedding invitation. But the main focus of her Cartagena wedding invitation was her wedding venue, the historical showstopper, Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa. With her main wedding color being gold, we splurged for the gold foil lettering on the invitation which really elevated the entire invitation set. Cartagena is a very colorful city in Colombia so I was fortunate enough to get to paint many of the colorful elements in this invitation set.
For Manuela’s wedding day paper, we worked together on her menus, which featured a local Colombian woman with a basket on her head carrying fruits and vegetables from the menu the guests were about to enjoy. The place cards tied in with the Wedding Particular card from the invitation set and featured string light and a soft blue background. String lights hung outside from the cocktail hour location so it was a perfect detail to include. I then worked with one of my friends, Letters by Kristen to do hand calligraphy on all of the place cards in metallic gold ink. These matched the seating arrangement cards we worked together on which hung on top of an antique gold framed mirror for guests to figure out where they were going to sit during the reception. I have to say, it was pretty fun doing the famous Drew Carey’s seating card!
Comments Off on Dreamy Lilly Pulitzer Inspired Wedding invitations
by Allison
This fall wedding was dreamy in every way imaginable. The bride was one of the sweetest, most appreciating people I have ever had the fortune to work with. And she was also one of the most creative brides I worked with. Christina wanted a bold, unique wedding and I was over the moon that I was creating her wedding invitations, wedding day paper and gifts for her.
When we first started gathering inspiration for her invitations, she gave me all sorts of beautiful snippets she had planned for her big day such as her stunning wedding gown, unique bouquet, along with photos of the church she was getting married in. This process is so helpful for me because it gives me a full picture of the day and I love to incorporate pieces from the big day into the paper if it seems fitting.
During the inspiration phase, Christina also mentioned her overall taste. She likes bold designs, no florals, and maybe something inspired by the water since it’s a Virginia Beach wedding, but not too beachy, because it is a late Fall wedding. Oh, and I love Lilly Pulitzer, if that helps. Ding, ding, ding! That little inspiration token became the inspiration for her entire wedding paper designs.
I love doing research. It goes back to my days at college where research would set my designs apart from the class. So, I started researching Lilly Pulitzer‘s patterns and quickly learned that this style was completely in line with my painting style and this would be one of the most stunning invitations I’ve ever created.
I created a water inspired, Lilly Pulitzer inspired pattern with the bride’s colors for the day, magenta, navy and gold, and I love how it came out.
In addition, I painted an abstract painting of the church the couple was getting married in for the ceremony program cover, and the couple loved it so much, that they hired me to recreate it larger as a gift for the pastor that was marrying them.
I hope you have enjoyed hearing my journey working with this lovely couple on their watercolor wedding stationery as well as seen a glimpse of their big day.
If you have any questions on working with me to create your very own custom watercolor wedding invitations, learn more here.
Comments Off on Watercolor Wedding Venue Invitation Artwork
by Allison
Maria and Licinio got married in a historical cathedral, and then celebrated at the stunning Park Savoy Estate in North Jersey this past winter. They decided to have a separate reception card in their invitation suite, which featured the exterior of this beautiful building along with the fountain and lush gardens adorning the entrance of the Park Savoy.
I painted this custom artwork and bordered the painting of the venue with the romantic florals that were to be scattered throughout the wedding from the bouquets to the centerpieces. Focusing the invitation artwork on the beauty of the ceremony venue on the invitation and reception venue on the reception card excited the couple’s guests to the lovely places they would be celebrating this monumental event.
As you can see from yesterday’s and today’s blog post, this wedding was simply gorgeous, but what were the bride’s favorite details and moments at her wedding? I took the opportunity to ask her a couple of months after her wedding, allowing for the event to soak in. Here is what she said.
Allison: “What was your favorite detail at your wedding?” Maria: “Our favorite detail (besides our amazing invitations) is our Portuguese Roosters on our cake.”
Allison: “Favorite moment at your wedding?” Maria: “Our church ceremony and dancing all night!!!!!!”
It was so much fun creating these hand-painted wedding venue inspired invitations with the couple for their special day, and I hope this gives you ideas on how to customize your wedding invitation in a unique and special way. To learn more about Custom Wedding Invitations, click here.
Comments Off on Finding wedding invitation inspiration in decisions you’ve already made
by Allison
Not sure where to look for inspiration for your wedding invitations? Yes, you can look on Pinterest. Yes, you can create a theme such as an Alice in Wonderland wedding theme or Back to School theme. Or, you can use your ceremony and reception location as the artwork for your wedding invitations. This is a great way to not only share a glimpse of what your guests will see come your wedding day, but it will also showcase one of the biggest wedding style decisions you have made….your wedding venue.
Maria and Licinio had a beautiful winter wedding in North Jersey. The bride decided to work with me on creating a separate ceremony and reception card (in English and Portuguese), each showcasing the beautiful wedding venues the couple was getting married in.
When I asked Maria “How did your wedding invitations tie into the look of your wedding?”, she responded “The invitations illustrated our church wedding and reception location perfectly. Our family and friends are still talking about how everything tied in together perfectly.”
Maria and I decided to showcase the wedding venues front and center in the designs and then surround them with paintings of the lush, romantic flowers they had planned for the bouquets and floral arrangements. This added a gorgeous pop of color to the invitations for this winter wedding. To learn more about Custom Wedding Invitations, click here.
Today on the blog, I am sharing the ceremony card along with some photos by Predestined in Love of their stunning ceremony. Tomorrow I will be sharing the reception card along with reception photos of the happy couple. Wedding ceremony location: Our Lady of Fatima Church | Photographer: Predestined in Love | Wedding invitations: Hand-Painted Weddings
I was lucky enough to join my friend at a BHLDN dress appointment in NYC last summer, and let me just say… I’ve never seen such beautiful laces and unique, delicate touches. Every dress was a work of art. BHLDN is truly inspiring to the wedding market.
I’m in love with the lush flowers in the bride’s bouquet….oh, if I were to get married again, I’d have a bouquet just like this.
I’m also swooning of the casual, wispy wedding hair the bride and bridesmaid have with their floral crowns. It is so delicate and effortlessly beautiful. The color of blue in the bridesmaid dress is perfection. It has a hint of earthiness to it, while still be classically blue, which is apparently the most popular color for bridesmaid dresses in the U.S.
I’m still in awe that I was able to contribute to this dreamy wedding in California. I hope it was as inspiring for you as it has been for me!
Comments Off on Dream, ethereal wedding inspiration with effortless, boho touches
by Allison
A dreamy wedding styled shoot which came together in such a magical way. I responded to a request for a wedding stationer on one of the creative entrepreneur Facebook groups I’m on, and was chosen to be a part of this amazing group of vendors organizing a styled shoot in the Oak Forest in California. The wedding shoot took place amongst the most gorgeous, mystical trees with Spanish moss hanging from them. The Spanish moss and the weaving trees were the inspiration for the mystical wedding invitation set I painted and designed. The Mystical Forest wedding invitation is now available in the Hand-Painted Weddings Shop.
The wedding inspiration is full of dreamy light photography featuring ethereal, boho crowns, whimsical flower arrangements full of texture, gold brushed french macarons, and a textured buttercream cake with beloved cake topper. These elements all come together as an effortless, lovely, and nature-inspired wedding look.
Tomorrow I will be sharing more dreamy wedding inspiration focused more on ethereal wedding fashion details.
Comments Off on Rustic, gold foiled wedding at Front and Palmer
by Allison
Jill and Poya were one of my favorite couples from 2015. I met them at last year’s Lovesick Expo and worked closely with them throughout the year on their custom save the dates, custom wedding invitations and wedding day paper. This couple was unique for me because while Jill managed the stationery process, I worked with both the bride and groom during the design. This clearly shows what a great team the two of them make.
Jill and Poya’s wedding in so many ways felt like my own wedding because along with the bride’s mom, the couple DIY’ed a lot of the decorations for their autumn wedding. I could definitely empathize with the amount of work that was to take on. But it is that effort and personal touch that truly made their wedding unique. The warmth exuding from the photos is clearly from love.
Jill and Poya were also my first clients to add gold foil to their wedding invitations, which added a lovely, antique look to the rustic design. Gold foil is so trendy right now, and for good reason—it’s lovely. They were also the first that decided not to add watercolor to their invitation suite (it was on their save the date). In my opinion the meaning of hand-painted can be taken literally or it can be taken as a couple who makes their wedding their own by painting it with love, and that is surely what this couple did.
I was fortunate enough to get the bride to give us some personal behind the scenes of her wedding, which are sprinkled throughout this post. Enjoy!
Allison: How did your wedding invitations tie into the look of your wedding?
Jill:“What Allison designed for us was perfect and just the look we were going for. We wanted something simple, a little rustic, and at the same time a little catchy, and I think Allison achieved all of those objectives with her design. The layering in of gold in particular was somewhat important to us because gold was one of the colors we featured throughout our décor. We were also able to incorporate Allison’s invitation design into the décor – both in our escort cards as well as our table cards. We really liked the consistency and clean feel that created.”
Allison: What was your favorite detail at your wedding?
Jill: “While I was so pleased with everything, I think the venue was my overall favorite aspect of the wedding. It was exactly what we wanted, and we knew that as soon as we saw it! We wanted something rustic, but still classic, and I think Front and Palmer definitely strikes that balance.”
Allison: Favorite moment at your wedding?
Jill: “My now-husband had a wonderful surprise for me – he hopped on stage and played a few songs on his guitar! Not only was seeing him in action such a treat (I generally only hear him playing in our apartment when I am trying to go to sleep!), but seeing everyone dance and sing along was wonderful.”
Comments Off on Build Your Wedding with Authenticity and Love
by Allison
It is the end of the year, and around this time I get really reflective about my life and my business(es). In the wedding world it is easy to get swept up in the beauty of it all, and there are groups of people in the world that actually hate on weddings (and styled shoots for that matter). They argue that it isn’t authentic or real. I’m very intuitive to these concerns and took a moment to reflect on why I’m attracted to the wedding industry, and why I think weddings are authentic and valuable. This is why I’m in the wedding industry…
I believe that weddings are a public display of a couple’s promise to love one another through the ups and downs of life. This is a big deal, and it is why a couple’s wedding is one of the most monumental days of their lives. It is also a joining of one’s closest friends and family members to support the partnership.
Every wedding is different because every couple is different. The things that attract them to each other and the way each person sees the world and has chosen to align with another person in a supportive relationship is unique. This is where my creative juices get flowing, because an artist can help bring these unique aspects of a wedding into a visual story.
Because every couple is different, they have the freedom to display their marriage promises in any way that suits them. They can do this with a handful of close family members and friends in their backyard or along a pier on a beautiful lake. Or they can choose to make it an elaborate affair and invite hundreds of people to celebrate with a multi-course meal in a grand space. There really are numerous options, but the important part is that this couple is choosing to make these promises public, and that friends and family are there to celebrate this courageous moment.
We live in a world with a lot of hate and fear, and I believe it is important to cherish ceremonies and public expressions of love, no matter what form they take place in. This is why I’m attracted to weddings, and why I feel I have something to contribute to them. I will not judge your ideas around your wedding—they are what makes you human and unique. I will encourage you to build your wedding with authenticity and love.
Comments Off on San Diego Wedding Inspiration – Part 4 – Wedding details
by Allison
The natural beauty exuding from Stone Gardens was already outstanding, but then Kara and Taylor incorporated so many personal touches to the decor that really made this wedding special and super inspirational.
There beautiful sweetheart table complete with lit Mr. & Mrs. letter signs and a low bouquet of peonies I’m sure got (even) more splendid as the sun set into night. Behind their sweetheart table they had a sweets table complete with varying cupcakes on adorable cake stands and a little cake with a laser cut Mr. & Mrs. cake topper.
They also had some fantastic artwork displayed throughout their wedding that gave guests a glimpse of how they met as well as some photos of them dating. The bride’s friend illustrated the couple on the guestbook print as characters from the movie “Up”. She also created personalized coloring books for the children’s table!
Speaking of family tie-ins, if you have family and friends offering to help you for your wedding…take them up on it! It is a great way to incorporate personal pieces into your wedding as well as making your entire wedding feel a sense of collaboration and connection.
Another fun detail I hadn’t seen before was the Instagram game that was outlined at each guest’s place setting. This wedding Instagram game outlined specific photos that people can capture with their cell phones and use their wedding hashtag to link it on social media. What a great idea! I’ve seen the wedding hashtags, but I really love how specific ideas were outlined to give guest’s an idea of what kind of photos to capture.
I also love the sparkler table send off with the time specified. That way guest’s that might want to duck out early for the night have a great reason to stay around and are aware of the timing of the sparkler send off.
All in all I am so happy that I was involved with creating this couple’s hand-painted wedding invitations, and was able to share their incredibly personal and inspirational San Diego wedding with you all! In case you missed it, don’t forget to view blog posts featuring the bride’s Favorite Detail, Favorite Moment, and her Thoughts on her Wedding Invitation. Photos by Happy Endings Photo.
Comments Off on San Diego Wedding Inspiration – Part 3 – Wedding invitation
by Allison
Today’s blog post discusses one of the main inspiration aspects I use as an artist for couple’s invitations. To avoid a spoiler alert, I will just go right into my question for the bride…
Allison: “How did your wedding invitations tie into the look of your wedding?”
Kara: “They were a direct reflection of the venue itself, which was so unique and special. I wanted to present something different to my guests that they hadn’t seen before. It was almost a preview of the night to come. Allowing my guests that “sneak peek” seemed to create a sense of growing anticipation.”
A couple’s wedding venue is usually the very first big wedding decision the couple will make together. The wedding venue usually says a lot about the couple’s tastes and interests, so it is a great way to incorporate these personal aspects into the wedding invitation. Using the wedding venue as the art on your custom wedding invitation also sets the scene for your guests and as Kara says creates “a sneak peek” of what to expect on their wedding day.
Kara and Taylor had a lot of beauty from their Stone Gardens Events wedding venue to choose from to feature on her wedding invitation. We decided to use the lake with the palm trees in the background from the first photo below as the feature for the invitation and the bridge with the curving ironwork as the artwork on the RSVP card. I love how the final invitation set was sunny and represented some of the unique beauty of their wedding venue.
Comments Off on San Diego Wedding Inspiration – Part 2 – Favorite Moment
by Allison
In my opinion, the most important thing to remember on your wedding day is to be present to all the special moments. There are so many emotional moments on your wedding day that you will experience on that day only, so it is so important to put aside any of the worries or tiny details that may have taken over your mind leading up to your wedding, and to just be present and soak in the moments. It truly is the most important part. I can’t say it enough…and this is coming from someone who specializes in the details 🙂 This belief is rooted in my favorite question to ask couples after their wedding…
Allison: “Favorite moment at your wedding?”
Kara: “Definitely when my dad handed me off to my husband. It was such a special moment and you could just feel it. I have always been so close with my dad so the “giving away” moment was so special. Lots of memories flashing through my mind as it happened.”
Comments Off on San Diego Wedding Inspiration – Part 1 – Favorite Detail
by Allison
I’ve got a sunny, warm California wedding to share with you this week. Kara and Taylor got married at Stone Gardens in San Diego, California this past June. Kara and I worked closely together on their custom watercolor wedding invitation sets. This wedding is full of lovely wedding inspiration from the pretty blush color palette, unique custom wedding dress, gorgeous florals, to the acute attention to details the couple included in the wedding day.
I really enjoyed working with the bride to paint their wedding invitation based on beauty of the ceremony and reception site, Stone Gardens. I worked from photographs of the location and created the pretty designs below.
I grasped the opportunity to ask a few questions to the bride after her wedding to learn and share what the lasting moments were of their big day. Here is the first question…
Allison: “What was your favorite detail at your wedding? (I’m referring to a physical detail like the cake, your dress, food, etc.)”
Kara: “My favorite detail from the wedding was my bouquet. It was 100% peonies (my favorite flower) and blush pink to match my wedding colors. It was a very exciting treat to end of having them. Since I had a late June wedding, the florist was doubtful that peonies would still be available, so I had a backup of roses and hydrangea. However, the week before the wedding, she surprised me with them. There was a few weeks in June where it had rained a few times and I guess that made the season last a little longer.”
Come back tomorrow to learn the bride’s favorite moment at her wedding.
Comments Off on Alice in Wonderland Wedding featured on ModWedding
by Allison
So happy that the wedding blog, ModWedding is featuring the Alice in Wonderland wedding styled shootHand-Painted Weddings collaborated with a lot of talented, creative vendors in Chicago on earlier this spring. As the article says, this wedding features “enchanting florals, from oversized peony blossoms to layers of moss, were complimented by other natural pieces, such as handcrafted wooden furniture and a naked cake.” These design elements worked really well with the whimsical watercolor designs I did for the wedding day paper and invitation (available in the invitation shop).
I’m super excited to be currently working with a client who is doing a high tea for her wedding and is using this styled shoot as inspiration. This warms my heart because this is the goal of styled shoots….to inspire future engaged couples with ideas they’ve never seen before.
I also love that I was able to collaborate with this styled shoot from afar…this style shoot took place in Chicago. I love these collaborations so much that I’m creating unique artwork for one in California in December and one locally in Philadelphia on Black Friday, so stay tuned on Instagram for behind the scenes glimpses of this unique, creative work.
