The Literature Wedding Invitation is perfect for a couple getting married in a library, or for the couple who is in love with reading. I love when couples choose to bring their hobbies and loves into their wedding. A wonderful way to personalize your wedding is through your wedding paper starting with the invitation and continuing through wedding day paper such as ceremony programs, menus, escort cards, table numbers. Later this week I will be sharing more literature themed wedding inspiration.
Please note that the statue busts in this invitation can be male and male, or female and female upon request.
The Butterfly Favor Tags are the perfect addition to nature inspired favors. The tags get customized with the couple’s names and wedding day. The Butterfly wedding theme is perfect for the DIY bride who could choose to make favors of mini potted plants or vases with flowers. The mini potted plant favor is a very “green” and eco friendly idea. I also really like the idea of giving guests a succulent or air plant in a terrarium for their favor, as these are easy plants to take care of, and last much longer than cut flowers. Placed on a windowsill by direct light, this favor is sure to bring a smile to your friends and family’s faces for a long time to come.
Also, as I researched unique favors to share with you I found a cute edible favor …no bake cake potted flowers. I know most guests appreciate edible favors because they had just been dancing and celebrating and enjoy a snack as they head home for the night. This is a great way to keep a nature-inspired butterfly theme. It also reminds me of all those fond memories when I was a kid eating the ever clever dirt and worms. I also think butterflies would be a nice touch to the flowers in the mini cake pots, in order to bring the theme more into the Butterfly Wedding.
Butterflies can easily be incorporated into almost every details of your wedding, or it can just be an accent scattered amongst a few wedding details. They are very versatile and easy to shop for on Etsy. A lot of inspiration on the web for butterfly weddings conjures up a bit of a children’s birthday party look, so be careful when styling your wedding with butterflies.
From my research, it looks like there are two strong directions you can go with your butterfly wedding. You can either go with the DIY look and have brightly colored, whimsical, hand cut paper butterflies as seen in the top image (above).
The second direction is to go realistic with your butterfly accents and go with earth toned or bright colored butterflies. I always think about butterflies as a summer detail, but was happy to find some really beautiful fall inspiration with accents of butterflies. The warm coloring of many butterflies lends itself to a fall wedding color palette.
Sources (Top to bottom; Left to right): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
This pursed lips bride is all about the accessories, while wearing a simple (and comfortable) drop waist wedding dress. I was definitely inspired by Daisy from Great Gatsby with this illustration, I have to admit. I just love the blonde bob haircut along with the large, pink hair fascinator, which matches the bride’s belt and shoes peeping out from under her dress.
I think a vintage wedding is a lot of fun! There are loads of inspiration in doing an era themed wedding. And let’s admit it, there is something surreal about your wedding day, so why not conjure up another decade for your theme and be playful. One of the things I like to encourage brides to remember for their wedding is lightness. It is so easy to get bogged down with all the heavy decisions along the wedding planning process, so I try to remind couples that it is a celebration and a bit of whimsy is sometimes just the thing to get the focus back on the most important aspect of the wedding…joy.
What is so unique about this inspiration board is its soft take on the vintage Art Deco theme. Oftentimes this vintage wedding theme’s sister theme, “the Great Gatsby wedding” is full of high contrasted white and black combinations with geometric Art Deco patterns and strong edges. This inspiration is very different than that aesthetic. It is feminine and whimsical and flows with the grace inspired by the delicate ostrich feathers. A neutral palette along with a heavy amount of lilac or lavender details also set this vintage wedding inspiration apart. I love how the wisteria (photo top right) and the purple feathers work together in this wedding inspiration board.
Soft feathers are so easy to intermingle into the design elements of your wedding. They look lovely in hair fascinators, as accents in a belt or band, and as accents on a small purse or clutch. They bring a unique touch to centerpieces and bouquets amongst flowers as well as a cake topper.
Image Resources – Top to bottom (left to right): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Inspired by the elegance and glamour of the 1920s era, this vintage purple feather invitation features soft lilac ostrich feathers in the background. The typography in this invitation set is inspired by the Art Deco era.
I’m excited to offer this glamorous watercolor wedding invitation in the Hand-Painted Weddings shop. I think the Great Gatsby wedding trend is timeless, and maybe not as popular as it was when the Leo film was launched, but I think that is a good thing (because you’ll be more unique if you go with this theme for your wedding). Ostrich feathers are dreamy and dramatic. Purple is also still such a popular wedding color, and I love how the feathers are portrayed in the watercolor with their graceful brush strokes.
Throughout the remainder of the week, I will be sharing with you an inspiration board for a vintage 1920s wedding theme, as well as a special bridal portrait inspired by the Vintage Purple Feather Invitation.
Comments Off on Real Wedding: Megan and Mike’s Unique Bucket List Themed Wedding
by Allison
I am so excited to share a glimpse of Megan and Mike’s gorgeous wedding at the Phoenixville Foundry, right outside of Philadelphia. This wedding is chockfull of inspiration and pretty, little details that I’m sure you will find inspiring if you are planning your wedding.
Megan and I went to college together and were sorority sisters, so I was lucky enough to be a guest at Megan and Mike’s beautiful wedding, as well as create their invitations and escort cards.
Megan is a yogi (girl after my own heart), health coach, and the blogger behind Simple.Savvy.Self, so a natural, organic look flowed throughout their wedding. The couple also incorporated a unique bucket list theme to their wedding because of their engagement story. Mike proposed to Megan as they planned their bucket lists, and of course, romantically spending their lives together was top of their lists. The bucket with M&M for their initials adorned their invitations.
As avid travelers (they went to Cape Town, South Africa for their honeymoon!!), travel locations were very much on their bucket list, and intermingled in the details of their wedding. I love love love how they found this vintage map mural to take a wedding photo in front of! To keep with the theme, they also had travel postcards and a suitcase at their guest book station, so that guests could write little tips on each postcard and place it in the suitcase.
Megan is also one of my more fashionable friends, and I can’t get enough of how beautiful her dress and super fun green shoes were!
Comments Off on Vow Renewal Invitation set based on the Cinderella Invitation
by Allison
Customized projects come in all shapes and sizes. This one was a variation on the Cinderella Invitation set in Hand-Painted Weddings Shop. This invitation was for a happy couple who was going to have their vow renewal in magical Disneyland. The colors in this invitation changed from light blues to pinks, and the cards were printed on a pearlescent paper giving it a very ethereal shimmer. The outer envelope was also a beautiful pearlescent envelope to match. I love how this invitation came out!
Comments Off on Two Wedding Locations, Two Outfits
by Allison
A creative way to change up the wedding look is to have a different gown for the ceremony and the reception. Especially with so many cute short wedding dresses, I understand the desire to have two gowns!
Since both of the wedding buildings for this photoshoot had very different looks, two attire looks was a great idea to separate the two celebrations. As I wrote on Monday, the Historic Landmark Building at the Pennsylvania of Fine Arts is ornate, historic and warm with many brass details while the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building is modern with large windows and clean white sweeping walls.
While I know that two gowns might not be in your budget, it does add a really fun element to your wedding. Imagine entering your reception with this sweet short dress just in time to break out the moves on the dance floor!
This photo of the couple sharing a quiet together moment resonated with me today. The craze of the pre-holiday rush is very similar to the wedding day rush.
One of the most heard pieces of advice I hear (and give myself) to couples on their wedding day is to really be present and enjoy every moment of the day. Time can fly if you don’t soak in every morsel of sensation, and there are a lot during your wedding day.
While your wedding day schedule might not allow, try to get away with your partner even for 2 minutes for a bear hug, or as seen above, to contemplate a painting, because it truly is a monumental day for the two of you, and you really need to set an intention of observation or the day will sweep you away.
Comments Off on Fourth of July Styled Shoot on 100 Layer Cake!
by Allison
What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than to have a wedding! Well, a couple of months back I was lucky enough to be involved in Styled Shoot that was themed around the Fourth of July in the most appropriate place, the Independence Visitor Center in Philadelphia. The venue is right across the street from the Constitution Center and the Liberty Bell!
I am so excited to announce that this shoot was featured on 100 Layer Cake, wedding blog extraordinaire! It is such an honor to be on 100 Layer Cake. I remember when I first heard about 100 Layer Cake; I was on the original mailing list announcing its launch.
This photoshoot was a lot of fun. It gave me the opportunity to design all of the paper elements of a wedding from invitations to table numbers to escort cards to menus to dessert table signs and signature drink signs. The fun challenge about working with a couple on all the paper elements of a wedding is that the graphics become part of a more robust theme which grows and develops throughout the varying pieces. For instance, the red and blue color palette as well as the font choices in these pieces are consistent but the graphics vary from windy ribbons, to straight, uneven ribbons to cherries and stars and sparklers.
I was so lucky to get the opportunity to work with some wonderful, talented, local wedding vendors on this shoot. I recommend all of them! All of there information is below.
Yellow…the sunniest of colors! I’m always drawn to yellow flowers because they are just so cheerful! The Flower Vine wedding is a mix of sunny yellows and cheerful flowers with a hint of vintage charm.
This year is the perfect year to have a Flower Vine wedding because decorative flower patterns are so in trend right now. Wouldn’t surprise me if this trend makes its way into 2014 as well because it is such a joyful style!
The Flower Vine wedding features organic, loosely styled flower arrangements on reception tables, ceremony chairs, and quite frankly adorning any and every surface possible.
This curated garden wedding features plants and flowers in their natural form. Using potted plants is a wonderful way to have a “green” wedding because the plants last much longer than cut flowers.
You can choose to use the potted plants as favors for your guests or bring them home to embellish your garden after your wedding. I love the symbolism and remembrance of planting flowers from someone’s wedding into your garden. The flowers grow; the friendship grows; the couple’s budding relationship grows.
Another popular option for garden wedding favors is custom-made seed packets. The last wedding I attended I received a pretty little box with two tulip bulbs inside.
I hope this inspiration board has opened your eyes to using potted plants in your reception decor. It is a unique twist on classic cut flower bouquet centerpieces.
I have definitely been bit by the garden bug lately…figuratively speaking. Gardening is such a rewarding hobby. You plant seeds or seedlings, tend them, and watch them grow. Sometimes they make their way into a savory dish. Sometimes they make their way in a vase decorating your home. Sometimes they are so special that they are inspiration for a painting…or even an invitation!
If you are a longtime follower of this blog, you may recognize this painting of my chives plant. It was painted almost a year ago and was featured on one of my first blog posts, Inspired by Spring.
It took nearly a year for the Roots Invitation to grow, but here it is! Roots are a lovely analogy to relationships. With support and care, the relationship grows larger and stronger, while the roots carry on supporting the connection. The Roots invitation is a wonderful choice for a couple who is celebrating their special day in a garden, or with many organic, nature-inspired decor.
A hand-painted ikat wedding is feminine and fun. It is loose and cheerful. Perfect for a spring or summer wedding, but could easily translate into fall with a few color palette adjustments.
The ikat wedding feels at home outdoors or on the beach. Textures and patterns allow for a wide range of decorative elements. They mesh well with solids creating an environment that isn’t stuffy and has a nice unique, human touch.
Comments Off on Cinderella Inspired Photo Shoot -Part 1
by Allison
Once upon a time (aka a few months ago), I was fortunate to be asked to join a few other talented wedding professionals on a styled Modern Cinderella photo shoot. The chance to work with other talent on a purely creative photo shoot is one of the reasons I love this industry. There is such a beautiful sense of camaraderie in working together to create art. The different styles and viewpoints each artist brings together truly create a masterpiece.
I provided the invitation, menu, table number and escort cards. Today’s post features the overall whimsical aesthetic of this shoot, along with some of the beautiful Cinderella themed details Krista came up with, such as the white pumpkin, the paper crown, the spool of thread, and of course, this gorgeous pale blue gown. I love how all of the light blues come together into this dreamy masterpiece.
This photo shoot was featured on the blog Bridal Musings, who put together a gorgeous post that you simply must check out to see more photos!
Also, in tomorrow’s post I will be featuring the Cinderella inspired tablescape details. See you here tomorrow!
Comments Off on In the Studio: Cinderella Invitation
by Allison
Lately I have been on a “Once Upon A Time” kick. You know…the ABC tv series about all the fairytales that succumb a curse and are sent to the real world. I am loving this show; watching a few episodes daily!
In the spirit of this show is this invitation I designed a few months ago in conjunction with a creative collaboration with a few other talented wedding vendors (more on that later in the week).
The hand-painted Cinderella Invitation would be perfect for the couple who adores this tv series or has a fondness for the timeless, whimsical fairytales of our childhoods.
