In celebration of their 2 year blog-i-vesary, ABCD Designs Bespoke Stationery, Inc. is giving away a completely custom stationery design.  Don’t you love celebrations where YOU get a present?  I do!!  It’s no secret that I love everything Amy touches, so the chance to win a little bit of her design genius is too good to pass up.  Head on over to Pretty Lovely Things for all the details (holy eye candy on that blog!) and good luck!

The wedding guest book has occupied a place in traditional wedding etiquette for as long as anyone can remember.  In bygone years, every guest at a wedding was considered a witness, and their signature was required to demonstrate their approval of the marriage taking place.  Of course today the legal requirements of wedding witnesses have changed but the tradition of the guest book endures, now as a remembrance of the occasion.

I’m not  a fan of those stale looking, satin wrapped guest books.  Sure they serve the purpose of collecting your guests’ signatures but then what? It’s destined to end up in a shoe box at the back of your closet somewhere…something you can’t part with but don’t quite know what to do with.

For a modern alternative, consider a lovely hardcover coffee table book that showcases your wedding location.  Artistically laid out and often with minimal text, photography books offer amble space for guests to leave you and your sweetie messages and well-wishes. Provide guests with an array of Sharpies (hint: include a metallic option to allow for easy writing on pages with dark backgrounds).

A quick search of Amazon will turn up lots of options to consider.  Getting married in a smaller town?  The local library or historical society is a terrific resource for tracking down more obscure, but equally beautiful books.  And best of all, after the wedding you’ll be proud to display this personal memento in your newlywed nest.  A lovely alternative that most certainly WILL NOT end up at the back of your closet!

{Top row:  Outer Banks Edge: A Photographic Portfolio, Charleston: Then and Now}
{Middle row:  Blue Ridge Mountains: America’s First Frontier, Historic Photos of Winston-Salem}
{Bottom row:  Historic Wilmington and The Lower Cape Fear, A History of Hilton Head Island}

Real unique, real genuine, real true to you and nothing but you…real awesome.  That is what today’s post is about.  Maggie & Trevor’s wedding invitations are a testament to what can happen when a couple doesn’t bow to the all powerful “wedding trend of the moment” forces and instead truly embrace everything that makes them unique as a couple.

I can’t pinpoint exactly how or when I found Maggie’s blog Eat, Drink, Marry.  I just know that when I did, I was giddy because:

A.  she was getting married in the Outer Banks as I did

B. she was meticulously chronicling every element of her wedding planning adventure and the “bridal voyeur” in me couldn’t get enough

C. she is a terrifically talented writer and reading her posts were just plain fun

Perhaps my favorite post of the bunch is this one where she shares the birth of the colors, design elements and overall “feel” that would guide all subsequent wedding planning decisions.  Needless to say, I was hooked at this post…I HAD to see how this all came together.

And see we will!!  Today we’re starting with the wedding stationery wardrobe, designed by Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo of ABCD Designs Bespoke Stationery, inc.  Apart from being a ridiculously talented stationery designer, Amy is also a stylist and interior designer.  Her blog “sketchbook” is one of my absolute daily must reads and I’m not ashamed to admit that I have sat in awe over the images of her own NYC loft renovation more than once.

Literally every element of Maggie & Trevor’s election themed invites were true to their vision – from the adorable campaign button style logo to the creative banner messages to the perfectly coordinated paper lining…there is nothing I don’t love about this paper suite.

And of course this post wouldn’t be complete with some yummy close up shots to really showcase the letterpress details.  I wish I’d been invited to this wedding!!!  I just know these felt beautiful in addition to looking beautiful.

You can see more shots of this paper suite as well as follow the inspiring progression of all the pieces on Amy’s blog here.  And please do pop over to her full portfolio for so much stationery goodness, I can’t stand it.

Tomorrow I’ll be sharing Maggie & Trevor’s gorgeous, personal and totally unique wedding that followed this invitation.  There are so many perfect images to choose from, I better get busy!!!

xoxo

Oh my, do I have a treat for you guys today!  I literally sat transfixed for a good minute and a half when I first came across these invitations.  Designed by the über talented bride and groom and expertly letterpressed by the artisans at Studio on Fire, these pieces are a study in personalization.

With the bride’s hometown of Southport, NC selected as the wedding location, groom Cleve and bride Brooke set out to create an invitation that would celebrate the port town’s long established place in seafaring history while staying away from the traditional nautical imagery of anchors, sailor’s knots and seashells.  The two found their inspiration in antique nautical maps filled with intricate typefaces and elaborate woodcut frames.

Armed with this imagery (and some incredible graphic design skills), Cleve created a custom basket weave pattern to frame the invitation and response cards.  A perfectly balanced collection of typefaces and flourishes complimented the design, while the adorable birds and their “chirp” messages added a touch of personality and whimsy.  The result – a decidedly modern interpretation of an incredibly old-world look.

As if I wasn’t already swooning over these, Cleve then pointed out that he had customized the basket weave pattern with a Latin phrase and their wedding date:

Um…ok…almost too much awesomeness for one invitation set.

{Photo credit:  Studio on Fire}

I don’t really know what to say about these invitations other than they are INCREDIBLE.  I am a total lettepress groupie but I can’t remember the last time I saw a design that made such perfect use of the letterpress printing medium.  Huge props to Studio on Fire for expertly printing such an intricate design. The ink coverage and tight registration (told you I was a groupie!) had to have made this challenging, but the result is just exquisite.  Be sure to check out their blog for more letterpress goodness.

I love the idea that Cleve and Brooke collaborated on what I know will be a memento in their family for many years.  For more from this talented duo, take a look at Brooke’s portfolio and Cleve’s portfolio.

So now aren’t you a teensy bit curios what the event that followed these phenomenal invitations looked like?  I know I sure was.  Yay!  We get to see! I’m featuring Cleve and Brooke’s lovely wedding tomorrow.  See you then!

What better way to honor the women who will stand by your side on your big day then with a beautiful, handmade card? Formal little “announcements” like this have become quite fashionable but with today’s bridal party often spread around the country (or world!) and spanning childhood friends, sorority sisters, etc. they are almost a necessity to get everyone on the same page. Sure you could send out a mass email with all the basic, need-to-know information but these women are about to go on one heck of a journey with you! They’ll listen to you gripe about your caterer, debate the “just perfect” combination of colors, plan your showers, not to mention shell out some serious cash for dresses, plane tickets, bachelorette parties, etc. If you’ve been a bridesmaid you know that “etc” part is never ending!

A beautiful hand written note is certainly the least you can do. This one throws in a bit of nostalgia with these adorable paper-chain people we all made as school children. A little handy work with some scissors and construction paper allows you to customize each paper-girl into mini versions of your bridesmaids.  The example showcases an all brunette bridal party but I love the idea of customizing hair lengths and colors to go along with your girls!  An added insert detailing everyone’s names and contact information will be much appreciated by your maid of honor when party coordination comes around.

{Photo credit:  Once Wed If you’re not following that blog, you really need to be!}

Seriously, how cute are these?!  What a great idea from Anna Bond, the creative queen behind Rifle Design.  See more pictures of this project and a step-by-step how to HERE.

Not feeling up to all that cutting/gluing adorableness?  The DIY mavens at Martha Stewart have this handy little template that lets you communicate useful facts like dress style and color along with everyone’s contact information.  Bonus points if you staple on a swatch of dress fabric to allow for trouble free accessory coordination!