New & Blue.

I recently was in the Pearl District and saw the sign for the New & Blue Wedding Boutique and decided to check it out. It's cute and girly with lovely blue walls. They have a wide assortment of invitations and cute gift ideas. I met Kristen while I was there and we chatted a bit, I asked her what one of the newest trends was for couples.

She said that Save the Date magnets are very popular. This is a great idea. Let's be honest, your guests can be a bit flaky at times by not rsvping or forgetting to mark your date on their calender. That's why giving them a magnet with your names, date and a web-site link is a great concept. They can put it on their fridge and have it as a daily reminder. Here a few of the designs from their website that I liked.



Kristen said it's really easy to order them. Simply visit their website: www.savethedatemagnet.com and you can quickly find the design you'd like to use and order it from the comfort of your home. Be sure to click on preview before placing your order to make sure you have spelled everything correctly. Then decide if you want matching envelopes and click go!

I also liked that they have designs where you can include a photo from your engagement session to really personalize it. Below are two examples.

Once you visit their site you'll see they have so much more. From fun t-shirts that say "bride" to monogram cake toppers, you'll find ideas to scratch some of the details for your wedding day off your list.

Wedding Websites.

I'm back to posting, took a quick break while I was in Canada photographing a wedding. It was a fun and quick weekend.

Let's chat about websites for your wedding day. So why is it a good idea to put up a site? It's an easy way to share information with all your guests and family. One great feature is the ability to list the addresses and a map link to the ceremony and reception sites.

It's something to use in conjunction with your invites. Since your invites set the tone of the event you'll want to carry over the same colors and style with your website. Be sure to add the link to the website on your invite. This will direct folks to find out about the details such as where you are registered for gifts, stories about how you met, and who is in the wedding party.

One great site is eWedding.com which let's you set it up for free.

Also be sure to check out MyWedding.com where they have matching invites for some of their sites. What a great idea!

Remember that not all your guests may be internet savvy,(grandma & grandpa) so be sure to list the key information on the actual invite.

Invitations.

Your invites really set the stage for the overall feel of your event. From the moment your guests receive them in the mail, they will get a sense of whether your wedding will be fun & carefree, formal, relaxed or a fancy cocktail party.

One easy way to tie everything together is by using your color palette for the font or a graphic element. Take it a step further and add in an image that has importance to the two of you. Examples would be your love of animals-add a deer or rabbit for a rustic touch or how about the skyline of the city you live in-push it up a notch by using a well-known building such as "big pink" in downtown Portland.



Then there is the wording. A typical layout for the text includes: the host line, request line, bride & groom line, date and time lines, location line and reception and RSVP line.

Here's an example:

Mr. & Mrs. Smith request the honor of your presence

to celebrate the union of Lisa Smith to Joe Loomis

                                       at their wedding on Saturday,

           the eighth of March, two thousand and eight.

                                       four o'clock in the afternoon.

                    Grand Ballroom at the Governor Hotel

                                614 Southwest Eleventh Avenue

                                                                  Portland, OR

                                      Dinner and dancing to follow.

You certainly don't have to stick to this format, but remember to get all of the key info onto the cards somewhere-nothing worse than receiving an invite and not having the address to the ceremony site on it! Ask your designer for some other layout options for wording. 

The lovely samples shown here are all letterpress by Lark Press. Click the title above for a link to her website. Letterpress invites are like little pieces of art. 

the latest look in invitations

The National Stationery Show just kicked off the latest releases in wedding invitations! It is "the" show for the industry where designers display their best work and gab with retailers from all across the country. Cielo Blu Studios was there for the 5th year! We saw beautiful work from many designers. The printing techniques varied depending on the budget - but quality of design was present at any price point. The main trend we saw - COLOR in invitations. Solid colors of paper - either sparkling with a metallic finish or a matte cotton paper. The inks were contrasting to the paper colors. Chocolate still remains to be a favorite in paper and ink - combined with robin's egg blue. Plum paper and ink seems to be making a strong play for second! And classic black paper is always modern favorite for weddings. Here are a few of our latest favorites shot by Jasmine Photography!