Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Wedding Wednesdays : The Details : Stationery


Since I recently got hitched, and have all the photos from the big day, I launched a weekly series sharing my favorite images and memories, and a few tips and resources along the way. If you're planning a wedding, make sure to check out "The Credits" at the end. Enjoy!


For better or for worse, I am a highly detail-oriented person. It serves me well in my profession but not always in my personal life. Some may call me “anal.” Not an endearing descriptor, no doubt, but completely accurate if I’m being honest. And that overachieving, Type-A personality side of me definitely made an appearance (reared its ugly head?) during the wedding planning process.

For my big day I was all about the little details. Sometimes to my detriment (and my beloved’s).  (Case in point: I carefully picked out the exact color stain for my father to use on our ceremony arch so that the wood would match our rented chairs. Yep. I’m that girl.)

Looking back I realize that most of our guests probably didn’t notice many of the details I spent hours planning, organizing and, often, over-analyzing. And those details they did notice are likely long forgotten by now. So, do I regret it, executing all those little details?

No. Not one bit.

Forgoing them may have alleviated some stress but, when it was all over, those thoughtfully-considered, deliberately-decided details made me happy. And they made my and GT’s wedding day feel one-of-a-kind—made just for us, by us.


One detail I spent countless hours laboring over was our stationery. As my bestie says, I’m a “paper person.” Unfortunately for my husband, that meant looking at samples and mockups until we went cross-eyed, debating this design versus that, this phrasing versus that… you get the idea. There were several times he unwittingly shot down the design I loved because I innocently asked, “Which do you like?” and his favorites didn’t include my favorite. Oh, the joys of wedding planning.

But in the end I was thrilled with how our stationery pieces turned out, and we received many compliments as well, so I thought I’d share them with you today.


[ Our save the dates, front and back. Though a bit more modern in style, the vibrant colors fit with our engagement photos and the wood grain background was a nod to the rustic wedding we had in mind. ]

While we ordered our save the dates from Wedding Paper Divas, we used Minted to create our wedding invitations suite (and reaped the benefits of free recipient addressing—such a time saver!).

When looking for the perfect invitation, I wanted a design that not only included some if not all of our wedding colors (lavender, sage, peach and blush) but also reflected the casual, organic, slightly boho feel of our wedding. A romantic floral that seemed fresh and fun. Nothing traditional, but I didn’t want to veer too modern either. And our names had to be prominent. These square-shaped Wildflower Crest invitations fit the bill and were a unanimous choice for GT and I. Of our top picks, this design was even my parents’ favorite, which helped seal the deal.


[ I modified the "directions" card to be more of a "details" card, and I changed the RSVP card language to be more youthful and playful. The back of the main invitation card featured a scattered floral print. ]

Since we had a longer ceremony that included readings, handfasting and wine blending ceremonies, and a community vow of support, I decided we needed a program. And since I had a steep discount code (40% off), I ordered paper programs from Wedding Paper Divas.  

After the wedding, we again used WPD to purchase our thank you cards.

[ Our programs were simple, with a soft, sage green watercolor design that didn't look out of place at our outdoor afternoon ceremony. Our thank you cards echoed the colors and floral elements that were part of our big day. ]

Where I cut costs was the menus. With a family-style service, I felt it important that people know what they were eating when the dishes were brought to the table, but I didn’t want to spend money on something that would likely get splattered with food and wine. So I painstakingly stamped and wrote each one by hand. Just days before the wedding. Ha! Trust me, when my hand was cramping I kind of wished I had ordered menus from WPD or Minted. But, in the end, I think my “rustic” handwritten menus were the perfectly imperfect personal touch on our day. Another detail that was worth the effort.


In the coming weeks I’ll share some more wedding day details: décor, signage, florals, favors, desserts… even some awesome Etsy finds! In the meantime, if you missed any previous Wedding Wednesday posts, catch up here:



THE CREDITS

Kraft Paper Cardstock for Menus from Paper Source

PHOTOGRAPHY: heidi-o-photo

1 comment:

  1. I love your invitations! I just think they're so adorable, and even just kind of feel like you! As for menus, I actually included two pages of the program to them. I remember seeing the idea online and thought it was such a clever way to do it, and keep things somewhat simple. But I do love the look of your handwritten menus.

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