Did you know we’re on Pinterest?! It’s true! We’re addicted. Since we love all things weddings it’s the perfect place for us to soak up new ideas and get inspired.
We want to inspire you too! So pop on over and take a look at all the pretty things we’ve been pinning.
~Dawn
When Kristi started working in our office this spring, we were happy to welcome a new face. But, when we learned that she was engaged and getting married in just a few short months. Well, that was exciting! We love when co-workers get hitched. It’s like our own internal case study. How long is your engagement? Are you sending save the dates? What are your colors? How many bridesmaids? How many showers? And of course…which wedding invitation are you going to choose?! With Kristi’s wedding just a few weeks away, we thought it would be a great time to quiz her on the planning process. So, she took a few minutes away from her busy schedule (calling vendors, chats with mom, hair appointments and oh, that’s right…work) to answer a few of our burning questions.
Kristi and her fiancé, Terry, have been together for eight years (engaged for three!). They met playing softball. Kristi was busy on her cell phone when she should have been playing third base. Terry was attempting to pitch but was confused about why his third basewoman was taking a phone call. A bit of teasing, one wonderful blended family and eight years later, they are ready to say “I do”!
Because Kristi appears to be incredibly calm about her impending nuptials, we had to ask – What’s your wedding planning philosophy?
“My wedding planning philosophy is “it will all work out”. I can’t say that I have loved planning my wedding, but I haven’t hated it either. It has been stressful. We had to get right to work because we didn’t actually book our church and reception hall until February. Since then, we have spent just about every weekend doing some sort of wedding planning and we are determined to keep things as simple as possible and within our budget. We live in a small town and chose the local bakery/deli to do our catering and our wedding cake. The caterer’s mother owns a greenhouse and she is doing our flowers. I highly recommend hiring local for your vendors. It’s nice to have them close by and available if you need to change something. Our reception venue doesn’t have a liquor license so all the alcohol will be provided by us. That was one less vendor we had to hire. Terry’s daughter works for a DJ, so we naturally hired him to DJ the wedding. As you can see, everything has sort of just fallen into place”.
What’s been the best part about planning?
“The best part of planning the wedding has been getting to make the decisions with my fiancé. When we started the process I didn’t think he would get that involved. It turns out I was wrong and I am really glad we have done it together. Plus we had the help of his daughter, Caroline."
What’s been the worst?
“To be honest, there really hasn’t been anything that was too bad. Decorations have been difficult because I’m not a crafty person and I don’t have the vision required to create a pretty reception. I can’t even make my house pretty. Anyways, I had originally wanted mason jar centerpieces, but after ordering our invitations and dresses our affair became a little more formal than originally planned. We couldn’t imagine making centerpieces ourselves and our mothers said they would help pay for a decorator. We met with the decorator for the 1st time 1.5 months before the wedding. Then it took almost 2 weeks to get our estimate back and it was too high. So, we had to meet again. We still ended up spending more money than we wanted, but our reception will be pretty and we don’t have to decorate. Yay!”.
Is there anything you’re nervous about?
“I’m nervous about having too many people respond yes to our wedding. Terry has a really big family and between both of us our guest list was at almost 400 people (children included). Our respond cards were due on 5/21 and we still have over 150 guests that have not replied. We are very upset with our family and friends that have not replied. We would like to finalize the guest list for the caterer and decorator, but now we have to call a whole bunch of people to see if they are coming”.
How do you think you’ll feel when it’s all over and you’re a Mrs.?
“Terry and I have been together a long time. We live together and are raising my son together. The relationship won’t really feel any different. The name change will be interesting and I will be really glad to finally say he is my husband and not just my boyfriend or fiancé. I will be really glad when it’s all said and done because the stress of planning is gone, but I know I will also look back and want to do it all over again. I’m sooo excited!”
We’re excited for Kristi too! We’ll bring more updates from her as her day approaches. 22 days and counting!
~Dawn
Who says wedding invitations need to have four corners?
While dreaming up a line of new invitations for a mid-summer launch, we decided to think outside of the box. Behold - circle wedding invitations...
...and it isn’t just the shape that makes these guys fun and different. They’re all double-sided and feature the trendiest of trends. Feathers, lace, chevron and more! Some even have room for your favorite engagement photo on the flip side.
Stayed tuned for the launch on the site in the next few weeks!
~Dawn
Lavender. Plum. Lilac. Eggplant. Raisin. Ahhh…purple. We love each and every shade and have noticed them popping up on new wedding invitations all season long. It really is the perfect wedding color – feminine but something you can still get your groom on board with. Pretty and soft but also bold and vibrant. Purple flowers, purple dresses, purple chair covers, purple lighting and of course…purple invitations. We decided to head right to the source, April, our product developer, to get the skinny on this trend.
Q: First, we have to know – how exactly DO you predict what the hottest colors of the season are going to be?
April says: I pay close attention to what is going on in fashion and home décor and new colors that are released by Pantone. Typically, if you see a pattern, color or other design element springing up in the fashion industry, it’s going to translate the following year to stationery.
Q: How do you take a trend as general as purple and infuse it into wedding invitations?
April says: Purple is a strong color that can be infused into many themes - floral, backgrounds, watercolor washes or patterns. And of course, it can be combined with other purples or other complimentary colors. When working on hello hip, I developed a color pallet that had many variations of purples and a couple pinks. From there I decided on the styles or patterns to achieve the vivid modern look, which created an entire collection that incorporated several shades of purple.
Q: Let’s say you’re getting married this season. How would you tie purple you’re your wedding?
April says: Ha! Hmmm…I would most likely incorporate purple with the following items - earrings that include amethyst stones, a purple pocket invitation, some of the flowers and possibly some purple lanterns as an accent décor item. I would use the color to tie everything together but not make EVERYTHING purple.
Q: What’s your favorite purple invitation that you’ve developed this season?
April says: Definitely Hip Angles - Berry – Invitation or Hip Chevron - Berry – Invitation
Looking for more ways to tie purple into your wedding? Check out our purple inspiration board on Pinterest!
~Dawn
When some of us think of weddings, we envision the church, the formal gown, the long veil, the tuxedos, the “something blue”, the traditional vows, the cascading flower bouquet, the unity candle, the towering white cake, the father-daughter dance, the getaway with rice flying through the air…
In other words, we’re thinking of the traditions that have made weddings what they are for decades, if not for centuries.
Some of us, when we think of weddings, picture something completely different. Maybe original vows spoken on a tropical beach, just the bride and groom and officiant. Maybe a short cotton dress…worn with cowboy boots. Maybe a weekend bash in Vegas (drive-thru chapel with Elvis officiating, anyone?). Maybe toasting with lemonade in Mason jars. Maybe a brooch or feather bouquet instead of roses.
And that focus would be on the modern personal touches that make today’s wedding so unique.
So how are you going to convey your traditional or modern wedding style to your guests from the get-go? Easy: with the right invitation. The design, the color, the way you print it — all this plays a big part in letting guests know what’s in store for them at your wedding.
Let’s talk traditional invites first. Crisp white or ecru paper, simple embossing, pearl and metallic foils, raised ink and elegant designs all speak of formality and tradition when it comes to invitations. Here are some traditional invitation examples…
Left to right: Tailored Invitation, Splendid Shimmer Invitation, Whimsical Rose Invitation, Shimmering Love Birds Invitation
When you choose bold patterns, photo invitations, custom patterns and unique formats, guests will know that your wedding will be all about your individual style! Check out these modern invites...
Left to right: Hip Roses Invitation, Hip Deco Invitation, Calligraphy Frame Invitation, Fun Frame Invitation
See the difference in mood, tone and style? Now…get defining your version or traditional or modern and you’ll be ready to choose the perfect invitation to set that tone!
~ Dawn
The night before the wedding, once you’ve gone through the ceremony and triple-checked every single detail and verified every vendor’s arrival and had your very last dress fitting…it’ll be time. Time to kick back, relax, soak it all in.
And the way to do that is with a rehearsal dinner that fits your style and your sense of fun. Not so much a going-to-a-restaurant-for-a-sit-down-dinner kind of couple? You’re in luck. These days, just about anything goes for rehearsal dinners! So think about what you and your guests will enjoy and make a plan for a night-before celebration that gets you in perfect spirits for the day-of!
Here are some ideas we came up with for rehearsal dinner themes we’d love. And the cool thing is that we went to the new DIY - Design It Yourself on our site and designed a custom, unique, artistic, one-of-a-kind, original invitation to go with each theme!
1. Take pizza and beer to a whole new level by celebrating your rehearsal dinner not at home around the toaster oven, but at your favorite indie pizzeria. Order up some gourmet pies ahead of time so they’re piping hot and ready when you arrive. Be fearless with the selection – you’ll introduce your guests to your foodie world!
2. For couples who are oenophiles (a.k.a. wine lovers), a local winery is the natural place to celebrate after the wedding rehearsal. Reserve the tasting room for your party and order up or cater in hors d’oeuvres and dinner that complement the wine.
3. Gardeners and nature lovers will love being surrounded by the lush greenery and vivid blossoms of a greenhouse. Set up long tables under the hanging plants and give little favors of seed packets and tiny potted herbs.
4. Your love story oughtta be in pictures. Until the movie is made of your lives, invite your guests over to watch some classic romances on film. Serve a great dinner, and then crank up the projector for a night of Hollywood inspiration.
Other great ideas? Tell us about them! And be sure to introduce your event with a rehearsal dinner invitation you’ve had creative control over – visit our DIY section now!
~ Dawn
You loved our Urban Vintage Boutique for its uptown sentiment. You mixed and matched to your heart’s content with the colorful, fun pieces in our Hello Hip Boutique.
Well, now our new boutique – “Under the Willows” – will have you longing to head to the country for a romantic, rustic wedding! Take a look at this sneak peek we snapped in the design department the other day:
Natural patterns and colors (woodsy and leafy), homespun details (love, love, love the cross stitch hearts!) and elements of surprise (mounted deer heads – LOVE!).
The entire boutique will launch soon – just wait until you see the gingham, the lanterns, the barns…oh my!
~ Dawn
Great shower theme ideas, everyone! But the one that stood out for us was Lynda Katzen’s – it not only goes along with the Disney focus of the wedding, but encompasses a “world of good wishes” as well!
Lynda says:
“My shower is based on my wedding theme, which is Disney. My maid of honor (my daughter) came up with the shower theme and that is Epcot and its countries. The guests have to get something from each one of the countries. Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, USA, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom and Canada. The guests were also asked to get a small kitchen gadget for the wishing well which can be from any of the countries BUT the USA. The decorations consist of all the flags from the counties with the flat wear and glassware as well napkins with the Moroccan color scheme. My shower will take place on October 20th this year.”
Lynda, we’d love to hear about the shower and see photos!. Check your email inbox and we’ll get you set up with your $150 prize — use it toward anything on the Dawn site, from wedding invitations to ceremony accessories and reception accessories to favors and thank you notes!
And thank you to all of our applicants! If you didn't win this time, no worries. We have great deals and giveaways every month. Stop back in, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to stay in the loop for our next big giveaway and deal!
~Dawn
Weddings aren’t the only events that deserve the prettiest, most stylish invitations. Bridal showers are special events, too! And talk about pretty and stylish invitations…the design department has been pouring out new bridal shower invitation designs every week! Check some of them out:
1. Watercolor Orchid Bridal Shower Invitation in Orchid
2. Flourish Frame Bridal Shower Invitation in Teal
3. Modern Poppies Bridal Shower Invitation in Espresso
4. Vintage Wreath Bridal Shower Invitation in Champagne
5. Watercolor Roses Bridal Shower Invitation in Blue
6. Lavish Damask Bridal Shower Invitation in Black
7. Lives Joining Bridal Shower Invitation in Black
8. Loving Hearts Bridal Shower Invitation
9. Starfish Bridal Shower Invitation
We love the trend of tying in the bridal shower invitation with the theme, colors and look of not just the shower but the entire wedding. The bonus here? Each of these bridal shower invitations has a wedding invitation to match!
REMEMBER! Speaking of bridal showers, don’t forget to enter the “Most Creative Bridal Shower Contest” and you could win $150 to spend on wedding invitations, accessories for your ceremony and reception — and more — from Dawn!
Here’s what you need to do to enter:
1. Share your story with us in a comment on this post by Sunday, Aril 29.
2. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@Invites_ByDawn) to find out which creative theme idea we’re loving day by day.
3. We’ll make a final decision on our favorite bridal theme and will announce the lucky winner on Monday, April 30.
Come on – get sharing!
~ Dawn
Gone are the days of stuffy, boring bridal showers where everybody sits around in the church basement with glass luncheon trays balanced on their knees while the bride opens gifts. Nope. Today’s bridal showers are creative, fun and geared to the bride’s personality and the interests of the couple (thank goodness!).
So…here’s what we want to know: has someone thrown you a bridal shower with a great theme? Tell us all about it during our “Most Creative Bridal Shower Contest” and you could win $150 spend on wedding invitations, accessories for your ceremony and reception — and more — from Dawn!
Here’s what you need to do to enter:
1. Share your story with us in a comment on this post by Sunday, April 29.
2. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@Invites_ByDawn) to find out which creative theme idea we’re loving day by day.
3. We’ll make a final decision on our favorite bridal theme and will announce the lucky winner on Monday, April 30.
Come on – get sharing!
~ Dawn
