Postage Stamp Anniversary

Sending and receiving snail mail is one of my favorite things. It's no secret that I get giddy every time I check the mail. Don't judge. While I'm busy addressing all of our moving announcements today, what an opportune time to share a fun fact about the mail! Today in 1869, postage stamps with images were first issued.

Don't forget to use higher value stamps on wedding suites (to account for weight) or square cards (for special handling)

Our moving announcements are super duper cute, and I can't wait to share them once they have been received!

Engagement Party: The Invites

{mom and dad working on the invites}

You've already seen the design for our engagement party (by Amanda of Customized Stationary). But I never showed you the details- and I know you all love details! My sweet mom and aunt went to Paper-Source to find envelopes that matched the blue just right- white wouldn't cut it for these invites! The saleslady at Paper-Source had the great idea to emboss the envelopes with a gorgeous silver glitter snowflake. We used a blue glitter pen for the calligraphy, which my mom did herself (milky pen flashback from 7th grade anyone?). The results were fantastic!Mom hard at work with the glitter

All lined up and ready to mail!

Cobalt Inspiration

I'm very stuck on this cobalt color. It makes my heart sing. My lovely bridesmaids will be sporting cobalt dresses with gold accessories- I'm getting excited just thinking about it! Since the color is so specific, it's hard to find inspiration.

This wedding definitely has the blue I'm looking for. And while we're going for a cobalt, teal, royal, gold type of combo, this couple rocked their theme- right down to the bride's shoes! I love it!{all images are from Style Me Pretty}

My Starting Lineup: Part II

In my last post I wrote about how I met each bridesmaid, and how special they all are to me. Today I'll show you how I asked them to be a part of our very special day.

Being a bridesmaid is an important (and expensive!) undertaking. I wanted to ask these girls in a way that was special, and indicative of the wedding that they'll be participating in. Originally, I had lots of crafty and cute ideas- thanks to sites like Weddingbee. Turns out I still suck at arts & crafts, just like when I was kicked out of art class at Michael's in elementary school. It's still a sensitive topic. Nonetheless, I wanted to do something to show these ladies how much I cared about them- and how honored we'd be if they would accept to being in our wedding party.

All pictures are credited to Mr. SE. As you can see, I like to have my crafty supplies spread out so I can see them all in their beautiful glory of craftiness.

The outside of each card displayed each bridesmaid's name in my favorite font of all time- Monterey (or Feel Script if you want to pay $99). I used scrapbooking paper in shades of blue and green to make envelope liners to spruce up the plain white envelopes. Upon opening the card, the message is plain and clear. It read "Will you be my maid of honor/matron of honor/bridesmaid?". Below the main question, I gave each girl some facts about the big day. I listed the date and location, and hinted to the required attire. I use the word required loosely because the girls are pretty much choosing their own look. The attire blurb reads "Blue cocktail dresses in a style that makes you feel pretty (designer not yet chosen). And yes, you can pick your own gold shoes!" Having been a bridesmaid twice before, I appreciate being able to choose my shoes, accessories, or dress style.Here they are, ready to be mailed!
You can see the different envelope liners better in this picture. All girls graciously accepted, and I couldn't be happier with how the "bridesmaid proposals" worked out. How did you ask your bridesmaids? Did you get ideas from other blogs, or did you make something up on your own?

Next time I'll share the look that my beautiful bridesmaids will be sporting on August 14th!

Save The Date Inspiration

Love these STD's from A Lasso'd Moon via their Etsy site. It has that kinda-Nashville, kinda-glam look that we're going for. I'd love to see this in our colors. What are our official colors? Oh you'll just have to wait and see... The tell-all post of reception venue and color palette is coming soon. Get excited!

Printable Press: Oh My Amazing!

These invitations are blowing me away! It's exactly the kind of feel I want for our wedding: somewhat formal (but it's during the day), so with a touch of whimsy to even things out. The prices at Printable Press are fantastic: you can print them yourself or use an online/local printer. It's DIY for the DIY-challenged. What do you think? Would you be excited to attend this wedding?

Float Paperie

Everything about Float Paperie makes me giddy inside! Their designs are slightly vintage, somewhat whimsy, and 100% chic. I'm obsessed! All of these save the date's are definite contenders. Even better? The top two designs are from their exclusive line for Minted.com. Beautiful stationery at a bargain price- I think so! Visit their website for more delicious eye candy.

Maps, Maps, Maps

{formal}

I was first introduced to the idea of maps and weddings by the lovely Laura Hooper. Seriously, who doesn't love her work?!? She takes something simple like a map, and turns it into an absolute work of art. Here's another company I recently came across in my search for fun wedding maps. This will definitely be an option for us, as we'll be having our wedding ceremony and reception at two different locations.

Ideally, we'd like the ability to have everyone walk from the ceremony to reception, so a guided "foot tour" of Nashville would be especially fun! Are you planning on using maps? I've also thought about making them myself- has anyone tried that?{fun}

An Intimate Reception, Cute Invite, and Classy Hurricanes

Here's a couple things I stumbled on during the week...

Love this reception picture from The Perfect Palette. The whole affair looks so intimate, carefree, and effortlessly chic. I'm picturing an upscale picnic theme; complete with french bread sandwiches, a large fruit bowl, and several pasta salads. Definitely the kind of event I'd like to attend!

This coaster slash invite from Greer Chicago is absolutely too cute! I'd love to receive one of these in the mail, stashed in a bright pink envelope. This would be great for any type of female get-together: bachelorette, bridal shower, birthday party, "just because" girl's night.

This last find is from a ridiculously amazing floral blog. If you haven't visited before, please take a looksie at The Treasured Petal. Their work is amazing and oozes inspiration for any type of wedding. I'm in love with the hurricaine pictured above. The bride and groom chose to have their favorite book excerpts or poems transferred onto the glass- what an ingenious idea. The light cast was so soft and glowing!

My Favorite Things

Taking a cue from my girl Oprah, I've decided to showcase a couple of my favorite things right now. I'm in love with this Clean Start kit from Dermaloigca. I was on two pills and two prescription face creams for the past six months. Before graduation I was so stressed (read: breakouts) and needed to try something else. I picked this up with my Zeno (post) and this kit has seriously changed my skin. The wash and spray are amazing! The lotion keeps my skin nourished but not greasy, and the mask is a great way to do a weekly freshen-up!This couples' logo from Betsy White is so simple and whimsical. I would plaster this little beauty on napkins, invites, STDs, favors, ice sculpture? Okay, maybe ice sculpture was over the top. But seriously, I love this logo. Lastly, I'm obsessed with bridesmaids' dresses reflecting their own style. It's great how each of these girls (style me pretty) has their hair and dress different than each other, while staying with the brides' color palette. Also- if the maids pick their dresses they're more likely to wear them again. What's your opinion on bridesmaids wearing different styles?

Crafty Wrap-Up

Here's the final product from my moving announcement project. The inspiration announcement is above (Wedding Paper Divas, I think). I decided to cut out the outline and affix a pretty ribbon through the loophole. For family making the journey to NC for graduation, I'll be putting these inside their Elon Tervis tumbler. I think they turned out pretty spankin cute! PS- 11 DAYS UNTIL GRADUATION!!!!!

Hobby Lobby Purchases

I lied. I was supposed to only "window shop" on this initial trip to Hobby Lobby. But we all know how that goes. Here's a recap of what I picked up.

1. Graduation scrapbooking stickers: I'm like a 8 year old when it comes to stickers- I love them!2. Merci stamp: all stamps were 50% off; I'll use this one on my graduation thank you notes3. Key holder for Chez Mr. and Mrs. SE

Invites from KEG Design

This invitation suite is to die for! Kelly, of KEG Design, created these for her own 2009 wedding. Check out more lovelies on her blog and website.

Play Date Cards: Part II

A couple weeks ago I blogged about the cute Mommy calling cards that I saw in Better Homes and Gardens. Well, today I was back at the spa and made sure to check where they are from. The "Play Date Cards" are made by the ultra fabulous Felix Doolittle. Seriously, I don't even have children yet and I want a set of these! There are a ton of designs to choose from. This would be a great Mother's Day gift for the mom of a young child. A+

Moving Announcements: My Attempt

Okay friends, here's my attempt at the moving announcement. What do you think? I'm no graphic designer, but I tried to make it look similar to the original. The information has been changed for obvious reasons, but this is the basic look. I'm still trying to figure out how to make the loop for the key. Maybe I'll just draw that in. How do you think I did?

Moving Announcements

So I'm thinking about giving change of address announcements to my friends and family. These are from Wedding Paper Divas and they're so super duper cute! BUT being the thrifty chica that I am, I think I can try and make them myself. I've got a font just like the one used (Monterey). I'll try and mess around in PowerPoint tomorrow and see what I come up with. Wish me luck!

Ashley Brooke Designs Giveaway

Okay readers, you're going to love this one! Mrs. Newlywed (love her blog) is having a contest to win a custom design by Ashley Brooke. Her work is amazing and this would be such a fantastic prize to win! If I were to win I'd have a note card made w/a picture of Mr. SE, myself, and Duffie (like the card below). It'd be super cute for sure!

Printable Press

Holy Smokes!! Just found this invite suite on Printable Press, via Snippet & Ink. Their business idea is the bomb diggity! The best part? They design it and you print them yourself. Budget? I think so. Check out more lovely invites here.

Letterpress Lovelies

Mr. SE is busy watching the Hawks/Heat game, so I can make a quick post. How cute are these letterpress cards from Things Are Better With a Parrott. I can't remember how I stumbled on her site, chalk it up to a gazillion hours on the internet, but I'm in love. Sarah makes custom letterpress stationery and invitations. Her blog is updated a lot, and of course she has an Etsy site. Enjoy!

On another note, Mr. SE gave me another birthday/anniversary gift last night. We're going to cooking school again! He gave me a gift certificate so we can pick the class together. He's the best!

Kinda-Sorta

Love this new card from Kate Spade.