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Inspiration, Weddings

Wedding Invitations for the Modern Bride

Wedding Invitations for the Modern Bride

Being in the stationery business, I often see a lot of designs for products that I don’t currently work on. Case in point: wedding invitations. And lately I’ve been swooning over some modern designs that are gorgeous. The wedding invitation sets the tone for the whole event. It helps convey to the guests the formality of the event and the personalities of the couple.

Wedding invitations used to only be highly traditional — think thick white card stock engraved in black calligraphy. But these days, brides are embracing their personalities more and are becoming more comfortable with a more personal and relaxed invitation. Of course, you would never want to mix a very formal invitation with a casual wedding ceremony, but for those events that are a little more relaxed there is a lot more leeway for bride’s to have some fun with their invitations.

I thought today that I’d gather some examples of modern invitation designs that I have seen recently and loved. These designers typically work on custom designs which does increase the price because, often, you are receiving one of a kind invitation suites. But the quality of these will almost definitely be unsurpassed and by working with a designer directly you can work with them to create an invitation that perfectly reflects your wishes for the day. I was able to get in touch with some of the designers and their comments about these suites can be found below the images.

Rachel Jason Julie Song InkRachel and Jason Suite by Julie Song Ink

MaeMae Margeaux Wedding InvitationMargaux by MaeMae & Co 

“Margaux is one of our characters in the MaeMae & Co. wedding collection – a group of pre-made designs that feature ready-to-order prices, but still feel hyper customized with their strong attention to detail. Before we design each collection suite, we start with a story in mind. In Margaux’s case she is a tropical gal with a deep love for vintage ephemera. We imagine that she once opened a supper club with Elvis, but is actually more proud of her vintage travel poster collection. As seen on the website, Margaux is flat printed on thick cotton paper – but can be customized with different colors, print methods (letterpress, foil, engraving!) and illustrations.”

Blue Magpie Chalkboard Wedding InvitationsChalkboard Invitations by Blue Magpie Invites

“Our Chalkboard and Linen Invitations were inspired by the modern couple who wants a little bit of hip, industrial edge paired with a soft, eco-natural feel. I was really drawn to the look of chalkboard signage and decided to pair that with a very natural, earthy linen fabric and floral garland accents to soften the look. Metallic gold cardstock backing and an orchid-colored taffeta ribbon added a little extra glam to the invite! This pre-designed suite that you see on our Etsy shop features our signature handcrafted and sewn fabric pockets and the paper pieces are flat printed on heavy cardstock though we are always able to customize printing (letterpress, foiling, etc.) as well as switch out any other elements of our designs.”

Britt & Peter Shine InvitationsBritt & Peter by Shine Invitations 

“This design was created with a romantic, sweet, yet tasteful wedding in mind. All of our designs are created with an eye towards timeless style. We create invites that are fresh and modern, but go beyond the trends and instead have a timeless look that will stay beautiful for decades to come. Our paper and materials are thick and luxe, and we print using a top of the line digital press ensuring bold saturated color and crisp text.”

Modern Vintage W Design GalleryModern Vintage by W Design Gallery

All That Glitters Peacock Wedding InvitationPeacock Wedding Invitation by All That Glitters

From Jenn at All That Glitters: This set was created for a lovely couple, Lindsay & Kyle, who had a beautiful color plan for their wedding. She wanted all of her colors featured in her invitations (purple, blue, green and silver with a touch of bling!). I use smooth, white heavy cover stock to feature the brightness of the colors.

Brushstroke Invitation Fine Day PressBrushstroke Invitation by Fine Day Press

Charlotte, Family, Hadley, Weddings

Our August

Because I am so behind, I’m just going to hit the high points of most of August. These months with three have been a whirlwind but I don’t want to forget what was going on.

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James continued to come in to his personality and it sure is a big one! He hammed it up while I was trying to get a picture for his birthday invitation.

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And this one continues to figure out who she is and I’m amazed with every facet of her being. She is gorgeous inside and out!

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We had a family movie afternoon watching Finding Nemo and now the kids are all about Nemo.

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Hadley went to big church of the first time. I held her during the service and she (and my arms!) fell asleep.

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The big kids enjoyed trying out their new umbrellas on a sunny day. Their raincoats and umbrellas came in handy last week when it was raining cats and dogs and we had to get to school! James called it his “Wooo Wooo” jacket because it has fire engine’s on it and that’s the sound he says they make.

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Jason took the bigs to the driving range and they loved it. They were very proud that some of their balls even made it past the flat area that you hit off of!

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Memma gave James a Peter Pan costume and he was mesmerized with himself as Peter Pan. He’s going to be the cutest little boy on Halloween!

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There was lots of accessorizing going on at our house! I love that Charlotte has her own sense of style and it doesn’t bother her if it’s a little wild. I’m happy to let her pick her own, unique outfits and play around with different styles as long as she wants to. I know all too soon she’ll want the “cool” outfits like everyone else and I want her to always feel confident in her own choices and style.

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With the start of school means lots of time spent in carpool line which means lots of fun conversations with this little man. I learn a lot waiting for Sissy to get in the car. Mostly that he most likes to play with Claire at school and that he is SILLY!

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Charlotte is still drawing all the time. The picture on top is her self portrait from the first week of school. And bottom is a coloring page of Elsa that she recreated on a blank piece of paper. She is so creative!

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James continued his love affair with his sunglasses including wearing them almost constantly. Even while he was eating peanut butter out of a spoon. At least it’s protein y’all.

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Charlotte spent some time in August raising money for our regional NICU. She joined some friends for Swim for Melissa and was so proud to help the tiny babies and enjoyed swimming some laps and getting a new t-shirt for her efforts. Thank you so much to all those who helped support her by donating money. It’s a wonderful cause that changes the lives of so many in our area and it was a great experience teaching Charlotte about giving to others and generosity.

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We also celebrated Mary and Joel’s wedding in August. It was a beautiful wedding and we are so happy for them. James especially had fun at the reception as he went around asking a few different bridesmaids to dance!

 

Family, Throw Back Thursday, Weddings

Throw Back Thursday

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It just so happens that today is my parents 32nd wedding anniversary, so I thought that I’d share a picture of them leaving their reception.  I am so thankful for the wonderful example of a Godly marriage that they have shown me for my whole life.  They still love each other so much and enjoy spending time together.  It’s been said that the greatest gift that parents can give their children is to love their spouse and I wholeheartedly agree with that statement.

Thanks Mom and Dad for all that you’ve taught me over the years and for loving each other through it all.  Happy Anniversary!

Weddings

All About Love

Last weekend Jason and I had the priviledge to travel down to Montgomery for my friend Sarah’s wedding.  I met Sarah back in 2004 when we both interned for Senator Jeff Sessions in Washington, DC.  Sarah was a definite answer to prayer in that we wanted similar things out of her internship (to learn about Congress and explore the city) and so we spent the four weeks of our internship pretty inseparable.  Once we got back to Alabama she returned to Samford and I continued on in Tuscaloosa but we kept in touch.  We got to live in Tuscaloosa together during her first year of law school and my first year of marriage.  If you know anything about those two things you’ll know that we didn’t have a lot of free time to get together but we occasionally met for lunch during the year.  After we moved north we continued to keep in touch and I was so excited to hear from her a little over a year ago that she had met someone and that they were seriously dating.

Sarah was in our wedding four and a half years ago and I was so blessed that she was able to stand by my side while I said “I do.”  So as the years progressed I continued praying for Sarah and for her future husband.  When Sarah called and told me that she had met Brent she described him in the most glowing terms and it seemed like they were very well suited.  We didn’t actually get to meet until one of their bridal showers in October but when we met I knew that he was just as Sarah had described and that they were pretty perfect for each other.

So I was excited to get to join her for her special day last weekend.  Jason and I left Charlotte with his parent’s and enjoyed a night away and time to enjoy the wedding festivities.  They got married in a beautiful old church in Montgomery and then had their reception in the church hall which, honestly, looked more like a beautiful museum than what you would expect in a church hall! Everything as beautiful and I was so glad that I got to be with Sarah as she joined her life to Brent’s.  Here’s wishing them many, many happy years of marriage!

Before the wedding with Sarah

At the reception with Jason.  Since our dresses were tea-length and strapless I opted to add my jacket for the reception because it was freezing!  Notice the beautiful room in the background, it was gorgeous!
Friends, Weddings

Ben and Christen’s Wedding

Last night our friends Ben and Christen got married in a beautiful ceremony. We took Charlotte at Christen’s insistence but I was too nervous to let her stay through the ceremony so Jason took her out right before it started. I could just imagine her crying or something during the vows. Christen was always nice enough to say that it wouldn’t matter but it would matter to me so I sent them out. 🙂 It was a beautiful ceremony and I’m sure that God will bless their marriage. I absolutely loved the song that was sung while they lit the unity candle. It was called “This Kind of Love” and I’m about to go find it on iTunes because I loved it!
After the ceremony there was a super fun reception at a local farm with a beautiful tent with chandeliers and lots of flowers. It was gorgeous! And thankfully the weather couldn’t have been better! It was actually cool when the wind blew which was totally unexpected for a wedding in the south in August. Charlotte was a little overwhelmed with all of the people and music but she behaved great and we got to show her off to all of our friends. She finally crashed in Mom’s arms! We left a little early because she started getting fussy, but it was a beautiful reception. Christen, could you give me the name of the song that y’all danced your first dance to? It was great too! And the Father/Daughter dance was so sweet! It was a song called, I think, “Daddy’s Angel”.
We are so excited for you Ben and Christen! We hope you have a fantastic honeymoon and enjoy married life! Congratulations!
Friends, Weddings

Mac’s Wedding

Last night Jason and I got to go to the wedding of someone who I’ve known ever since I can remember. Mac was always someone who kidded around like a kid. I wasn’t ever allowed to say “Yes, Sir” to him so I had to say “Yes, Mac” since my parents wouldn’t let me just say “Yes” to an adult. He, his brother David, and his sister Karen threw a “pre-wedding” party for Jason and I the Thursday before our wedding which was so much fun.
Mac is a great guy and last night he married Ruth in a beautiful ceremony. Here are some pictures from the night and the picture of Mac and I from my wedding!

Charlotte hung out with Kelly, Tripp, and Caroline last night. To check out pictures from their fun evening go see Kelly’s blog.