Vendor Spotlight: Lela New York | The Couture Invitations & Stationery Experts
I had the great pleasure of working on a recent editorial project with Maria Cerff, Creative Director of Lela New York . She created an incredible art deco inspired invitation suite for us and I just had to share a bit more about her and her company to our readers! Lela New York is a luxury invitations and stationery studio specializing in creating one-of-a-kind works of art for the discerning client. Their work is sought after by distinct wedding planners, designers and savvy brides worldwide for their couture designs and awe-inspiring creations. Lela New York will help match your special event with a couture invitation equally as special. From hand-drawn illustrations and water color paintings to silk box invitations and unique embellishments every suite is designed to be truly unique. Lela New York is available by appointment for consultations serving clients in NYC and worldwide. Maria’s work has been featured in BRIDES Magazine, The Knot Magazine, Style Me Pretty, and the NY Post! Her portfolio is a variety of engaging pieces ranging from the most formal of social occasions to birth announcements and personal stationary. I love her luxe, opulent design style.
Be sure to visit her website to see an in depth look at her work. For a look into the hottest trends and what’s fabulous, be sure to visit her blog too!
Beautiful Flourishes by Primele Calligraphy
I came across the amazing calligraphy of Patricia Mumau. She has a wonderful little etsy store for her gorgeous artwork and also runs an interesting blog. I really love her work — the big flourishes, use of the whole envelope, the little details. So amazing!
Vendor Spotlight: Paisely Quill
I received a really lovely email from Molly Myers, one of the two owners designers at Paisley Quill, a custom wedding invitation and stationery studio. Once I saw her work I knew she’d be a great fit for our brides! Here is a sample of their most recent work…. can you say swooning over this pretty pink invitations? So feminine and romantic!
And these gorgeous fuchsia and navy invitations? Love! It is such a hot color combination and I love the regal feel of these.
Thanks to Molly and Megan for sharing their fabulous work with us! Visit their website and portfolio to see more of their work and learn how they can create a couture invitation suite for your next event. They also have a super awesome blog too that is a must read and in our RSS feed!
Jubilee Events featured TWICE in Style Me Pretty this week!
Just thought I’d share the total awesomeness that is happening around here with our feature on Style Me Pretty this week!
View the feature on Dagney and Michael’s wedding from a few weeks ago as photographed by our friends, Robert and Kathleen Photographers: part i, part ii, and part iii.
Remember my totally awesome Trash the Dress by Eric Langlois of raw photo design? Well his work was featured yesterday! Check it out here! They also spotlighted a bunch of the amazing people who contributed to my trash the dress!
Calligraphy
Calligraphy. . . a word that may strike fear into the hearts of brides to be. But just about anyone can do Calligraphy, its not as bad as it sounds. The first thing you will need is a Calligraphy pen and ink. When I first started doing Calligraphy 9 years ago I purchased a Sheaffer Calligraphy kit similar to this one. You will also need 2 pieces of paper, one of which will be for the writing and the other will be your guide to make sure that your writing stays in a straight line.
Once you have a Calligraphy pen my first suggestion is to play with them. Hold your pen at a slight angle and draw squiggly lines so you can start to get a feel for the flow of the ink. There are different nibs that come with your kit. What is a nib you ask? Well, the nib is the tip of your calligraphy pen. The thicker the nib the thicker the line you will end up with.
Now that you have started to get the hang of your calligraphy pen you can begin to experiment with lettering. Most letters you will need to use at least two strokes to complete the letter. For example here is step one of the letter ‘a’. Your basically drawing what looks like a ‘c’.
Then you are going to add the back and the tail end of your ‘a’.
One more example is the letter ‘g’. Again you are drawing a ‘c’ using your second sheet of paper as your straight edge.
Now you will add the side and bottom of the ‘g’. With calligraphy the fancier the better!
When doing a full name you can see here that due to the straight edge you are not able to add on the bottom of the ‘J’. This just gives you the opportunity to focus on how you would like to add to your letters.
step 1: 
step 2: 
Lastly when doing mailing addresses you can do two different things. One, you can center the address on the envelope. Secondly, you could stagger the address on the envelope. These are two very different looks and my suggestion is to try both out and see what works for you. Enjoy!
In Love: Calligraphy
I love calligraphy. There is no denying that when you receive an invitation hand addressed by one of these artists, you feel so special! Having your wedding invitations hand calligraphed may seem like an antiquated tradition that you don’t need to do (printing envelopes on the computer is so easy, right?). Well, it is an old tradition, but one you shouldn’t skip if you can afford. A wedding invitation isn’t just any old invitation to a party: it is something extremely intimate and important and it should be treated as such!
Take a look at some of this calligraphy eye candy. Notice how the styles are so different? The options out there are truly endless. These are some of my absolute favorite calligraphy artists.
Lisa Ridgley; Pen & Ink Calligraphy
http://www.penandink-calligraphy.com
Kathryn Murray; Kathryn Murray Calligraphy
Laura Hooper; Laura Hooper Calligraphy
Jessica Slutsky; Jessica Slutsky Calligraphy
http://www.racetothealter.blogspot.com
Wedding Invitation / Save the Date Labels
So when I was getting ready to send out my save the dates I didn’t want to do them all by hand. I felt that I wanted to save that little something special for the invitations themselves. So I created a template using photoshop and incorporated my colors. These wrap around labels were not only used for my save the dates but when wrapped around the opposite side they make for the perfect return labels for your RSVP’s.
So once you have your template printed out your handy dandy paper cutter comes in to save the day. . .
and now you are left with your labels, I suggest folding them in half so you know exactly where to place the label on your envelope.
all you have to do now is apply your adhesive and put on your envelope
and here is your finished result!
Vintage Inspired Save the Dates
It is save the date season and I thought I’d share a few of my favorite vintage style save the dates in this round up of inspiration! Really beautiful paper gets me all excited and inspired, and I’m sure it will have you feeling creative too. I’m really in love with this first save the date vintage hankie from Lucky Luxe Designs. Isn’t it magnificent and just plan awesome? I wish I had done this with my own save the dates!
The next save the date is from Letter Punch Design. This punch save the date card reminds me an old train ticket. Isn’t it sweet?
This save the date is also from Letter Punch Design. I love this one because it has a little bit of an Art Deco style to it (one of my all time favorite periods). It also plays with the idea of time a bit and would be perfect for someone getting married at the old Timex Museum in Waterbury, Connecticut! I love the little corner punch detailing.
Table Numbers
If you are looking to personalize your table numbers then this is a project for you! I know in most places they have a plastic card with a simple black number on it being held by a wire fixture. Why not put your personal stamp on this necessity? You can use several different programs to design a template for yourself. I have become familiar with photoshop and so this is what I have used to create pretty much everything for my wedding. The table number is actually going to be three sided and it will not just have your table numbers included. You can put whatever you would like on the other 2 sides such as a favorite place you are your fiance share, a picture, basically the options are limitless! I have chosen to put my menu on one side and then translate love through different languages on the last side.
So here are the templates that I designed:
So once you have printed your template you are going to take card stock mats and tape your ribbon on top. Now you are going tape your template on to the mat right on top of the ribbon. The final step is to tie your bow :0) Here are some pictures of the final product. . .
Q&A session with… Lilah Paper
Do you remember the fabulous feature we did on Lilah Paper a few weeks back? Well I asked Kalyn, the visionary behind this amazing invitation design company, to answer a few of our questions. She was so kind to respond to our questions about Lilah Paper and the process of creating couture wedding invitations. Before you read her interview, take a look at her fabulous holiday collection. I am so in love with the vintage style.
First off, I am so honored to be a guest on Jubilee Event’s blog, Connecticut Weddings! I have been following the blog since July and just love Candice’s beautiful and unique take on style, weddings and event decor. So needless to say when she asked if Lilah Paper would be a guest on her blog I jumped at the opportunity! So, here it goes…
How did you get started in the business of designing couture stationery and invitations?
I got started in the stationery business a couple of years ago while planning my own wedding. Ever since I graduated school I have been working in graphic design, however as time went on I was beginning to feel a bit of the corporate burnout. However, once engaged I found that our wedding was the perfect creative outlet to think beyond the standard page. As I began to design our save the dates, my mind was flooded with ideas and finally I felt the creative spark return! So given the rave reviews from my own wedding stationery and my absolute love for beautiful, boutique paper I decided that I couldn’t turn back and began to design my initial line of stationery. From there I moved from beautiful Colorado to Gorgeous Charleston, South Carolina, where lavish southern weddings are in full swing! While in Charleston, I designed for a custom invitation studio where I gained a lot of insight into the stationery and wedding industry. However, it wasn’t long after that my husband and I decided to put one more move under our belts… back to my home town, Kansas City. Given that there isn’t an abundance of letterpress and invitation studios in Kansas City, I decided to open the doors to Lilah Paper, and I must say that I am loving every second of it!! It isn’t every day that you get to be completely creative in your job and work with clients who are celebrating such joyous occasions. I feel truly lucky to have stumbled upon this wonderful business.
How would you describe your style?
I would describe my style as vintage… with a twist of playful elegance. I LOVE sweeping flourishes, vintage wallpapers, soft colors and beautiful, creamy papers. Typography is also a small obsession of mine. Any chance I get to play around with old block lettering and unique type layouts I jump at the opportunity.
Where do you draw inspiration from when designing a couture invitation suite for a couple?
I really just listen. Like anyone that has or is planning a wedding knows, it is SO fun to talk about your big day! I draw inspiration from my bride’s descriptions and pictures, specifically of their dresses, flowers, table decor, and venue. You can tell a lot about a wedding based on where it is being held. But outside of the couple, I draw a lot of inspiration from vintage fabrics and beautiful calligraphy.
A lot of couples are not use to the idea of having their invitations designed by someone out of state. Often times they don’t even know that they can work with a couture paperie designer on a national level. How does Lilah Paper cater to this type of couple and provide that one-on-one service that they’re looking for?
Surprisingly the majority of my clients are out of state and the process really works quite similarly. I start with an initial phone consultation, which works just like if the couple were to meet here in the studio. I discuss the bride and groom, their style, their wedding colors, how they would want their invitations worded (traditional vs. non-traditional), and each of the pieces that they may need to be included within their invitation suite (ie. reception card, schedule of events, etc.). From this I gain a good vision of the couple and how their stationery fits into their big day.
For my more hands-on brides, I use a lot of email and good old snail mail. Often times my brides will email me with bits of inspiration, color swatches and themes. This is always helpful when working without of state brides, as the more insight I can gain into their overall vision for their wedding the better. If color or paper swatches are needed, I simply stick them in the mail so that my brides are able to touch and feel the products, just like if they would here in the studio.
After the initial consultation, the process is really quite the same. I provide pdf proofs via email and the editing process is done over the phone or via email. My goal is to make ordering your stationery easy, effortless and most importantly fun!
What are the hottest trends right now in wedding invitations?
Color is always an ever changing trend when it comes to invitations and the bridal industry! The wedding colors are probably the first thing that a bride considers. This year, I am seeing more “dusty tones,” including lavenders, taupes, peaches, grey-blues, greens, tans and pinks. Each of these colors makes a beautiful and stunning accent to classic color choices like chocolate brown, slate grey and creamy ivory tones.
Another trend that I am seeing is the use of custom envelope liners. I see more and more brides moving away from the inner/outer envelope tradition and instead using a single outer envelope, lined with a beautiful, coordinating paper.
What are a few ways that couples can save on invitations without compromising impact, design, or quality?
Invitations can be one of the most fun parts about planning a wedding (of course maybe I am a little bias). However, seeing the transition from thinking that the invitation is just another piece of paper that ends up in the trash to realizing that the invitation is the very piece that will jump-start the excitement within your guests and give them a glimpse into the look and feel of your big day is just amazing! BUT… as much as the wedding stationery is a huge part, you don’t want to break the bank either. So, not to worry! There are many ways that you can trim costs when it comes to your invitations without compromising the impact, design and quality, and the top two ways are:
1. number of ink colors
2. the printing process (offset/flat printing vs. thermography vs. letterpress)
For budget-conscious brides, I often suggest that they use thermography or offset printing. And for those who wish to add color, but keep within a 1-color price range, I suggest using backing layers and coordinating reply envelopes to add variety and dimension. However, keep in mind that if you do know your budget ahead of time it is helpful to let the designer know. Knowing your budget allows us to guide you in the right direction and make suggestions that will fit within your unique style and your unique budget!
Holiday Cocktail Party Invitations
The best parties start with a fabulous invitation! Just like your save the dates and wedding invitations, an invite to your cocktail party gives guests a glimpse into the style, formality, and overall theme. If you must, you can always do e-invites, but I prefer to send something beautiful in the mail instead. Here are a few invitations I really love and think you will too:
Invitations by Jubilee
First up are the invitations Jubilee is offering through our etsy store. They all have a vintage vibe to them with fun and catchy phrases. We can customize them for you too, based on your parties color scheme!
Good Golly, Lets Get Jolly
This one is a favorite of mine — and I love that it is double sided! Click here to see more!
Holiday Soiree
This invitation was originally designed for our own fabulous holiday party, which we’re throwing on the 20th of December. I love that it is double sided, too! Click here to see more.
The tree won’t be the only thing that’s lit…
This one is fun and a slight variation to the invitation that Mike and I sent out to our first holiday party three years ago. Click here to see more.
Eat Drink & Be Merry
I love the design and colors in this fill-in-the-blank party invitation by MewPaperArts on etsy. Click here to see more.
Cocktail Party
The rounded edges and vintage details are what makes this gorgeous fill-in-the-blank card! Click here to see more.
Vendor Spotlight: Lilah Paper
I love everything about Kansas City’s Lilah Paper. I found Kalyn through Style Me Pretty’s little black book many months ago and we have become e-friends rather quickly. Her style is very fresh with a bit of vintage. I really think it is uniquely her own! She recently designed these gorgeous invitations for a destination event in Vail, Colorado and I asked her to share them with our readers.
The wedding is in February so the icy metallic blue on chocolate brown perfectly sets the tone for this winter wedding! The bride is having a weekend full of events, from an Aprés Ski Party to Drinks and Dessert and a Brunch on Sunday. So, needless to say, the bride had a bunch of information to be included with the invitation. To keep it clean and neatly kept together, I designed a belly band which holds a 2-sided, accordion fold booklet. Within the booklet is a schedule of events, map, wedding website for more information and a reply postcard that perforates off and is ready to stick in the mail! The graphics are a wonderful reflection of their vintage wedding in the mountains and perfectly reflect the bride and groom’s playful and outdoorsy nature.
Are they not gorgeous? I love the booklet idea. It is a refreshing difference verses the pocket fold invitation which has become so popular. I have a fun interview with Kalyn to post later next week with a peak into her Holiday line and a new addition to her wedding invitation line, so check back soon!
A Bit of Vintage: Our Save the Dates
It is an exciting weekend for this event planner — our save the dates went into the mail! I wanted to share them with you as they were designed and crafted by yours truly. I went back and forth several times with the idea of creating them myself. I certainly have the means and tools to do so, but as any artist knows, it isn’t easy to take on your own projects. I searched endlessly for an easy way out and couldn’t find anything that I simply had to have, so, it was off to Illustrator to begin designing!
I wanted to tie in our wedding’s color scheme with the save the dates so I went with varying shades of purple, gold, and white. After many designs, Mike and I really loved this one the most. It has a very subtle vintage feel and gives a peak into the romantic vintage-style fete we are planning! So, without further adieu, here are our save the dates! Be sure to click the images for a larger version!
The front of the purple envelope with gold metallic lettering and a Betty Davis stamp.
The interior custom lining which mirrors some of the design on the actual save the date.
The beautiful hand calligraphy envelope seals in shimmery gold metallic card stock. These gorgeous creations were made by the very talented Lisa Ridgely of Pen & Ink Calligraphy out of Westminster, Maryland. I found Lisa through her etsy.com shop and knew that these envelope seals were the one touch of glam our envelopes needed. She was such a doll to work with and I can’t wait to recommend her services to my brides. Thanks Lisa!
Oh, I am so thrilled with how they came out! My most favorite part is the varying font style. I have huge love affair with fonts. Am I crazy?
All the elements together so you can get the full “experience.”
Up close and personal!
I’ve already started receiving phone calls about how much our guests love them which makes me so thrilled. I hope you enjoyed them too!
Vendor Spotlight: Teardrop Weddings
I had the great pleasure of meeting a few insanely talented people at the Wedding Salon in Manhattan last week. My favorite of the day was Holly from Teardrop weddings. I’ve admired her work for as long as I’ve been subscribed to her blog – a long time! It was a great pleasure to meet her in person and see her beautiful creations up close.
I love Teardrop’s style and especially love that everything is hand illustrated and custom designed for each couple. Take a look at some of the photographs of her work below to see for yourself how amazing her work is! Be sure to visit her blog too. She has become a bride herself and posts tons of inspirational and thoughtful posts as she plans her own wedding.
Vendor Spotlight: The White Dress by the Shore & Chic by the Shore
Yesterday I had the opportunity to sit down with Beth Chapman of The White Dress by the Shore and tour her exquisite boutique. It’s located in downtown Clinton in a historic and beautiful old home (I think she said it was over two hundred years old!). The boutique is so inviting and beautifully designed; it is, in every sense of the word, the essence of what a bridal boutique should be. I was so impressed by every element of White Dress – from the beautiful décor, to the unbelievable inventory of gowns by Anne Barge, Priscilla of Boston, Judd Waddell, and so many more. Beth also introduced me to a line of gowns by a very up-and-coming Connecticut designer, (more…)
Fabulous Find: Parisian Bridal Gown Cards
Many thanks to Miss Cupcake over at Weddingbee for scoring such a fantastic find. I purchased five sets of these beautiful Parisian Bridal Gown post cards from Crate & Barrel per her post, and I can’t wait for them to be delivered. The best part? They are marked down from $12.95 for a package of 8 cards to $2.95! How can you pass up a bargian like that? There are 8 cards to a package, with four different beautiful photographs of hats, veils and gowns by Suzanne Ermann (photographer is Don Golas). As Crate & Barrel says, these are perfect for thank-you notes to your bridal party and special friends. They would also look beautiful in a welcome basket for out-of-towners, and could be sent in thanks for any wedding or shower gifts you may receive. What am I going to do with them? Well, I plan on reserving them for my special brides. And of course, I’ll frame some to add a little more decor to my office!
7/24/2008 Update: Unfortunately, it seems as though so many brides read about this fabulous find that it is no longer in stock. If you still must have these cards (like me), check your local Crate & Barrel store. Our order is still listed as “back ordered”, so here’s hoping our 5 card sets make it to UPS!
Monogrammed Cocktail Napkins
Yesterday afternoon my UPS driver delivered customized monogrammed napkins I had made for a client of mine who is throwing a surprise “69th birthday celebration” in August. I ordered them from ForYourParty.com, and I have to say, I’m impressed with the quality of the napkin and the stamped monogram! The guest of honor has a definite style, and is very particular about things. From what I understand, every suit, shirt, tie,… even his shoes have his monogram somewhere on them. So, I suggested that we carry that theme over into his celebration with small and inexpensive touches like the napkins (which were totally affordable!).
Vary Your Escort Cards for Big Impact!
A way to add some dimension and texture to your escort card table is to vary the coloring and design on your escort cards. Play off your color theme by choosing three different colored card stock or ink color and pick the colors at random for each place card. Unless you are going for a monochromatic look, this variation really adds a lot of color and style without being expensive! It’s a simple idea that you can really run with. If you’re using ribbon or embellishments on your place cards, vary the color, texture, and pattern on those. Some of my favorite examples are below, courtesy of TheKnot and the image to the left is from Martha Stewart Weddings.
The Thank You Card
When you get engaged there will be a lot of opportunities to send out thank you cards. Throughout your engagement, people will often send you gifts, have get-togethers in your honor, and mail you cards of well wishes and happily-ever-afters. Many people are curious about etiquette involving thank you cards, especially when it concerns marriage and all the opportunities there are during the process to send them. When do you send thank you cards? Do you send them for engagement gifts, attending an engagement party, shower gifts, or what about a thank you card for a card? I believe it is important to send a written thank you, even if it is thanking someone for sending you a card. We all have, at one time or another, sent someone a card congratulating them on something (such as an engagement or a new home) and never heard from them. We’re often left to wonder if our card ever reached its destination.
Since there are so many opportunities to “send thanks” to your loved ones, it doesn’t hurt to stock up on thank you cards. Having them handy is one more step to ensure that they are mailed promptly. If you “collect” stationary, like me, than it also doesn’t hurt to shop around for a variety of stationary. Personally, I like to sort my stationary into classes, meaning, I send my expensive “boutique” stationary to the recipients who notice and appreciate letterpress or card stock, while I send my “mass produced” stationary to the recipient who wouldn’t notice those finer details. I also believe in never sending the same thank you card twice, so it is always good to have a variety on hand for that purpose!
I’ve found some really beautiful card collections at Target which fit my personal style. The thank you card pictured to the right and the cards pictured above are part of three different collections I purchased at Target, and are the primary thank you cards I sent out for the beautiful engagement gifts we received. As I said above, I purchased a variety of cards to ensure that I never sent someone the same card twice. I’ve found that Target has a wonderful selection of formal, traditional, romantic, artsy, modern, and unique cards. The main advantage, along with the stylish selection, is the affordability. Most of their card collections are between $4-10 dollars for 8-12 cards per package.
For those wondering, etiquette mandates that you send a thank you card for engagement gifts as soon as they arrive. You should send a thank you for gifts you receive at your bridal shower no later than 2 weeks after the shower. For wedding gifts, you should send your thank you cards no later than 2 weeks after you arrive home from your honey moon. When in doubt, send a thank you in writing. It is a very personal way to connect with someone, especially when they’ve acknowledged this wonderful period in your life.
Along with Target, there are several online websites you can use to create custom thank you cards and stationary. While national online retailors do offer a great selection, I prefer supporting local businesses in your community. You may want to search google for a local stationiare who sells quality preprinted stationary or offers custom designs.
Update: Alphabet Tags
I received an email from Stu at Three Potato Four regarding the alphabet tags I wrote about in yesterday’s blog. The good news is that you can special order the tags in the letter(s) you want for .50 a tag! What a bargan!
