Now that “engagement season” is over, I’d like to pause the food talk to bring you a little wedding inspiration.

When our friend Lisa got married in late 2011, we were floored by her invitations. Wedding stationery can be so.. stationary. Some of the invite catalogs out there are hawking the same designs they sold in the mid-late 90s (literally), and so many invites I’ve seen during my time in the industry are just so .. blah.

To me, wedding stationery should give a bit of a hint about the event, beyond just words. When you look at a GREAT invite set, you should be able to see the couple in it. With a great invite, you can feel the love and care that went into it, and know that the couple really values your presence at the event.

When I got Lisa’s invitation in the mail… I’ve never been more excited to attend a wedding in my life. I knew that it was going to be a thoughtfully planned event, and a truly memorable wedding.

Unfortunately, post-tornado budget issues got in the way, so I had to live vicariously through the raves of mutual friends who HAD attended. The wedding had lived up to the invitations!

Let me show you the stationery that instantly won my heart:

Says Lisa:

“We wanted something different, something that no one else would have, and that worked with our literary theme. Invitations set the tone for your event, and it was a good opportunity to let people know that we wouldn’t be having a standard “wedding industry” wedding. The mad-libs style RSVP was a second clue.

We sourced all of the invitation materials from library supply houses, and I did all of the graphic design. We did our own envelope liners in several styles from a recycled encyclopedia, comics and maps, and hand stamped all the envelopes. The invites were hand stamped by my friends one afternoon (we also put stems on 300+ hand-folded paper flowers that day, but that is another story).

We loved our invitations, and we are still getting comments on them today”

Sigh! I wish we still had the envelope ours came in – it was lined with a recipe from a magazine!

So, there you have it – my favorite wedding stationery ever. What is the coolest invite YOU have ever seen?

I have a unique wedding that is SO gorgeous and well done … it really needs very little commentary. So, let me get the acknowledgements out of the way. Christine and Andy met because of Harry Potter – through an online forum – and decided to theme their wedding around the series. The gorgeous photography was done by Geoff White Photographers. In addition to their website, you can catch them on Facebook, Twitter, and on their blog. Enjoy!

The invitations were gorgeous…

I think my favorite part of this wedding reception was how they handled the seating. Every guest was given a wand – personalized with the wedding date – that was tagged with the “house” each guest belonged to:

The guests were seated along long dining tables in the “Great Hall”.. of course. What a gorgeous and unique looking venue for a wedding!

The wedding took place at a GORGEOUS outdoor venue, and the couple made great use of the spectacular scenery – it was obviously an enchanting wedding.

I just looked through around 600 photos from this wedding… I can’t believe the amazing job done here. Such great use of color, decor, props, natural elements… Too many photos to post here! After checking out the next few photos, be sure to check out the photos we’ve uploaded to our Facebook Group, in this album

First off… here’s the video. It’s a bit long, but it’s very much worth it!

Alternatively, there is a slick “Cinematic Version”, here. Very nice.

Now that it’s mid October, Twitter and the wedding blogs are lighting up with mentions of Halloween weddings. I’d like to take this opportunity to share my favorite Halloween wedding with you.

Now, it’s no secret that I’m being extremely selective about the projects I take on, and the people I’ll work with. Life’s just too short, you know? Aside from that, Halloween is the hardest weekend to get a booking with us, as we’re always booked to do an event in Chicago that weekend – they book us a year in advance. Ansley’s initial email to me was such a stand out, I couldn’t help but be intrigued – and bend over backward to make it work for her! Let me share:

Good afternoon,

My name is Ansley — I am getting married on October 30th of this year. After scouring the internet in the daunting task of researching wedding cakes, I fell in love with what you do. Everything else I’ve seen looks mundane and unimpressive in comparison to what I’ve viewed on your site. We are an “alternative” couple (I’ll swallow my pride a minute and admit that’s a somewhat politically correct way of calling us “goths”) and have concerns about how that effects our relations with vendors. Everyone we work with seems to assume that our Halloween wedding means skulls, plastic bats and ghosts.

Not so– we are classy and elegant, not campy. What I’ve seen on your website surely demonstrates not only your talent but that you understand that even “odd” is still art. I’d love to set up some sort of consultation with you, though I’m not sure how it is done as I’m new to this whole wedding thing and all of the chaos it entails!

Thank you for your time,

Ansley

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it’s done. Polite, coherent, complimentary, eloquent, AND expressing a desire for something different? I was in love with this wedding – and clients! – before I met them! The wedding was to be “Simple, elegant and most importantly, black”, taking the bulk of its visual inspiration from the Nine Inch Nails music video for “The Perfect Drug”. The wedding and reception were held at the The James J. Hill Reference Library in Downtown Saint Paul… an absolutely gorgeous, unique venue. If this is starting to sound familiar at all, you may have seen our blog entry about the cake she ordered, “Glam Goth Wedding Cake“. If you haven’t – or want a refresher – be sure to click that link to view her cake photos!

James J. Hill reference Library, during setup.

Anyway, long story short, we juggled to make the logistics work out, and Ansley was a dream to work with. Absolutely one of my favorite brides ever! The cake was delivered, and I anxiously awaited photos of the event. I swear, nothing could have prepared me for the finished product! Ansley looked absolutely amazing in gorgeous black and blue gown, the black candelabra were a perfect compliment to the super high ceilings in the library… sigh. Must have been the perfect wedding to attend! Let me share the photos, courtesy of the bride, groom, their guests, and photographer – M. Doucet:

As always.. I LOVE when brides go their own way with their weddings. This was just amazing, and I’m sure her guests will be talking about the experience for years to come! Also, I’m sure her vendors will be, as well! Love it!

I do so love watching the expressions on everyone’s faces, and the delight that the bride, Vanessa, was taking in it!

I love, love. LOVE it when couples really make their wedding personal!

Now, there have been a good handful of couples – at LEAST – who have attempted their own versions of Judson’s act as part of their receptions. This morning, I watched what may just be the BEST version done yet!

Check out the video from Jackie and Nick’s July 30th wedding, via Fine Line Weddings in Pennsylvania:

Doing the running man, to “Ice Ice Baby” – IN A WEDDING GOWN – FTW!

My only criticism? No Cotton Eyed Joe. Seriously. The world needs more Cotton Eyed Joe!

Congrats, Jackie & Nick! You guys were awesome, and you look like you’ll have a fun life together!

*swoon*

I love it when couples really let creativity fly when planning their wedding.

If this video Save the Date wasn’t enough, they also designed a Teaser Poster as a mailed Save the Date. Love the attention to details!

This couple was married while suspended from hooks! Ouch.

Damn, does that ever look painful. I love how happy they look, though! Original post can be found HERE.