{Real Wedding} Chris and Josh's Modern Wedding at Aloft Downtown Orlando

Posted on August 21, 2014 by dogwoodblossomstationery

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Lauren Watai Photography, Dogwood Blossom Stationery, paper goods

Chris and Josh’s incredible wedding at Aloft Orlando Downtown was full of colorful celebration. Captured through the lens of Lauren Watai Photography, their special day included plenty of fun colors, happy family and friends, and lots and lots of dancing! We were so excited to create the invitations and paper goods for this sweet couple, who had traveled to upstate New York a couple weeks prior to their Orlando wedding celebration for their marriage license.

When I first met Chris and Josh, they told me they chose Aloft for its mid-century modern, “Mad Men” style, and they wanted their wedding style to reflect the style of the venue. So I asked Chris and Josh to walk me through Aloft and show me some of the decor that thrilled them most. In that meeting, we decided to use electric blue, magenta, and chartreuse, with an addition of a dark blue to balance the brights. They loved the patterns and textures used throughout the venue as well – yellowed woods, charcoal wools, and colorful abstract shapes. To reflect these elements, we kept the paper goods clean but modern, and incorporated contrasting textures into the layers of the invitation.

We printed their invitation on matte white and layered it onto wood veneer that had been custom-stained for them. The backing was created with charcoal wool fabric to create thickness and texture. Their invitation was created in a large A9 size to make the most of their textures, and it created a breathtaking and unique presentation.

For their day-of papers, we used their custom monogram from their invitation for a cohesive look. We created food and drink signs for the buffet and the bar, and favor tags on wooden sticks. Chris and Josh chose succulent plants in mini galvanized pots as their favors, and Greenery Productions styled their showstopping favor table.

The rest of the decor was equally bright and graphic. We loved the chevron-patterned cake dotted with succulents, by Party Flavors Custom Cakes, which coordinated perfectly with the chevron linens on the favor table. Greenery Productions‘ floral work included the grooms’ boldly colored boutonnieres and gorgeous ceremony flowers in vivid purple, blue, and green.

We were so honored to be a part of this beautiful and touching wedding! Thank you to these awesome vendors for helping to make Chris and Josh’s wedding dreams come true:

Venue: Aloft Orlando Downtown
Photographer: Lauren Watai Photography
Cake: Party Flavors Custom Cakes
Floral: Greenery Productions
DJ and Photobooth: Elite Entertainment
Officiant: A Page in Time
Invitations and paper goods: Dogwood Blossom Stationery

{Inspiration} Pink and Gray Southern Glam at Horse Stamp Inn

Posted on April 6, 2014 by dogwoodblossomstationery

Custom ceremony paper goods by Dogwood Blossom Stationery

We’re taking you back almost two years ago to this glamorous Southern wedding inspiration shoot. Flaire Weddings & Events created the striking concept of hot pink, gray, and silver against the rustic atmosphere of the Horse Stamp Inn. We were proud to be a part of this shoot–it was even featured in Every Last Detail! Keep reading to see our lovely stationery and more beautiful photos by Jenn Hopkins Photography.

Jenn Hopkins Photography at Horse Stamp Inn with Dogwood Blossom Stationery

In true Southern fashion, the bride wore leather cowboy boots under her one-shoulder gown from The Wedding Loft. Her softly romantic makeup was courtesy of makeup artist Paulina Perez.

Pink and gray stationery by Dogwood Blossom Stationery

Custom escort cards by Dogwood Blossom Stationery

Our stationery suite used blush pink, gray, and hot pink details. We designed custom invitations using a shantung satin backer board in blush pink, along with ceremony programs, escort cards, table numbers, and menus for this farm-meets-glamour wedding. By using a flourished script and classic French motifs like the fleur-de-lis and quatrefoil, our paper goods brought a very contemporary feel to the barn setting. The quatrefoil pattern that bordered the invitation and all of the paper goods were reflected again in the table runner and on the cake by For the Love of Cake.

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Flaire Weddings & Events designed all of the floral for the shoot, from the bouquet to the centerpieces to this custom monogrammed focal point. If you take a closer look, you’ll see that they used blooms of different shades of pink woven into chicken wire. Now THAT’S country glam!

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We created menus to wrap around the shimmering pink napkins. The table top used many interesting combinations of laid-back country and high-end glam: silver beaded chargers from Beachview Rentals, mason jars as drinking glasses, a vintage silver tray, and contemporary vases. Our table numbers kept the eclectic feel by combining a classic-looking font with a more modern one.

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We hope you enjoyed these awesome photos! You can read more about the event designer’s concept on Every Last Detail: http://theeverylastdetail.com/pink-gray-southern-glam-wedding-inspiration/

We were grateful to be a part of this shoot. Thank you to all of the event professionals involved:

Venue: Horse Stamp Inn

Photographer: Jenn Hopkins Photography

Videographer: Visual Power Cinema

Planner: Flaire Weddings & Events

Floral: Flaire Weddings & Events

Rentals: Jax Chair Boutique / Beachview Rentals

Cake: For the Love of Cake

Dress: The Wedding Loft

Makeup Artist: Paulina Perez

{Inspiration} Yellow and Graphite Damask Wedding Suite

Posted on March 19, 2012 by dogwoodblossomstationery

Yellow and graphite damask wedding invitation, menu, table number, and escort cards

Yellow and graphite damask wedding invitation

Yellow + gray is such a versatile color combination, both in terms of formality and season. It is equally appropriate for an informal backyard summer wedding as it is for a black-tie ballroom wedding in January. The tricks to this color scheme in tending it one way or the other are your choice of graphic design, wording layout (as well as wording itself), and typestyle.

The above paper suite contains a simple, pocket-style wedding invitation of graphite accented with a yellow damask fixed band with Swarovski crystals. The invitation is printed on white with a yellow damask backing. The white mailing envelope is lined with a matching custom yellow damask envelope liner.

The escort cards above have two colors to indicate meal option at the reception – gray damask is one entrée, yellow damask is the other. All escort cards contain crystals as well.

The wedding menu above doubles as a table number and is three-sided, self-standing, printed fully in yellow damask, with table number and menu information on all three sides.

Yellow and Stone Gray Polka Dot Boxed Wedding Invitation with hand-sewn fabric flower

Yellow, gray, and white polka dot escort cards for wedding

And here, we have another example of yellow and gray wedding papers – a wedding invitation in a suede-like gray fabric box. The box is adorned with a wide, bright yellow grosgrain ribbon and a hand-sewn flower made with yellow striped cotton fabric. The invitation itself has yellow polka dots.

The seating cards for this invitation are double-sided and mimic the yellow polka dots from the invitation. Guests’ names are printed on one side, and their table number is shown on the back.

For more yellow and gray wedding inspiration, visit my Pinterest board here.

All invitations, escort cards, menus, and table numbers shown are created by Dogwood Blossom Stationery. Contact us to schedule a design consultation for your custom yellow and gray event!

{Invitation Inspiration} Aqua Blue + Slate Gray Banded Wedding Invites

Posted on June 6, 2011 by dogwoodblossomstationery

Aqua blue and slate gray banded wedding invitation with crystals

I’ve been getting into gray lately. It pairs so well with just about all other colors, and is a softer touch than black. This invitation is part of a sample set I created for a recent client, with some color changes.

While the aqua blue, slate gray, and pearlized ivory color scheme is unique and beautiful enough, this invitation also has bunches of other features I want to discuss. The first would be the band on the back to hold enclosures in place. Banded invitations are a great alternative to pocket invitations for brides who want a flat invitation (versus folding), but still want a way of keeping their enclosures neatly organized. They’re also a more economic alternative to pocket invitations for brides who choose to spend less.

Next, I’ve had lots of clients ask for custom envelope liners, lately. I love them! I think they add so much to the overall invitation, and give extra strength and weight to single mailing envelopes. Additionally, some of my clients have been doing really unique things with their custom liners. One client emphasized her wedding date on her save-the-date liner. Another client used it as “the perfect spot” for her wedding website address. We used repeating lines of the couples’ names on another liner. And other clients have just used the liner to echo or enhance the graphics or color of the invitation itself. The best part: envelope liners are a fairly inexpensive option that adds a lot of oomph to your wedding invitation!

Crystals have been another repeated trend for my clients this year. So on this sample, I used 6 Swarovski crystals to embellish the printed design. Crystals are another fairly inexpensive option for wedding invitations. They come in such a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes that they can be incorporated into just about any style of invitation.

So now back to the possibilities with gray… Consider the same invitation with the same design as in the photos above using lilac purple as the accent instead of aqua blue. Now envision a light rose pink instead of aqua blue. Pumpkin orange with gray would make a really beautiful fall wedding invitation, don’t you think? Add black in place of the aqua and this invitation becomes so sophisticated, it hurts. Using red and gray printed on pearlized white instead of pearlized champagne would make a gorgeous, snowy, winter invitation. And using lime green with this shade of gray on bright matte white paper would be fresh and clean; a totally different feel altogether.

Yes, I’ve decided I really like gray!

Invitation: Dogwood Blossom Stationery & Invitation Studio, LLC

{Invitation Inspiration} Silk & Fabric Invitation Boxes

Posted on February 2, 2011 by dogwoodblossomstationery

The two most common things I hear from my clients is that they want their invitation to make a big first impression and they want an invitation that guests will want to save as a keepsake. There are many ways to achieve those goals, and here’s one way of sending invitations that guarantees to impress and has only the tiniest chance of ever being disposed of: the invitation box.

There are many types of invitation boxes, but today’s post is about those made with silk and fabric. Sturdy boxes enveloped in 100% silk are the ultimate way to send luxe invitations, not only because of the natural luxury of pure silk, but also because gorgeous dimensional elements can easily be added to your wedding ensemble, such as brooches, feathers, heavy trims, lace overlays, and large crystals. Silk invitation boxes are perfect for black tie weddings and the most luxurious of events.

But boxes aren’t just for the most poshly planned events. Invitation boxes are made using a variety of other fabrics, like the microsuede shown in the photos above, glitter fabrics, satins, and even cottons. So whether you’re planning an intimate garden wedding, a blingy Sweet 16, or a young man’s Bar Mitzvah, there are fabric box options for you.

And if your budget doesn’t quite permit the expense of fabric boxes, there are alternative – but just as impressive – options, such as folios, silk-covered invitation boards, and fabric invitation pouches. I’ll be posting more about these other options over the next several weeks, so keep checking back!

The gray and yellow wedding invitation in the photos above is layered with textured whites and pearlized whites, and printed with polka dots in bright sunshine yellow. It is placed in a square microsuede invitation box in stone gray. This wedding invitation is mailed using a white outer mailer and custom mailing labels to coordinate with the invitation design that can be addressed by your hand or a professional calligrapher’s.

Invitations: Dogwood Blossom Stationery & Invitation Studio, LLC

Real Wedding: Amy & Ed’s Beach Wedding

Posted on December 29, 2010 by dogwoodblossomstationery

With their families and friends spread out across the US, Amy and Ed put some thought into where they might have their wedding. Finally it hit them: why not get married in their own backyard? Amy and Ed live within walking distance of the beach where they were married in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

When I first met with Amy and Ed to discuss their wedding invitations, they hadn’t yet decided on a color scheme. After browsing through paper swatches and considering the possibilities, they decided on a steel-and-champagne color palette for their invitation and paper goods. These colors worked well with Amy’s creamy white layered wedding dress and Ed’s sandy linen suit. Their final invitation combined perfectly smooth pearlized steel cardstock with the natural textures of Japanese lace paper and eco-friendly twisted-paper ribbon in shades of creamy ivory. Inside, a light champagne liner displayed a custom map to the beach and shuttle information for guests to travel between the beach and reception. Considering their setting on a Florida beach in July, we also created wedding programs that doubled as fans.

Their marriage took place on the beach near the dunes, under an arch adorned with white lilies and starfish and surrounded by mini palms. Seashells with the couple’s name and wedding date were passed to guests after vows were made, and the entire party walked to the water’s edge, wished Amy and Ed well, and tossed their shells into the sea.

For the reception, Amy and Ed chose a second palette of bright oranges, yellows, and greens – perfect to gear up guests for the big bash that followed. Centerpieces and table settings reflected this bright color scheme. Favors consisted of margarita glasses (for use at the margarita bar) and cello bags of candy tied with favor tags that doubled as seating cards. Amy and Ed opted for an extensive surf-and-turf buffet and a large selection of gourmet cakes in lieu of one single wedding cake, so we also created coordinating buffet cards with descriptions of each menu item.

Amy and Ed’s wedding incorporated things that are important to them: a setting that reflected the home they share, supportive and loving family and friends, an intertwining of comfort and elegance, and a love that will last a lifetime! Thanks Amy and Ed, for letting me be a part of your day!