Couture Invitations
What are couture wedding invitations? This is a question I have personally asked myself. Many invitation companies are marketing their invitations as “couture”. I understand they are trying to relay that they are upscale, but why call them couture? Many people, rightly so, relate couture with high fashion clothing. In fact, in a couple dictionaries that I’ve referenced, it is only related to clothing and fashion designers. How so then could invitations be “couture”? When we began our invitation business and started producing the high end invitations, Jillian and I deliberated as how to best bring them into the market. We knew they were custom high end invitations, and they would appeal to a discerning clientele, but are they couture? We ended up deciding that we were not clothing manufacturers, nor fashion designers, so couture would not really be appropriate for us now. Is a Ferrari or Bentley now considered a couture vehicle line? Is anything now luxurious or high end couture? What do you think? I’d love to hear your opinion. I’m off to have an end of the week cocktail with my beautiful wife, maybe with a little couture Vodka..
Tim
Save the Date : Amanda & Scott
A garden wedding next spring! That is what these save the dates tell Amanda and Scotts guests as soon as the check their mail. The sparkling gold envelope has a teal flower detail printed on the front. The envelope opens up to reveal a romantic and elegant save the date with all their wedding details.
Jillian
Invitations & More : Victoria and John
This coming weekend Victoria and John are tying the knot at their preppy beach themed wedding. Sparkling silver and blue set the tone for their event right from the start. The Invitation packaged was mailed in a sparkling white envelope. When guests opened their invitation they were treated to the short version of the couples proposal story. Yes, text messaging was involved! A blue vellum belly band wrapped around the invitation and held all the interior cards neatly in place.
The invitation was printed offset with blue and silver metallic ink. The silver has sweet shimmer when it hits the light. We then mounted the invitation on a silver card stock to give it some extra weight and extra sparkle! The three interior cards were all printed double sided with the preppy pin stripe on the back. I love the little details.
We just finished printed some extra pieces for their wedding reception this weekend. Their complementing escort cards are scored and folded to stand on their own. The bride was unsure of how to let her guests know that they would be making a donation to two different charities in lieu of favors. She wanted to make sure every guest knew but didn’t want to spend extra money on another note as she would rather have a larger donation. After a little brainstorming we had our answer. Use the back of the escort card! It will be sure to keep their guests chatting during cocktail hour as well.
The table numbers were mounted to the same silver as the invitations to complete their suite!
Jillian
Independence Day: Happy 4th of July
I wanted to just take a quick moment to congratulate Holly and Dave, as they are getting married this weekend! I would also like to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July, our Independence Day. Hopefully you will be able to get out and enjoy it and maybe see some fireworks. It’s been very rainy and overcast here in Massachusetts over the past month, but today the sun is shining and life is good. I sure hope it carries through the weekend. But you must now excuse me, I’m off to stock up on some tasty beverages and charcoal. Happy 4th of July everyone!Tim
Wedding Materials : Lauren & Nessim
Last weekend in Washington D.C. Lauren and Nessim tied the knot! I worked with them to create some fun wedding materials that made both their welcome totes and reception truly one of a kind. In their welcome tote the couple included a sweet letter thanking their guests for joining them for during the wedding weekend. The note included some general details about the weekend and some of their favorite spots around D.C. Some other fun materials we created included a cocktail napkin used during cocktail hour. The napkin had the lyrics to their first dance. When guests were leaving the wedding reception at the end of the night there were cupcakes packed in white boxes baked by the brides sister Jamie. Each box was sealed with the sticker below reading “Sweet Dreams”
Also inside the welcome tote was a vellum envelope with a smaller sticker that read “Enjoy the day at the museum”. The envelope housed a newspaper article about the museum and a ticket we created. The couple talked with the museum, and they would accept our tickets the morning of their wedding day. A nice treat for anyone from out of town!
No welcome tote is complete with out some snacks! The bride not only included her aunts delicious mandel bread, but the package was tied with a ribbon and this recipe card, which doubled as a keepsake.
The last piece we created was a simple fold over card inviting guest to Shabbot Dinner.
Welcome totes and or notes are a very nice gesture to thank your guests whom come in from out of town. If there is any idea you may have we can help create something unique for you!
Jillian
Trends: Pantone Colors
Have you noticed that we have added a splash of color to our website? For the Summer wedding season, we choose the 2009 Pantone color of the year: 14-0848 Mimosa. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute® explains why this is their color of the year “The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance,” “Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation.”
The Pantone Solid Colors Palette, has over 1100 unique, numbered colors. It was originally created to help printers and designers specify and control colors for print projects. When you visit with us for a client meeting, we display Pantone color swatch books to help with your color choices and to help generate some new ideas. The Pantone swatch contains the formula that our professional printer uses to mix the ink to create your chosen colors. By using this system the printer can make a perfect match. If your stuck on some color choice ideas, come see our Pantone books. You are bound to find colors that you love! You can learn more about our current color choice here: www.pantone.com.
Tim
Invitations : Outdoor Elegance Anniversary Party
The past few weeks have been super busy for us as JSD, we are in the midst of the summer wedding season and have been cranking out some fun and unique programs, escort cards, table numbers and more. (Which I promise to share soon!)
In the middle of them all we created these elegant and contemporary anniversary party invitations for a lake side upscale barbeque in Vermont later this summer.
This invitation set in honor of Susan and Jack, whom never had a “real” wedding, and are celebrating 40 happy years of marriage. Congrats! The party will be lake side in a white tent full of tables with royal blue linens and white chairs, truly outdoor elegance!
Jillian
Wedding : At Zero Gravity
Over the weekend Noah and Erin of New York, exchanged vows while floating weightless in zero gravity, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. This unique ceremony happened aboard Zero Gravity Crop’s modified Boeing 727-200 aircraft, reports WKMG-TV in Orlando. The couple originally met during college at a sci-fi club and wanted to be married in space, but due to the price tag and time before that could happen, they came to the compromise of zero gravity instead! Read the full details of their ceremony or check out their wedding website.
Jillian
Catering : Exclusive Chefs
In my dealings with numerous brides to be, it seems many are sadly resolved to the fact that their wedding cuisine is not going to be of high quality and taste. I have been told that they are simply going to concentrate on location alone, as good wedding food is a myth. I am here to tell you that you can have both!
We continue to receive rave reviews about our wedding caterer months later. It has been nine months since our vows, and it seems every time the conversation of our wedding pops up, our wedding caterer is mentioned in the same breath. My brother who is recently engaged himself, just booked with our wedding caterer Exclusive Chefs. You should understand that my brother Jim booking his wedding with this caterer is not to be taken lightly. Jim is a schooled trained Chef who works at a fine Italian restaurant. To say he is a foodie, and a tough culinary critic is to put it lightly.
When we now meet with family and friends that we haven’t seen since our reception, they tell us how incredible the food was. Many of our guests expressed that it was the best food that they have ever had at a wedding. Chef Marco Salerno who owns Exclusive Chefs is a perfectionist, and very talented at his craft.
Thanks for all the compliments Chef Salerno!
These photos were taken at our wedding reception by Douglas Despres.
Tim
Blog : Welcome Tim!
I am excited to announce that Tim (my amazing husband) is going to join in the blogging fun on the JSD blog. Still being a newlywed himself, he is going to bring lots of fun ideas and perspectives from the grooms point of view. Watch for his posts every Friday!
Photo taken by Douglas Despres Photography.
Jillian
