Paper Source wedding invitation; paper-source.com.
If you are anything like me, when you go to Paper Source (we’ve got locations around these parts in Center City and Ardmore), you not only scoop up whatever it is you need (say, a singular birthday card), you also linger for a while, scooping up things way, way beyond the realm of what you need: Multiple cards and treats for that birthday. Multiple cards and treats for occasions approximately six months down the line. A box of cute notecards, you know, just to have on hand. Mugs and magnets and books and Lord knows what else, and before you know it, you might as well have just bought a new pair of shoes. Paper Source is kind of like Target in this manner, except that on top of it, you also leave the store feeling bad that you’re not just a tad more Martha-Stewart-crafty.
Well, if the little paper boutique has that affect on you, and you are a bride-to-be who has not yet picked her invitations and who fancies herself a crafter, you might want to check this out: On Saturday, June 22nd from 11am to 1pm, both locations in this area are holding The Wedding Workshop, in which you can see what this crafty side of you is all about. For $20 bucks and two hours, the talented staff will give you an overview of their inspiration boards and show you a ton of examples of their invitations—and then set you to work with paper and enclosures and stamps a whole batch of those kinds of supplies that you always loved to go buy new at the start of each school year. The idea being, of course, that you just might be so good, you’ll end up DIY-ing this whole invitation thing.
Oh, and two other cool things: If you register for this with a friend, you guys will get 10-percent off the cost of the workshop—and, whether you’re alone or friended-up or what, all workshop participants receive a coupon for 10-percent off purchases after every workshop, including custom stuff.
Into it? You can sign up online here or by calling the store—where they will also be happy to answer any questions you might have, as well. Sounds fun! You know, for people who don’t think crafts sounds like torture. Let us know how you make out!
I keep wondering to myself, as I spend late nights looking up decorative treat bags for our favors and local items to include in our hotel guest bags: Do the little things really make a difference?
After a year and five months of engagement, I’m ready to get married already! Slaving over carefully selecting details has me losing sleep at night. So someone, if you can, please assure me that the little things do make a big difference.
I think this comes pretty standard in life situations. I think back to my parents’ “words of wisdom” post I wrote in October when they celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary, and one of their pieces of advice was, “Surprise them with simple things.” Well I’m realizing that a lot of simple things start to add up! So I started vetting through the details list to see what we could do on our own, what we should purchase, and what should be eliminated. And of course, some key factors played a role in our decision-making: time, money, and importance. READ MORE
How good of a job did Kristy do on her wedding invites?
Like a kid on Christmas morning, I sat staring at a highly anticipated present yesterday. After months of development, our invitations had arrived. I decided early on during the planning process that I would like to design our wedding invitations. I thought it would be a nice, personal touch, and since I’m proficient in Photoshop and similar programs, I wasn’t intimidated. I’m extremely happy with the results and for anyone interested in DIYing their invites, here are some guidelines and parameters for the journey ahead. READ MORE
This cute roundup from philly.com gathers a bunch of Etsy shops from local artists who offer fun goodies for your wedding. From pretty, customizable hangers for the Dress to live on and looks-like-you cake toppers to engraved bottle opener favors and a gorg alternative to place cards, there’s lots of great ideas and options—and the best part is, you’re buying local!
Speaking of cute, customizable alternatives sold on the Etsy shops of local artist’s, be sure to check out a few of our faves, too:
Forget wedding planning—at this point in your wedding attending existence, you have, no doubt, seen the evolution of the save-the-date. Once just an afterthought in the form of a postcard, now, it’s definitely not uncommon to receive a darling little personalized magnet, photo strip, or other customized doohickey dispatched by the couple to announce their upcoming nuptials—or, rather, the fact that you will be receiving an invitation to their upcoming nuptials.
The amount of variations out there on the save-the-date is simply astounding these days—and while some of them are definitely eye roll-worthy, there are some that are so stinking cute, I always wonder how the couple is going to top themselves with their invitations—heck, with their wedding.
Some of those such so-stinking-cute ideas can be found in this Buzzfeed roundup of 36 cute and clever save-the-dates, and because we obviously want you to be one of those couples who leave guests gasping with excitement at the prospect of your upcoming party, we insist you take a look. We promise you’ll be inspired.
(Oh, but that first tip, there, about not sending them out any earlier than six months out from your wedding date? Eh, go ahead. There’s a difference between early and premature. If you know your venue and date are not changing, put ‘em in the mail. You literally want your guests to save the date—and you can’t ask them to do that too early.)
Any of you doing anything particularly clever or different for your save-the-date? See anything in this roundup that inspires you?
The super impressive proposal box that Kristy made each of her friends when she asked them to be her bridesmaid.
Growing up in a household of females (besides my dad), I learned to appreciate the ladies in my life real quick. The ones that let you borrow that fabulous dress for a special occasion, tell you when you really shouldn’t be wearing that outfit, laugh on the good days, cry with you on the bad days, and will go dancing any night of the week, just because.
I have some great girlfriends, and they’ve seen me go through many stages of my life (I was an 80s baby, after all). So after our engagement, I had a chance to sit down and think about our upcoming marriage and I thought of my sisters. Yes, my immediate sisters (Stacey and Jenny), but also my inherited sisters—the ladies that I have grown to love, the ones that I would do just about anything for, knowing they would do the same. I immediately knew the sassy six that I would ask to stand by my side when I promise the love of my life a lifetime of happiness and commitment. READ MORE
PW photo editor Jess Hawkes shows her love for her fiance with this week's polish.
My friend and colleague, Philadelphia Wedding associate photo editor Jess Hawkes, has a thing for nail polish.
She seems to come into the office with a different color on every other day, plans what polish she’ll wear with certain outfits the way others might shoes, is the only person I know who actually has the patience to apply that caviar nail stuff instead of just ooh-ing and ahh-ing at how cool it’d be to play with in theory, and long before it became, like, an actual thing, I was asking her if she had hit her head in the middle of painting her nails, because she kept showing up with her ring finger painted a different color than all the others.
This week, however, she’s come in with something new: a little nail-polishy token of her love for her fiance Scott! (Pictured, obv.) They’re tying the knot this fall in what is sure to be a seriously fabulous affair, and it seems Jess just felt like celebrating that the last time she went into Rittenhouse Manicure & Spa. She chose a gel polish in Princess Tiara and asked her manicurist to freehand a little bit with the skinny French-white brush: Voila! Super cute.
No word on what color she plans to wear on the Big Day. It’s a decision that will undoubtedly require as much time as the Dress.
Any of you have fun little tricks like this or other ways you work in a playful little nod to your dude?
BHLDN, the much-beloved, Philly-based bridal sister brand of Anthro, recently put together a video filled with ideas for hair and makeup that we think is pretty awesome.
It’s a time-lapsed thing—it literally takes you from hair dryer to aisle-ready—that shows four distinctly different looks: the Romantic, the Lady, the Boheme, and the Muse. And if you’re anything like us, and whenever you see something like this, you think, “Well gosh that’s pretty, but there’s not a chance in h-e-double-hockey-sticks I’d ever be able to do that myself,” they’ve also very nicely provided pretty detailed step-by-step instructions for the looks, including specific product recommendations, which you can prop up in front of the mirror while you toil away, or, you know, pass them on to your Big Day hair and makeup professionals.
The video was actually shot by Philadelphia Wedding‘s good buddy, Philly photog Trevor Dixon, who lends his awesomeness to every single issue we put out. We’ve most recently shared the gorg summer gowns he shot for us at Longwood Gardens, and we’ll be posting more of his work for us very soon.
Which one of these looks do you dig for your walk down the aisle?
As you may or may not know, and contrary to popular belief, the traditional rice toss send-off for the just-married b&g is not, in fact, harmful to our feathered friends: The USA Rice Federation and ornithologists alike have dispelled this urban myth by pointing out that migrating birds often rely on rice fields for food during their travels.
But even though it’s been OK’d for the birds, we love these 12 adorable alternatives to the boring white grain (or bubbles, which leave that gross film on everything), and just had to share. After all, well wishes should be much prettier than what’s in your kitchen cupboard, we think. READ MORE
I knew the time would come when I was going to have to say, “It’s all over,” but I have mixed feelings on whether or not I am actually OK with it.
Sure, I am happy to get my life back. I am happy to have a clear mind and not have to constantly think about whether or not the shade of gray in the bridesmaids’ dresses will clash with the shade of gray in the guys’ suits. I am happy to have married my best friend and begin our new life together. I am happy that we were lucky enough to be able to have the experience of a lifetime. With all that said, I am a little sad that now that everything has come and gone and the day is now just 24 hours worth of memories and photographs. READ MORE
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