Every Last Detail Insight for Brides

We are always looking at other blogs for new information and ideas and found this one to be very insightful! It is definitely worth checking out. Every Last Detail Insight for Brides

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!

Announce Your Bundle of Joy in Style!

Custom Baby Announcements!! all studio product photography by Liga Photography


This is a fun way to announce your bundle of joy in style.  Your friends and family will be WOWed, with this Magnet Closing Accordion Book..  Both Ends have magnets in the covers so the piece- stay closed.  


I did this announcement for my niece Gracie's birth, in 2010. I did a small mention of them when I announced her birth last year, but here are a few more details.

Metallic Photo Paper Hardbound Magnet Covers

Pearl UB Gloss Paper inside, with all the details of her entrance into the world.

Added detail: I took an image of her, turned it into a sketch and used it on the envelope. It really wowed all who received it in the mail.

Featured on Weddings Unveiled Magazine Blog!!

Check it out!  Featured on Weddings Unveiled Magazine's Blog Completely Unveiled today!

Weddings Unveiled Save the Date Contest

Last march we were asked to collaborate with Weddings Unveiled Magazine and provide a contest for their faithful readers! Kirstin at Weddings Unveiled, posted the contest on their blog, Completely Unveiled.

I have been so excited to post these, because they are one of my all time favorites! But I wanted to wait until the Bride and Groom sent them out, as to not ruin the surprise for their guests. But finally the time as arrived. 

What the bride and groom had to say

"The Save The Dates are perfect. You were able to capture the theme and feeling of our wedding. Our guests haven't stopped talking about them and now they are even more excited about what's to come."

Andrea & Eric

The Die Cut is what makes this so amazing! Andrea came to me with a anthropology-esque theme for here wedding. I was so excited and this is the creation. We used Gold Linen Metallic Paper, an Ivory Satin Ribbon, which all complimented the Champagne Die Cut with Gloss UV Coating!  


I'm in LOVE with it.

Please comment and tell us what you think!!

Guest Blog by Anna Cakes!

So anyone who knows me knows. I LOVE LOVE LOVE cake.. And it's not really that I like eating cake, I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but I am obsessed with Cake Design. It has really come along way from throwing eggs and flour together and putting the mix in a round pan.


So on that note, I asked the Amazing Anna Hightower of Anna Cakes to Guest Blog on some of the hottest trends in cakes! See her at work below! And read her thoughts on some of the hottest trends in cakes! (PS ALL CAKES ARE ANNAS WORK-- if you are a photographer and you haven't been credited I apologize, please comment and I'll make sure I make the proper edits to give you credit!!)

THE SIMPLE MESSY WHITE 

I have to say this is quickly becoming one of my favorite designs! Letting the spatula marks fall as they may, this unpretentiously-iced cake is the epitome of simple elegance. No fuss, no fondant...just tiers of delicious buttercream frosting, and a few fresh flowers are all you need to make this design pop!

PS..if you are into the simple white cake without the messy spatula marks- check out this cake below.

MIMICKING ARCHITECTURE 

Modern cakes are getting daring in both shape and composition. We have gotten a lot of requests lately for a particular cake that is comprised of various sized square tiers, stacked in a way that almost seems to defy gravity! Guests are amazed by these intricate wedding cake "structures". It becomes the focal point of the entire reception.

OUT OF THE BOX CAKE TOPPERS

I always say I am going to start an album on my site called, "When bad toppers happen to good cakes." LOL. A topper can definitely make or break a wedding cake. I have arrived at a venue on several occasions and been so disappointed when I saw the topper awaiting me on the cake table. I try to encourage brides to choose something unique. It doesn't always have to be a made-for-cake topper. Veils, Brooches, hand-made paper or clay crafts, even a photo of the couple can be used to make a statement. Your cake topper can become an amazing keepsake from the wedding itself, and possibly even a family heirloom! 

BE DARING WITH FLAVORS

Gone is the standard white wedding cake. My motto with flavors is anything goes! I offer a different flavor for each tier, at no extra cost, so my clients really feel free to be creative. Try coconut cake with guava filling for the top tier. Mix it up with a lemon and pineapple middle tier, and top it off with a devil's food chocolate cake, with peanut butter buttercream filling for the bottom. Your guests will rave about your cake flavors for years to come.

RETRO COLOR AND TEXTURE

Lately you see a lot of bridal magazines boasting the retro-modern wedding cake. These cakes typically have bright colors, and play up on the graphic patterns -- circles, rings, repeated diamonds or triangles. Think wallpaper and textiles -- you can find amazing wedding cake inspiration in the prints and patterns all around you!  

BRIGHT COLORS WITH BOLD TEXTURES

I really enjoy when a wedding theme lends itself to a bright, colorful wedding cake. It is exciting to get out of the routine of white on white on white, and mix it up with color and texture. Sculpted rosettes, mimicking fabrics, different colors for each tier -- as long as you have a repeating element with each layer, the cake will have a cohesive, tasteful look, while still being adventurous. 

CUPCAKES MASQUERADING AS WEDDING CAKES

The cupcake tower is a popular trend with a dual purpose. Not only is it more cost effective than your average wedding cake, but it also saves your caterer loads of cake cutting/serving time. Depending on the venue, this can also save you the dreaded "cake cutting fee". Cupcakes are a hip new craze that add a light-heartedness to your reception. Nothing gets your guests more excited than walking by and smelling that vanilla frosting cloud that surrounds the cupcake display. Just make sure they wait until after cake cutting to help themselves!

HAND PAINTED CAKES

Hand-painted cakes add an extra special touch to your wedding. Although you will be limited on your icing choice, as this is a technique that can only be achieved with fondant-covered cakes. Not every bakery can produce this level of art work, so be sure and review portfolios and choose wisely. This technique requires quite a bit of time and detail, so the cost is reflective...but the impact is worth every penny! 

I hope you enjoyed this blog! I know I did, and a special thanks to Anna Hightower of Anna Cakes for her time and effort to help us put this together.

Our Ready Made Line is all grown Up! Paper Couture Stationery Official Launch!!

So many of you know we did a soft launch earlier this year in January. But last night was our official launch..  Now that we worked out the brand and figured out the look and feel, it was time to give it a proper party! We want to thank everyone who attending and of course, special thanks to Alexandra Calvet and Cristina Calvet Harrold of CCH Weddings for throwing us this fabulous party.. If you missed it, check out the slide show below!! We are so thankful and proud of this Stationery Line, and love sharing it with you!

Favorite Trends! Guest Blog Collaboration.

This is something I've been wanting to blog about for a while, but I knew if I was left to my own devices it would be about stationery ONLY!! So, I enlisted the help of Alexandra Calvet from CCH Weddings to collaborate with me and below are some of our favorite trends happening this year!
Thanks to all who contributed! And thanks to Alex for helping me put this together!

1. KEEP IT CLASSY A classic staple has made its way into the modern weddings of today. GREY is the New Black. Grooms are opting for change, gone is the traditional black tux. Also Bow ties are making a come back to replace the tie. Bow ties come in an array of colors and patterns, which the groomsmen will enjoy picking. Mixing and Matching different bow ties for the groomsmen is also adding some artistic flair to the grooms style.  photography by: Elizabeth Leighton Photography  2.THE NON-TRADITIONAL CENTERPIECE Some interesting tablescapes are breaking through this year. It's all about shaking up the traditional. A lot of Floral Designers are working with brides to create unified variety. Creating a few different UNIQUE Centerpieces and putting them throughout the reception. This way each table has it's own unique style, and your reception is filled with variety! photography by: Liga Photography — floral by Avant-Gardens — planning & design by Jennifer Schwatz with Anje Soirees   3. ICE COLD Candy bars are on their way out and ice cream bars are coming in! Martini glasses, ice cream cones and gourmet ice cream, you can’t go wrong with this fun idea. Instead of putting candy in a bag, you can now use it as a topping on your yummy ice cream. photography by Jeff Hawkins Photography 4. COLOR YOUR GOWN GORGEOUS Vera Wang’s new 2012 collection is full of color! Brides are getting away from the traditional white and choosing blush colors with lots of texture. If colors are too bold for you, PLATINUM is the new black! It's every, it's chic and classic. 5. BALLOONS AREN'T JUST FOR BIRTHDAY PARTIES ANYMORE Martha Stewart Weddings  just featured this wedding with this simple modern design. One thing that stood out to me, was how they used these white classic balloons for the centerpiece and table numbers. BRILLIANT!  What a classically modern way to handle balloons. Be careful- using this trend could lead you down the 5th Grader Birthday Party Look, but if you use the image above as a guide, you can't go wrong! 6. BRIGHT BOLD COLORS This floral from OnceWed shows that brides aren't afraid to take risks this year! The brighter, the bolder, the better! 7. SIMPLE ARTISTIC STATMENTS Cakes this year seem to be dialing down. I LOVE IT.. This Simple Understated, yet IMPACTFUL cake from Maggie Austin Cake will blow your guests away. Simple does NOT mean boring, and this cake just proves it. 8. SMALL BITES Keep your guest dancing the night away by ditching the sit down dinner. This year weddings will take a modern twist on catering. RSVP reply cards with food preference will not be needed because heavy bite sized hors d’oeuvres are the new trend to keep guests full, yet light on their feet!  photography by: Liga Photography

From the Vault!

We keep busy around here, and I don't always get to blog every project that I design, so everynow and then I like to pull a favorite design from the vault and share!  


This one, I LOVE because it's fun, funky yet still formal. A while back Solutions Bridal Designer House moved their Orlando Location to the The Mall at Millenia Area. We were so honored to be asked to create the invitations for their grand opening event!! This was the result, they were a big hit, and I am a little biased, but this is one of my favorite projects.. (I know I say that about them all.. I'm HOPELESS!!)

For this project we did Bar Signage, Sponsorship Tins, and of course Invitations!

Fun, funky and Chic at The Ritz!! Part II

Read Part I

all studio product photography by Liga Photography

all wedding and venue photography by Thom Larussa

Couple Vicky and Danny, happy on the day!

I hope you enjoyed part one, Save the Dates and Invitations out of the way, it was time to get down to it and create an amazing stationery package that would gracefully yet boldly work into the event design. From Flower Structures by Lee Forrest to the overall event design by Lisa Stoner of E-Events, it was a challenging and fun task! 

Tell us what you think, how did we do?

One of the unique things about this wedding was they did all kinds of personal things, and had little areas of  flower structures and defined areas! This I always love, so it was fun that I got to create all kinds of signage for the event, from tray passed drink cards, to bar signage and escort table signage! Check out all these pieces in their environment at the reception!

The Escort Card table was one of my favorite things, as you can see Lee Forrest did an amazing job above, and my signage worked right in and another great little touch was we added a orchid blossom to each escort card, which rotated between 2 designs (see below in studio)

Tables look amazing! Props to both Lisa and Lee! Loving the Table numbers worked into the flowers! And you can see a peek of the menu, see detail shots below. Also note, the gorgeous centerpieces (by Lee) below, as well as the cooliest cake ever by The Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes Orlando!

LOVED the die cutting of these.. It was such a fun way to incorporate the original graphic shape from the invitations.  They really work well, with the orchids and linens below!

Oops, and I can't believe I forgot to mention the Programs. Vicky and Danny educated their guests on the traditions incorporated into their wedding ceremony.

Here's what Vicky had to say after it was all said and done!

Amy did an excellent job transforming my unconventional invitation requests into amazing pieces of art. Her work is truly spectacular and one of a kind.

Fun, funky and Chic at The Ritz!! Part I

all studio product photography by Liga Photography

all wedding and venue photography by Thom Larussa

This Spring I got to be a part of something wonderful! One of my most fun brides with her own unique style and flare.  So take this journey with me. There are so many wonderful things to say about this wedding, this project, and many of the other amazing vendors that came together to create what you are about to see, that it's a 2-PARTER!  


This couple was fun, and the with the collaboration that happened from the very beginning I knew this was going to be a fun interactive process. From the Mother of the Bride, to Lisa Stoner  from E-Events Design to Floral Designer Lee Forrest Collaboration was in the air!

Cute Couple Vicky and Danny!

 Unique Save the Date! Vicky came to me with this great poem. 

"We are NUTS about each other.

Danny POPPED THE QUESTION,

So save the DATE,

See You at the RITZ"

So I designed this cute little box with the poem and wedding date on the tags! A great treats 

for the guests, it contained the food from the poem, Nuts, Popcorn,Dates and mini-Ritz.  

The guested loved it..

Here's what Vicky's mom had to say after they went out!

2uCollection was an integral part of my daughter's beautiful wedding. It started with the Save the Dates and continued all the way through the end. The Save the Date Announcements and Wedding Invitations were so incredibly unique. I kept a log of the reactions that people shared with me. Never had they ever seen anything so clever and beautiful. It continued with the Wedding Programs which matched the invites which matched the save the dates. The dinner menu and dinner escort cards were something I have never seen before. The table numbers matched the invitations. The entire package was amazing and I would recommend 2uCollection anytime. I know we plan on using them again for our next child's wedding. Loved, loved, loved, their work. Thanks Amy!!!!

The fun continues! Linen Paper made this design POP! The Bright Bold Colors really fit this couple! Wait until you see some of the great design by Lisa, at the reception. See the details below.

STAY TUNED Part II posts on Saturday Morning!