"Marie Antionette" Themed 50th Birthday

Happy Thursday!!!

I'd wanted to blog these gorgeous invitations for a while now but just been too busy. We created the invitations below for a very fabulous lady. And when I say fabulous, I mean like Sofia Vergera type fabulous. Honestly, this woman looked too good for her age. Okay enough of that (lol). We met Mrs. Rincon through her wedding planner - Alia Rdissi with Belle of the Ball events. It's always fun working with Alia and her clients and this wasn't an exception.

 

She was planning a Marie Antoinette themed 50th Birthday celebration in Aruba. She fell in love with the design below from Paper Nosh. So I contacted Paulette about the artwork and below is the finished product. Some of the invitations were done in Spanish while others in English. We letterpress them, presented each invitation in a silk Box with Lace overlay and completed the look with a Cameo brooch. Love the look of letterpress!!!

 

Letterpressed Invitations

 

The Invitations were presented to each guest in a Luxurious Silk Box

The enclosures were also letterpressed.

The Luxurious Silk Boxes with Lace overlay and Cameo brooches

 

The Silk Boxes were placed in Boxed Mailers and sealed. Ready for mailing.

Hand Calligraphy done by Maureen Vickery with Pendance

For the Menu cards, I wanted to create something a different but keeping with the theme. I suggested laser cutting the menu cards (to look similar to the Cameo Brooch). And below is the end result. Aren't these GORG!!!

Alia was kind enough to send a phone photo of the menu cards displayed on the table. Just too gorgeous!!!

Hope you enjoy your weekend!!!

Kelley & DuJuan Silk Pad Wedding Invitations and more

Hello Everyone!
Happy New Month!!!! It's unbelievable that we're already in November. I've been a little behind on blogging as October was an incredibly busy month.
I'd wanted to blog about these invitations since we produced them back in June. I met Kelley and her lovely mom several times at different places. First we met at the January Bridal Extravaganza, then we met again at the Bell Tower Open House in February. Afterwards she came in with her mom. I didn't hear back from her for a bit and we met again at the Houston Bride's Evening of Bridal Luxury in March. Kelley was very specific on what she wanted. She wanted to make a statement with her wedding invitations. And she wanted the silk pads. I totally love her wedding invitations. Kelley and DuJuan were married last weekend at the oh-so-gorgeous Bell Tower on 34th. Enjoy...

The Silk Pads with the Pearl Brooches


The Silk Pads with the Pearl Brooches


The Silk Pads were placed neatly into Box mailers


The RSVP cards


Box Mailers all ready to go!



Tekara and Chris
Tekara and Chris were guests of one of my past clients - The Agrawals. She received the wedding invitation and totally fell in love with it. So she requested the stationer's information from the Agrawals and contacted us for a consultation. Tekara has to be one of my sweetest brides till date. The couple were wed in a private ceremony in Hawaii. A week after the ceremony, they hosted a wedding reception in Amarillo, Texas. Below is the stationery we created for their big day.

Gatefold Style Invitations


Inside the invitations


Layered Flatcard Tablecards


Tent Escort Cards with Brown and Crystal rhinestones indicating the guests meal choice.


Single Panel Signature Drinks card. Tekara chose to place these in frames


Folded Thank you notes with the couple's monogram



Julia and Michael Stationery
I blogged about the Wedding Invitations and accessories we created for Julia & Michael's wedding. You can view the post here.

The couple had a Fiesta themed wedding celebration after their honeymoon. So we created a custom patterned backing for the invitations.


For Julia's Thank you note, she wanted to carry on the layering style from her other stationery. So we added a copper backing to the Flatcard. We created a married monogram for the couple. All items were completed in Raised print.



Amber and Daniel
I met with Amber, Daniel and Amber's Parents very early in the year (probably January). She was having a wedding on the Yacht and she wanted to incorporate a textured cardstock to her invitations. We came up with the idea of also incorporating the yacht watermark on the invitations as well. The bride loved the invitations and we were happy with the outcome as well. Amber and Daniel were married on October 1st in League City, Texas.

Folded Card with Textured backing



That's all folks! Enjoy the rest of the week...

Our Couture Silk Products

Our Couture Invitations are our high end custom invitations that are created using gorgeous and high quality embellishments. At Elegant Custom Invitations, our Silk invitation boxes are constructed from wood - not cardboard. In addition, we offer 100% hand woven pure silk or a lower priced faux silk for all of our silk products. Both include wood construction and premium grade padding that is thicker to provide a more luxurious look. The padding is included in all of the usual places and the sides of the inside of each box as well. They are truly heirloom quality. You know your family and friends will receive a special gift from your event that will last a lifetime!


Premium Gate Silk Box


Premium Silk Pad


Silk Gate Folio


Silk Pad

There are many overseas box manufacturers advertising that they sell "silk" invitation boxes of "exceptional quality" for a price of $10 - including shipping. These boxes are made with polyester. In addition, you get a significant bill for import duties & taxes into the US that is not included in their pricing. This should be factored in when comparing pricing. In addition to using polyester fabric, they use a thin cardboard as the base of the invitation box construction, and a thin layer of foam padding on the outside top of the box, and the inside bottom of the box. It is important to note that there are different levels of quality and craftsmanship.

When shopping around for your silk invitation boxes, be sure to obtain all important details and ask the right questions. Here is a list of questions that you can ask:
1. Is the fabric 100% pure hand woven silk?
2. What are your boxes constructed from?
3. What thickness of padding do you use and where specifically is it used?
4. How much extra will it cost me in import duties & taxes to import the silk boxes into the US?

For more information on our Couture Invitations, please visit the Couture section of our website.

Photo credit: Rhphotoarts for Elegant Custom Invitations

Top 5 Wedding Invitation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them!

Whether you're having your wedding invitations custom designed or ordering from a catalog, purchasing invitations can be a detailed process. Between the timing, cost calculations and diction, it's hard not to lose track of something and make a mistake. Below are five things you definitely want to avoid:

1. Have Realistic Budget Expectations
Avoid the wedding invitation "sticker shock" with proper planning and research. Before you get your heart set on the "perfect" invitation, determine your estimated number of guests as well as your bottom-line budget. Also, don't forget to consider the cost of postage and any additional stationery you may need (such as thank-you notes, programs, menu cards etc) when making calculations. Most newly engaged brides are unaware of how much wedding stationery cost. Check out my post here on having realistic expectations for invitations.

2. Don't Procrastinate!
A very common mistake in the wedding invitation process is not allowing enough time to choose, purchase AND print the stationery. Wedding invitations should be mailed six to eight weeks in advance, and production often takes up to 4 weeks for custom invitations and 5 - 7 business days for catalog invitations. So when should you order them? We say no less than six months just to play it safe. You will also avoid last minute stress and rush fees by planning ahead.

3. Order the Correct Quantity
When placing your order, be sure to account for late additions to the wedding, lost invites and keepsakes. It's generally suggested that you order 10-15% more invites than you think you need. Quick tip: Avoid ordering too many invitations by organizing your guest list by couple and family rather than individually. There are so many guest list tools available on the internet eg. The Knot, GetMarried etc. Ordering fewer invitations can result in unnecessary stress and more money to get additional quantities. In most cases, it costs more to order invitations in smaller quantities than it does to order them in bulk. And it is almost inevitable that you would have last minute guest additions, lost invitations or forgotten guests. Make sure to start on your guest list early and order extra invitations.

4. Avoid Typos
Proofread, proofread, proofread! Ask your family members and friends to read over your invitation proof a gazillion times, and even when they have given you the thumbs up, look over it one more time. How embarrassing would it be to send out an invitation with your mother-in-law's name spelled incorrectly? (Can you say mortifying times ten?!?)

5. Use the Right Postage
This one seems like a no-brainer, but don't assume your invitations require the standard postage amount. Compile one complete invitation including any enclosures, and take it down to your local post office to have it weighed before placing postage on the envelope. You should also ask the post office about any upcoming postage increases as you may need to buy the Forever Stamp, which is good no matter how many increases are made through the U.S. Postal Service.

I hope this helps you as we prepare for the 2012 wedding season.

Detail credit: GetMarried.com and Elegant Custom Invitations

Tiffany Blue and Silver Silk Box Invitations

Hello,
I have been waiting anxiously to blog about Leilani and Milo's gorgeous wedding stationery. I met Leilani and Milo late last year. They are such a cute couple and Leilani is the sweetest bride ever! Even though we began the custom invitations process a little late, we worked quickly to get all the invitations out and later the wedding day stationery. Leilani initially wanted the pocket style invitations, but once she came into the studio, she quickly fell in love with the silk boxes. Her words, "those are so cool!". She decided to get some silk boxes in addition to the pocket style invitations. They had a large wedding of approx. 440 guests last weekend at the JW Marriott in Houston. It was such a pleasure working with the couple on all their stationery. Without further ado, here are the pictures:

The Tiffany Blue 100% Dupioni Gate Silk Box accented with a Silver tone Satin Ribbon and Jewelled embellishment

photo credit: RHPhotoarts

The invitation in the boxes were layered flatcards.

photo credit: RHPhotoarts


The Pocketfold invitations featured lots of layers.

photo credit: RHPhotoarts


The Silk Boxes in all their glory!


We completed the boxes with the guest addressed labels for the Box mailers. The guests were so excited to receive these in the mail!


The Ceremony program was a booklet style with the tabs from the wedding invitations carried through. We accented the programs with Tiffany Blue ribbons


Ceremony Programs


Ceremony Programs


The Menu Card was a Layered Flatcard


Leilani & Milo had beach names for each table. The table cards were placed in card holders at the reception.


We also created signs for the Couple's Signature Drinks. The signs were designed to fit into frames and placed at the bar.


Instead of escort cards, we created a Large seating chart.


Time to get back to work. It is indeed wedding season around here and it feels like June already.

Kisha's Couture Silk Invitations

I had the pleasure of working with [yet again] another fabulous out-of-town bride. I remember the we were setting up our booth at the July Bridal Extravaganza when I began communicating with Kisha. She initially wanted the "Penny Jackson" style invitations for her October wedding. Very quickly, we added the silk boxes to the ensemble. Kisha was one of our easy going and pleasure-to-work with brides. The end results speak for themselves. The silk boxes are the luxurious one-of-kind boxes with wood construction. The purple ribbon really pops against the Ivory Silk Boxes! Kisha & Victor were married at the Bellagio in Las Vegas last October.

The invitation was a Layered Flat Card with a Satin Ribbon accent


Response Card


The boxes were closed with gorgeous jewelled embellishments.





The Silk Boxes were wrapped in tissue and placed in box mailers for delivery to guests



The boxes were ready to go and I almost didn't want to mail them!


That's all folks. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

From June with Love

Hello Blog family!
I apologize I've been away for a minute. It's just been a little crazy around the studio. Phew there were so many weddings in June.
Without further ado, I'll dive right into some invitations from June and July.

Breanna & Josh
I worked primarily with Breanna's mom on her invitations. This is another couple I never met before but fell in love with our work from the website. After consulting via email for some time, we moved right into the design phase. Breanna's invitations and wedding stationery were simple yet very classy. She wanted a bit of rhinestones on all the stattionery. The couple got married in June at a Country Club in Kentucky.

Invitations were Layered Flat cards with satin ribbon accents


Single panel menu cards


Folded Programs with ribbon accent


Tent Table cards with rhinestones



Caitlin & Josh
Caitlin was another one of our simple, classy brides and she wanted her invitations to reflect that. Her invitation was a Large Layered flat card. We completed the print with Thermography print and lined the envelopes with patterned paper. Caitlin and Josh were married in June at the Woodlands Country Club.

Invitations


Invitations with Lined Envelopes


Response set


LeKeya & Bert
We also had the opportunity of working with a very lovely couple, LeKeya & Bert on their ceremony stationery. The couple chose invitations from a catalog but wanted us to create something nice for the day of stationery. They both really liked the stationery we did for "Brooke & Dirk". They were both very laid back and were such a joy to work with. They were married in June at the Chateau Polonez.

Single Panel Tea length Menu Cards


Folded card Programs




Courtney & Matt
Courtney was referred to us by one of our past clients - Alma & Gary. I met with Courtney and her very sweet Mom. And we began working on her invitation design. She really loved Brooke & Dirk's wedding invitations. So we created something similar yet different. Her invitations were Pocket style invitations since she had 4 enclosures. She was married in July at the breathtaking Bell Tower on 34th.

The Invitations


Front of the Invitations



Ayesha & Chinedu's Silk Box invitations
And finally but most definitely not the least, the process of Ayesha & Chinedu's Couture Box Invitations. You may remember the post here and here about Ayesha's stationery. We completed the invitation look in Thermography print and the pick really popped with the print. Ayesha & Chinedu were married this July in Negril, Jamaica. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Beginning stages with the brooches


Since the wedding was a destination affair in Jamaica, the invitations were created using woven paper


The response set


Completed Silk Box Invitations


The Silk boxes were placed into box mailers for mailing.


We also created Menu cards and Ceremony Programs for the event. Ayesha decided to keep the ceremony stationery a bit simple.


The images below were taken by Ayesha for Bedazzled Photography


Open view of the Silk Boxes.


Ok, I think I almost made up for being absent for so long with this one post :). Enjoy the week everyone!