Archive for August, 2011

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Bride’s Diary: The One Year Mark

22 Aug
8:28:31 by Contributors | No Comments

Wedding Paper Divas is bursting with staff grooms and brides-to-be who are currently planning their weddings. We’re happy to share their stories with you as a part of this fun feature!

As promised, I’ll pick up our wedding planning process from the one year mark. Between June and now, a lot has taken place. We’ve hired a photographer, booked a caterer, found a florist and ordered bridesmaid dresses! (This list makes me tired just typing it.) Sounds so simple when you put it on paper, but trust me a lot of meetings, phone calls and emails went into finding the perfect vendors.

While all of this has been going on, my bridesmaids have booked and started planning the bachelorette party. Palm Springs, here we come! I have to say, I am most excited about the bachelorette party… spending time with my best friends, relaxing and celebrating. I mean how can you not look forward to spending a weekend here?

Umm, did I forget to mention the cake topper?  We also ordered that and I ‘m really excited about it.  Really…does it get any cuter?

We are now trying to tackle the question of where to go on our honeymoon. The list started out long: Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesian Islands, Greece, South America… you get the picture. But, as of today, I think we have settled on the Mediterranean. I signed up for a honeymoon planning service through Jetsetter that I am really excited about. They help you pick destinations, book hotels and make recommendations. Fingers crossed that this will help alleviate some planning time. Trying to keep my eyes on the prize:

This weekend we’ll be flying to LA to meet with our makeup artist, do two cake tastings and meet with multiple DJs (hopefully we can choose one soon). Despite the hectic schedule, I am trying to keep in mind how truly fun all of these things are. I mean cake and makeup and shopping and music. It could definitely be worse. Much worse…

Meet Jessica

Jessica and Dan met nearly 7 years ago on Myspace. (Remember Myspace?) It took weeks of contemplation until they decided to finally meet… and I guess you could say the rest was history. After discovering their mutual shoe addiction, surviving countless Thanksgiving family meals together and three apartment/house moves later—they are officially ready to tie the knot.

Jessica and Dan are getting married May 27, 2012 at Malibou Lake Mountain Club in Los Angeles.

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Posted in Bride's Diary
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Trend Spotlight: Crochet, Lace and Doilies

20 Aug
8:23:21 by Contributors | 2 Comments

We keep seeing crochet, lace and doilies pop up in the cutest ways for weddings. So we decided to put together this trend board to share with you. From rustic to vintage and precious to modern, here are some of our favorite ideas to incorporate this delicate trend into your wedding. Enjoy!

L to R: doily envelopes, doily lamp, doily mason jars, lace votive candle holders, doily cupcake wrapper, crochet earrings, TOMS crochet shoes, Petal Panes Bolero

P.S. We couldn’t help but share the Lacy Elegance invitation. Isn’t it just perfect with this theme?

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Posted in Style Trends & Ideas
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The Best Man’s Toast: Tips from a Groomsman

19 Aug
3:57:39 by Contributors | 2 Comments

We’ve decided it’s time to show a little love for the guys. Each month, we’ll share tips and stories from real-life groomsmen about what it’s like to be part of a friend’s wedding. So listen up groomsmen-to-be, this is for you!

So you’re the best man. You’ve planned a bacchanalia of a bachelor party that was just short of an appearance by Dionysus himself. You’ve allowed nary a minute go by without double-checking (and triple-checking) your pocket to ensure that ring is still present. You’ve posed in so many photographs that the old adage about your facial expressions getting “stuck” is starting to hold some water.

But you have one last responsibility before you can let loose and do something that would make a viable attempt at public office a distant memory: the best man’s toast.

Prepare. More than an hour before the reception.

Start writing your speech in the week leading up to the wedding—a good idea would be to keep it as a draft email and make little edits as they come to mind.

Keep it simple. If you are not routinely compared to Oscar Wilde leave the wit and humor out—it will be unnatural and contrived. Bawdy remarks are best suited for the bachelor party and any overly esoteric inside jokes should remain limited.

Once you’ve written your remarks, practice them! More than once. Out loud. Find an audience if you can. You’ll want to ensure it flows well and does not go much longer than one to two minutes.

Print out a copy of your speech and put it in your pocket—however, do not take it out when it’s time to toast the bride and groom. Deliver it from memory—your oration will be infinitely more natural and you shouldn’t stumble over your words if you’ve practiced enough.

And finally, don’t forget to drink from your own glass after the toast!

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Posted in Tips from a Groomsman
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Rant or Rave: Giving Money as a Wedding Gift

19 Aug
3:44:35 by Contributors | 5 Comments

There are lots of opinions and advice on etiquette when it comes to giving wedding gifts (and getting them). We thought we’d get your thoughts on giving cash for weddings.

How do you feel about giving cash as a gift? Some can’t get past the thought that it’s tacky… others want their hard-earned money to be as useful as it can be. Would you rather pick out a thoughtful gift for the couple or give them money and let them use it however they see fit? Rant or rave!

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Posted in Rant or Rave
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Bordeaux Rehearsal Dinner Inspiration Board

18 Aug
9:27:46 by Anum | 2 Comments

Take cues from the fashion scene when deciding on a color theme for your Fall rehearsal dinner. Bordeaux and shades of deep red are the “it” colors for the Fall season. We used one of our favorite new invitations in this rich hue and created our mood board around it.

 

 L to R: Wedding Paper Divas Majestic Monogram party invitation, Red Velvet Cupcakes, Florals, Chanel Nail Polish, Elie Saab Front-Slit Ruched Gown, Wine Glass Gel Candle

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Posted in Inspiration Boards
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Real Weddings: Mary and Colin

17 Aug
11:58:41 by Anum | 2 Comments

Today’s Real Wedding features the wedding of Mary and Colin, which took place at The Bridges Golf Club in San Ramon, CA. The bride created many little details and accents to decorate the event, from butterflies on the centerpieces to paper flowers on the plates! Here are some of the beautiful photos, courtesy of Ryan Tubongbanua Photography.

Mary + Colin

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Posted in Real Weddings
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Spelling Bee Cake: Eye Candy

16 Aug
11:08:08 by Jessy | No Comments

In the spirit of back-to-school season, we thought it only appropriate to dedicate this week’s Eye Candy to something classroom-cute. And, if you’re a lover of words, letters and all things creative… this wedding cake idea might just be for you! Isn’t it fun?

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Posted in Eye Candy
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Bride’s Diary: Invitations, and Response, and Enclosure Cards, Oh My!

15 Aug
3:27:12 by Jessy | No Comments

Wedding Paper Divas is bursting with staff grooms- and brides-to-be who are currently planning their weddings. We’re happy to share their stories with you as a part of this fun feature!

Last month, Chris and I had the impossible task of choosing wedding invitations. It’s great to work at a stationery company and have hundreds of invitation choices at my fingertips, but our indecisiveness went into overdrive. We probably ordered 20 samples!

We knew we wanted something to match our retro and rustic wedding theme, but also set the tone for the day. Our wedding won’t be traditional at all, so we felt it needed to be portrayed in our invites. And most importantly, we had to love them! After all the back and forth, we went back to our very first choice: Rustic Jar.

Here’s our personalized invite!

More than anything, we want our wedding to be fun and our guests to be excited to be there. I saw a great idea on one of our sample response cards: below the food choices it asked for the guests to choose a song they want to hear. Not only does it help us come up with a good song request list for the DJ, but it’ll get the guests excited to hear their requests the day-of. So far, nearly every guest has added a song—some even wrote a long list on the back of the card! It’s making the response cards much more fun to open too. The highlight so far has been from my good guy friend who requested “I Want to Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston. Who knew guys loved Whitney too!?

Here’s our response card. We wrote, “Please list a song that is sure to get your toes tappin.’”

How did you make your wedding invites unique?

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Meet Melissa
Melissa and Chris met in high school almost 14 years ago. They both ended up living in San Francisco after college and became best friends. After years and years of their friends telling them they were meant to be together, one Halloween they gave it a shot and have been together ever since. So, I guess guys and girls can’t be friends after all!

Melissa and Chris are getting married on October 7, 2011 at the SmogShoppe in LA.

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Posted in Bride's Diary
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DIY Envelope Liners

13 Aug
7:39:09 by Jessy | 1 Comment

Looking for an easy way to make your wedding invitations even more unique? We’re all about making the little details dazzle, and this DIY project will do just that. By adding a fun paper liner to your envelopes, you can take your wedding stationery to stylish new level. Here’s how to easily do it at home…

What You’ll Need

  • scissors
  • roller tape
  • paper of your choice (thinner paper types will work better because they fold easier. We used different sheets from an origami pack!)
  • ruler, pencil

Step 1: Measure and Trim Your Paper

Trim your paper down to match the shape of your envelope flap. Measure out with your ruler so when the paper is placed inside the envelope, there is a 1/4 of the envelope still showing.

Step 2: Tape and Insert

Apply the roller tape along the edges of the back side of your paper. Carefully slide the paper into your envelope and press firmly to give it a good stick. Make sure you don’t cover the adhesive strip on the envelope!

Step 3: Fold and Smile

Fold the flap down to set the crease on the envelope liner. Test out your invitation to see how great it looks… and sit back and smile!

Who knew a little piece of paper could take your wedding invitations so far?

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If you try this craft idea yourself, or if you have any DIY ideas to share, send your photos to blog@weddingpaperdivas.com and we’ll post them for all of our fans and followers.

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Posted in DIY Divas
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Thank You Cards for Gifts: Rant or Rave

12 Aug
1:40:20 by Contributors | 6 Comments

One of the Wedding Paper Divas staffers recently ran into a situation that we thought we would share and get your thoughts on. A few months after attending a bridal shower (and bringing a gift) she realized that she never received a thank you card. She asked some of us in the office whether they thought she should be offended or whether she should just let it go.

Is sending a thank you note necessary? Or just a tradition and a decision that should be up to the bride? Rant or rave!

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Posted in Rant or Rave
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