So I finally decided it was time, time to choose the all-important save the dates! Since the majority of my friends and family are coming from overseas, deciding to include these cards was a necessity. Not only is it fun to send out early announcements of your wedding but it is also out of common courtesy. Your guests will need the extra time to make flight and hotel arrangements and take off from work. I know because as soon as I got engaged my family was eager to know all the details of my wedding. The sooner you can get those out, the better! This will increase the chances that the people you love will be able to join you on your wedding day.

Wedding Paper Divas has a lot of chic choices to pick from. After perusing the site for several days, I finally decided to choose a photo card. This is a great way to make use of any engagement photos you have and add personality to your save the date cards. There were so many out there to choose from, some with juicy colors great for summer like the Canna photo cards and others with perfect nature scenes great for spring such as the new Little Bird Save the Dates.

But I finally selected a simple card that perfectly suits my fiancé and I am completely happy with my choice. I was a little indecisive at first. But who could blame me with all the great new designs? After a lot of flip flopping though, I finally made my decision. Can you keep a secret? Guess which one I chose? I couldn’t resist the new Wild Grass photo save the date cards in Sage.

Wild Grass

Valentine’s Day cards have been shared in Europe for centuries, but the American tradition of sending Valentine’s Day cards was pioneered by one innovative and creative young woman. Esther Howland, “The Mother of the American Valentine,” was inspired by an ornate English valentine she received shortly after graduating from college in 1847. Determined to make beautiful valentines of her own, she ordered paper lace and floral embellishments from England, created a few samples and was overwhelmed by the volume of orders placed at her family’s Massachusetts stationery shop.

Operating during the height of the golden age of valentines from 1840-1860, Esther grew her business from a small valentine production line in her family’s home to full-blown flourishing and in 1879, The New England Valentine Company was created. Her business thrived until she retired in 1881, when she sold it to the George C. Whitney Company. Esther’s highly intricate and romantic paper lace designs, as well as many others, set Valentine’s Day cards trends in America for over thirty years.

Image courtesy of Donna Albino, http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~dalbino/

At Wedding Paper Divas we’re inspired by Esther’s dedication to creativity, romance and above all, innovation. As a modern tip of the hat to our pioneering, visionary sister, our state-of-the-art personalization options allow you to make our Valentine’s Day designs your unique cards. Newlyweds and couples can easily customize a quick, heartfelt thank you note to loved ones or transform a valentine design into a moving or marriage announcement.

With the Sweet Paisley Valentine Red Photo Card, choose to keep “Happy Valentine’s Day” at the top but incorporate “Your wedding date” where the family member names are. Like Esther Howland’s exclusive paper lace creations, our personalization options and designs combined with your sentiments and style offer the perfect opportunity to create your own exclusive and indelible Valentine’s Day card trends.

Source:
http://www.americanantiquarian.org/Exhibitions/Valentines/howland.htm
http://www.jsbeads.com/esther-howland/

At Wedding Paper Divas we’re fortunate to have a glimpse into the stationery crystal ball. As the wedding season picks up, we reflect on our best-selling card designs from 2007 as well as current trends across-the-board to create our Diva Dialogue’s Eight Greats For 2008. You’ll discover that all of our wedding stationery ensembles embrace today’s romantic inspirations with a dash of modern flair.

Make it personal

Whether on newlywed photo cards, thank you notes or wedding invitations, classic monograms are still au courant. When creating your customized card remember to keep it simple. Don’t overdo it with fonts, font sizes and colors.

Spring into yellow

Yellow is positively golden this wedding season. From spicy saffron to luscious lemon, nothing is warmer or more exhilarating on a wedding suite this spring. This season the new yellows are anything but mellow!

Black is back

Black was our most popular card color this holiday season. It’s also the color of chic sophistication for black tie weddings and events, especially when paired with crisp white or an unconventional bright. Traditional designs with a twist like black toile instead of pink whisper modern elegance.

Banded Damask

Go green for summer

Our modern designs are embracing all shades of green this season all the way from apple to olive. Unique color combos like lime or lime green and turquoise make a truly fresh statement for any summer wedding suite.

Rich Floral

Natural-chic

We’re definitely sweet on designs inspired by natural elements. Our wedding suites featuring simple leaf and flower motifs are as popular as ever. A Diva Dialogues favorite is our new Meadow Flourish ensemble which also incorporates our going green for summer trend.

Meadow Flourish

Fall for chocolate

Here at Wedding Paper Divas we love chocolate! We even created our own chocolate brown for our sister company, Tiny Prints. This fall, rich jewel tones like deep purples and pinks mixed with chocolate are a truly decadent combination.

Handwrite it

With electronic communication all around us, hand-written thank you cards are more popular and meaningful than ever. Write little notes to your lovely, hardworking bridesmaids or place them on tables at your reception thanking guests for their participation. Don’t forget to follow-up every gift with a personalized thank you card.

All about toile

Toile inspiration has leapt off of our upholstery and curtains and is making a contemporary comeback on many of our latest wedding stationery designs. These beautiful, classic and highly intricate scenes designed with unusual colors are more chic than ever before.