It's a Mad Hatter Thing... Baby Shower!

Parents to be... Robyn and Andrew Dixon having fun with hats!

Robyn and Andrew Dixon are not new topics to my blog. Not only are they close friends of mine, they have trusted me to graphically handle lots of milestones in their life! I was there when it all began, and I've designed their wedding, holidays, and now... their baby! 

Robyn came to us girls (pictured below) and said she wanted to have a Boy themed Mad Hatter baby shower! Of course we jumped right on it. We decided we since she is having a boy and will soon be outnumbered by boys in her house, we would give her one last girly, elegant party! With China tea pots and cups, fresh floral and many antique glass cruets-- the decor started to come together, as you can see above!

Of course we started with Invitations to set the tone, pictured above. To read the full blog post on the invitations, click here.

Hostess' and Mom to be getting in the Mad Hatter fun with our unique head pieces!! (L to R)  Amy Morelli, Robyn Dixon, Cara Sturla and Amy Baumgarten.  Never fear all, the Mommy-to-be is drinking NON-alcoholic wine!

As you can see, we went all out with the decor. In keeping with the Alice and Wonderland Theme, we created die cut metallic "Eat Me" and "Drink Me" tags. We had Rabbit's, Clocks, and Keys sprinkled throughout the event (a thanks to PLAYGROUND Magazine for their contribution of these things, they were designed by Ayla, you can find them in her Etsy Store!). In addition, pictured above, we created custom candy wrappers for the favors to commemorate the event, as well as Signage, for the menu, gift table, and fun photo station!

We also created a Wishing Tree, where guest could write their wishes for the baby's future, and hang them on the tree.  We also did something fun, when guests arrived, we had a "Mad Hat table", pictured below, We here at The 2u Collection had a blast creating these unique headband hats for the guests to wear throughout the day!

A few guests having fun with the wishing tree!

Much thanks to RW Chocolate Fountain Rentals for these AMAZING and delicious Mad Hatter themed Cake Pops! Be sure to visit them on Facebook, and see some of the amazing things they create with Chocolate!

  We also created this fun photo station with these great cutouts with the Mad Hatter/Alice and Wonderland theme! Thanks to PLAYGROUND Magazine for their contribution of these things, they were designed by Ayla, you can find them in her Etsy Store! The guests loved them, and they made for some great fun pics! And one last mention, pictured below is Robyn and Andrew's first baby... Charlie! She is a wonderfully, gentle, loving Westie! We couldn't pass up getting her involved in the fun as well!

Mr. & Mrs. Dixon! It's Official.

So this blog entry will be a bit more detailed than I normally do. If you follow this blog you know this wedding was more special than the excitement of creating unique wedding collateral. (you can click the link at the end of this blog to read the first pre-wedding blog). Not only did I get carte blanche on the design of this project, this was the wedding of my close friends Robyn and Andrew Dixon! The happy couple is pictured below!



Because my husband and I are close with the bride and groom we had the pleasure of being involved in this wedding from engagement to vows. This was exciting for many reasons, I got to see this amazing wedding go from concept and dreaming to reality.. This was mainly due in part to the hard work of both Robyn and Lisa Konecny from E-Events Design. Due to Andrew's British heritage, Robyn wanted to get married at their home with an English Garden Theme. Lisa did an amazing job on making this fantasy become a beautiful event. This is her below working on some final touches!


These 2 ladies cooked up some pretty clever and unique ideas to really blend the American and English heritages of both the bride and groom. Robyn borrowed several sets of antique china from various family members, And it made for beautiful tables, and as you can see above tea time during cocktail hour before the wedding.

And because of the English Garden theme, there were yard games, and outdoor seating areas to really get guests into the theme.


Moores Fine Foods created amazing cuisine for the event, plated dinners of filet and ahi tuna were served to guests on mix and match china patterns.

Below is where the happy couple said their vows, and because I'm close with the couple I know Andrew poured his heart and soul into this "wedding deck." He built this deck with his own 2 hands and not much help from anyone else. I can assure you it was hard work, he even had to clear out the forest to make room to build it.

And Lisa had a great idea, to take a chandelier from the house and hang it over the deck for a romantic touch. It was an amazing effect, and later when the deck became the dance floor, it made for great pictures!



Once the vows were said and Robyn and Andrew became "The Dixon's" it was time for dinner, this was exciting for me, because I created and designed several of the pieces, from menus to escort cards, table numbers and much more. Once I learned the theme of the wedding and heard robyn was thinking of using doves in a nest as a cake topper my mind started working. I came up with an idea of making the escort cards in the shape of birds that were placed in 2 topiary plants. Above is the end result and below is a more detailed studio shot of the birds. And I must say they were a big hit!


Some detailed shots of the menus, place cards and table numbers on the tables, and below a studio shot of the menu. it was 2 sided, and they were placed on the tables rotating which side was up. Made for great pictures!


The tables looked amazing, and let's not forget the florals-- by Flowers of Winter Park!


One more thing that I created for this wedding that is not only unique but a sentimental replacement for the guest book. In Lieu of a Guest Book, we at The 2u Collection created wish cards. I supplied a beautiful silver and teal keepsake box. We designed and produced Wish Cards that guests wrote their wishes for the couples future. This ensures in the years to come the bride and groom can re-live there special day over and over as they read the special notes from their friends and family!


Extremely stylish and beautiful not to mention delicious cake by Cakes by Design.



And lastly, I designed Thank yous, to match all the other collateral of the event.. With Kindness and Gratitude is the message the bride and groom will send thanks to all of their guests!

A great day had by all, and I wish my great friends all the happiness they can stand! And I am touched they included me in their special event not only as a friend but the designer in me loves them for giving me so much freedom to imagine their project with no limits!

XOXO to you both!

And a special thanks to Lisa of E-Events.. This was our first official wedding together and I really enjoyed working with her. To all of the other vendors-- as a guest I must say-- you all did an amazing job and I look forward to working with you all in the future!

(special thanks to Liga Photography -- Abby shot all of the studio shots of the collateral!)


Read a Pre-Wedding Blog about Save the Dates & Invitations for this event.

In the Garden.. Robyn & Andrew will Wed!

So this one is close to my heart! I am not only excited about this invitation because the project has been fun and Fabulous, but the Bride and Groom are close to my heart! Robyn Thomas and Andrew Dixon have been great friends of my husband and I for the last 4 or 5 years. In fact, I was the one who said all along they would end up together, and with my husband's persuasive game of Elimidate.. The rest is history..

This project has been fun and I'm so proud of it for several reasons! I get to work with one of my closest friends, she pretty much let my imagination go wild, and it challenged me in more ways than one. And of course I'm getting to work with the amazing Lisa Konecny of E-events.. What more could I ask for! (and special thanks to Abby Liga of Liga Photography for once again making my work look amazing! Heather, I haven't forgotten you either, without you these crazy ideas of mine would be dead in the water!)

The Wedding will take place on February 28th, so I have to keep alot of things we are doing secret until after the wedding, but I can share with you the invitations and save the dates!

They are having a small affair of about 75 people to their home to get married in their English Garden! So the invitations needed to reflect both Robyn's style and Andrew's English heritage. So off I went, with pretty much no other guidelines than that.. Robyn, for that I thank you.. A designers dream..
FREE REIGN.

So off I went, with Classic White Linen Paper, English Rose Accent Paper, And Pastel Green Linen Envelopes.. So far so good.. Then I found this amazing ribbon, sheer, with leaves and flowers imprinted on it in this perfect earthly green color.. And let's not forget the Antiqued Brass Rose Button, that I used as an embellishment! It's all coming together now.. So after I spent some time with.. It all became clear, and Photographed below is the result.. We've had great feedback and both Robyn and Andrew loved both the Save the Dates, and Invitations!





Again, this is just a teaser, there are a few other innovative things I've tried for this wedding that I've never done before, and the result.. I must say I'm proud of myself for pulling it off. But MUMMS the word.. I can keep a secret, be sure March 1st I will blog first thing, with images and details from the reception and post wedding collaterall!