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!

It's all in the Details!

(ALL STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY BY LIGA PHOTOGRAPHY)

I often have brides ask me how do I create a full wedding package with each piece unique, yet they all tie together.  Well, I'm going to share with you a little secret. It's all about the details. And this doesn't just go for your stationery, incorporating similar details throughout your weddings, in the flowers, in the stationery, in the cake, and in the dress. (Of course I know there is more to a wedding then these things, I'm just using these things as examples)

As we all know, every bride wants to have an AMAZING event that could grace the pages of a magazine. My first suggestion would be to get a planner.  There are several reasons for this. Planners have experience with tons of different vendors with different styles. And they can help you put together a team of creatives with styles that will compliment each other and give you the dream you are imagining. Plus, any good planner will help you design your wedding from the furniture at the reception to the church or venue you get married in. As well as take the stress, that comes with getting married, off of you so you can truly relax and enjoy every minute of your engagement and wedding experience.  

Okay, now that I have gotten that out. It's time to discuss the details, since my expertise is everything paper and stationery, I will use one of my favorite stationery designs to illustrate what I'm trying to say.  

The bride loved the feather element we incorporated in the wedding invitation (see wooden box above) but we didn't want feathers to overpower the reception or the stationery, so they were incorporated into the cake and the coloring book above we illustrated for the children at the wedding.  

PS. another nice PERSONAL touch was the illustration of the coloring book was the love story 

of the bride and groom. Personal Touches can really help the overall tone of your wedding and make the stationery of your event really move your guests.

You can easily create an amazing wedding experience, you just need to keep in mind you need to sprinkle similar design elements throughout. For example As you can see in the Main image at the top, the bride really liked the design elements of pearls, lace and feathers. Now, something to keep in mind is A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY.  Mistakes a lot of brides make is they take their favorite design element and then WAAAAAAYYYYY overdue it.. 

My advice is you pick at least 2, NO MORE Than 3 design elements and then sprinkle them throughout your wedding or your wedding stationery.  If your instinct tells you you're using something too much. Than you probably are and should dial it back.  My suggestion would be to decide what the feeling is you want to convey at your wedding, and focus on that feeling more than the parts and pieces of your wedding. For example, the images I'm using, this bride wanted a romantic, elegant feeling. Focusing on this, is what helps me in every design project I take on. 

The Iridescent Wooden Invitation Box inspired these table numbers, the guests only saw the wood texture in the invitation, so it was a nice detail in the reception table numbers to 

remind them of how they felt when they received that invitation.

PS. we filled the glass vases with pearls, as that was detail throughout the 

wedding the bride wanted to see.

As you can see, buy the above pictures, we loved the lace and pearl elements but didnt' want to go overboard with them so one pearl embleshined the passed appetizer trays, the reception menus, and the church programs, small lace borders we used just on the programs and the appetizer tray cards. 

When I feel that I'm struggling with a particular element of the stationery set as a whole, I step back take a minute and go back to the feeling we are trying to create. A perfect example of this is the escort cards from this wedding stationery. I wanted to do something that went with the other stationery pieces, but didn't look exactly like them. So I thought.. ROMANCE & ELEGANCE, what I came up with is below, they were a big hit and really added to the romance of the cocktail hour.

Glass votives with lit candles and translucent vellum created these unique escort cards, and although they didn't incorporate pearls, lace or feathers, but it really added to the romantic feel, 

along with matching the other stationery pieces.

CUSTOM INVITATIONS VS. READY MADE

All photography by Liga Photography, LLC.

We took advantage of the minimum order restrictions by using the same supplies over this brides full event. The above photo is her Wedding Package and the below package is her Bridal Shower Package.  As you can see we utilized the same supplies, while giving each piece it's own unique feel- and creating a cohesive look across all of her wedding related events.

So I am asked all of the time, Why are Custom Invitations More Expensive? Why go with a Custom Invitation over a Ready Made Invitation? I decided to write a blog to address these questions.. Please if you have any other questions you want answered- Comment and I will answer the best I can.

Why choose a Custom Invitation over a Ready Made Invitation?  I have found that the brides that seek me out for Custom Stationery do it because they want to add a Personal yet Unique flare to their wedding. I do my best to get to know my bride and groom and develop stationery for their event that reflects who they are as a couple, in addition to adding to the overall atmosphere and decor of their Wedding. 

This was the beginning, supplies started coming in and the studio became a mess. Glass Vases, and Candles everywhere.

Is a Custom Invitation for You? Do you want to set the tone for your wedding from the moment your guest receive their first communication from you? Do you want something Unique and Different that your guests have never seen before? Do you want your guests to feel your personal touch and love for them throughout the process of your event, from Save the Date, to Thank You Cards?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, then a Custom Designed Invitation is for you.

What will a Custom Invitation Cost?  Is a Custom Designed Invitation Right for my Budget?  The Standard Rule is to spend 4% of your wedding budget on Stationery. This will help you figure out if a Custom Designed Invitation is right for you. Custom Designed Invitations usually start around $1,500 for approximately 100 invitations, and can go all the way to 10,000 for a full wedding package. Pricing is really dependent on embellishments and types of materials used.  An invitation with no flare will be more modestly priced than an invitation that has silk fabric, a crystal brooch, etc.

My trusty & talented assistant Heather starting the process of Candle Escort Cards!

Why are Custom Invitation more expensive than Ready- Made invitations?  This question really has no short answer.  Printing in general is an expensive process unless you are printing in bulk. In that industry bulk is 1,000 or more. The more you print the smaller the cost PER PIECE is. When you are only printing 100 of something- you have to pay the same cost to set up that printing press- whether you print 1 or 10,000.  Not to mention there are order minimums on paper, crystals, ribbon, envelopes, etc.  Even if you need only 50 invitations you still have to buy supplies in the MINIMUMS they come in, and you still have to pay for the Printing Press Set Up.  For example you may only need 50 sheets of paper, but they only sell it in Reams of 250. As I mentioned earlier, The cost per goes down when you are printing in large numbers like 1,000 or more. But most weddings don't have a guest list that large. So you are having to divide the Cost of Set Up and Supplies over your small number, making the price point per MUCH higher. And each design is set up on it's own. So if you have a menu and an invitation you are paying for set up of both of those because the artwork and printing plates are different. 

When we get a piece almost to completion, then it goes through quality check (above picture) and then is boxed, counted and prepared for delivery.

Ready Made invitations are printing in the thousands as Templates. The Main design is printed in BULK in the Thousands, Stored and then distributed around the country to different INVITATION VENDORS, who put them in a book. And then brides go in, search through the books and choose the invitation they like. When that order is placed, a smaller less expensive printer is used to print your name and personal information on the DESIGN TEMPLATE. So that the cost is less, they aren't haven't to set up and order supplies everytime an order comes in. They did this initially once in the beginning and printed in BULK. 

After a few all nighters, the Product is ready to go! On to the venue for staging. That is me (top pic) alphabetizing escort candles. And (below) the wonderful Jessy Rivers from E-events with my assistant Heather, lighting and arranging! The guests will arrive at any minute!

To Recap: Custom Designed Invitations are more expensive because you are printing something unique and different in smaller numbers. They usually also include embellishments such as ribbon, crystals, brooches, etc. Which adds hand labor to the process. The above invitations have Lace Accents, and no machine can work lace accents. I always try and tell my brides that it makes more sense to purchase a package if you are going to have something custom. Then you get to take advantage of the supplies. If the paper only comes in Reams of 100 or 250, if you print your invites, thank yous, menus, etc. then you are making use of the supplies you HAVE to buy due to minimums.

And the finished Venue! It all looked beautiful and the guests were WOW'd from the moment the got their mail to the end of the wedding 6 weeks later. As you can see if you 

Custom Designed Invitations in your budget they are well worth it.

This is not your mother's BRIDAL SHOWER!

Recently I was asked to participate in a new kind of Bridal Shower. Abby Liga and Sabrina James enlisted several amazing vendors to gather together & change the way we look at Bridal Showers.  The Bride is a client of many of us, and has a great vision! The shower will be featured this year in Orlando Magazine & Some vendors participated: Lisa Konency of E-events, Lee Forrest of lee forrest design, Anna Hightower of Anna Cakes, Abby Liga of Liga Photography, Heidi Brice from Puff n' Stuff, & The Flipbook People.


The idea was to throw a shower that is new, fresh, fun and sophisticated. Try and break out of the traditional home-made cake, bridal games, etc. 


They came to me with colors, and an idea. A modern day party from the Pages of The Great Gatsby!  This was a challenge but very exciting. I was commissioned to create everything from tray cards, brand signs, invites, etc.


What we did to keep cost down was create 1 amazing invitation for the Bride-to-Be, and then made matching ones for the rest of the guest.  The picture above shows both invitations. 


The Bride-to-Be Invitation (below) was part Gatsby tradition, part Modern Trend.  We started with a wooden box, pearlized it, lined it with ivory lace and kelly green ribbon, and topped it with ribbon and pearls. On the inside a fan made from feathers with a tassel of pearls and ribbon. The paper used, was a white Metallic Linen, complimented by an Ivory Classic Crest. Both of Neenah Paper. (ps all photography by Abby Liga)

The Invitations for the Guests were a dialed down version of the above.  We mixed White Metallic Linen with Ivory Classic Crest, Accented it with 2 White Ostrich Feathers, 2 Pearls and Intertwined Ribbon. An Ivory Metallic Envelope finished it off!

Meet (from l to r) Kelly Davis, Danielle Stults (BRIDE TO BE) and Sabrina James dressed in true Gatsby style!

Some of the cool Paper we created for the event! Our theme throughout was carried through, Pearls, Lace, Ribbon, Metallic Linen. It created an amazing effect in conjunction with all the beautiful lighting, cakes, floral and food.  You can see the environment below. 

The Flip Book People added some interaction to the event and a great time was had by all!  As you can see all of the participants were amazing and did their part! This is ONE LUCKY BRIDE!