Gotham Hall...Gorgeous! (continuation of Letterpress...Yes Yes!) PART I

This October I had the pleasure in being a part of an amazing union. This bride came to me last March, she had a color palette of platinum and champagne. She was a joy to work with, we collaborated for the last 7 months to create the stationery below. I've been so excited about this stationery, I couldn't wait and I've blogged about it before. However, now I have the whole wedding of Samira and Jesse, so keep reading...it's a visual treat! And there is so much to share, it will be a 2 parter, so be sure to check back in a few days for Part 2!

All Venue and Wedding photography is by Shira Weinberger - NYC Wedding Photography, 

all in studio product photography by Liga Photography.

Wedding Location: Gotham Hall, New York
Wedding Planning & Design: Cristine Godsey of Engaging Affairs

Letterpress by Mama Sauce

Design and Hand Silk and Crystal work by: The 2u Collection

It all started in March 2011, Samira found me through referral and was excited for us as The 2u Collection to handle her wedding stationery. We were super excited as well, and the modern chic style of the bride, left us limitless possibilities! 

Meet Samira. Love her, and her style is pretty much summed up in this image!
Here's what she had to say about her invitations: "I have gotten so many compliments on the invitations....i lost track after the 57th.  People who are related to people who received the invitation are going nuts over them!  Men are actually commenting on how they are the most beautiful invites they have ever seen!  My cousin has it on display at her house!  I can go on and on!"

Save the Date, and Invitation, Letterpress package with Handmade Silk Hardbound books finished with crystals and Satin Ribbon. Pewter Metallic Paper, Champagne Metallic Mailing envelopes and Labels, Ivory Felt Cover Stock for the Letterpress. Black Leatherette Box lines with Platinum Metallic Tissue Paper.

Save the Date

Handmade Platinum Silk Hardbound Book with Pewter Silk Bow, finished with Swarovski Crystal.

 Letterpress on Ivory Felt, 3 Swarovski Crystal finish the Monogram and make the inside pop!

Satin Ribbon holds the details cards.

Great Shot of the Details and Response Cards. Layered with Pewter Metallic Paper.

all product photography above by Liga Photography.

In Part 2, I will share the rest of the reception collateral we created. Enjoy a few images from the wedding to help set the stage!

 Beautiful shots of the invitation as the bride gets ready!  Shira Weinberger - NYC Wedding Photography, 

Hello Gorgeous, in an amazing Vera Wang design! 

The Groom and his Gentlemen!

Oh so happy couple.  Wedding Location: Gotham Hall, New York

A sneak peek of what is to come in Part 2. What a beautifully designed venue! An below is AMAZING floral by: Tantawan Bloom

Throwing a Holiday Party this year? How about a CUSTOM invitation!

Are you throwing a Holiday Party this year? It's not too late to have a unique custom invitation created.. We just recently created this amazing Custom Die Cut- mounted invitation for an ELEVEN ELEVEN ELEVEN Party!
The client was extremely pleased! Here's what she had to say: "I have never had people go so crazy complimenting me on an invite before!!!  One email I got was in all caps raving on and on!  Nice job!!!!"

Inspiration Series-The Color Blue.

Inspiration Board for the Color Blue! Makes such an impact. Who says Blue is depressing and sad? 

Images courtesy of Marthastewart, Ikea and The Knot!

Check us out! Weddings Illustrated Magazine.

If you haven't gotten the fall issue of Weddings Illustrated Magazine, check it out. One of our invitations made it in the current issue.

Top left image, that is us. See invitation below for more detailed view!

Custom Holiday Cards and Party Invites are the HOT thing!!

I know, some of you will read this and say.. WHATTTTTTT... This year is flying, it is not time for the Holiday's. Well, I couldn't agree with you more, however my clients are speaking with me now about creating custom holiday cards and party invites for them. So after freaking out and consulting the calendar, I realized... it's that time like it or not. The way this year has flown by, This Holiday season will be here before you know it.  And if you want something unique and different for your holiday cards- that means CUSTOM- and Custom means time. You can visit our Custom Stationery Division to see more of our custom work.


I wanted to share some fun holiday things we've done in the past with you, to get your holiday juices flowing. Because if you are thinking about Custom for this holiday season it's time to start,  Design, Printing and Production take time, and to get your card delivered by Late November it's best to start the CUSTOM process before October 15th.

If you don't have the budget for CUSTOM, check out our sister Stationery Line, Paper Couture.  There are some great ready-made options and there will be ALL NEW HOLIDAY CARD Designs uploaded Mid October!  Below are some of the great Holiday Cards currently on the site available for purchase and be sure to check back as the holiday's approach, as we will have all kinds of new designs uploaded!

Our ready made line, Paper Couture has these great Santa Tags. 


Need a little help tagging gifts from the North Pole?

These 50 gift tags From Santa’s Workshop will help keep the tradition of Santa alive. 25 original tags that were created and signed by elves, reindeer and Santa and Mrs. Claus themselves!  Your children will never question Santa’s “handwriting” again! (21.95 per set of 50 tags & ribbon)

(Buy Now)

Repost by popular demand! Stationery Etiquette!

Over the years I have had many brides ask me specific questions about Wedding Stationary Etiquette. So today is all about etiquette, keep in mind some of the information below, is how I do things here at The 2u Collection and Paper Couture Stationery, some of these "rules" have been modified to what I've found works best over the years, so in researching etiquette rules you may find different rules. What I've found over the years, is it is mostly personal preference how you handle some of these things. And I could write on etiquette for pages and pages, so with that in mind I just tried to create a brief overview of the main items and the questions I get asked the most.

With the current days of online invitations, eblasts, wedding websites, etc. it is easy to understand why there would be so many questions. Well instead of having to thumb through Emily Post’s Etiquette, I would like to help clear up some of the do’s and don’t’s of the world of wedding invitations.

WEDDING INVITATIONS

The main goal of the wedding invitation is to let your guests know the who, what, when, and where of the event. It will also serve to express the formality and tone of the event through the complexity, color, fonts, and design of the invitation. Once the invitation has successfully accomplished the 4 W’s the last step is to ensure that they are addressed and delivered with the proper courtesy! Keep in mind the Save the Date or Invitation is the first introduction your guests have to your spectacular event. It's a window into the Tone and Design of the event, and a great opportunity to start a BUZZ about your wedding. So, it's always best to WOW them, so they are excited and looking forward to the unveiling to come.

When to send the invitation:

Typically 2 months before your wedding date. The standard is 6 weeks before, but depending on travel, location of wedding and whether or not Save the Dates were sent is what will determine just how many weeks before your event you send your invitations.

What are the proper Formal Social Titles?

Mr. - Formal Male Title

Ms. - Formal Female Title, for divorcée or over 40 single woman

Mrs. - Formal Title for Married Females

Miss - Formal Title for Unmarried Females under 40 years old

How to address your invitations:

Couples-

Standard - Mr. And Mrs. John Smith

One has a Professional Title - Doctor Jane Smith and Mr. John Smith

Both have a Professional Title - Doctor Jane Smith and Doctor John Smith or The Drs. John and Jane Smith

Unmarried Couples - Miss Jane Smith

                             Mr. John Adams

Single Guests- 

Unmarried Female - Miss Jane Smith or Ms. Jane Smith

Divorced Female - Ms. Jane Jones

Widowed Female - Mrs. Jane Smith or Mrs. John Smith

Children - 

Under 16 - Only list parents name on the outer envelope and list the children's name on the inner envelope. For example: Jason and Brittany.

Over 16 - Get their own invitation! Addressed: Miss Brittany Smith or Mr. Jason Smith

When to use an Inner and Outer Envelope?:

Typically, we usually only use an outer mailing envelope, but if you are having a very formal or traditional event, then you will want to have both an inner and outer envelope, it gives an heir of sophistication and implies formality.

How to word the invitation depending on who is paying for the wedding:

Example when Brides Parents are paying:

Mr. and Mrs. John Smith request the honor of your presence at the marriage of 

their daughter Jennifer Michelle to Mr. James Joseph Clark on Saturday, the sixth of 

November Two Thousand Eleven at two o’clock in the afternoon at Little Chapel 

Winter Park, Florida.

Example when Groom’s Parents are paying:

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Clark request the honor of your presence at the  marriage of Miss Jennifer Michelle Smith to their son Mr. James Joseph Smith

When both are paying:

Mr. and Mrs. John Smith request the honor of your presence at the marriage of 

their daughter Jennifer Michelle to Mr. James Clark son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Clark

When the Bride and Groom are paying:

The honor of your presence is requested at the marriage of Miss Jennifer Michelle Smith and Mr. James Joseph Clark

OR

Miss Jennifer Michelle and Mr. James Joseph Clark together with their parents request the honor of your presence

Do you need a wedding website?

 It isn't' 100% necessary, However the majority of brides choose to have one these days. It is beneficial for several reasons, and you can get them free at most wedding websites these days (weddingwire.com, theknot.com, marthastewartweddings.com, etc) And if you are splurging on Custom Invitations, a website can be created that matches the design and feel of your invitations.

How to use your Wedding Website:

Now a days couples are using a website (otherwise called a wedsite) tailored specifically to their wedding to help spread the word about issues that are not considered polite to express on the actual invitation, such as posting where you are registered, addressing a “No Children” policy, when giving complicated or detailed directions, informing your guests of hotel special room rates, and providing links to area activities for out of towners. 

SAVE THE DATES

The Save the Date is used to informally invite your wedding guests in further advance than the invitation, to help prevent them from planning events on your wedding date. They are good for anyone inviting friends/family that will need to travel  to the wedding so that travel arrangements can be made. The Save the Date is also a great place to inform your guests of your wedding website!

When to send your Save the Dates:

Typically 4 to 6 months before your wedding date. If planning a destination wedding they can be sent up to 12 months before your wedding date!

I hope this blog helps, any of you with questions, if you have a specific question I haven't addressed you can always email me at amy@2ucollection.com. And keep in mind, don't get caught up in following everything to a T, as time moves forwards and traditions and standards change, these rules can be flexible and it's really about your personal preference.

Be Unique, Be out of the Box!

Every bride that comes to me says the same thing, 'I want to be different and OUT OF THE BOX, I don't want my wedding stationery to be boring.'


So I decided to write a blog with this concept in mind, how do you make your Wedding Stationery unique and different?  Well here are some tips.


UNIQUE SIZE AND SHAPE: Have your stationery company create something that isn't the standard shape, or size. Whether it's your Save the Date, Invitation, or pieces of your Reception Collateral, different sizes and shapes can really give your stationery an added wow factor!

DOES Invitation and Wedding Collateral HAVE TO BE PAPER?: Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE paper. Some who know me would say I'm addicted! (and I wouldn't disagree) However, it's always fun to use Paper as the compliment to some other element to WOW your guests. See some of the pieces below.

This was a fun project.. Did you know that Breathalyzer tests in their infancy involved a balloon? Well I didn't until I did research for this Stock the Bar, Housewarming Party. The invite required guests instead of bringing a housewarming gift, to bring a bottle of something to help stock their bar.  What a fun idea. So we followed with the invite, The invite was a balloon attached to and insert card. All the details were on the balloon once you blew it up!

This was an amazing table number. The wedding was all about pearls, so instead of a standard Square or Rectangular piece of cover stock with a number, we used a glass vase, filled it with pearls and wooden numbers that had been pearlized with paint!

  This is also very fun!! Try sending food!! Of course make sure it's food that won't spoil to much, in this case, we sent nuts, pop corn, dates and ritz crackers! It was a hit, nothing better than receiving snacks in the mail!

 Don't want to use paper? Try Fabric! This invitation was unique and beautiful Printed Fabric with Satin Ribbon edges.  

 Here is another fun one.. Want something different.  How about a video invitation?  In this great invitation, a video invite was created and we presented it with paper as the accent in this great organic natural pocket!

USE TEXTURE: Another great way to be unique is to use Texture and embellishments when you can. Texture and use of interesting elements that aren't "NORMAL" for invitations always are a wow for the guests.

 Using different textures can really bring the WOW to your guests. Textured AND colored paper is always a wow.. Adding Lace, ribbon and crystals bring depth and excitement, Also seen above, we took silk flowers and guilded them in metallic silver. It really brought drama to the invitations. Lastly, incorporating different colored and textured paper with elements like Raffia and Wood, also can bring life to any ordinary stationery set.

Make 2D into 3D: Do something unique, think outside the box, incorporate a 3-dimensional gift with your invitation, make your place cards stand out by placing them on the wine glass at the setting, protect your invitation or card from the BIG BAD Post office, with an origami hand made box.