Mrs. Jasmine, Chicago/LA
Age and Occupation: 25, Attorney
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Attorney
Engagement Date: March 24, 2007
Wedding Date: June 7, 2008
Blogging Since: September 20, 2007
Venue: Hotel on the westside of Los Angeles
About Me: I'm a happy-go-lucky, imaginative spirit trapped in the body of a lawyer. I love reading, shopping, dining out, and exploring my beloved adopted city of Chicago with my fiance. We're planning the wedding of our dreams in my hometown of Los Angeles and we're excited to incorporate our cherished Indian/Pakistani customs and traditions.
Please Save The Date
January 9th, 2008 @ 11:32 am by Mrs. Jasmine
As I raced down Michigan Avenue, dodging tourists, bewildered shoppers, and dangerous patches of ice, I realized that I had finally gone bat-sh*t, wedding-crazy. I was racing home to see my newly delivered save-the-date cards.
Saima Khan of Saima Says Design designed my save-the-date cards and will be designing our invitations. Saima is an incredibly talented, stylish, and creative designer who has been an absolute dream to work with. Choosing a stationer was no easy feat, but Saima’s exotic Indian-inspired designs sealed the deal for me. When I saw the PDF of our save-the-date design, I was in love. Somehow, she was able to capture exactly what I had envisioned and hoped for, but was unable to articulate.
I tore into the package with the kind of gusto I usually reserve for bags of candy. Here are my beloved cards (I’m sorry for the generally poor photo quality– these photographs were taken in a fairly dark room):
I heart the bright fuschia paper, which has a wonderful, handmade textured feel. The letterpressed design is so lovely. It’s exotic and highly detailed, but contemporary– nothing about it feels old-fashioned.
I was initially concerned about letterpressing gold onto fuschia paper. My initial research indicated that letterpress is not the best method for printing light ink onto dark paper. But the gold ink showed up beautifully and clearly, so it’s definitely possible with the right printer.
These photos do not do the gold envelopes justice. They are a stunning, brightly shimmering gold that catches the light in the prettiest way. I need eyeshadow this color!
The gorgeous calligraphy was done by Susan Daniel, an amazing calligrapher in Chicago. Susan is an absolute sweetheart and it was a joy to work with her. Her calligraphy really took our save-the-dates to the next level and I love the way the lettering she used mirrors the “please save the date” font. Susan can be reached at iink4u@hotmail.com.
If you’re interested in custom wedding stationery, I highly recommend contacting Saima Says Design for a consultation. Even though she works out of Washington, DC, she designs for brides all over the United States and abroad.
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16 Responses to “Please Save The Date”
Wow! Those are gorgeous STDs!! They could qualify for formal invitations as well… Is the lotus blossom (I think thats what it is?) on the envelope also letter pressed? I wish I could reach through my computer and feel the letterpressed goodness… =)
LOVE IT!!! They’re so beautiful Miss Jasmine. Absolutely stunning. I ::heart:: Saima Says– great pick! And the calligraphy is so perfect!
Thank you ladies! I could not be happier with them.
Mrs. Emerald: the text and rose on the envelope are letterpressed. And they do feel really nice– Mr. Jasmine was alarmed by how much time I spent holding them. I didn’t even want to put them in the mail.
That calligraphy is amazing!! Beautiful save the dates!
beautiful. clearly setting the stage for an exquisite weddings!
Love them! Also really love the calligraphy. If you don’t mind, can you tell us how much Susan charges to address envelopes?
I wasn’t thrilled with the calligrapher we hired for our save-the-dates, so am thinking of switching gears for the invitations.
mickey: Susan’s current pricing is $3.50 per outer envelope and $4.00 for an inner/outer envelope set.
Oh Miss Jasmine, those are exquisite. I love how it says “save the date” on the envelopes too, and the rose design is beautiful.
Just gorgeous Miss Jasmine!
I just came from Saima’s website - would you mind sharing how much she charges for invitation design/production? - if she’s in my budget, I would love to see if she could do mine!
b-e-a-utiful!!!! those are some gorgeous STDs~ can’t wait to see the actual invites.
ShirelyH: Thank you! I would recommend contacting Saima herself about pricing since it can vary really widely depending on printing method and pieces. She is a sweetheart and will be able to give you a really personalized quote.
They are amazing! I really like the colors!
[…] though I’m creating my own stationery, I want it to have the same look and feel as my save the cards and invitations (to be unveiled shortly!). Fortunately, I was able to locate the exact paper Saima […]
[…] A few weeks into wedding planning, my friend linked me to Nirali Magazine’s wedding section. I think it is one of the best sites for anyone planning a South Asian wedding in North America. I used their shopping guide when I was in India looking for bridal outfits, and was comforted reading their article highlighting interracial marriages. It was also Nirali that led me to my color scheme and invitation designer. I opened an article on invitation trends featuring Saima Khan’s work and was enthralled. (If Saima’s name sounds familiar it’s because she also happened to be Miss Jasmine’s invitation designer.) […]
