Wedding Blog

It’s time for another behind-the-scenes installment from Bridal Guide Magazine.  Read the previous entry on Bridal Market here! 

By Elena Donovan Mauer, senior associate editor, Bridal Guide 

At Bridal Guide, I need to stay on top of the latest wedding stationery trends, so every year I head to the National Stationery Show in New York. It’s a huge industry expo where stationery designers and suppliers show their new stuff to potential buyers and the press (that’s me!)

Believe it or not, all these people come from far and wide to see paper!

This year, the folks at the NSS asked me to write a little piece about what’s hot in bridal paper stuffs for their pre-show newsletter. They did tell me that it would be posted at the show, but I was completely shocked when I walked in and there was this board with a larger-than-life photo of yours truly! I tried to play it cool and not stand right next to it hoping to be recognized.

Next time I’m submitting a better pic.

These shows are so huge they can be totally overwhelming, so I did schedule meetings with some designers I know in advance. But at times I ended up wandering the show aimlessly, weighed down with a bunch of press releases and catalogs. It can be a little annoying, but that’s how I met some new people and discovered some gorgeous designs.

I’m somewhere in that maze of stationery designers.

It’s like “shopping” in a ridiculously huge store for stuff for my stories. I’m beat by the end of the day, but I’ve had so much fun picking out my favorites. Like these:

Hello! Lucky’s new Marry Me! collection. All the beauty of the design mavens’ custom letterpress invitations, at about half the price.

The MonteVerde Diva pen. At $45, it makes a budget-friendly bridesmaids’ gift. I’m a sucker for packaging—gotta love the heart shaped box! And the pen reminds me of a lipstick tube.

The Giftwrap Company’s Blue Bird collection. The folks at TGC said that brides aren’t choosing things in plain white anymore. I totally agree!

Gorgeous screenprinted candles from K. Hall Designs. Great for sprucing up a reception site or for gifts.

Who knew gray would be new hot thing for weddings? Pair it with another color or combine different shades like on this invite from Laura K Design.

I was also lucky enough to meet Anna Griffin, the mastermind behind her namesake stationery and craft line. Anna was so so sweet and down-to-earth. She told me that when she started out, she was a one-woman show, with a tiny booth at the NSS. Now, her company has so much show real estate, I lost count of her booths. Anna is also credited with starting the trend of imprintable wedding invitations—these are the ones you can print on your own computer. One of her latest designs won an award this year. Yes, the stationery world has awards! Here’s a photo of the invitation:

This Anna Griffin invite won the “Louie” award for imprintables over $1.75.

This is a perfect example of one of the big trends I saw at the show: traditional style with luxe details. The satin bow really gives it that extra oomph! Another successful show for Anna—and for me! Now I have lots of good story ideas, and I already chose some of the products I saw to appear in our November/December issue.

My swag bag and a bunch of its contents. Whoo hoo!

Oh, and the NSS peeps were so cute. To thank me for writing for them, they put together an adorable bag full of notebooks, pens, cards—basically a bunch of fun stuff from the show—and gave it to me. When I got out of the show, there was what I’d call a deluge outside. Seriously, cats and dogs. There was no getting a cab, so I had to walk pretty far. And I had that bag clutched so close to me so it would stay dry under my umbrella. Who cares about the hair—save the paper products! It worked—I took home quite the swag!