Mrs. Panther, Atlanta GA/Westport CTAge and Occupation: 24, Web WriterFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Music Recording EngineerEngagement Date: March 13, 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: The Inn at LongshoreAbout Me: I'm a total goofball who goes through life at a breakneck pace, trying not to knock anything over. I tend to fall in love with everything I encounter, but more than anything, I love my two little kitties, Bela and Josie, and my big kitty, Mr. Panther! As a wannabe crafter, I'm still waiting for my artistic talents to emerge. (Any day now, really.) In the meantime, I spend my days eating anything put in front of me, buying every pair of shoes I see and absorbing wedding inspiration from every inch of my surroundings. Mr. Panther and I are hardcore New Englanders planning Connecticut nuptials from our new home in the Dirty South, and can't wait to mix our newfound love of classic Southern charm with some modern city touches.
Guys, I feel like I’ve been a bad bee lately, and I’m very sorry. I’ve only been posting once a week at best, and that’s not enough! I have an explanation, but it’s not an excuse.
See, it all started a few weeks ago, when I fell in love. Falling in love with someone other than your future husband can really screw with the wedding planning process!
Don’t worry—it wasn’t with another human. It was with a puppy named Chickie:
Mrs. Waffle, AustinAge and Occupation: 31, Costumer/ArtistFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, AnimatorEngagement Date: July 27, 2010Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Hummingbird HouseAbout Me: My life is pretty much spent in a sea of fabric, paint, sequins and drama. When I’m not working, I play on a trivia team, take Broadway dance classes, read, buy shoes, and occasionally geek out on video games. I am an American girl who loves all things British and Mr. Waffle is a Brit who loves all things American...I guess it was meant to be!
Cheesy, I know, but I just couldn’t help myself. I had vintage Madonna on the iTunes earlier today.
Moving on…
I realllly, reallllly, REALLLLY wanted to address all of our invites with a grey calligraphy marker. Unfortunately, when I found a grey calligraphy marker online, the shipping charges were more than the marker. Seriously. It’s a marker and weighs next to nothing. Why should it cost $6.95 to ship?
So, I ran to Jerry’s Artarama (which is a big time fabulous art store with great pricing) and ransacked the marker department. There were no grey calligraphy or fine chisel tip markers/pens to be found, but I did find a handful of brush tip markers I quite like. Read more…
Mrs. Zebra, Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 24 Marketing/Costume DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26 Management/Firefighter Engagement Date: December 12, 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The Providence BiltmoreAbout Me: I'm a small town New England girl with an affinity for procrastination, crossing the proverbial line, and putting her foot in her mouth. I'm a lover of history, all seasons, sewing and Incubus. I design costumes on the side for my old high school's theatre department, which is where I met my sexy man. Our motto for our Big Fat Lebanese/Portuguese/Irish near-300 person wedding is "the more the merrier"! We are marrying in a Catholic ceremony and are hammering out the details of our Victorian-inspired reception.
Can I just ask you a favor? Do yourself a solid and don’t order metallic paper. Screw etiquette and send your envelopes through the printer and call it a day. You’re not going to listen to me, are you? Yea…I didn’t think so.
I took a calligraphy class in college. In order to write calligraphy you need to have a smooth, confident stroke. THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID! The proper way to hold a calligraphy pen is at a 45 degree angle, demonstrated below.
Ms. Cheetah, Los Angeles/Palm Springs
Age and Occupation: 31, Artist, EducatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, TV FinanceEngagement Date: April 2010Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The ViceroyAbout Me: I’m a silly, sassy lady with a compulsion to create. I love to sing and dance, despite the fact that I lack any talent doing either. I somehow manage to be messy and organized at the same time. I like to spend my days road tripping, watching '80s movies, reading true crime books, buying things on sale, sending postcards, playing board games, dining at food trucks, snuggling, and drinking ginger ale. I have a weak spot for all things sweet, especially Mr. Cheetah! I’m a Chicago girl and he’s a Nor Cal boy but we love living in the City of Angels. After 10 years as a couple we are planning a fun-filled semi-destination wedding in Palm Springs. Hope you enjoy the ride!
Because we finally have an invitation design! I still need to add the finishing touches and get it to the printers ASAP, but at least now we have a plan.
Now that the design plan is in place, I’ve been thinking up ways to address these bad boys.
Option 1: Calligraphy
I have a thing for slanted formal calligraphy. Too bad my handwriting mimics that of a 10 year old and there isn’t room in the invitation budget for a pro.
Mrs. Zebra, Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 24 Marketing/Costume DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26 Management/Firefighter Engagement Date: December 12, 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The Providence BiltmoreAbout Me: I'm a small town New England girl with an affinity for procrastination, crossing the proverbial line, and putting her foot in her mouth. I'm a lover of history, all seasons, sewing and Incubus. I design costumes on the side for my old high school's theatre department, which is where I met my sexy man. Our motto for our Big Fat Lebanese/Portuguese/Irish near-300 person wedding is "the more the merrier"! We are marrying in a Catholic ceremony and are hammering out the details of our Victorian-inspired reception.
Ms. Stripes, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 29, Costume Designer/StylistFiancee's Age and Occupation: 29, ChefEngagement Date: June 23, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Heritage Square MuseumAbout Me: I’m a type A creative with a messy streak, a loud mouth, and an uncanny knack for combining clashing patterns. I can usually be found with my nose in a book, my feet (or at least my toes) on the ground, my head in the clouds, and my arm around the prettiest girl you ever saw- aka
Fiancee Stripes. Together we’re planning a FUN vintage/modern French carnival wedding extravaganza and rockin’ dance party on a dime. (Say that three times fast!) Good coffee, long lists, Uniball pens, and my iPhone keep me sane, and making art, making trouble, and making out keep me happy! I love urban adventures, bike rides that end with afternoon drinks, breakfast for dinner, beautiful light, photography, travel, my furry family, and of course, my beautiful fiancee! I’m super excited to be here and can’t wait to share all our adventures as we craft a joyful, budget-friendly, design-savvy and all-around AWESOME wedding!
Just in case you’ve been wondering if we actually invited anyone to this awesome shindig of ours, I think it’s high time I talk gush about our invitations. Just a little gushing, mkay? And maybe a photo or two. No big deal.
First off, my most sincere apologies to the trees. As green as our wedding will be in a lot of ways, the invitations are not one of them. What can I say? *Hangs head in shame* I absolutely LOVE paper.
And that brings me to these invitations of ours. Our relationship was hot, heavy, and all-consuming. I should have mentioned them earlier, but quite frankly we just needed a little break from each other. I was sick of their constant and increasing demands—a liner here, a little twine there, an inner vellum envelope in a nearly impossible to find size, and the list went on. Our invitations were a demanding lover, and finally I had to say enough was enough.
After the post office lied to us about the amount of postage it would take to get these invitations out of my life (*shakes fist*), I resigned myself to slapping a blue goat (“It’s a ram, a ram is better right?” said the placating postal worker) on the last few invites and dropping them in the mail.
Mrs. Zebra, Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 24 Marketing/Costume DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26 Management/Firefighter Engagement Date: December 12, 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The Providence BiltmoreAbout Me: I'm a small town New England girl with an affinity for procrastination, crossing the proverbial line, and putting her foot in her mouth. I'm a lover of history, all seasons, sewing and Incubus. I design costumes on the side for my old high school's theatre department, which is where I met my sexy man. Our motto for our Big Fat Lebanese/Portuguese/Irish near-300 person wedding is "the more the merrier"! We are marrying in a Catholic ceremony and are hammering out the details of our Victorian-inspired reception.
DIY calligraphy? You crazy girl! Nope…just cheap. And hell, I know how to do it. You see, in addition to being a fashion design major, I attempted a graphic design minor a little later in my years. (Unfortunately, I ran out of credits…whoops!) I’ll never forget the sweet professor who had to literally hold my hand through the first couple of classes I took with him. I didn’t even know how to use a Mac for cripes sake! My first graphic class was two parts, and the first part was learning the art of beautiful writing. I’m not sure there was much beautiful about what I did, except the Tennyson quotes I used…but I digress. The only thing standing between me and my DIY calligraphy…I need to create an alphabet.
Mrs. Plaid, AustinAge and Occupation: 26, Pastry ChefFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Cabinetry CarpenterEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: Kindred Oaks, GeorgetownAbout Me: I am a Jersey girl born and raised but have since migrated to Texas and embraced its twang and Tex-Mex. I could probably eat chips and queso every day but instead I eat popcorn. I use the word “awesome” way too much but I just can’t seem to stop myself. I am addicted to all things DIY and am planning what I call a Texas-Chic wedding. I love snuggling with my two adorable dogs and of course, my adorable fiance. I can’t wait 'til I can call him my husband some day! October 2010, here we come!
I’m here to share my envelope calligraphy “shortcut.” And trust me, if you want calligraphy on your invites but can’t afford to pay someone to do it, try this. It’s pretty easy!
Use your handy dandy home printer! I know, you probably think I’m crazy, but get on this safari ride and let me take you on my calligraphy adventure.
Let’s start at the very beginning; it’s a very good place to start… (Anyone else singing The Sound of Music…umm, no, just me?)
1. Pick a font that will look totally kick a$$ on your invitation envelopes. I picked Scriptina.
Mrs. Starfish, Boston/NewportAge and Occupation: 25, Operations AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, SalesEngagement Date: October 8, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: The Atlantic Beach ClubAbout Me: I'm a perfectionist who is a planner at heart. I don't do well with surprises. I love planning, crafting, Newport RI, family and friends, and most importantly, Mr. Starfish---all of which will be big components in our October wedding in our favorite little city by the sea.
I adore calligraphy. I’ve always known I wanted it for our wedding invitations.
Luckily, I have an aunt who is a calligrapher and has done many of my cousins’ invitations and escort cards over the years. Shortly after getting engaged, Aunt P told my mom she’d love to do the calligraphy for our wedding invites. I was thrilled!
We decided to drop off the envelopes to her a couple weeks before the date we set for the invitations to go out. I stamped the return address on all the envelops and packaged them up, excited to drop them off. When I gave her the invites, she looked at me and explained she has never done colored envelopes before. She felt extremely bad and felt she couldn’t do them, since she knows how important the invitations are. I completely understood. But where was I to get another calligrapher at this point? Read more…
Mrs. Thimble, NYC/PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 26, Actress & Costume Designer (+ day job)Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Lawyer & Techie WizEngagement Date: August 22, 2008Wedding Date: October 2010Venue: The Pearl S. Buck HouseAbout Me: I’m an easily inspired over-thinker delighted with the process of designing, building, directing and {dare I say} co-starring in the early-autumn affair I’ve been dreaming up. I’m a sucker for trendied-up comfort foods and old family anecdotes; I have an affinity for adjectives, alliteration, eyelet and earl grey; and I live for quality time with family and friends. I never guessed I’d marry my “high school sweetheart", but when it turned out to be my funny, techie, loyal Mr. Thimble I was committed for life. We’re both mid-career transition and ready to move back to small-townish TBD, PA in a pre-wedding flurry of all-good life changes.
Mrs. Argyle, St. LouisAge and Occupation: 24, Project CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, PilotEngagement Date: February 15, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Jewel Box in Forest Park and Windows on WashingtonAbout Me: I'm a true Midwestern girl (born and raised), lover of red wine, reality TV and the entire J.Crew catalog. I love to dance regardless of who is watching, and enjoy a good laugh with my girls. I have a soft spot in my heart for planet Earth, my two dogs and my fiance. Fall is my favorite season (which is why we are marrying in September), but I love a warm summer day and the Colorado mountains in the winter. We are planning a modern soiree downtown, with lots of bold colors, and fun, eco-friendly elements.
Everything about it fits so well with the look and feel of our invites. It’s modern and fun and different—way cooler than my handwriting will ever be. Jessica seriously rocked it out by addressing our outer envelopes and calligraphing the inner envelopes as well. Read more…
Ms. Stripes, Los AngelesAge and Occupation: 29, Costume Designer/StylistFiancee's Age and Occupation: 29, ChefEngagement Date: June 23, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Heritage Square MuseumAbout Me: I’m a type A creative with a messy streak, a loud mouth, and an uncanny knack for combining clashing patterns. I can usually be found with my nose in a book, my feet (or at least my toes) on the ground, my head in the clouds, and my arm around the prettiest girl you ever saw- aka
Fiancee Stripes. Together we’re planning a FUN vintage/modern French carnival wedding extravaganza and rockin’ dance party on a dime. (Say that three times fast!) Good coffee, long lists, Uniball pens, and my iPhone keep me sane, and making art, making trouble, and making out keep me happy! I love urban adventures, bike rides that end with afternoon drinks, breakfast for dinner, beautiful light, photography, travel, my furry family, and of course, my beautiful fiancee! I’m super excited to be here and can’t wait to share all our adventures as we craft a joyful, budget-friendly, design-savvy and all-around AWESOME wedding!
Mrs. Jellyfish, Pleasanton, CAAge and Occupation: 27, Law StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Air Force PilotEngagement Date: February 21, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Casa Real at Ruby Hill WineryAbout Me: In a nutshell, I’m the most optimistic worrywart you’ll ever meet. My family emigrated from Romania to San Jose, CA when I was 8, and I've been a Nor Cal girl ever since! My fiancé is also a Bay Area native, so it’s funny that we met at UCLA, as college freshmen living on the same floor (go Bruins!). Between his career as an Air Force pilot and my path to becoming a lawyer, our relationship has been anything but typical. We currently live together in Berkeley with our puppy Stinson. In addition to spending time with the loves of my life, I enjoy crafting, attempting complicated recipes, environmental law and non-law school reading (Us Weekly, anyone?). Follow along as I plan an elegant 200-person winery wedding, graduate law school, take the Bar exam, get married and get used to the always unpredictable but never boring life of a military spouse!
Last we left off on the calligraphy front, I told you about BM Lauren’s generous offer to do all our calligraphy. I also mentioned that I’d be taking a little road trip to LA to visit her and do calligraphy together. Well, it didn’t happen. Basically I had a “OMG-I-should-be studying-for-the-Bar-exam,-not-driving-to-LA-and-back” freak out and canceled. Lauren is a doll and was totally understanding about it, but I still wanted to help with the calligraphy, and to get our out-of-state and international invites out by mid-June. So I took it upon myself to calligraphy about half our envelopes, doing 10-20 per day (which believe me, was a welcome break from BarBri).
Instead of following through on my original plans to learn fancy Copperplate calligraphy (which involves an elbow nib and a bottle of ink!), I cheated and used one of those calligraphy fountain pens (much like this one). I actually found this pen, which I must have gotten sometime in middle school, in a box at my parents’ house. Luckily, there was one unopened ink cartridge with it! I was ecstatic to see how well it worked. While at my parents’ house, I also came across this:
Mrs. Argyle, St. LouisAge and Occupation: 24, Project CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, PilotEngagement Date: February 15, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Jewel Box in Forest Park and Windows on WashingtonAbout Me: I'm a true Midwestern girl (born and raised), lover of red wine, reality TV and the entire J.Crew catalog. I love to dance regardless of who is watching, and enjoy a good laugh with my girls. I have a soft spot in my heart for planet Earth, my two dogs and my fiance. Fall is my favorite season (which is why we are marrying in September), but I love a warm summer day and the Colorado mountains in the winter. We are planning a modern soiree downtown, with lots of bold colors, and fun, eco-friendly elements.
So way back when I first started planning, I nixed the idea of a calligrapher. Why? Well, I just wasn’t feeling the formality of it. While our wedding is “formal”, we wanted guests to not feel like it was a black-tie affair. So, I thought I would design some fun wrap-arounds.
Mrs. Jellyfish, Pleasanton, CAAge and Occupation: 27, Law StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Air Force PilotEngagement Date: February 21, 2009Wedding Date: September 2010Venue: Casa Real at Ruby Hill WineryAbout Me: In a nutshell, I’m the most optimistic worrywart you’ll ever meet. My family emigrated from Romania to San Jose, CA when I was 8, and I've been a Nor Cal girl ever since! My fiancé is also a Bay Area native, so it’s funny that we met at UCLA, as college freshmen living on the same floor (go Bruins!). Between his career as an Air Force pilot and my path to becoming a lawyer, our relationship has been anything but typical. We currently live together in Berkeley with our puppy Stinson. In addition to spending time with the loves of my life, I enjoy crafting, attempting complicated recipes, environmental law and non-law school reading (Us Weekly, anyone?). Follow along as I plan an elegant 200-person winery wedding, graduate law school, take the Bar exam, get married and get used to the always unpredictable but never boring life of a military spouse!
Ever since I was a little girl, I have been obsessed with beautiful writing. I knew I wanted to have calligraphy on our invitation envelopes, but I also knew that I wasn’t willing to shell out a whole bunch of money to have someone do it for me. Luckily, I have some very crafty friends, and bridesmaid Lauren assured me that I could learn calligraphy, just as she did for her wedding.
Now, when Lauren does something, she does it 100%. Read more…
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
