Oh the Places You'll Go - Destination Weddings

As if a wedding isn't a rad enough party to attend, imagine spending it on the beach! For you crazy lovebirds who plan destination weddings, I'm sure it is a ton of extra work - especially if you travel to a country where English isn't the predominate language and you're not bilingual. 

My brave brother and sister in law did just last September as they celebrated their nuptials in Turks & Caicos, a place very special to the Bride & her family growing up. The beautiful sands, the warm sunshine, the TURKouise water....the setting was beautiful. The bride, Becca was absolutely gorgeous and my brother Andrew, of course a handsome groom. Together, they are a super fun pair, not to mention stand outs as individuals. 

The stationery for their big day was also really unique. We created a custom passport invitation and then an airline ticket piece as their announcement for those that could not attend. Enjoy these snapshots of the work and of the beautiful wedding. 

Island photo credit to Brovado Weddings (stunning, stunning work)

My Creative Dream Realized

Here's a brief interview conducted by Couture Colorado back in September 2013. We wanted to share why we started doing what we do (and what we love). Wait- what is all this "we" talk, it's just me! Please enjoy this little glimpse of my heart.

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 Sweet Zion Paperie is a custom, one stop shop for all things paper – from Save the Dates to Thank You notes, envelope printing & calligraphy, escort cards, programs, favors and pretty much anything else you can think of.

Papergoods can make a ordinary wedding extraordinary. I can’t get enough of creative save the dates and gorgeous invitations. I am please to introduce you to Sophie of Sweet Zion Paperie.

When and why did you start your business?  I started the business in 2010 while I was working full time as an event coordinator for a local non-profit organization. I was always making baby shower invitations for friends or birthday cards for family. One of my very best friends is also a business owner in the wedding industry and she was a constant source of encouragement to me – always asking “why aren’t you doing this and getting paid for it, Sophie?!” I booked my first wedding – a co-worker of my husband’s – in November and charged them $150.

I also like to think I started this business because of the experience I had as a bride to be while picking out invitations. While planning my own wedding, I’d never have guessed there were alternatives to picking your invites out of a big binder at your dress shop. Unfortunately, we settled on a really plain jane design and paid in incredible sum of money for said “OK” invitations. Not only that, they were square and we ended up paying extra postage to mail just “OK” invitations. Overall, not a very positive experience and I left feeling underwhelmed and with the sense that I needed to do something about it. Sweet Zion is able to offer couples an invitation that truly fits who they are and at a reasonable cost.

How did you learn your craft? When I graduated college, I worked for a non-profit. In that industry you wear many hats, many of which are outside your job description. I had never take a graphic design course in my life, so the day that my boss came to me and said, “We need you to design a magazine advertisement…by tomorrow”, I was absolutely terrified. I sat down at the computer with my instruction manual for Adobe’s InDesign and worked away, completing the project. It was stressful, but it was so fun and I felt it a great outlet for my creativity. Sometimes it takes that sort of pressure to realize what you’re truly capable of or that trying something might lead to new and exciting things.

What or who inspires you? My clients! I love seeing how people are inspired, both the story behind that inspiration and the way they translate it. My clients from 2012 on, I feel, are growing bolder and bolder with their color selections, including different materials and mediums, requesting interactive invitations, using fabric or stitching, creating characters or storylines – it goes on and on.

I have been shocked at the vision people are carrying. It’s truly amazing the creativity of people that I am fortunate and blessed to come alongside. I love supporting the creative mind and challenging the laws of design or the rules of what and invitation can and can’t look like. It’s my goal to make it happen.

Favorite Wedding Trend: Bold patterns and unexpected color combinations. Really, with the talented vendors we have in Colorado especially, these 2 trends are always executed to the nines.

Advice for a couple planning a Colorado wedding: Stay true to yourself and what you want your big day to look like. Don’t put yourself in a corner for wanting something different. Choose vendors who you like, not just based on recommendations or if you can help it, budget. Surrounding yourself with people who get your vision and who you get along with will really help you to feel supported and reassure you that you've put planning your biggest, baddest, and most beautiful party in good hands.

Where did you grow up and how did you end up in Colorado? I grew up on an acreage outside of Lincoln, Nebraska. I think it’s kind of a hush hush thing in Colorado to admit you’re not originally from here, but I’m proud of my roots. Growing up where I did gave me stability, a great work ethic, and a general happiness about life. I love visiting Nebraska, but I’m not sure I’ll ever leave the Rocky Mountain state.

I actually arrived in this great state thanks to my husband, who is a legitimate native. The two of us met in college in Iowa, and when we graduated, we had a beautiful wedding in Nebraska and began our life together in Colorado.

Avoiding the Bling Cha-Ching

It's that time of year again - no, I'm not talking about Valentine's Day. What I'm writing about spans much longer than a mere day; in fact, it's an entire season. Wedding Season.

Wedding Wire indicates that about 33% of engagements happen between Thanksgiving and New Years Eve, making January - March very busy time for nearly everyone involved with the wedding industry. Whether you're a business owner or vendor piled under writing contracts and pricing proposals or you're here because the proverbial stars have aligned in your love life (yippee!), here's my advice to avoid getting taken advantage of and Beware of Bling Cha-Ching.

1. Although I'd love to think that every bride has an unlimited budget to make her wedding the most fabulous day ever - I don't believe this is true and I also don't believe you should go into debt to live this fantasy. I've heard horror stories of couples banking on their wedding gifts (checks and cash) to cover the cost of the fabulous party they just threw. My encouragement is this: your friends and family think that YOU are fabulous enough and that's why the showed up. Don't outdo yourselves and be upstaged by your dress, your flowers, even your paper (gasp! Did I just say that?!).

2. Don't believe the lie that you can't do it on your own....I mean, part of that is true (if you don't believe me, check out Pinterest fails or try eating a really poorly baked wedding cake...gross). However, don't play into the insecurity that you aren't creative or that you have to pay everyone for things you know you could do. Try tackling things like wedding favors, decor (ie - go antiquing or thrift store shopping for mismatched vases or dishes), create your own photo booth with a retro Polaroid camera, make your bridesmaid jewelry, or wedding party gifts.

The caveat to this is don't DIY everything. Don't let Uncle Jim take your wedding photo or video. Don't let your aspiring project runway little sister take charge of your fashion. And don't bake your own wedding cake. See my take on that here.

Spring Wedding Soiree - Studiowed Denver

Calling all lovebirds! (it is February, you know)

The holidays are a time filled with family, food, laughter, and apparently - shiny accessories and plans for weddings. So to kick off 2014's Wedding Season, Studiowed Denver is hosting a this rockin' event. Come mingle with a few of the top-notch vendors Colorado has to offer, see the studio space, and enjoy food & drinks.

This event is open to all engaged couples and their families. You'll be having fun and rubbing elbows with talented vendors who can help you make your "big day" your best day.

Also, visit Studiowed's website and blog for more information about the awesome work they are a part of.

The Knot - Best of 2013

Great stuff people! Thank you for all your support. We loved seeing this little feature in the Knot's most recent publication.

Mailing Mania - Don't Get Stuck on Stamps

So your invites are all designed - you're ready to take them to the post office for drop off. Imagine, you are surprised to pay $.66 per invitation when you thought it would be only $.44 per invite. Your total bill for postage on 200 invitations equals around $220 (for both invite & response card). Unfortunately, I have no need to imagine this scenario as it's what happened to me when I was a bride.

Postage can make or break your invitation budget. Overall, it's suggested that brides spend anywhere from 5 - 10% of their total  budget on their invitations. Assuming that postage falls underneath that category, don't let stamps alone take 1 or 2 percent of that cost. Here are a few tips for mailing your very special invitations for the biggest, baddest, and most beautiful party you'll most likely ever throw. 

The USPS has guidelines for mailing anything. Let's break it down piece by piece.

Shape/Overall Dimension:
1. Anything square is considered extra postage and require additional stamps or more expensive ones than just a standard piece of mail. This is the mistake I personally made as a bride to be. Not having this knowledge can cause you to spill over your invite budget and have to take from somewhere else. If you're carefully minding that bottom line, please consider a different shaped invitation as it will save you. FYI: the most common size is a 5x7".

2. Anything measuring over 5.75 x 8.75 (or an A9 envelope) is considered extra large and requires additional postage.

3. The smallest size considered mail-able is 3.75 x 5.75 (of an A1/ 4Bar envelope). This is the traditional size for response cards, however anything smaller than this, the post office will not mail.

Weight:

Not only does the post office have strict regulations on size and shape, they consider anything weighing over 1 ounce extra postage as well. The amount of extra depends on the weight of the item. Typically any pocket invitation will be over an ounce. Those with wax seals will most likely be over an ounce. Letterpressed invitations can also possibly be overweight due to the materials (special paper) used in manufacturing.  It is my advice to take your invite, completed and assembled, to the post office to determine the postage before buying all the stamps as soon as you're engaged. 

For those who are considering post cards, the USPS has regulations on those as well.

The minimum size still stays the same at 3.5 x 5" (the enclosure size of an A1/4Bar envelope). The largest size is 4.25 x 6 without extra postage or an envelope.

A post card also needs to be at least 80# cover weight or about 10 point basis weight. However, they cannot be thicker than 1/4". 

Additionally, those beautiful mounted reply cards you've seen will not suffice as post cards. Post cards are required to be a single sheet only, so skip the mounting if taking this route. 

Here's hoping this little post helps you avoid the shock of under-budgeting. Enjoy this process as much as your guests will enjoy receiving your invites. If you have any questions, please give us a shout!

Ben Franklin, Heidelburg, and Konica Minolta walk into a bar...

Ever wondered what the process of print is like? Or why some of it is so inexpensive and other times it gouges you? Let this brief entry enlighten you on the different methods of modern day printing techniques. We're outlining here the 5 main types a person might use for their event invitations. 1. Offset Lithography or Offset Printing An offset press is a huge machine that often times stretches the entire length of a room. It looks like a big flat table with rollers on top. In this process, the image or print you are desiring to be put to paper is created into a plate (sort of like a stamp) and will get rolled onto the paper. The rollers and plate are first dipped in water and then ink. The ink sticks to the areas of the plate that are raised (or what you want to be printed) while the water stays on the white spaces of the layout. The image is then transferred to the rollers and you're ready to begin working. Offset printing produces a very nice print and can be very affordable if you are considering running large quantities. With offset, you can also achieve the raised printing commonly seen in event invitations, called Thermography. However, because a plate has to be made for every image, if your quantities are small, you might consider another method. Keep in mind that once the plate has been created and the rollers are ready to go, changes cannot easily be made. Newspapers, coupons, direct mailing, etc. are all commonly printed on an offset press.

2. Letterpress Ever heard the phrase, "they just don't make things the way they used to."? It's true - even in print. There is nothing like letterpress and with it's rise in popularity over the past couple of years, it's making quite the comeback. Letterpress is luxurious, not cheap, but totally beautiful. The paper stocks used on these machines are typically very thick and made of cotton yielding a very soft, and tactile interest. Plates are created based off a design - but only every part of your design gets it's own plate. Letterpress is a great method for simple designs with only 1 or 2 colors. Each color of the design indicates a separate plate, but also a separate run through the machine. Each run is hand placed to ensure accuracy in placement and adequate depth of impression. The final product is truly a piece of art, hand crafted from start to finish - not to mention on some gloriously beautiful paper. Letterpress is expensive, but if it's something important or something to hold onto, it may be worth it.

3. Digital Printing Unlike Letterpress or the Offset press, digital printing allows a person to use a rainbow of colors, make changes easily, and offers a very quick turn around time. It's the point and shoot camera in the photography world, only it's click and print in our world. Digital printing offers high quality prints (if on the right machinery) and at rocket speed in comparison to all other types of printing. Plates are not needed on digital printing so it needs lesser man power. This process, however, can be expensive because of the ink and paper used by the printer. Digital technology is either ink based (ink jet printers) or toner based (laser printers) with toner being the preferred method for any serious print shop. Typically larger machines are laser printers with ink jet's being the tiny little cartridges. Toner is a powder that gets transferred and then fused to the paper while ink sits on top of the paper and is susceptible to bleeding and getting smeared by water or dampness. If you're having your wedding invitations printed, please do not use an ink jet machine.

4. Engraving This printing method is virtually obsolete now with just a few major lines, like Crane, still offering it. It is a true art form and the cost associated with it is very high. Each piece is hand engraved or done with precise laser technology to create the print. With the paper chipped away, the depressed images are then filled with ink to show up. Many company letterheads and personalized stationery are still printed using this method. You will only see engraving on smaller jobs, like party invitations or very expensive marketing materials - not massive runs like direct mail because of the cost associated with this printing technique. The process is very strenuous, and although beautiful, more cost effective methods like Thermography (raised printing done on the offset press) have provided an alternate with a similar outcome.

5. Screen-printing Quite ancient, screen-printing dates all the way back to around 1000AD in China where printers used actual silk as the mesh. However, because silk was quite the hot commodity, this process took a while to find it's worth in the rest of the world until a more suitable and affordable mesh was produced. Silk-screen machines look like a big clam with the mesh screen on the top and the plate at the bottom. The item to be printed is laid on the plate and the screen comes down with the pre-made inked stencil attached. The ink is then pressed onto the item being printed. Screen-printing is a good way to get a light ink onto a dark material (ie., whit ink on black paper or a black T-shirt). Artists began to take note of this technique for reproducing fine art prints and continues to be widely popular to this today. You may know it as the method by which you get your favorite vintage T-Shirts. :)

Well, that's it! Enjoy the read and now you know a little bit more about my world.

DIY or LIA (leave it alone!)

All the women who are independent, Throw your hands up at me! All the honey's who makin' money, Throw your hands up at me! All the mommas who profit dollas, Throw your hands up at me.... Oh heeeey...

Well, now that you've seen that, let's just talk a little about independence - particularly with brides and planning their weddings. Enter, the DIY movement - or Do It Yourself.

What a great thing to be independent! To be able to look at something and say, "I could do that". With the invention and rise of crafty sites like Pinterest, Etsy, or even blogs, brides are scoping and scouring the internet for the next DIY sensation. Don't get me wrong, I love when you see new and fresh ideas debut at highly photographed events like weddings. More power to you independent ladies (and gentlemen) for really digging in and doing it yourself.

Now, the flip side of the DIY movement is the LIA rule. LEAVE IT ALONE - some things you just shouldn't try on your own. Here's my list:

DIY: Purchase your paper and design your invites If your tech savvy, definitely try to design your invite! It can save you a lot on cost, but beware because it can be a frustrating process if you aren't gung ho for the challenge. However, I think this is something you definitely could do on your own.

LIA: Printing your invitations Never print your invites at home. Most home printers are Ink Jet machines (the small cartridges that are expensive to refill) and the ink in those machines is not water resistant. If you invite were to get wet or isn't left to dry for the appropriate amount of time, it will smear and smudge. Ink jet printers are also discriminatory towards many of the papers used in wedding invitations (metallics, linens, etc.). For such an important occasion, please consider utilizing a local print shop.

DIY: Print labels or envelopes You can get by with printing your own envelopes on a laser machine. Many offices have small printers that can print envelopes, so look into doing that yourself and save on having someone else addressing them. There are also tons of cute labels out now with downloadable templates for easy use. Check out Waste Not Paper's great line of products.

LIA: Calligraphy If you haven't taken lessons for calligraphy, you aren't a calligrapher. Some people have great handwriting, so utilize that unique style if it fits the overall theme of your invite. However, do not attempt to address around 100 envelopes with a dip pen & ink well or even a calligraphy pen/marker if you've never done so. You won't be happy with the result. Paying a professional for this artform is the only tried and true way to achieve the look. In the end, paying $2-5/envelope can add up, but it's quite the first impression.

DIY: Assembling your Invites I caution brides and grooms on this item, but if you've got a big family or a really hands on supporting cast, rope them in and have an assembly party. LIA: Assembling your Invites (part two) It won't save you a ton of bucks to assemble everything yourself, so take your time and frustration into consideration. Many brides and grooms have too many plates spinning at the beginning of wedding planning. Paying a professional to assemble everything won't dip into your budget too much, plus they have all the appropriate equipment to do the job from start to finish. In all my years of doing invitations, I've only ever had 2 brides opt to assemble on their own - and not because of budget.

Enjoy! And go get 'em, Love Birds!

Post goes postal - enjoying modern times

Emily Post? Wedding etiquette? Our 2013 brides and grooms are throwin' them out the window! Here's how: 1. Monograms In tradition, the monogram was not to be used prior to the marital vows were spoken. Our modern take, monograms galore! The monogram is the best and easiest way to "brand" your wedding. It becomes the calling card for your big day, and also sort of identifies you as a couple. Whether a couple creates a stamp with said logo, an embosser, or uses it on their actual printed materials, monograms can be simple, elaborate, even fun.

2. Invite Wording Traditionally, wedding invitations should mention the bride's parents and grooms parents - or at least whomever is footing the bill for the occasion. Our modern take, keep it simple. Many times invitation wording can be pretty touchy. For brides with particular mother in laws, or for couples with split families, sometimes grouping everyone together in a statement like "Together with our families" neutralizes the tension and puts everyone on the same playing field and still gives credit where credit is due. However you choose to word your invite, keep it respectful and simply stated so guests know clearly when and where to be.

3. Color Schemes Traditionally, color schemes were very neutral. Black, White, Ivory, Silver - decorations, printed materials, even attire was very low key. Interestingly, this decision may have been fear motivated for if a bride were to choose to have a colored or off white gown, she was considered "impure". Floral selections were traditionally white - and lots of satin and lace. Our modern take, Bright and Bold! Not only are we jazzing up our color schemes using bold jewel tones or bright hues of yellows, oranges, and pinks, our florals are power packed with lots of color, wire or bling accents, and even bejeweled bindings. Brides are even selecting pinks, blues, purple tones for wedding attire - and not just for their attendants. Even the fabric selections have changed from traditional laces and satins to everything from bold prints to burlap.

4. RSVP Devices The Traditional take? Simple - Reply card with a pre-addressed and stamped envelope. Our modern take? Choice is key! Brides are opting for 3 basic options, some of which may have Emily Post rolling in her grave (and possibly a few stationers). Of course one options is to honor tradition by choosing the card/envelope combo. However, many brides are opting for a RSVP post card to both save on expense of postage and materials (sans envelope) and to honor their more modern roots. Finally, digital replies are becoming ever more popular, however for such a special occasion, many stationers (including myself) would request a couple to consider honoring the sacredness of snail mail.

5. The Gift of Giving Traditionally speaking, it's never posh to mention where the couple is registered. Instead, guests are to simply, dig out their address books or dust off the phone book and write or call the couple requesting the information. Our modern take suggests the opposite. Who needs additional phone calls? Setting up a wedding website and including the information is becoming the standard. Some couples even opt to include a sentence like "If you feel so led to bring a gift, the couple is registered at..." on a separate small card or include it on an event details card.

There you have it! I encourage you to enjoy the new trends that these modern times bring while still striving to honor the more traditional elements.