Fab * Blog by InvitationConsultants.com

Are You Ready For Some Football?

For most people, the change of seasons becomes evident by red and yellow leaves, shorter days, and cooling temperatures. For me, the noticeable changes come in a different form. I wake up to ESPN in the morning, Brett Favre's face is on every newspaper I see, and fantasy football becomes a nightly topic at the dinner table. Yes...the seasons are beginning to change, and with August right around the corner, that means the NFL season is only a month away. Now I've never considered myself a huge football enthusiast, but after spending the last three years with my husband (an avid Buccaneers fan) I've come to realize that there is no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than with family and friends at a football party. Below I have compiled a few of my own tips on how to throw a fabulous football party that is sure to have your guests cheering for more:

Set-Up: Although it seems to make sense to put as many chairs in front of the television as possible, you may want to review your guest list first. Not everyone attending the party may have a true love of the game, so cater to these guests with a quieter area that allows for more talking and socialization. On the flip-side, all of your guests may be complete football fanatics. If this is the case, consider setting up a second tv in the kitchen or another room, and wow your guests by showing two games at once.

Food: Create a football feast with finger foods and a barbeque. During half time, fire up the grill and cook up some burgers, brats, and chicken. For pre-game snacks, vegetable, fruit, cheese, and cracker trays are great, affordable options. Some of my other favorites include pigs in a blanket, buffalo chicken dip, vegetable pizza, and football rice krispie treats.

Decorations & Favors: Show your team spirit with a banner or flag supporting your team. Another idea is to use napkins and plates in your favorite team's colors (Click here to see our huge collection of colored napkins.) Take your host/hostessing skills to the next level and provide your guests with fun foam fingers, personalized beverage koozies, pom-poms, and noise makers. 

Invitations: Here at Invitation Consultants, we have a huge selection of football-themed invitations available. Shown to the left are two of my favorites, Football (top) and Touchdown (bottom.) Want to see more? Click here to see our entire collection of football themed invitations.

Destination Weddings: Hawaii

Aloha! How exciting would a destination wedding in Hawaii be? I can only imagine being married on the beach with the crashing waves behind you. Getting married in the ultimate honeymoon spot gives you a chance to share your vacation with your guests and add some tropical culture to your nuptials. Here are some tips for a hip Hawaiian wedding:

Food: Hawaii is the perfect place to dine under the inspiration of the islands. Choose native fish of the surrounding waters, like Sauteed Mahi Mahi. Serve a traditional chicken dish such as Huli-Huli Chicken which is made with pure Hawaiian brown sugar cane, soy sauce, and fresh ginger. Sounds like a sweet compliment to a Mai Tai. Find more authentic Hawaiian recipes here.

Attire: Getting married in a tropical location calls for simple, but eye-catching attire. If the bride was dreaming of a princess ball gown, consider a lighter frock with ruffles at the neckline or hem for a feminine touch. The silhouette of the gown should be airy and light so you can dance the night away in the sand. A freshly picked hibiscus will play up the island theme, but a crystal hair clip reminiscent of the flower may catch everyone's attention under the sparkling stars. Let the groom dress as he pleases in this hot destination. Suggest a white collared shirt and khaki linen pants. Don your guests with floral leis which double as a wedding favor.

Decor: The breezy palms should speak to the island's natural beauty, but if you would like to add to the scenery consider natural materials such as bamboo and strings of flowers. Hanging lanterns would make a beautiful presentation when hung from the high peaks of a white tent pitched on the beach.

Aloha means both hello and goodbye, but do me a favor a say aloha in a comment below! If you're traveling to tie the knot, let me know the locale and I may make my next post about your destination!

Images from left to right: Hawaiian Berry, Destination Gown from the Dessy Group, Palm Royale, Naturally Expressed Starfish. Find more destination wedding invitations here.  

Here We Are!

In the past couple of months, InvitationConsultants.com has been seen in some very great magazines, with my favorite being the Cape Cod round up in Destination Weddings & Honeymoons.

Destination Weddings & Honeymoons magazine showcased the best of the best in Cape Cod Weddings, with anchor-inspired baubles and cool blue colors.  Everything from bags to place card holders were showcased, including our A Classic Affair invitation, which is the epitome of a Cape Cod Wedding invitation with its elegance and simplicity.  The combination of navy and silver is the signature of any Cape Cod wedding. 

Some other invitations that would work well for a Cape Cod wedding (or really, any wedding on a coast) is our Blueberry Cream invitation, Dockside invitation or My Sailor You invitation.  If you are feeling very creative, take advantage of our Anchor Stamper.  The combination of the creative bride and this stamper are a match made in Cape Cod Heaven!

Find your inspiration for your Cape Cod wedding in anything nautical, from midnight-blue dresses (I love the Cotton Cady Lydia Dress from J. Crew) to adorable clutches (check out the Top Handle Clutch by Cole Haan).  Even if your wedding is not in Cape Cod, you can still take advantage of the latest and greatest in Cape Cod weddings!

ABC's of Baby Announcements

A few short weeks ago one of the most incredible things happened…I became an aunt for the first time. After 10 long months (yes, 10 months…no one tells you that!) of waiting to meet him, hold him and love him, he was born on July 3rd. Now let me preface this by saying that previously when I held a newborn, rest assured the baby was not the only uncomfortable one in the room. Don’t get me wrong, I love children and infants, but newborns are intimidating! But before long, I pushed my newborn nervousness aside. Now there is never a moment when I don’t have either the baby or a camera in hand; it is unreal. Every gurgle, squeal and cry is something new and fantastic (I still try to skip out on the diaper changes). It is hard to imagine what I actually spoke to my family about before “baby love” entered our lives again.

As a gift to my brother and sister-in-law, I told them I would get them their birth announcements. You may think that the style of a birth announcement has nothing to do with the baby, but there is a trick to finding the announcement that lets your baby’s brand new personality shine through. Follow these simple ABC’s and you will have it made in the shade!

Attributes

Focus on attributes you know about your babe thus far. Such as the colors he/she responds to, shapes (be it organic or non-organic), things that make them smile. Also think about incorporating a taste of their nursery’s style to give friends and family an idea of what their world is like

Baby

Remember that as much as this feels like it is about you, it is actually about your adorable new addition. Focus on their stats like weight, height and birth time. While you may want to use a birth announcement that lists all of your children, remember who the star is!

Creativity

Even though you don’t know baby well yet, there is always a way to add a personal touch. Using a photo with one of their new signature expressions will let your friends and family know one of the quirks that makes your little one who they are.

Without a doubt I am biased. I think that anything with my nephew’s photograph on it is priceless…and would probably bring a tear to my otherwise dry eyes. But I found that through his birth announcement, not only were we able to incorporate the colors of his nursery, one of his most endearing expressions and all of his birth stats. And that, folks, is the ABC’s of baby announcements!

Featured announcements from left to right Five Duck Family, Cutest Little Baby-Aqua and In the Jungle

Simple.

So many things could be simple or simplified. I personally, am a strong advocate of this. If it were up to me i'd have a lot of things simplified in my life. Clothes for example - why can't we all just wear a few different outfits and be done with it. My wife has enough shoes to wrap around the earth twice. Of course everything can't be simple, like you can't have an entirely simple life or it might be way too boring (for me at least). But you can have simple invitations! Everything comes from "simple" though. Remember the "simple machines" they talked about in elementary school? You know like the wheel and axle or the lever. Amazingly enough we still use these things. they're just a little further developed. Simple invitations with simple design can be so perfect. ahhhhhhhhhh...it just makes me feel taking deep breathes while doing pilates on a mountain cliff just like in those yoga videos. So, without further adieu, I present to you my idea of "simple" in the form of invitations. from left to right, Pair of Pears, Elegant Ensemble & Sterling Botanical

Celebrity Recommendations: For their Wedding Invitations

I chose three couples who stand out in my mind. They are all engaged and since I read US Magazine weekly and am a huge fan of imdb.com, I feel like I can make educated recommendations for which wedding invitations they should choose. Afterall, I am an invitation expert!

Couple Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson: They both enjoy motorcycles, the art of acting and travel. They need an east meets west coast invitation, as he hails from Vancouver and her from NYC.

Style recommendation: Bold and sultry, yet sophisticated and underplayed.
Invitation recommendations: Strawberries and Cream, Copper Shimmery and Exclusive Chiffon
Favorites Movies of theirs: Chaos Theory and Match Point

Couple Josh Duhamel and Fergie: Both in exciting careers, one plays on Las Vegas and the other plays in Vegas. Josh has come a long way from his days on All My Children. They have an adventurous style. He hails from North Dakota and she from California, so what kind of hybrid style can this create? Luckily, they both seem like adventurous risk takers.

Style recommendation: Make a statement with bright colors, leave the traditional behind. Slightly edgey and definitely trendy.
Invitation recommendations: Summer Fresh, Turquoise Baroque and Delicate Silhouettes
Favorites of theirs: Win a Date with Ted Hamilton! and the song Losing My Ground from Dutchess

Ok, they are not superstars and have not graced any Netlfix DVD's, but they are ubercool because they are so in love.
Couple DeAnna Pappas and Jesse Csincsak from the Bachelorette: She is a sweet southern girl and he is a rugged Colorado snowboarder who loves the outdoors. Can their style meet somewhere in the middle, like Texas, Arkansas, maybe Tennessee.

Style recommendation: Traditional, elegant, and romantic. They plan to wed in the Bahamas where their love story culminated. Consider tropical chic with a natural twist.
Invitation recommendations: Treasure, Natural Palm (eco-friendly) and Naturally Expressed (eco-friendly)
Favorites of theirs: Their hometown dates!

Photos: justjared.com, eonline.com, abc.com
Invitations: Strawberries and Cream, Copper Shimmery, Exclusive Chiffon, Summer Fresh, Turquoise Baroque, Delicate Silhouettes, Treasure, Natural Palm (eco-friendly) and Naturally Expressed (eco-friendly)

Innovation brought us into the Wall Street Journal

At InvitationConsultants.com we take innovation seriously. So seriously, that the Wall Street Journal online wrote about our idea. Very simple: We bought a white mailbox at Home Depot. Bought a gorgeous glass sculpture (with some blue in it) that resembles a light bulb, for that Ah ha moment. Wrote a check for $500. And started enouraging employees to place a note in the mailbox with their innovative idea to increase sales, make processes run more smoothely or create ways to save money. ...as simple as that....now the more challenging part is choosing one from all of the great ideas! Jumpstart the innovation in your office and start by reading the article, click here.

Mama Mia!

I went to see the movie Mama Mia last weekend and it was spectacular! The most special part of this is that I brought my mom who turned out to have an unexpected inside scoop. Being an expert on all thinks sewing and fabric related, she told me that a lot of the scenes feature Josef Frank fabrics. The film was so visually stunning I couldn’t help take my eyes off all the beautiful textures and colors. It reminds me of being surrounded by richly colored invitations and the glory of designing some of them for our exclusive collection. Being inspired by the film and my mother, I photographed some fabrics from her sewing room for inspiration.  At the moment, my mom and I are now obsessed with Amy Butler and Marimekko fabrics. Thanks Mama Mia!

shhh...For her coming birthday, I've been secretly working on small painting of sewing notions entitled "Project Mumway"! ha!

Invitations from left to right; Spanish Crewel , Ally Stripes, and Sophia.

Revel With A Cause

Getting married is a wonderful experience in anyone’s life. It is not only a celebration of your love for each other, but a way to share with all your loved ones your joy and happiness. Now also couples have been using their wedding as a way to give to others who are less fortunate, and forgoing the traditional wedding gifts. Many people have realized that they don’t really need a wedding registry, as they have nearly everything they need already. Many of my married friends actually have commented on being disappointed with the items in their registry, as they a.) realized they really have no room for that super deluxe espresso maker or b.) so far, after 2 years or so of marriage, they haven’t used half of what they were given. This is probably due to the fact that unlike a few decades ago, most couples have already moved out of their parent’s house and have already bought the household objects that they need. As a result, some couples chose to use their wedding to help others who really could benefit from their charity. Besides, all you really need is love right? And so, in the spirit of giving, I have provided some charities that you may want consider involving in your wedding plans:

Brides Against Breast Cancer- Buy an amazing wedding dress while helping others with your purchase! This organization sells beautiful and unique designer wedding dresses at a deeply discounted price. Proceeds to go helping breast cancer patients for whom a cure is too late. One of our fellow IC employees actually bought an absolutely gorgeous wedding dress from them for her wedding this fall!

Justgive.org- A great way to have your wedding registry set up for your guests to donate to your favorite charity instead of the traditional wedding gifts. Who needs another blender anyway! You can have as many charities on your registry as you like, and constantly update your registry as well with new charities. It’s also a great resource for learning how to help charities in your state and local community.

I Do Foundation- The I Do Foundation gives a couple many options for giving to charity both before and after the wedding. You can simply have guests donate to your charities of choice, or if you really would like to donate to charities, but would still like to receive traditional wedding gifts without feeling guilty, you can also set up your wedding registry for items registered at the foundation’s partnered sites, where 10% of the price of the gift purchased will be donated to charity. Once your wedding is over, you can donate your wedding dress to them. They will in turn give it to a partnered consignment shop, and 20% of  the purchase of the wedding dress is donated to charity.

Sources- bridesagainstbreastcancer.org/, www.idofoundation.org/, www.justgive.org

Destination Weddings: Greece

"Yiassou!" or "Hello!" in Greek. Yiassou is pronounced YahSU with the capital letters accented. How cool is that? In this first post in a series about destination weddings, I want to explore the style of a destination wedding set in the ancient and historical country of Greece. Known for its god and goddess bearing past, Greece is a country rich with thousands of years of interesting history. It's a beautiful backdrop for anyone who wants to hold a unique and cultural wedding.

Food: Brizoles (Steak) or Stithos (Chicken)?
Greek food is unique and inspired by the population of farmers who produce organic ingredients such as cheeses (think feta!) and oils. About.com says Greece is 20% islands and no part of the Greek mainland is more than 90 miles from the sea which means tons and tons of fish. If you're planning a desination wedding in Greece, or gathering inspiration for a Greek wedding in your own hometown, focus on the authenticity of the meal and the quality of the ingredients.

Attire: Athena Style
Athena is Greece's favorite goddess. Channel her beauty and wisdom with loose, curled locks and a crown of flowers. For the gown, an assymetrical and flowing silhouette will make you appear as though you are glowing. If you want to add color, as many brides seem to be doing recently, consider olive green sandals in a gladiator style. For a softer look, focus on metallic accents in gold or silver and add a broach to one shoulder of the gown to tie everything together. Athena did not have a true love besides Greece, but if she did I bet he would be dressed in white linen so consider a white linen suit for your groom.

Decor: It doesn't have to be as fancy as the Parthenon
For a Greek wedding, the colors should be vibrant and inspired by the venue. If you're lucky enough to say your I Do's on a Greek island like the island of Santorini, find your color scheme in the sea. Choose different shades of blue, olive greens, bright oranges or reds. Blue glass plates look beautiful on clean white linens and would pop when coordinated with a deep orange napkin.

If I had a passport, I'd book my flight right now to see Greece myself. But for now, I'll just dream of casseri (white cheese similar to mozarella), flowing white garments, and seaside villas with bright blue roofs!

Are you planning a destination wedding? Comment below and let me know-- maybe I'll use your destination for my next post!

All Greek language found here. Here are some fabulous invites that remind me of a destination wedding in greece: Striped Accents, Serendipity, and Obi.