Invitation Consultants Blog - Wedding and Party Inspiration

mason jar ideas! 3 ways to use mason jars at your party

Mason jars are not just for jam anymore! Although, I still looove a good jam. Strawberry, anyone? I've been seeing mason jars all over the blogs, so I decided to come up with three mason jar crafts of my own!

Idea #1: Create a keepsake jar full of trinkets from your party or event! Above, I took some of my goodies from a recent party including candles, matches and a gift box that a friend gave me. Add some sequins, now you're partyin! I used one of our personalized gift stickers for the lid to personalize it & make it all matchy matchy.

Idea #2: This easy craft makes a perfect gift in a jar and place card for your dinner party or celebration. I added colorful green crinkle paper to a mason jar with a handful of candy. Then, I attached one of our personalized place cards to an itty bitty clothespin with a glue dot and stuck it on the jar.

Idea #3: This one is just plain pretty. I picked up some over sized purple mums, stuck them in a glass jar with some water and tied raffia around the top. Then, I added a colorful wine tag, just for fun. This would make great party decor or a centerpiece & the color reminded me of this purple wine themed party invitation.

Have you ever use mason jars for a party craft? If so, let me know in a comment or tweet us @FabulousInvites! 

Throw a Fabulous Fall Dinner Party!

Fall is officially upon us (yay for cooler weather!). Fall brings back football season and also kicks off the season of holiday parties! Throw your own fabulous fall fête with these 5 tips and tricks.

1. Set the scene with a great centerpiece. Think fall and bring in organic items like gourds, mini pumpkins, pinecones, or colorful leaves. Add candles for a soft glow.
2. Make sure to have a fall menu with foods to please all guests (remember to accommodate any vegetarian friends!). There are tons of fall recipes I could rave about, but I found a Caramelized Onion Flatbread recipe that would make a great appetizer!

 
        3. If your event is a pot luck, send a recipe card along with the dinner party invitation and have each guest bring their recipe to exchange!

        4. Send each guest home with some goodies! You can use any type of wedding favor box and decorate it with personalized gift stickers or a fall motif!

        5. Have unexpected drop in guests? This easy recipe is a perfect impromptu hors d’oeuvre so you will never be left unprepared!

Mom’s Pesto Rollup Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 Pepperidge Farm Pastry Sheet (comes in a 2-pack in the frozen food section)
1 container of Pesto
1 egg (optional)

 How to Make it:

1. Ideally, let the pastry sheets defrost before unrolling them.
2. Lay pastry sheets flat and smear with pesto.
3. Roll up lengthwise and cut into slices. Brush with egg white (optional).

{Tip: Use a casserole dish rather than a baking sheet. It will prevent the pesto oil from spilling everywhere.}

    4. Bake at 350 until brown (about 30 minutes). Serve immediately.

 These are DELISH and the best part is they can be prepared ahead and frozen until needed.

What are your tips to throw a great fall dinner party?

Real IC Customers: Couples Shower Poem

On our website, we offer invitation sample wording to our customers for various occasions - from weddings to dinner parties to holiday cards! We pretty much consider ourselves wording experts. But, every once in a while, we will stumble upon an order with fabulous NEW wording! This is one of those times, and we just couldn't wait to share it with you. 

This invitation is for a couples shower. The opening verse reads:

"The tale of love is OLD, but the story of this couple is NEW. Let us BORROW your time and be sure to wear something BLUE!"

How cute is that? I love the reference to bridal traditions - and come on, poems are super sweet. What do you think?

Get the invite: Sign of Love 

Five Fab Questions with...Marissa Moss Photography!

Today we bring you Marissa Moss of Marissa Moss Photography. Based out of Tampa, Florida, Marissa specializes in lifestyle portraiture and wedding photography. She enjoys creating fresh, happy, and light-hearted images of her clients and utilizes her background in design to help integrate her photography into wall art to be enjoyed daily. We certainly enjoy her work and her blog, so we hope you will too! Let's get started...

1. How did you get your start in the photography industry?

I always loved admiring photography - always my favorite section in a museum - but really fell in deep after getting engaged in 2006 and starting the hunt for a wedding photographer.  I found I could look at photographers' websites and blogs for HOURS.  This was probably the first real hint that it was an obsession in the making, but it took a long time before I would jump in myself!  I was a college student and never felt I had the money to invest in a "real" camera for a hobby. In the midst of wedding planning, I graduated from college in 2007 and afterward my then-fiance (now husband), Michael, and I moved to Los Angeles.  I worked as a commercial interior designer and really enjoyed my job. Yet still, on nights and weekends it wasn't interior design blogs I was pouring over, it was photography. We married in 2008 and although the wedding had passed my interest in wedding photography had not.  I continued to follow more and more photographers, both weddings and portraiture.  Finally, in 2009 my husband decided enough was enough, I had to buy a camera!  I thought it was crazy to spend so much money and didn't even research my first camera myself because I was too busy dragging my feet. Michael did the research and then told me which camera I was going to buy and then convinced me to actually buy it. I'm not sure why I took to it so easily but learning the mechanics of the camera came quickly.  I understood the concepts fairly painlessly, which made the learning processes not as frustrating as I know it can be for others. I would photograph our dogs and our life in LA which I shared on a blog for my family and friends back in Tampa. Eventually I got tired of just photographing the same boy and two dogs and went searching for other victims. I did a few free sessions, but I found it was really hard to convince families you wanted to photograph them for free!  I think it was the whole, "if it sounds too good to be true..." thing. So, I started charging a little bit and it just began to grow from there...

Corporate Holiday Party Invitations

'Tis the season to start preparing for your office holiday party!  First things first, order those holiday party invitations now!  With the larger quantity it's good to just get it in giving yourself plenty of time to stuff, address and mail them with none of the usual holiday hustle.  As we get closer to actual party time, it's good to remember that office holiday parties are a little different than the ones you attend with your friends and family outside the office.  Last year I talked about what to think about when planning your corporate party, this year I thought I would focus on the do's and don'ts to being the best office party-goer!

 

DO attend.  While it may not be a mandatory meeting, you should definitely be there!  It's always fun to get to know your co-workers in a different setting and it shows that your dedication to your company goes beyond the work.

DON'T drink too much.  It's never a good thing to be that person in the office.  While that third or forth cocktail might be tempting, just remember that you have to go back to work with these people on Monday. 

DO know how to dress.  I believe that it's always better to be overdressed so if you're unsure how formal your event is, always err on the dressy side.  

DON'T talk too much business.  Use this time to chat with people about things other than work!  You'll be surprised what you  might have in common.

DO mix and mingle!  Don't just stick to the people in your department, branch out a bit and meet people that you might not see everyday.  And keep your drink in your left hand so you're not putting out a cold, wet hand to shake when you introduce yourself.

DON'T forget to say thank you.  Someones time and effort went into putting together an evening that everyone would enjoy, so make sure to let the host know you appreciate it.

Most of all, DO have fun!  Nobody likes a downer at a holiday party, no matter where it is!  Enjoy the time with your coworkers and don't forget that your company is hosting it because they appreciate all you do for them.  So if you're planning, get those holiday party invitations now and start looking forward to a happy holiday party season!

Please Join Us invitation, Celebrate ribbon invitation, Ticket invitation

It's Friday, We're in Love: A Weekly Roundup of Everything Lovely

Neon never land! Antoinette loved this neon wedding on Design*Sponge and neon fashions from Nanette Lapore. It's the first day of fall, but we're not giving up on neon!

I've added two to-do items to my weekend list. #1 Intergalactic nails as featured on Cup of Jo. They're so neat. #2 Intergalactic jars- how clever!
 
Kaity adored these pretty wedding dresses featured on Green Wedding Shoes. Also, Kaity happened to share this little guy she spotted on Oh Joy! Is he the cutest? Maybe, but he does have some competition.

Finally, our Chicagoans Amy and Courtney spotted this photo on Style Me Pretty- it's Courtney and her fiance Gavins' wedding venue! Completely gorgeous.

Other loves:
A tassel garland tutorial
Positive affirmations
A confetti roundup
A typography themed deck of cards

Have a fabulous weekend + happy first day of fall - so long summah!

Fall Invitations to benefit MS!

Happy first day of fall (almost)! Now that the temperatures are starting to cool down, it’s time to say so long to summer and welcome in the fall! This is my favorite season – I love seeing the leaves turn different shades of red, orange, and yellow.

 
This fall, our design team has created vibrant new fall designs + exclusive orange invitations to benefit The Nancy Davis Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis! Profits from these Erase MS invitations go to the foundation and the new designs include invitations such as Chevron Fall, Mosaic Pumpkin, Fall Vines, Seasonal Setting and Friendly Ghosts. For more information about the foundation, please visit http://erasems.org.

 
We are excited about these colorful + charitable invitations - what are you excited about this fall season?

Introducing our 2011 Holiday Collection!

Our designers have been busy acting as elves and dreaming up our 2011 collection of Holiday and Christmas Party Invitations! We're still designing Holiday and Christmas cards but some are available now for early shoppers.

A new addition this year is personalized gift enclosure cards and personalized gift stickers to our holiday gift guide. They're oh-so-cute, and they're the perfect way to conveniently tag your holiday gifts.

I know it's not even Halloween yet, but it's never too early to get in the spirit, right?

New Fall Lineup | The Emmys, TV Premieres & a Fall Preview Party

This week has been a fun one so far! We were able to see the best of the best at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards and our favorite Fall TV schedule is back in full swing. First, let's get to some of the best dressed stars at the award show on Sunday night.

Some leading ladies of the night (according to E!) were Vampire Diaries Nina Dobrev, The Office John Krasinki's better half Emily Blunt, film queen and star of Mildred Pierce Kate Winslet, Evan Rachel Wood, and Modern Family favorite Sofia Vergara. We love the warmer/darker shades that appeared on the red carpet - very telling of the upcoming seasons. There were also some great neutral colored gowns that we also adored. Elie Saab was one of the hottest designers of the night. Now let's get to E!'s more unfortunate choices:

How to Throw a Pirate Party

In honor of International Talk like a Pirate Day today, we felt inspired to hunt down some fun pirate party inspiration!  The possibilities are endless for decorations and activities!  From treasure hunts, to digging for treasure, to walking the plank - you can keep your little pirates busy all day!

The decorating ideas on Kara's Party Ideas are too cute!  Her twine wrapped bottles and skull and crossbones marked cups make the perfect table set up.

Need some desserts for the little mateys?  Learn how to make these simple and adorable pirate cookies!

Setting up a treasure hunt, a plank to walk or buried treasure to dig for are all super cute and easy to do ideas for pirate party games!  You can also use this pirate translator to work on your pirate vocabulary.

And send each little pirate home with a bag of loot in the form of gold candy and other gilded goodies!

And of course it wouldn't be a pirate party without one of our pirate invitations!  I hope this has inspired you to participate in Talk like a Pirate Day today!