Invitation Consultants Blog - Wedding and Party Inspiration

How To Dress For: A Beach Chic Wedding

If you have received a beach wedding invitation, chances are you will want to make a tropical statement. The ideal attire for a beach wedding is a colorful sundress or a flowing maxi dress. We love the romantic silhouette and bright hues of the Calypso silk hand screen dress above. Most likely you will want to skip heels and opt for a metallic or bejeweled sandle. A lightweight wrap is always essential for beach breezes. Last but not least, every ensemble can be finished off with a gorgeous clutch, a sophisticated necklace, and a fabulous statement ring. Pick one bright piece or mix and match any of the above and you'll be the perfect attendant of a beachy-chic affair.

 

Southern Weddings :: 5 Essentials for Guests

Summertime is upon us and wedding season is in full swing. Each wedding is different, but every time I'm invited to a wedding, I plan out what to wear in advance (it's a girl thing). Living in Florida, I've attended my fair share of southern weddings, and as a guest, you always want to make sure to dress for the occasion. Here are my five favorite things to have for a preppy southern wedding. Enjoy!

Ladies -
1. Pearls: When adding jewelery, think classic and chic. Pearls are the perfect preppy choice. Our very own Kaity chose pearls for her wedding and you can see more beautiful photos from her Fab*Bride post.
2. Party Shoes: As some weddings are outdoors, make sure to choose appropriate footwear. These Nina wedges cute, comfortable and come in a variety of colors.
3. Dress: Think simple and sophisticated. Summer fabric favorites are silk chiffon or lightweight linen dresses.
4. Sunglasses: Be prepared for sun and bring your best pair.
5. A Fan: Southern summers are hot! Be prepared and bring a small fan!


Gentlemen -
1. Accessories: For a preppy wedding, the best "guy" accessories can include pocket squares, monogrammed shirts, or argyle socks.
2. Bowtie: Skip the traditional tie and opt for a perfectly preppy bowtie. Check out Kaity's wedding party!
3. Suit: A seersucker suit is a great option. It's preppy and definitely wedding worthy!
4. Shoes: Choose oxfords or loafers to complete your look.
5. Sunglasses: Just like the ladies, bring sunglasses to avoid squinting in photos.

Having your own southern wedding? Check out our wedding invitations!

Destination California :: A Vineyard Wedding

This season some of our most popular wedding invitations have been from our geographic series. This series features layered destination wedding invitations perfect to spotlight your big day! After our Florida inspired post, I’ve decided to travel to the opposite coast to California! Here is my rendition of a perfectly ‘vintage’ destination wedding based on the Destination California invitation.

Good wine is one of the first things that come to mind when I think of California. Home to wine country, California creates a beautiful backdrop for a wedding at a local winery. Apart from the scenery, there are many details that can be incorporated into a vineyard wedding theme such as using custom wine labels made by the bride and groom, using wine corks for place card holders, and giving away personalized wine charms as favors to guests. Here are some of my favorites.

How would you pull off your dream vineyard wedding?

Destination Florida Wedding | Citrus Inspired Details

This is the first of a series of geography-inspired posts. Our wonderfully talented graphic designer Brittany has created an adorable line of layered destination wedding invitations that are perfect for your local or destination wedding location. From Mexico to Hawaii to Canada, we have you covered. We've decided to stay close to home and do a Florida-inspired post based off of the Destination Florida invitation.

While beach weddings are quite popular in Florida, we love the idea of using citrus fruit as a theme for your nuptials. From centerpieces, to favors, to gorgeous scenery, the Florida orange is quite versatile and can be creatively paired with lemons, limes, and other fruits to create an artistic statement. We took to Pinterest for some gorgeous inspiration for this Old Florida feel. Check out our fresh picks.

St. Augustine Outdoor Reception

Citrus photography by Bonnie Tsang

Florida Orange Cloth Bag Favor (from an insanely adorable wedding shot by Max Wanger)

Citrus Cake shot by Millie Holloman

Fruit in Mason Jar

Oranges for Escort Cards

Planning a colorful, modern or unique event?  Let us help you find the perfect wedding invitation! You'll also find invitations for any party or occasion!

Five Fab Questions with...Ilse Diamant

Ilse Diamant is a fellow TWIPS member and destination wedding coordinator. She runs Secret Jewel Celebrations and specializes in weddings in Cancún and Riviera Maya, Mexico. You can also catch her blogging, where she shares inspiration and tips for planning your wedding abroad!

We wanted to get to know Ilse a little more - so this week, she's the topic of our "Five Fab Questions! Here is what she had to say:

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

I studied in college Hotel and Restaurant Administration. I went to Spain to do my postgraduate degree on Hotel and Restaurant Direction. While doing my internship in Spain, I started to work at the Boutique Hotel Valencia Golf & Spa in the wedding department. I fell in love with the details - and the pressure - behind the planning and the coordination. So I came back to my hometown of Cancún and wanted to start a wedding-related business. I acquired a Butterfly release franchise and started the first company in Cancún & the Riviera Maya that services weddings and other special events. I had no idea that this would be an amazing snowball that would end in the most successful career I´ve had so far: developing my own venue and becoming a destination wedding expert for the Riviera Maya & Cancún area. 

Spotlight on our Design Contest Winner!

We could not be more thrilled with the entries we received for our third annual Design Contest! We received more than 500 designs from all over the country and let me tell you, it was tough for our fabulous judges to pick a winner. But they did - and we love the design!

This year's winning design came to us from a familiar face - Mary Beth Taylor. You may remember her from our Guest Designer Program, and she also won the Design Contest last year! We asked Mary Beth a few questions and here's what she had to say:

What inspired your winning design?

I had this notion of wanting to create something sophisticated and romantic for destination save the dates. When I start concepting, I like to gather inspiration images from all sorts of sources like photography, typography, artifacts, fabrics - it could really be anything visual. Then I distill my concept with the visual inspiration and start designing... sometimes it all comes together.

Welcome to our Wedding!

 
 Planning a Destination wedding? Destination weddings have become more and more popular among today’s brides and welcome bags are a thoughtful way to thank your guests for traveling! Even if your wedding location is local to you, giving out-of-town guests a welcome bag upon arrival is a great way to introduce them to the area! Welcome bags don’t have to break the bank; they typically include local items and practical things for your guests. The bags can coordinate with the destination wedding theme or have a theme of their own.

We’ve set up a ‘Welcome to Florida’ bag and here’s what’s inside:

• A personalized thank you note from the bride + groom
• Bottled water to stay hydrated: add your names or monogram to make it personalized!
• A map card and a card noting fun area activities
• Sunglasses + Sunscreen: a must in Florida!
• Granola bars: everybody needs food
• A Florida map for any additional traveling
• Swedish Fish: a cute way to acknowledge the warm, tropical area
• Boiled Peanuts: A southern snack
• Advil….just in case
• Tissues for the ceremony: great for any sentimental friend or family member!

What would you include??

For the Wanderer | Travel Theme Parties & Inspiration

Hi all! Tell your friends and family that you can now ship invitations internationally with InvitationConsultants.com! It applies to select items, but a wide variety of invitations and stationery, are able to make their way across the globe. For more information about our newly expanded International Shipping options, simply visit InvitationConsultants.com. Now let's get to blogging, shall we?

Since we have travel on the brain, we thought we'd gather some wonderful inspiration from Pinterest to get you excited about travel-themed parties or upcoming trips. While I long for the days of Spring Break again, warmer weather always makes me think of vacation (even if I don't get to partake in one). As a designer, practically anything can be the start of an idea. Allison was inspired by subway graphics as the basis for a wedding Save the Date, so I took the idea and ran with it and we think it came out pretty adorably (note: this invitation is a sneak peek & will be available fpr purchase on InvitationConsultants.com in a jiffy). Some of our new baby shower invitations incorporate a travel theme such as Baby About Town and Special Delivery. You can also find a wide variety of modern luggage tags to use on your next vacation. Happy Traveling!

Planning a colorful, modern or unique event?  Let us help you find the perfect wedding invitation! You'll also find invitations for any party or occasion!

Image credits via Pinterest: Luggage / Traveler's Items / Brown Eyed Belle / Where I Want To Be / Adorable Graphic / Engagement Shoot

Wedding Style | Rustic Mountain

I was browsing through some blogs the other day and stumbled upon this photo gallery of ceremony markers from Martha Stewart Weddings. They had ideas from all seasons, but what really struck a chord with me was the woodsy wedding. And a rustic mountain wedding inspiration board is the perfect way to dive into the month of November!

 A few of my favorites from the gallery are featured above. I love the white hot chocolate for guests to pick up on their way into the reception. But my absolute favorite is the fireplace. The birch logs and candles create the most romantic atmosphere! 

The wedding gown by Watters was just perfect for a mountain-top celebration and makes me think of Heidi (no, not Montag)! The bridesmaids dress by Wtoo perfectly picked up the color scheme.

And what better way to finish off wedding inspiration than with a little help from Etsy, and of course, our own Red Leaf Papers! I love this wooden sign by braggingbags - it's adorable. I thought Rustic Vineyard Brown invitation was the perfect fit for this style.

If this style suites you, check out some of our other fall themed invitations - or perhaps start by choosing a color palette and check out some of our other brown wedding invites. 

Any other Martha Wedding favorites out there? 

A Winter Wedding Wonderland

The leaves might be just starting to fall, but winter brides are already thinking snow!  Growing up in Chicago, I know the many inconveniences of bitter cold and inches upon inches of snow so a winter wedding just sounds stressful to me.  But after looking around and finding some truly stunning winter weddings I may reconsider!  Don't get me wrong, there are some really great things about winter too.  A warm blanket, comfy couch, cup of hot chocolate and fire place make for a lovely snow day.  It's those warm, cozy feelings that create the perfect backdrop for a winter wedding.  Channel a ski lodge (or actually have it at one) and use dark, warm colors and candlelight to create a wintery ambiance.  And just as in a summer wedding, use what's in season: pine cones and pine branches add seasonal look and scent.  Warm beverages are key to have available to guests throughout the wedding activites.  I love the idea of making coffee sleeves to fit the wedding theme.  And hot chocolate and doughnuts make the perfect cold day dessert!  Also with colder weather, wedding day wardrobe becomes a little more complicated too.  To me it's just an opportunity to accessorize a little more - no harm in that!  A little fur looking wrap or cropped jacket is the perfect way to stay warm and still look glam in those outdoor photos. And make sure to save your wedding day Louboutins for indoors and opt for some fun (and warm) boots to trudge through the snow and slush in.  Who doesn't love an excuse to throw on the Uggs for a little while?

Most of all, have fun with it!  For most people, winter brings up those warm, fuzzy memories of coming in from a long day building snowmen as a kid, or shooshing down the slopes on ski trips.  Channel those ideas and feelings to create a wintery wonderland for you and your guests.  And from that day on, you can add warm fuzzy memories of your wedding day to that list too.

For all the winter wedding invitations shown and TONS of others visit Invitation Consultants website!

Wintery place setting and pear place cards

Barn, lodge and fur shawl

Mossy floral arrangement

Snowflake cookies

Pinecone cake

Bride & groom in the woods

Couple on skis, coffee sleeve, bride in Uggs and ski lift shot

Silver Hunter boots