We're featured on wedding chicks blog
Earlier this month one of our brides, Nikki Julian-McKeon, was featured on the popular Wedding Chicks blog. We were so honored to be featured as part of the wedding that we thought we’d share some additional pictures of the rustic chic invitation, save the date, and bridal shower invites we created for her. Nikki was a smart cookie and used the heart logo that we designed for her and applied it to details the guests would see on the wedding day like her place cards, menus, and the blankets she had custom made for her guests. Repeating an element like a motif or logo throughout the wedding stationery and all the way through the wedding day is a good way to make sure that your event is memorable. We hope you enjoy a peek into this bride’s dream wedding.
An event like Nikki’s needs a team of talented vendors to pull all of the details together and make the event a success. We’re giving a special shout out to Alixann Loosle Photography who’s amazing work captures the moments and details surrounding Nikki and Michael's wedding day. Thank you to Alix!
Photographer: Alixann Loosle Photography
Event Designer: Bride and Scenemakers
Venue: Red Cliff Ranch
Hair & Makeup: Lunatic Fringe Park City
Cake: Nothing Bundt Cakes
Caterer & Coordinator: Culinary Crafts
Dress Designer: Penelope’s
Flowers: Scenemakers
Groom’s Attire: J.Crew
Earrings: Dana Kellin
Shoe Designer: Seychelles
Stationery: Anne Elizabeth
Read more at http://www.weddingchicks.com/2013/03/04/utah-red-cliff-ranch-wedding/#jADsXgWRxHCSLkhP.99
Invitation Etiquette-Who is the Host?
Ever wonder why some wedding invitations start out with the bride and groom’s names printed at the top and other invitations list the parents of the bride at the top?
So what’s the deal... whose names should be printed first?
The answer to that question is the “hosts”
Figuring out who the “hosts” of the wedding are is important for couples to consider when selecting wording. In many cases, the “hosts” of the wedding are the bride’s parents. A major factor of figuring out the “host” is establishing who is shouldering the majority of the financial burden of the wedding.
Some etiquette experts also say that the person listed first on the invitation was tied to whom was “giving” the bride to the groom. (Think... father of the bride walking the bride down the aisle to give the bride away)
The role of “hosts” has typically fallen to the bride’s parents, but now it is not uncommon for multiple sets of parents or the bride and groom themselves to be the “hosts” of the wedding and therefore listed first on the invitation.
It can get tricky when parents and the bride and groom are participating in the finances and even trickier when multiple sets of parents are involved. Use your best judgment on what suits your situation and talk to your family about their preferences.
In any situation, we recommend that the engaged couple be as considerate as possible to those who are helping in the nuptial plans and err on the side of being gracious and appreciate the love and support of your family and friends.
In the pictures are some examples of the different wording guides you can use. Starting with the top left corner is an example of a hybrid format invitation. This is where you have the bride’s name then the groom’s name, saying along with their parents. Then all parents names starting with the bride’s.
In the top right corner is and example of a parents announcing invitation. Parents announcing format invitation is most common. This is where the bride’s parents are named and then say something to the effect of “are pleased to announce the marriage of their daughter” then you have the bride’s name followed by the groom’s name and his parent’s names.
The bottom left corner is an example of Bride and groom announcing invitation. This would be where the bride and groom announce them selves starting with the bride’s name first followed by the groom and saying something like in our example “you’ve shared in our lives with your friendship and love now we invite you to celebrate the beginning of our new life together”.
In the bottom right corner is another example of a hybrid announcement where the bride and groom have named their parents at the bottom of the invitation.
For more details you can refer to our wording guides resource.
Save the Dates, Part 1
Whether you got engaged over the holidays or just recently on Valentine’s Day, now is the time to start thinking about sending save the dates. So what exactly is a save the date? Simply put, a save the date is a card or postcard mailed to loved ones that indicates these important things:
Key elements to include as part of your save the date design are:
The Bride and Groom’s names
The date of the occasion
The city and state of the occasion
“Invitation to follow”
A URL for more details
Including a URL is highly recommended because it directs guests to find details like accommodations, maps and other important travel details at your wedding website, rather than needing to include paragraphs of details on the your save the date.
Not sure when to mail your save the date? Most wedding experts recommend mailing save the dates 6-12 months prior to your wedding date. If your engagement is shorter just be sure to send your save the dates a minimum of four months ahead to allow your guests adequate time to make arrangements.
Additionally, save the dates aren’t for just weddings - any event where you need to give guests advanced notice is a good opportunity to use a save the date. Consider a save the date for Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Quinceaneras, Company Parties, New Year’s Eve Celebrations, Birthdays and any other gathering where lots of planning will go into the event and giving your guests advanced notice will be of benefit.
Congratulations to Amber Harper-Camomile, March's Bride of the Month!
March 2013: Amber Harper-Camomile!
We are proud and excited to be featuring Amber Harper-Camomile and her amazing destination wedding paper suite. Amber shares some great advice to what to expect when planning a destination wedding. There is so much detail and organization that goes into making a wedding like this one a complete success! We loved working with Amber from start to finish and were thrilled to hear all about her wedding once she returned from her wedding in Cozumel, Mexico.
Our invitation consultant, Ruth Sorenson, sat down with Amber recently to talk about her wedding and her paper goods. We hope that you will love Amber’s “black and white” invitations as much as we do.
| Ruth: So what was your initial idea of what you wanted when you first came to Ann Elizabeth for your wedding invitations?Amber: My wedding was a destination wedding and my guests already knew that they were going to Mexico. I wanted to do a fun, non-traditional type invite that read like a poem telling guests to meet us in Mexico with flip-flops.Ruth: When we took your ideas and put them in the proofing process how did that work for you?Amber: After looking at the first proofs I realized that I did want a more formal invitation stating this is the wedding of Amber and Cory and I wanted that for my parents too. So my ideas totally changed as we progressed and I feel like the proofing process helped me to see what I really wanted. Ultimately the mailed invitation was just a hint of what was to come. I had much more in store for my guests with a detailed black and white itinerary. I also loved the oversized black and white letter that I gave with the welcome bags to my guests.Ruth: When we selectd papers for your itinerary packets there was a lot of discussion of how the paper would hold up over several days of use in Mexico. How did the paper live up to your expectations?Amber: The itinerary helped so much to organize and communicate all the things we had planned for the week. I don’t think I realized how difficult it would be to keep track of everyone through all of the excitement of being in Mexico. So having a detailed, quality paper itinerary was so useful for my guests because they really did haul those itineraries around with them everywhere. There were so many things going on from the guys going deep-sea fishing to the girls having a spa day on the beach. The rest of the week was packed with events too so it was awesome to know that no matter where people wandered off to that everyone was still able to keep on schedule for the wedding stuff! |
Detail of Amber's Invitations  |
Detail of Amber's Itinerary Pieces  |
Ruth: What feedback did you receive on your printed goods?Amber: Everyone loved everything about the invitations and itineraries. My Dad was especially pleased with them... in fact he said he would have paid triple for them after seeing the quality workmanship that went into them.Ruth: What advice would you give other brides that are planning a destination wedding?Amber: First, I’ll tell you that a destination wedding is a lot of work - I’ll tell you that! But I realized that all of the little things I thought were so important and I stressed over like, everyone wear linen, was actually not something I needed to worry about. Just remember that this is the most important day of your life because you’re with all of your family and loved ones. Second, keep yourself organized and be patient. A lot of the wedding planning is done over email and it can get stressful at times.  Ruth: How was the ceremony? Everything we’ve heard about it sounds magical?Amber: I was adamant about Cory not seeing me before the wedding. So the night before the wedding the photographer suggested doing a reveal. If you don’t know what that is (I didn’t either!) it’s where you reveal yourself to one another before the ceremony. Then you can take the time to get all the pictures done and not take up time during the wedding when all you want to do is join your guests. I am so glad we did it because it turned out beautifully we had two hours to spend with one another taking pictures in a really relaxing way. Plus, right before the ceremony there was a huge down pour of rain so I was grateful I listened to her advice to get the pictures done first! Luckily, the rain did clear up for the ceremony and my brother performed our ceremony so it was very special to me.Ruth: How was your experience with us from start to finish?Amber: It was great from the time I came in with my ideas to me wanting to switch everything. You guys were so amazing to work with and help my vision come to life. I’ve had so many people ask me where I got my invitations and I love telling them Ann Elizabeth!Ruth: It’s been a pleasure working with you Amber and I’ve loved helping make your experience with us a good one! |
A special thank you to Amber's amazing photographer, Pepper Nix for sharing Amber's wedding photographs with us!
If you're wondering where this gorgeous event took place, check out The Occidental Grand Resort in Cozumel, Mexico.