The world of wedding invitations has gotten much more fun, whimsical, personal and creative over the past however many years, but untill seeing this, I haven’t seen many new takes on an RSVP card. These cards have an open-ended prompt “the favor of a creative reply is requested by date” with space for guests to express their excitement about attending your wedding. I think it’s a great way to get excited about each person’s attendance and can serve as a memento from your wedding and of each guest.

To take it a step further, wouldn’t it be fun to do a color by number or decorate your own place/escort card for each guest?

photo: The Bridal Collection

Things are abuzz at Talia Events! Newly engaged couples are calling enlisting our help and those we’ve had the pleasure of working with for some time are beginning to shop for wedding invitations. It’s a fun time.

Wherever you are in the wedding planning process, your guest list may feel like it’s lurking behind every corner, the monkey on your back. So much seems to ride on that one list. It’s tough, but I would encourage you to do what may seem callous and…

Make multiple lists. Whether you call them A, B, and C or 1, 2, 3, it really doesn’t matter; they are, no matter how you look at it, staggered in order of importance. It’s ok. Really. Almost everyone has to have a top choice or must-have list and a next in line or hope to invite.

Know that your friends, family, former neighbors and co-workers, and Aunties that you’ve only seen once or twice won’t know which list they’re on. They won’t know that they almost didn’t make the cut.

I had a phone call with a new Talia Events bride yesterday and we spent a good deal of time talking about their save the date cards. The conversation reminded me of a fun save the date format that’s been popping up here and there lately. Essentially, the save the date card is used to tell the couple’s story in a fun, playful way.

For so many couples who have lived in multiple places, gone to school, spent some time apart (maybe even on different sides of the country) and may be planning a destination wedding in Colorado, it’s a great way to capitalize on the paths that have brought you together.

These are some of my favorites:

invites from Oh So Beautiful Paper, Blush Printables

What do you think? It’s a great way to set the tone for your wedding to tell your story, isn’t it?

It probably won’t surprise you, but I am particular about the look of little things. It’s why I’m a Wedding Designer and Planner; you want me to notice the particulars of your wedding.

One of my quirks is that I take special note of what sort of stamp I’m using on mail I’m sending. If I’m really honest, I save the not so pretty stamps for bills and have been reserving the King and Queen stamps for special letters and notes for months now.

Despite the logic behid buying the Forever stamps, I haven’t been able to take the plunge–those single bronze bells just haven’t been inspiring enough for me to purchase bucket loads to save a few pennies.

I was surprisd and, if I’m honest, delighted, the other day when the person helping me at the Post Office pulled out his book of stamp choices and the Forever stamps had changed. They’re now available in evergreens!

I love them and think they’re the perfect thing to complete an invitation to your Colorado wedding, whether it’s being planned for summer or winter or in the Rocky Mountains, Denver or Boulder. Evergreens are such a wonderful representation of our beautiful state. Why shouldn’t they be a part of your Colorado wedding too?

Even with all the beautiful things I see each day, sometimes I still gasp. It might be a dress, a flower arrangement or the way a photographer captured the look on a bride or groom’s face. You would have heard multiple gasps and squeals of delight when I first saw these shots from Becky Young Photography of a photoshoot that I was involved in a couple weeks ago.

It was the product of a group of uber-talented local wedding professionals. The design was born mid-chat at a coffee shop with Cori Cook. We were talking about how fun it would be to get together some of our wedding industry friends and put together a photo shoot. Some nearby chairs covered in burnt orange fabric provided the initial inspiration and things were off and running!

We called in the incredibly talented Becky Young, Mike and Summer at Rising Moon Video Productions, Janine from Makeup By Janine , Julie from JS Design Custom, Adrienne from Bebe & Boo, models from Premier Image Agency, Rachael from Girls & Curls and Swept Away Bridal.

Crooked Willow Farms graciously provided the backdrop and after infusions of time and love from everyone involved, here’s a (good sized) glimpse into what we created.

I love details. It’s a good thing, I get paid to love details; my attention to the details ensures that you enjoy the planning process and your wedding day. For me, it’s not just a matter of making sure that everything is organized to but that the final product is also beautiful.

It’s no wonder then that I love discussing a couple’s wedding stationery with them. It sets the tone for the entire event. As their choice is made, I begin thinking about the perfect final touch that can either bring it all together or, pull it all apart. The stamp.

I’ve confessed my love of the king and queen stamps before, but these aren’t the only option. Here are some of what’s available right now:

or, for your beach wedding…

If none of these are the perfect fit, consider designing your own. Zazzle allows you to create stamps from photos, your monogram or names or any number of their stock images.

In July I shared my love of Paperwink’s address stamps. This morning, while poking around the Internet I found another stamp company that’s just as great.

Sweetpaperie creates customized address and personal use stamps and labels. Their address designs are darling, but what really caught my eye were the monograms and personal stamps that would be perfect for use on wedding favor bags or boxes.

Take a look! Aren’t they great?

Sweet, classic, but modern address stamps:

Stamps of your names or initials and wedding date, the perfect personal touch to bags or boxes of favors or even your save the date card:

And, labels to use in all kinds of ways:

all from Sweetpaperie

Imagine, you’ve skimmed through stacks of magazines and web sites and catalogs of wedding invitations and finally picked the one. It’s your favorite; it sets the tone of your wedding wonderfully and perfectly represents the two of you.

Before moving forward, be sure you know how much postage will be required to send it. Many invitation companies know the exact postage for each of their pieces.

If not, they’ll likely give or send you a sample of the invitation or at least the paper(s) and envelopes. Bring it all to the post office. You’ll be grateful you did when you don’t completely blow your budget and the look you were going for on mis-matched (and dare I say ugly) postage stamps.

In order to save green and be more green, couples are opting to collect their RSVPs on-line as either an e-mail or through their wedding web site. It’s a great idea and, from an etiquette standpoint is a fine alternative to the traditional paper RSVP card, accompanying envelope and pre-paid postage. If you’re thinking of choosing this environmentally-friendly option to collect your RSVPs, keep in mind a couple of things:

• Despite getting the “ok” from etiquette experts, you still want to be discreet in how you mention the process on your invite. Think small and sweet or, include a small card (the size of a business card will work) in each envelope instructing guests how to reply.
• If any of your guests are over 70 or simply don’t use the computer, keep in mind that it will difficult if not impossible to follow your instructions. You may need to give these individuals a call; don’t leave it up to them to try and figure out how to send in their RSVP.
• Your invitation sets the tone for your wedding. If the invite and RSVP process are casual, it is fair that your guests will assume the entire affair follows suit. If you want formal attire, but are opting for an e-mail or on-line RSVP, you will need to clearly state this desire.

Whether on-line or traditional paper, collecting RSVPs can be a challenge. Talia Events is happy to collect and organize your replies, just give us a call to find out more.

RSVP card from Stelie Designs

Now that you’re almost married, you might be thinking about the trip that takes you not to the chapel but the one you’re about to embark upon to change your last name. Or, maybe, like so many other lovely brides, you’ll keep the one you’ve always had.

Either way, perhaps you’ll indulge in a less-than-twenty dollar splurge on one of these little bits from Paperwink.