We are featuring the absolutely gorgeous wedding that Lyndsey Hamilton sent us today…it’s all about the Hamptons. That picture perfect rustic charm that seems to permeate everything within this style. Love, love, love.

all of the lovely photographs shot by Jake McBride of Christian Oth Studios

That beautiful dress that the bride is wearing is a Monique Lhuillier and the vintage lace overlay, well…it’s perfection. There is something really sweet and timid about this wedding. Perhaps it is the understated elegance of the day or the  oh-so-pretty bride. Maybe it’s the fresh from the garden style of flowers. Whatever it is, it’s just beautiful.

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

And it just might be love at first sight. Okay, having a little girl that I dress in ALL pink makes me a little biased, but these flowergirl dress are the cutest things that I have ever seen. I know that you guys are always on the lookout for great flowergirl attire and these little perfections are definite must-haves. Each dress is better than the next. I swear.

Lyndsey Hamilton is one of those planners that you book the minute she has an opening. She just has this way about the events that she crafts…they seem incredibly personal, incredibly real and always, incredibly beautiful. And to be honest, those are the traits that I look for when featuring a wedding on Style Me Pretty. I don’t like to show weddings that are overly designed or manufactured. I love weddings where the couple, the bride, the beauty of the day can really shine through.

So when Lyndsey send us today’s featured wedding, which just happened to be photographed by Jake McBride of Christian Oth (love), I swooned…

From Lyndsey…

Kaitlin & Will had chosen East Hampton as their wedding location when they were living in Hong Kong.  Kaitlin had spent summers in the Hamptons as a child, and her family owned a home directly across the street from Mulford Farm. Because there had never been a wedding held at Mulford Farm, which is maintained by the East Hampton Historical Society, Kaitlin knew that she needed to hire a planner to orchestrate the details and logistics–that was when she hired us!  We began planning the wedding in January for the following September.

So much more to come from this lovely wedding…

{To see the full gallery, click here!}

We have had some pretty great questions today from a WIDE variety of brides. Some want elegant sophistication, others want bold pops of color. I have updated all but one of the questions with inspiration boards and color ideas. If you want to chime in or send me anything that you’ve created up for these brides, I’d love that!

Otherwise, for quick links to today’s boards…the Literary themed wedding, the Spring themed wedding, the 1940’s inspired wedding and the Mexican inspired wedding! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Okay, now for the really fun part! A surprise contest! We are hoping YOU guys can dream up inspiration boards for our final question…for the bride that is looking for a shabby chic inspired, vineyard affair using a palette of raspberry and white. Feel free to bring in additional colors or styles as you see fit but let this description be your launching pad.

All entries should be formatted to 600 pixels across (if you aren’t sure when you are done, send it my way and I will check) with a similar format to those that I have posted today. We need photo credits for every picture that you submit, so make sure to include those. Entries should be received via email by Wednesday the 21st of January. We’ll announce the winner, who will win $500, after we’ve had a chance to show off all of your entries. Good luck!

Click here to see the original question that boards should be designed for! Remember that she wants to include little details that will make her day special, but she is having a hard time editing her ideas. I’ll include any descriptions that you submit with your boards so feel free to let your imagination run wild!

Question 5: I am getting married May 1, 2010 in Charlottesville, Virginia.  I am a woman who has been dreaming about her wedding her entire life.  Now that the time has come for me to plan I have begun to feel very overwhelmed.  Specifically, I am having a hard time editing myself.  I see all of these ideas and details that I like and I am not quite sure how to incorporate these ideas into my special day.  The weddings that stand out to me (and I think most others) is the ones that work in small, unexpected details.  The details are what I am getting lost in.  So, I come to you for help. 

I know that I my wedding colors are going to be a bright pink (more raspberry) and white. I will be married in a vineyard and the ceremony will be outside.   I am a girl who is attracted to shabby chic styles. I see myself using more vintage chic/rustic type of details and designs.  My friends and family would describe me as very preppy and not as trendy as other 25 year olds.  While I am not desperate for penny pinching ideas, I also do not have an extravagant budget to work with. Can you help me figure out where to begin?

I think that finding a starting off point is the biggest challenge when coming up with your wedding style? Do you guys have any tips for this reader that might inspire her decor?

Question 4: I’ve been looking at the inspiration boards and I always find that there is just one color that I just don’t like, but it happens to be a color that completes the look.  I’m having loads of trouble finding the perfect color palette to go with my wedding next fall.

We’ve picked a venue; this beautiful Hacienda in San Antonio, TX. The problem is finding colors to go with the already brilliant colors of the venue.  The floors are that rusty orange stone color, with dark tan walls and antique iron light fixtures that hold candles.  I’m really having a difficult time picking wedding colors to go with the already beautiful scenery !

My bridesmaids are already wanting to buy dresses, my mother is picking out invitations and my fiancee keeps asking “when are we going cake testing?” I don’t want to decide on any of the details until I pick colors.  My fiancee’s family is Mexican and I really love all the rich colors that come with this type of wedding.  Yet we are trying to go with a more subdued version of such a style of wedding.  I want a fresh beautiful look to our wedding, that will go with this hacienda we’ve chosen.  I’m looking for a wedding that will have punches of beautiful colors.  It’s a very informal buffet-style wedding, with mostly family and friends…but I still want it to be beautiful and somewhat elegant. Any help you can give me (I know I said a lot !) would be AMAZING !

Let’s help this bride who seems overwhelmed with colors! I would love to hear YOUR input, then I’ll chime in a little later today!

Answer 4: I generally fall in love with the Spanish and Mexican weddings that cross my path. The generous blending of colors, of styles, of pure eye candy is enough to make any bride re-think their wedding colors. So, I totally agree with so many of you in that bringing out the pinks and turquoises would be sublime and would go beautifully with the natural coloring of her venue.

With that said, when I was crafting these color boards, I couldn’t decide which direction to go in…

I love the kind of dusty versions of these colors…fuschia with a little less pink, turquoise with a little less blue. I think that these muted tones really make the gold pop. LOVE.

But, then I also love bringing an even lighter turquoise  the darker, dustier version in the bridesmaid dresses…

Either way, I think that these colors are off the charts pretty…they give those punches of color that the bride is looking for, without going totally overboard. Love, love, love!

Question 3: I’m getting married in a small church in central London at the end of April (Charles Dickens’ parents were married there!), and we’re having the reception on a boat on the Thames. My dress is ivory with a black sash, and as the upholstery on the boat is a dark pewter gray I thought a good colour scheme would be black/white/gray with accents of warm yellow and lots of sparkle. The problem is that my other half doesn’t like it! He thinks that Spring is a great time for colour – for greens, pinks and a riot of flowers… What would you suggest?? Is there another way to use gray and black that’s less funereal (his words!)?

I have a feeling I know what some of your answers are going to be, but I know that this bride would love all of the input that she can get! What do you think? Yellow as an accent color or should they go another direction?

OH, and if you’ve sent me a question in the last few months that you really want to see up here today, shoot me a reminder email and I’ll do my best to get it up!

Answer 3: I think that so many of you are right…it totally depends on the mood you are going for. In my opinion, black/gray/white combination can be utterly chic and gorgeous. Adding sparkle would be the icing on the already lovely cake. But, it’s true…if you are going to go for understated, muted colors, you have to do it right. Common Spring colors like pinks, peaches, greens are a little bit easier to pull off.

Okay, with that said, I was playing around on the GORGEOUS new Bastian + Skoog site today when I stumbled upon this image:

I thought that it just might be the perfect inspiration for this particular question…a very French, girly approach to a muted color palette. So from this image, I came up with this…

dress by Vera Wang on Brides.com, flowers by Bastian + Skoog, Bridesmaid dress by JCrew, Rosemary image by Artfool

Keeping the palette muted and bringing in feminine, wispy flowers, herbs and such would be a nice way to embrace the natural surroundings while still seeming to be light and Springy. I loooooooove the idea of adding a bold stripe into the mix, to really make things pop, either in yellow or slate. Perhaps in the napkins or favor packaging?

Bottom line…if you decide to go with the muted palette, keep things simple and clean. Then, add one big pop of pattern to liven up the look. It could be spectacular if done right. If you decide to embrace a more Spring-like palette, the world is your oyster!

A few days ago we gave you a glimpse of Tammy in her absolutely stunning lace wedding dress. Today, we bring you the rest of the story ~~

from Tammy …

When dear friends of ours offered to host a garden wedding for us in their newly redesigned gardens at their home in Norwalk, CT we were so excited. Gilles and I were married in July at the Mairie in Paris at a small ceremony. With many of our friends and family absent from our ceremony in Paris, we were so happy that our friends offered to host our US reception with close friends and family. We decided to hold our reception on my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary. It was a perfect day.

Our reception was planned in four months mostly from Paris.  SMP was a great help for inspiration, resources and ideas that really helped me plan the reception …such as the color palette: french blue and white with antique red accents, casual elegance look and feel, stylish details and floral arrangements. The inspiration boards were especially helpful.  Details of the wedding were very important to me. I included small touches of French flair to honor my husband’s heritage.

Tammy’s chignon is so classic and so perfectly paired with the lace gown!

The buffet menu was incredible. Our caterer really understood our vision to combine American and European cuisine. The charcuterie table was a great success. Details included: a menu board, kir royals, french wine, french bisquits with chocolate from Paris at each place setting, matchbooks given to us by my best friend was such a lovely surprise, an appetizer of home made pate from Gilles’s grandmother, lanterns with ribbon tails with blue lights, stamped cocktail napkins with a stamp from etsy, french-english flashcards placed at the cocktail hour for conversation bought on etsy, french blue ribbons tied on napkins, handmade guest book, elegant clean floral arrangements for tables to compliment the gardens, handmade ring pillow in french blue toile.

The best part of the day was being with all of the family and friends we love. We had symbols of our loved ones everywhere all throughout the day. Chris and Joe offered their beautiful home, our friend, Michael married us in the garden, my best friend Deb assisted me with every aspect of the wedding a few days before the ceremony (hanging all lanterns to wrapping napkins) and was my coordinator the day of the wedding (I am blessed to have her in my life).

What a charming, intimate celebration!

Advice to other brides. It is possible to plan a perfect wedding day in a short amount of time. Come up with a budget and figure out what is really important to you. Ask friends for referrals for catering companies, music and rental companies. Be upfront with your vendors about timing and budget. When they know what they are working with, it makes for a more pleasant experience.

To our hosts Chris and Joe, thank you very much for hosting our wedding and for all your help and effort in making the day just perfect. We are so lucky to have friends like you in our lives.

Perfect!!  A backyard garden wedding full of charm, elegance, and wonderful food & drink. You can tell that this was a very heart-warming day…filled with family and friends, love, laughter and a touch of attitude!

On a slightly different note … congratulations to Krystal and Paul, masterminds of Studio Foto … on their own engagement!! To see more of their fabulous fotography, and read a great marriage proposal story, check out their blog and website.

krystal’s engagement ring shot

I could literally spend hours browsing through the galleries upon galleries of flowers that Karen Tran features on her website. Based in San Diego, Karen’s approach is beach chic. Total, unabashed elegance. Sophisticated, fresh and fabulously stylish. Even if you aren’t in the area, her site is so worth a visit for sheer inspiration.

Question 2: My fiance and I are English graduate students. We met working as writing tutors at our university, then we traveled to London to study British literature as undergraduates. Obviously we’re a bookish couple – and literature makes up a large part of our own romantic narrative.

I want to incorporate the literature we’ve read into our wedding. We love all the British classics – poetry and novels. I’ve thought that perhaps an old British library look would be a good stylistic fit: leather-bound books, heavy brass-studded armchairs, tweed, exotic artifacts from the East Indies. Problem is, I also want to give my wedding a lot of color. I don’t know exactly how to accomplish both at once.

Are there colorful directions I could take a literary theme? I’m thinking either deep jewel tones (royal blue, deep purple, olive green, magenta) or a more fiery combination (red, fuchsia, orange, yellow). Will these work with Old English, or will I have to sacrifice my more exotic color palette? I’d really appreciate your stylistic expertise here.

Any tips for this cute literary bride??

Answer: I think that designing a wedding based on a mutual loves is, well, brilliant. It’s the perfect way to celebrate something that you love while allowing guests to get a glimpse inside your personalities. For me, there are really different ways to approach a library styled wedding. One, like my dear friend Laurie, you could have your reception in an old, absolutely elegant library. With gorgeous white flowers, timeless china and stemware, cream or taupe colored linens…it would be a study in unabashed luxury.

Or, you can add a touch of whimsy. Here is the board that I came up with based on a more mid-century library style…one part vintage, one part total elegance…

Images, Right Row: Flowers by Bastian + Skoog and Artfool / Left Row: books by Penguin Classics on Design*Sponge, library image from google search on Style Forum

Now, take this same color palette and change out the library image to one that is a bit more classic…

Library image on The Steampunk Home

You get a gorgeous, spirit filled look that captures the essence of what this bride is going for!

I thought we would take a mini break from all of the real weddings that we have been doing for a much needed Ask Abby day. I have to admit, questions have been piling up in my inbox, as the days keep slipping past! So, I thought who better to ask for a bit of help than our readers! I am going to be posting questions throughout the day, then later this afternoon will add my own responses.

I know that each of our brides would LOVE feedback from you guys, so please don’t be shy!

Question 1: My partner & I are getting married on Saturday, the 12th of September 2009. The ‘look’ we are going for is vintage chic with a modern twist. The era we are mainly channeling is the 40’s, as we love the whole feel of the 1940’s.

My wedding gown is a Mori Lee dress in a vintage lace & tulle design, in Ivory. My bridesmaids dresses are floor length, silk evening gowns in a deep coral colour with a satin halterneck ribbon ( I hope you can envision them from my rather poor description). The have a very old school glamour feel.

Now this is where my problem starts…I am uncertain as to what flowers to use (I am thinking of picking flowers in very soft colours such as pale peach, soft pink and ivory). However, I still want the flowers to maintain a fresh modern feel?!

I am also unsure as to what I can put my H2B and his groomsmen in. I was contemplating black slim fitting suits but I am unsure whether this will look too dark against the soft colours of the flowers etc. My H2B will not wear an ivory suit and this is not really to either of our tastes…I have also been contemplating gray suits?! I would really appreciate your opinion.

What do you guys think? Flowers? Men’s attire with a vintage feel?

Answer 1: I have to say, this bride has it together. I love the combination of gray and coral, paired with a glamorous 1940’s vibe. I really didn’t have to think too hard to design this board, as I am already convinced that she is well on her way to perfection.

As for flowers, I would up the glamour ante and do tone on tone corals…different shades of coral from a peachy pink to a deep, pink-ish terra cotta. Go for soft, feminine shapes to add a feeling of laid back luxury to the look. To add a touch of modern charm, you could use sleek, lacquered white containers for your centerpieces. Might be a nice contrast to the vintage foundation.

Tip…if you love Peonies and your wedding is in August or September, have your florist source roses that have that same loose, fluffy style. If you are on a budget, go for monochromatic carnations. Sounds like third grade, but I swear, they are gorgeous when presented in one color in a huge bunch.

As for men’s attire, gray suits are a must. Pinstripes would be even better. Then, finish the look with a classic 1940’s Cadillac and man oh man….STUNNING.

* * *

PS…check out Heather Fowler’s (the incredible photographer that we love here on SMP) recent wedding that we are debuting on the Little Black Book Blog. It is all about vintage charm!

Amanda Herzberger of Orchard Cove Photography sent us today’s featured wedding and it’s just lovely. Sarah is one of those brides that reminds us of what is really important in planning a wedding…to not sweat the small stuff, to show a sense of grace and elegance even when the skies rain on your parade…

A few last words from Sarah…

Off to the reception! What would a Cape Cod wedding be without East Dennis Oysters?? We served tapas, family style on the tables in multiple courses. Chef Paul Lively of Brewster did a fantastic job with the food. For dessert, again, we went against tradition and did without a cake. Instead, my Mom made cookies, Reid’s uncles made their famous family Ice Cream, and we had cupcakes. We had a self-serve dessert bar. Reid is a musician and we both love Latin jazz, so we hired the fantastic Carlos deLeon Band from Providence, RI, to provide the salsa music. Everyone had a blast. It was such a relaxed, enjoyable, intimate party!

Thank you so much to Amanda of Orchard Cove and to Sarah and Reid for sharing their day with us!

Oh and by the way, if you haven’t already checked out Sarah’s absolutely beautiful line of children’s clothing, Sarah Waldo, it’s so worth the trip. You’ll see that her laid back chic style really touches every part of her life!

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

A bit more from Sarah, the gorgeous bride from today’s featured wedding…

Children made up our wedding party; all kids I have nannied for; two from NYC while I was a student at Parsons and the other two from the Cape, whom Reid had taught tennis to as well. I made the girl’s dresses using styles from my children’s clothing line in silk the color of sea glass. I added bolero jackets in with beading the like the inside of seashells to dress them up a bit. Noah, our ring bearer, wore seersucker pants from Crew Cuts and a boy’s linen guayabera from My Cuban Store. While we were all getting ready, he spotted a boater hat of my father’s and it was the perfect addition. I got ready with my family and the kids – even doing my mom’s hair and my own.

More to come!

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

Today’s Cape Cod wedding is exactly the kind of wedding that guests love to attend…it’s laid back, it’s full of beautiful, personal touches and it’s all about family and friends. Wait until you hear how funny their day-of tale is…

all of the absolutely perfect photographs were shot by Orchard Cove Photography

From Sarah…

We thought that a ceremony on the beach, in front of Reid’s family’s cottages, followed by the reception under a tent in my parent’s front yard would be just ideal. And, it was, until Hurricane Hannah showed up!

Despite on-and-off rain showers throughout the day of our wedding, neither of us wanted to make the call to Plan B, which was the local town church for our ceremony… after all, we were all SO excited to be having a barefoot wedding! Literally, the decision was not made to head to the church until we pulled into the beach parking lot 15 minutes before the ceremony and it started to downpour! Off to the church it was, followed by the wedding guest caravan.

Once inside the church, the children in the ceremony and I decided that we would stick with the original plan and have the ceremony barefoot.  My dad may be the only father to ever walk his daughter down the aisle of a church barefoot, but it made everything so much more special.

I had decided early on in the planning process that I did not want to have bridesmaids in the traditional sense. Most of my friends were either pregnant, photographing (!) or had many other bridesmaids duties this summer and I just didn’t want to ask these great ladies to all buy matching, expensive dresses.  I wanted their individuality to shine and to let them sit and enjoy the ceremony with their significant others.  So, instead, I asked my nearest and dearest to be my “bouquet girls;” I came down the aisle with my dad without a bouquet. Our minister offered a lovely welcome and expressed that everyone was here with us because they had been such an important part of our lives- both individually and together. To signify this, a few of my closest friends, came from their seats, one by one, with a single flower to give me with a hug, kiss, whisper for both Reid and I. These flowers formed by bouquet! My 94-year-old Grama tied them together with a ribbon.

My heart literally just skipped a beat! I really can’t say how much I love the way that this bride approached every element of her wedding…with a relaxed, totally involved, completely loving personality. It seems that her heart and soul were in every detail, every flourish. Love.

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

Okay, now on to the fun stuff. I thought that rather than leave you hanging, we could jump right into the DIY details from today’s real wedding (which was sent to us by Amanda at Orchard Cove)!  Before I start though, I have to tell you that I love the subtle elegance of this wedding. The DIY touches only add to the beauty of the day with their simple, elegant style that truly embrace the natural surrounding of the affair.

From Sarah, the bride…

We wanted the wedding to have a SUBTLE beach-theme. I have always loved turquoise and blue, so we went with those colors. Reid and I designed our invitations, maps, etc. and worked with the FANTASTIC Providence-based letterpress master, Dan Wood.

After meeting with our tent company, I decided, insanely, to make the napkins for the event, as I wanted just a little color. I was literally seaming these 250 linen napkins into the wee hours of the night just 2 days before the big day. Thank goodness for all my friends who pitched in tying the nautical knots.

My mom and I are real do-it-yourselfers, so all of the centerpieces, decorations, etc. we put together. My mom also makes Nantucket Lightship Baskets, so she made small ones for the flower girls and a dish-shaped basket for our rings. Traditional scrimshaw adorned the baskets with the child’s name personalizing them. My sister knitted the pillow for the ring basket. I did not hire a florist, as I knew pretty much what I wanted in terms of flowers.  A friend helped put together the adorable flower girls baskets. It was certainly a family affair!

So much more to come!

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

Heather Fowler, another tremendously talented Little Black Book photographer in Philadelphia, got married this past year and we know you’re going to oooh and ahhh when you see her wedding photos! When we saw them on her own blog, we knew you guys had to see them, too ~~~

from Heather: The ceremony was in Rittenhouse Town, part of the Wissahickon woods. We could only invite immediate family and a handful of our oldest friends. To see every one’s smiles after the ceremony was the best part of the day!

My stepfather, Paul, drove me up to the ceremony in a 1932 Ford pickup he built himself from pieces. I was so proud to ride in it and loved that it matched the time period. He started building it while my mother was still alive and she never got to take a ride, so getting into it for the first time on my wedding day was an emotional roller coaster, so happy, but also sad. We were both bawling when I arrived to the sounds of the bagpiper playing “Here comes the bride.”

Did I mention everyone was crying at the ceremony!? My best friend Sarah read a passage from the Velveteen Rabbit about what is “real”. Jason, Shawn’s brother, read the last paragraph from “The Road” by Cormick McCarthy. After the ceremony Jason said a beautiful toast about how I have always been a part of the family, but it was good now to make it “official” and again I cried!

The reception was at the Sedgwick Theatre on Germantown Avenue in Mt. Airy. It is an art deco movie theatre built in 1928. I love the fashion and styles of that period so it was really important to me to have “vintage” hair and a cocktail dress.

The reception was a blast! I did not want a formal wedding reception, just a big party. It was a representation of us and our loved ones. We had a pool table and games for the kids. I also had a dress up photo booth for guests to take their own photos. On the center stage, there was a slide show running of my photographs from the past 14 years of our friends and family. The kids had fun jumping around on the stage and dancing in front of the photos! There was theatrical lighting to add to the ambiance. We had an Irish trio play at the cocktail hour who actually knew my mother, she played traditional fiddle in her life time. I also had the redware pottery she made put out on the tables. After cocktails the dj took over with a great assortment of country, indie rock, 80’s music videos played on the screen, hip hop and lots of dance music from our generation. It was overwhelming seeing every person I know and love in one room, all there just for us! I am so lucky to have met Shawn 14 years ago and gained so many friends and family.

These fabulous photos were taken by Sarah Miller, her friend and frequent second-shooter. For more of Sarah’s work, check out her website and blog!

LOVE the vintage-styled wedding touches that Heather executed flawlessly! Isn’t she totally gorgeous!!?

Heather has written about her wedding on her own blog and has provided a list of recommended vendors. It’s a really comprehensive list with great comments about each one. She’s also included the sources for her veil, shawl, dress, etc… There are a few photos taken by other photography friends of Heather’s and their names are also credited on her blog.

True vintage glamour ~~~

Amanda Herzberger of Orchard Cove Photography sent us this wedding and I thought that today was the perfect day to feature it…it’s all about beautiful DIY projects that the bride and her mom crafted to make the day seem oh-so-personal. Before I get into the details, though, I just wanted to share a few pics of the bride and groom…

From the lovely bride, Sarah…

Before Reid and I were even engaged we talked about getting married on Cape Cod. I grew up on the Cape and Reid had spent summers less than a mile from my home in a string of cottages on the beach that his great grandfather had built in the 1940s. Dennis (small town on the Cape) was also the perfect place to celebrate our union, as we met there when Reid was giving tennis lessons to the children I nannied for (they were our flower girl + ring bearer).

More to come from this lovely affair!

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

Especially their brand new “love transforms” wedding market! In honor of Valentine’s Day, poppytalk is featuring the most beautiful, love inspired wares that are absolutely perfect for all of you brides-to-be out there! I am loving the cider packs by chewing the cud, the absolutely brilliant plates by take me homeware and the pretty little details by Michelle Brusegaard.

My husband is hands down, without a doubt, the worst secret keeper on the planet. At least when it comes to buying gifts. He can barely manage to get himself in the door before he is asking, “do you want your birthday present early?” It’s a fault that I absolutely love about him.

Well, today, I am SO following in his footsteps. Our DIY editor, Kathleen, just emailed me her latest project and although I was supposed to wait until Friday to post it, I am going to share it with you today. It’s that great!

* * *

DIY Handmade Greeting
Whether you’re inviting a friend to be in your wedding or thanking them for participating, your attendants deserve a note that’s as beautiful as they are. Invite or thank them with a handmade envelope and card.

Here are the step by step photographs that coordinate with the instructions below. Happy crafting!!

Materials Needed:
Sewing Machine
Pinking Shears or Rotary Cutter
One piece of Ultrasuede fabric
Satin Ribbon
Coordinating Threads
Metal Ruler
X-acto Knife

Instructions:
Step 1: With scissors, trim ultrasued to 5.5″ x 8.75″. Cut a piece of coordinating ribbon to 20″ long. Align Ribbon to the center of the fabric lengthwise and pin about 3.5″ down from the top on the right side of fabric. Secure ribbon with a sewing machine. Fold bottom of the envelope up about 2.5″. Sew both sides shut with a sewing machine.

Step 2: Measure .5″ in from the top center of the envelope. With an x-acto knife, cute a straight line through the fabric just wide enough to accommodate your ribbon. Measure .25″ up and repeat the same cut. Thread ribbon through slots.

Step 3: Place a standard 4-Bar card in the envelope or download this template of cards and print out onto card stock on your home printer. Follow the instructions in the template on how to trim out.

Step 4: Once the card is placed in the envelope fold top over and pull snug. Using pinking shears or ruler and rotary pinking cutter, trim each side to get the decorative scalloped edge. Make sure to do this step last so that the scallop edges line up. Snip ends of ribbon to points and tie in a bow!

* * *

Thank you so much, Kathleen for sharing this gorgeous DIY project with us! When I invited my own bridesmaids, I crafted something similar, sewing little silk pockets with handmade cards tucked inside. I know that my maids so appreciated the thought and the love that went into each one.

Oh and this part is really important…DONT forget to check out Kathleen’s absolutely adorable new blog Twig and Thistle for some really fun inspiration. And if you’d like to see past projects that she has crafted, you can see her custom matchbooks here, her custom sparklers here, her hot chocolate packs here and her DIY lunch bags here!

It’s time to announce the winner of the Hello! Lucky contest that we featured this past Friday in celebration of their wonderful new line of digitally printed invitations.

And the winner of the $150 gift certificate to Hello! Lucky is…Shawn, who said:

“While I adore Rustic Poppy, Sweetheart, Vintage Bloom and…. OK, pretty much ALL of the designs, I literally squealed with delight when I saw Julia Rothman’s Home Sweet Home invites & RSVPs. I am such a fan of her work and think it would be very special to incorporate her sweet simplicity into our wedding stationery. Thanks, Hello! Lucky for tapping such a fabulous talent!”

I’ll be in touch with the winner tomorrow about how they can claim their prize!