Obviously, there is something blissfully romantic about the thought of getting married in Italy. The food, the wine, the rolling vineyards. It’s just a little piece of heaven.

From Aaron…The pink building above is the Villa La Masa and it is one of the most beautiful Villas in Florence. It is where the bride got ready before we all headed out to the castle in the country. These photos are just here to inspire a feeling. I shot them awhile ago but they are close to my heart!

AMAZING. Feeling butterflies just thinking about what an incredible experience it would be to tie the knot in Italy. Such a beautiful story to tell your children. Thank you so very much to Aaron Delesie for taking the time to guest blog for us today. If you are new to SMP and aren’t familiar with Aaron’s work…it’s pure perfection. Take some time to look through his portfolio. You will be absolutely blown away.

Tomorrow, we have Viola at Chewing the Cud blogging for us and Wednesday, Lisa Hoffman (who is with me here in the Cayman Islands!) is stopping by to share some tips from her own affair. It’s a good week on SMP!

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Post tags: Aaron Delesie, Ceci NY, Chewing The Cud, Italy, Lisa Hoffman, Tuscany
Post categories: Wedding Photography

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For me, great invitation design begins with great execution. Experimenting with new printing techniques is what I am known for and love. I am always a fan of pushing the envelope and one of my newest trends in invitation design is laser cutting. Think beyond the standard letterpress, engraved or flat printing. Laser allows for a new sense of three-dimensionality and for a reveal.  It also adds a very new sense of unexpected luxury. I love to play with the transition as a guest opens the invite and give them the wow factor that will get them immediately picking up the phone raving about how this is the most incredible invitation they’ve ever received.

This invitation is all about Old World Hollywood Glamour – Chandeliers and Damask. Accents of deep blood red were added throughout for the a bit of color impact and variation. It also tied in her bridesmaid dresses and floral decor. The outer envelope came in red with silver calligraphy with matching custom designed stamps.

When guests opened their invitation the first thing they saw was the damask print that was laser cut to create a reveal technique with the paper. The invite slide out the top to present a french quote that was significant to the bride. As you know, I love to do modern interpretations of monograms. The logo I made for her presented the two J’s of their first initials surrounded by decorative damask in a unique die cut shape.  The last image is a close up of the french quote on the back of her invite. I blind embossed it on for a gorgeous tactile look. “On ne voit bien qu’avec le couer” roughly meaning “We only see clearly with our hearts.”

Below is some close ups of the rsvp. You can see the incorporation of the chandeliers on each of the cards. I love to mix and match printing techniques, paper types and ink colors. Keeps the experience interesting and always impressive.

More from Lisa coming up in a bit! And just wait until you see the next laser cut invitations…it just might be my all time favorite from Lisa’s collection!!

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Post tags: Ceci New York, Ceci NY, Laser Cut, Lisa Hoffman, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

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Post tags: Ceci NY, New York, Sylvia Weinstock, The Wedding Salon
Post categories: Featured

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By sending a series of mailings, your guests continually get surprised and excited about what’s to come. Perfect way to really set the stage and make sure they remember to book their tickets! And of course, don’t forget to make a grand finish with your matching thank you notes. Carry your theme throughout all your mailings for that completely buttoned up look. (Notice how the crocodile paper was even brought into the liner of the thank you notes. I love to keep your guests amazed by continually incorporated the design concepts and materials in a unique way each time.)

So let this couple inspire you. Don’t be afraid to do what YOU want for your wedding. Take risks and make statements. After all, it is your day!

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Post tags: Ceci NY
Post categories: The Blog, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

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The invite is printed on plexi-glass with the additional cards 2-color letterpress. Sent in a custom-made crocodile envelope with custom stamps to match. Every detail is a wonderful combination of mixed media art. The finished size was roughly 9 1/2 x 13″ – so the size alone was outstanding! Their guests felt like they were being invited to a royal wedding.

The guests received three mailings for this destination wedding. The first were airline ticket inspired save the dates. Sent in a custom crocodile ticket holder. Each ticket provided all the information for guests to plan their trips.

The second mailing was a folder full of colorful tiered cards that told a story of why the couple picked Guatemala and all the fun things to do there while visiting. Each card focused on a different part of the trip. We covered everything from the history of the country to all the travel details.

Stay tuned for more!

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Post tags: Ceci NY
Post categories: The Blog, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

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Spotlight Ceci Style: The Other Antigua, Lizzie & Daniel’s Wedding Invitation Suite by Ceci New York

Who doesn’t love those who aren’t afraid to make a statement? This invitation suite is the perfect example of a bride who appreciates great graphic design, incredible details and fine paper. Mixed with a little imagination, amazing things can happen. What a dream it was to work with her…

The objective was to create a completely over-the-top, one of a kind invitation that encompasses detail and unique materials that totally represented the couple’s unique style. Not only is there so much meaning behind the design but it is fabulously bold demonstration of mixed media – all in one piece. It combines so many printing techniques and materials – from multi-level blind embossing, letterpress, plexi glass, foil stamping and watercolor to create this magnificent statement.

The bride loved the color yellow and the groom grey. We wanted to capture the spirit of Antigua, Guatemala (the wedding location) with out being so obvious and traditional. The cover of the invite is hand drawn artwork of Guatemalan flowers and the quetzal bird blind embossed in 3 depth levels. The cover center has a custom take on a vintage Guatemalan stamp. The Mayan glyph presented in the center of the stamps is actually the couple’s wedding date!

Inside is a one of a kind watercolor that I hand painted of an abstract tropical take on the Quetzal bird – the bird of Guatemala. Playing off the aerobatic flight of the bird to create the composition. The long dramatic colorful feathers represent life and longevity. The longer the feathers, means the longer the bird has lived. I love the significance of this to the life that the couple is about to start together.

So much more to come!!

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Post tags: Ceci NY
Post categories: The Blog, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

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Another style is the pocket folder – instead of a book with many pages, you just have a cover that opens and presents your invitation – all your necessary info cards are held neatly off to the side in the pocket. Everything is organized perfectly for your guests. Take it a step further and add something different than paper – I had these hand sewn envelopes out of canvas material to create an unexpected detail for the envelopes. I tied them with a lovely cluster of real sea shells and a tag personalized with each guest names – it’s all about the details!

If a book or a folding piece is too much for you, and you prefer a flat invitation – dress it up with all it’s wrappings like below. Send your invite in something spectacular and unexpected…

Thank you so much to Lisa Hoffman of Ceci New York for this incredible guest blog!

I have to say, for me, Lisa just might be the most inspiring person in this industry. I typically scour her site once or twice a week to see if she’s added any new work and am continually floored by her insanely creative visions and perfectly executed invitations. Even if Lisa’s work is out of your price range, you will ABSOLUTELY, unequivocally be completely inspired by her designs…from her gorgeous color palettes to her innovative approaches with each piece that she craft. Everything she does is total eye candy for any bride!

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Post tags: Ceci NY
Post categories: The Blog, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

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Destination Desire

Executed right, a destination wedding is one of the most unique ways to celebrate your marriage. It transforms your wedding day into a memorable “mini-vacation” for you and your guests and provides a wonderful opportunity to bring friends and family closer together. But with that, comes some essential “informative” requirements which begin with the invitations.

Picking the location was most likely the easy part – now it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty and and start getting the word out. Don’t be afraid of the task – the more you put it off, the worse it gets. Especially with destination weddings, the sooner you get your save the dates and invites out the better off you will be! Typically, I recommend 6-8 months or earlier for save the dates, invites 3 months before the big day. (TIP: If you want to work with a custom stationer, remember to allow ample time for design and production – so start booking your stationer at least 3-4 months before you want to mail them. Rushing is never fun and is quite costly!)

Think about all the information you need to provide your guests, then think about which is the best way to put it all together to present to them. I’m a big fan of organization and making things as easy as possible for your guests. The last thing you want is to invite your loved ones to travel and make it tough on them. That would defeat the purpose of all your hard work! Below are a few of my recommendations on how to do it right. Pick one that works for you and you can’t go wrong.

Ceci Luxe: When a flat card isn’t enough – send a special book! Each page allows ample opportunity to provide your guests with all the information they need to plan their trip properly…

This next book was used for save the dates + welcome tag + welcome book recapping events for an absolutely incredible wedding in sri lanka…

More destination tips to come!!

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Post tags: Ceci NY
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Personalized style shines through with this punk rock invite below. “Dare to be different” is an understatement with this piece. Inspired by a DADA art collage, the back of the invite is full of personalized phrases and words that represent the couple and their relationship. Silk screened in charcoal grey and black with a pop of hot pink, the collage shows through the smokey plexi glass when the guests take the invite out of the envelope…

Accents of hot pink dabble throughout the invitation suite – showing the couple’s true colors! Don’t forget to finish your look. Don’t skimp on the calligrapher – make sure they’re good at what they do. This piece is a perfect example of how the calligraphy added the perfect finishing touch…

More to come from Ceci New York!

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Post tags: Ceci NY
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

Okay, let’s get right to it! It’s no secret that I am a HUGE fan of the invitation design firm, Ceci New York…Lisa Hoffman, the owner and creative force behind the brilliant designs, is ALL talent so I am so excited that she is guest blogging for us today! I don’t want to blab on, as Lisa has so many great ideas to share!

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Plexi Perfect

Don’t we all love to break the rules every once-and-a-while? After all, being perfect every day is a tough task to upkeep! These days modern brides are breaking every rule and going for something totally unique and awe inspiring for their wedding invitations. Gone are the days where black engraved script on ecru paper are required. Today, I love that brides are allowed to express themselves in a different one-of-a-kind, creative way. Remember, the invitation is the first impression of what your event is going to be like. Sometimes we get so focused on all the day of details that we forget the invite is really the most important part. It’s the element that your guests sees first and provides them with the excitement to actually “accept” to come. Go ahead and send an invitation that represents you and your style – after all this is your moment to shine!

A big trend I’m seeing is glamour meets graffiti punk rock. And I love to do that look on plexi. Don’t be afraid to play up your wedding theme to make a dramatic confident statement. And think beyond paper – I love mixing printing techniques and different materials in my work. Below are a few of my recent works that do just that.

TIP: A great way to save on costs but not skimp on color is to start with the color as the base. In this case above, I chose yellow plexi. White ink is silkscreened on the front and hot pink on the back. I mixed and matched the pink and white ink throughout the suite and accented with the graffiti stamps to bring the pink in on the yellow envelopes. I love taking personalization a little further in my designs – the hot pink back is a hand illustration scene depicted in graffiti style of the day of the engagement. The groom proposed on a park bench in NYC. The design presents the wedding theme but also has a deeper meaning for the couple. A great keepsake documenting the special day!

More to come from Lisa at Ceci New York!

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Post tags: Ceci NY
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

I am in love with this cake. One part whimsy, one part beauty. Although it isn’t a traditional wedding cake, it seems sophisticated and elegant enough to hold its own at a any wedding. So for me, the answer is yes. A color, a photo, a cake….all can inspire your entire affair.

Here is my wedding board, inspired by the above Lark Cake Shop creation…

Top flowers by Rebecca Thuss, Gold invitation by Ceci NY, Necklace by Saylor Sage, Flowers photo on bottom by Megan Sorel, Gold bracelets by Rebecca Norman. All other photos taken by Elizabeth Messina.

What do you think? My goal was to allow the cake to inspire the wedding…not to match it identically. The golds, deep pinks and cream hues…with a faint touch of teal blue, gave way to what I believe would be a stunningly sophisticated color palette. The gold lattice work on the cake was translated thru the patterning on the invitations and the ornate, though gorgeous jewelry. I softened the look up a bit and brought in an old world charm with the ruffled gown and the traditional roses.

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Post tags: Ceci NY, Elizabeth Messina, Lark Cake Shop, Megan Sorel, Rebecca Norman, Rebecca Thuss, Saylor Sage
Post categories: Color Palettes, Wedding Cakes

Sources…

Bouquet: by Enchanted Florist / BCBG dress photo:by Paul Johnson / Cake: from Lovin Sullivan / Invitations: by Sesame Letterpress / Cupcakes: from Brides / Escort Cards: by CeciNY /Ring Pillow: photo by Lisa Lefkowitz / table setting: on The Knot / Watermelon: on flickr

From Faye…

My vision was for an event that was family-focused, fun, and memorable for everyone- especially for the bride & groom! I wanted to create an intimate and relaxed picnic-style ceremony or reception that would allow the couple to relax and enjoy every moment with each other and with their guests. I love the idea of a short wedding dress for this type of wedding or recommitment ceremony because it allows the bride to be more carefree (especially for outdoor ceremonies/receptions) while still looking like a bride. The colors were inspired by the picnic-themed wedding invitations by Sesame Letterpress- I loved the mix of ripe artichoke green and juicy watermelon, which was reflected in the orchid and peony bouquet. I also like to combine lots of patterns within the same color palette, which is why I paired the cane cake by Kate Sullivan, the polka dot escort cards by CeciNY, and the gingham napkins which echoed the gingham stripes from the invitations. One of my favorite wedding details is a ring pillow made from a vintage handkerchief- my mother left us with so many beautifully patterned handkerchiefs so if you are lucky you can use one passed down within your family, but if not, Ebay is a great resource for buying vintage hankies. I picture a sweet garden ceremony in the afternoon followed by a picnic with watermelon, lemonade, cake, even more cupcakes, and lots of laughter and fun- a chance to really enjoy your dearest friends and family.

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Post tags: BCBG, Ceci NY, Enchanted Florist, Lisa Lefkowitz, Loving Sullivan, Paul Johnson, Sesame Letterpress
Post categories: Inspiration Boards

Okay, here we go.

My very best childhood friend, Katie, is getting married in November. Another best friend from college, Anne, is getting married in August, and another, Deana, is getting married in September. Guess what…there’s more. Sam is getting married in June and Laurie, one of my nearest and dearest, recently got engaged though still hasn’t set a date. Can you believe that!? A normal person might be totally overwhelmed with all of the plane tickets, hotel rooms, bridesmaid dresses (I am in 2 of the weddings), etc. but not me! I am obsessed with the whole wedding ordeal. I love everything about it, the showers, the parties, the dresses, the i-do’s the, everything.

So, needless to say, I am THRILLED to be doing some of the wedding stationery for the girls. I am currently working on Deana, Anne and Katie’s Save the Dates. The challenge, is that these three girls couldn’t be more different if they tried. Deana, works for British Vogue and is elegant and stylish to the very tips of her toes. Katie, is fun loving, totally casual and adores the vintage chic look. Anne is kind of a combination of both, with a hint of old world traditionalism. She is girly girl, she is super sentimental and she was honestly meant to be a bride. And thus the challenge of designing a Save the Date for each of them that captures their personality and sets the tone for the three completely different weddings….

Deana

Deana and her fiance, Daniel, are world travelers (he proposed while they were hiking in the French Alps) and are as sophisticated and beautiful as they come. The pair met in London, where they both live and have decided to have their wedding in the gorgeous Sardinia, Italy. As I mentioned before Deana has her dream job, working for British Vogue (she worked for W magazine here in the states). So, being totally in-the-know in terms of fashion, Deana has chosen a gorgeous color palette of dusty rose, beige, pale pinks, champagnes and taupes. She really wants the wedding stationery to reflect both romantic colors that she has, as well as the simple elegance that her wedding will be.

So, my initial thought for Deana’s stationery is simplicity. I am thinking a pale, dusty rose card stock, with a deeper rose ink letterpressed in and accented with a slight (very delicate) victorian touches. Here is my inspiration board for Deana…

Top Row from Left: cake featured in Brides, vintage Vogue cover, Ring by Becky Kelso, Center Row: Vera Wang china, Ceci NY invitations, Bottom Row: Vera Wang and flowers featured on Brides.com, dress on style.com

Katie

Katie and her fiance live in Dallas, TX and are like yin and yang. We always joked that we should switch boyfriends (now husband and fiance), because mine is just like her and hers is just like me. Katie is the most fun person I know. She is one of the only people in the world that I know of who has peed down Pike’s Peak, accidentally tripped a bride at a wedding while doing the Cotton Eye’d Joe, and volunteered to be the president of the social comittee at Southwest Airlines (don’t worry, she does work there). So, I am really hoping to find that perfect balance between casual and sophisticated for her stationery. So far, these are the things that are inspiring me for Katie…

Top Row: Petit Fours by Laduree, flowers from Martha Stewart Wedding, invite by Ceci NY, Center Row: cake by Brides.com , Shoes by Hollywould, cake by Petit Fours , Bottom Row: dress by Vera Wang on Brides.com, Flowers on Brides.com, dress by J Crew

Anne

Anne was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She is southern to the tips of her toes and as luck has it, she found a nice southern boy to call her Hubby. Anne and Price are getting married in the church that she grew up in, then having their reception at her family’s country club. She is probably going to have somewhere in the ballpark of 400 plus people…a complete and utter wedding affair. I can’t wait! Anne is a bit more classic and traditional than Deana or Katie and thus, for her stationery, I want to create something that will stand the test of time but will still tap into Anne and Price’s playful personalities (and will capture the pink/red palette that she is going with)…

Top Row: Dress by J Crew, flower on Brides.com, stationery by Ceci NY, Center Row: Wendy Cromer Confections, Invitations by Ceci NY, Cakes featured on Brides.com,Bottom Row: dress by Vera Wang, Flowers on Brides.com, Dress by J Crew

So now I feel like I have a really good direction that I would like to take with the wedding stationery for all of my engaged girlfriends. It is so funny how things really take shape if you just sit down for the afternoon and create an inspiration board. I have one of these in my office that I always look to when I feel artistically challenged. It is a great way to really fine tune your “style” if you are just beginning the planning process, as well!

I would LOVE to see other inspiration boards, so if you have one, take a pic and send it on over!

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Post tags: Becky Kelso, Ceci NY, Hollywould, J. Crew, Martha Stewart, Petit Flours, Vera Wang, Wendy Cromer
Post categories: Inspiration Boards