From Paperee…We love type! Modern, chic and urban, our designs are clean with an emphasis on beautiful typography. Copy is never “simply dropped in.” Each piece is individually customized; spacing, font sizes, line breaks and alignment are manually adjusted to ensure your wedding invitation will be beautiful. After all, the most important element is the message. All invitations are printed on ultra-thick 140lb or 130lb cardstock; the sheer weight is sure to impress. Have your wedding stationery created by people who are passionate and meticulous about design, typography and craftsmanship.

Welcome to the (oh so fun) SMP Texas family! We are THRILLED to have you! xoxo

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Post tags: Invitation, Invitations, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Sponsored Posts, Texas Weddings

Joe proposed while on vacation in Turks and Caicos. Our first night on the island, Joe insisted that we take a stroll on the beach before dinner. I was extremely hesitant (it was dark out!) and hungry (everyone knows how stubborn I get when hungry), but reluctantly I agreed. He suggested we take a picture with his brand new camera, so he walked over to a beach lounger to set up the automatic shot. As he walked back towards me, I noticed the red light wasn’t blinking – which meant it wasn’t actually taking a timed picture. Little did I know, he was recording the whole thing! Just as I was about to yell at him for setting it up wrong, he got down on one knee and recited all of the reasons he loved me, and then (of course) asked me to marry him.

Part of our inspiration for the wedding comes from the origin of the diamond he proposed with. The diamond is a family heirloom from his great-grandmother’s 1920s art deco-inspired cocktail ring. So as we started the whole planning process, we were focusing on a classic, old-hollywood vibe. The first and only venue that we visited was the historical Don Room at El Cortez. Located in Downtown San Diego, El Cortez has hosted some of the finest old-hollywood stars including Clark Gable and Ginger Rogers. Once we took at look at the 24-karat gold ceiling, we were hooked!

After we chose the venue, I couldn’t believe how fast things started to unfold! I knew from the minute Joe proposed, that I would need some wedding planning help, so I turned to Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book and found Susanne Duffy from Crown Weddings! She was excellent and helped make my dreams turn into a reality. And more importantly – the actual day of the wedding felt flawless. After hearing some of my poorly thought-out decorative ideas, she pointed me in the direction of Tam Ashworth at Isari Flower Stuidio. Tam was able to read me like a book and extract what I was envisioning for my big day like a mind-reader.

Our top three priorities for the wedding were photography, food and music. And we could not have ended up with better vendors for each of these. John Schnack, our photographer, captured our day exquisitely and gave us some of the most beautiful memories to look back on. Barry Layne from Coast Catering designed a mouth-watering menu for us including New Zealand lamb, macadamia nut-crusted sea bass and a dessert bar filled with Baileys shooters and peanut butter chocolate bombs. The band, NDEMAND, was the biggest hit of all! Our friends and family (young and old) were able to rock out on the dance floor. I swear it felt like we were at a private concert.

Wedding Coordinator: Susanne Duffy, Crown Weddings / Florist: Tam Ashworth, Isari Flower Studio / Caterer: Coast Catering / Church: St Josephs Cathedral / Hair and Makeup: Love Struck Makeup / Photographer: Schnack Studios / Venue: El Cortez / Ceremony Music: Caprice Strings / Cocktail Music: Anthony Garcia Flamenco Guitar / China, Glassware, Silverware: Event Party Rentals / Linens, Napkins, Furniture: Concepts Event Design / Wedding Cak: Twiggs / Lighting: AV Works / Dinner Music: Jordan Entertainment, N Demand / Invitations: Brightly Designed / Dress: The White Flower Boutique / Transportation: Avant-Garde

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Post tags: Anthony Garcia Flamenco Guitar, AV Works, Avant-Garde, Ballroom Weddings, Bouquets, Brightly Designed, California, Caprice Strings, Centerpieces, Chandeliers, Coast Catering, Color Palette Purple Blue, Concepts Event Design, Crown Weddings, El Cortez, Event Party Rentals, Isari Flower Studio, Jordan Entertainment, Love Struck Makeup, NDEMAND, Old Hollywood, San Diego, Schnack Studios, St. Joseph's Cathedral, The White Flower Boutique, Traditional Elegance, Twiggs, Valentino, Vintage Chic, Wedding Flowers, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wedding Planners & Designers
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Vintage Chic

From the Bride…Even before I was engaged I was hitting refresh on your blog constantly! As a photographer I find it such a wonderful source of visual inspiration and, needless to say, since getting engaged I have found your blog even more a part of my everyday. I just wanted to share with you the invite that my fiance and I made recently.

I wanted an invite that was ‘us’, that included photos (being a photographer and all) and was inexpensive! Behold- 994 images that took a day to shoot and many hours to compile. We sent our guests CDs of the video, along with printed information in a recycled CD case from rebinder.com. We have been suprised and thrilled at the response which is why I was convinced to share it with you, and hopefully your readers! I hope you enjoy it. Again thank you for providing such a beautiful blog for us all to swoon over. Keep up the amazing work.

Photographer + Stylist: Anitra Keogh

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Post tags: Anitra Keogh, Australia, Film, Stop Motion Film, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Australia Weddings

It’s been appropriately coined Style Me Pretty by William Arthur and today, we get to unveil the first four, oh-so-SMP designs. And we’re beside ourselves with glee.

You see, before I started Style Me Pretty, I was an invitation designer. I found my all out love of paper while working at Union Street Papery in beautiful San Francisco and from then on, it was a slippery slope into a full blown obsession for all things wedding. So needless to say, this collaboration with William Arthur officially marks the “holy cow” moment in my career.

William Arthur is one of the most beloved paper brands in the world, with a history that dates more than 60 years and a collection of artists, designers and craftspeople that are both passionate and beyond talented. We’ve worked closely with them over the past 6 months, developing the line, learning about the newest print methods that derive the most impossibly beautiful results.

We’ve paid close attention to types of weddings that you girls are throwing, to the palettes that you love, to the moments of pure gorgeousness that you crave and together with our William Arthur designer, the fabulous Karen Herzig, we’ve come up with a collection of invitation designs that we are so very proud of. That speak to the effortlessness of an SMP wedding and yet the pure chic of our wonderful readers.

all photos by Katie Ramey

So there you have it! The first four designs from the new Style Me Pretty by William Arthur line. The next set to be debuted very soon! We love this collection so very much and are humbled to have cozied up to such an incredible company. The team at William Arthur has set up a beautiful online shop for our brand and has developed an awesome way for you to swap out color palettes, type faces, liners and more so that you can create a completely personalized invitations suite that reflects your OWN personality and wedding style.

Coming up next….a FABULOUS giveaway from SMP+ William Arthur!

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Post tags: Invites, Style Me Pretty Invitations, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, William Arthur
Post categories: Wedding Invitations & Stationery

Evan and I met at UC San Diego’s Hillel. I was looking for the perfect Jewish guy and I found him! I was eyeing him as soon as I saw him. The night that started it all was at a Hillel dance at a local bar and some wave of courage came over me and I asked him to dance. Evan takes great pleasure in telling everyone that I picked him up at a bar. Our shared love for good food, baseball and Lord of the Rings were a sure sign that we’d be sticking together for quite some time.

We hadn’t even thought of Bridges Auditorium as a venue until we heard that a friend had done some photography work there. Claremont was my second home growing up. I absolutely loved that east coast feel, the big leafy trees, antique architecture. When we found out that Bridges worked with the catering company that did my friend’s wedding where the food was incredible, it was like it was all meant to be! It was so perfect. When we visited Bridges, we fell in love with the elegance and sophistication.

I knew that I wanted our wedding to be unique which for me, started with the color palette. I had gone through the rainbow multiple times in my head and nothing seemed to pop. Turquoise is one of my favorite colors so I began playing around with that. I also knew that I had to have something kind of bright so I landed on orange. Black for tuxes didn’t seem to jive so Jennifer, who did the flowers, suggested grey. Who knew?! The combo was perfect.

I was also really into the Spanish look, eying invitations with a tile-theme, and referring back to my lacy dress for inspiration on the details that would really jazz up the occasion. As in most cases, the bride was making a lot of the decisions. I did my best to include Evan in whatever we did, but he knew that he wouldn’t have much say at the end of the day. He insisted on three things though: the quilt being made by his mom, that our Grand Entrance song was “The Final Countdown” and that succulents were incorporated into the floral arrangements. All three were perfect choices, though I was hesitant about the song and succulents at first… now I know not to ever doubt his decisions again.

Evan and I knew that we wanted some special touches that represented each of our families to really bring everybody together. Not only did we incorporate the chuppah, an element of Jewish wedding tradition to the ceremony, but Evan’s mom made a quilt as the covering. Its gorgeous tones of gold, brown and beige were so perfect during the ceremony as the sun was setting. We’ll get to keep the quilt forever. From my side of the family, it was inevitable that hints of Brazilian flare would be spicing up the occasion. From the guestbook and keepsake boxes both hand-crafted by my aunt, to the samba cocktail music and the surprise serenade performed by my mother, grandmother and aunts, it was a night to remember. (The serenade melted my heart.)

Everything went by so fast but what I remember most was standing under the chuppah, holding my husband’s hands, looking into each other’s eyes and just smiling. I felt like I was on a cloud (except for the pain I felt on the balls of my feet).  The pictures are so incredible and capture everything so flawlessly which makes reliving the entire day such an enjoyment. It warms our hearts every time we go through them. The whole day was absolutely perfect! I felt so glamorous and happy. Evan and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Photography: Melissa Brandman Photography / Ceremony Location: Bridges Auditorium / Reception Location: Bridges Auditorium / Catering: Gourmet Gourmet / Frozen Yogurt Bar: 21 Choices / Flowers: Jennifer Lafferty / DJ: Rhythm Entertainment / Invitations: MagnetStreet / Shoes: Caparros / Dress: Allure Bridals / Bride’s Clutch: ANGEE W. / Bridesmaids Dresses: Dessy

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Post tags: 21 Choices, Allure Bridals, Bridges Auditorium, California, Capparros, Chuppah, Claremont, Color Palette Orange Grey Teal, Dessy, Etsy, Frozen Yogurt Bar, Gourmet Gourment, Jennifer Lafferty, Jewish Wedding, Lace Dress, MagnetStreet, Melissa Brandman Photography, Rhythm Entertainment, Wedding Invitations & Stationery
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Invitations & Stationery

From Pressing Events… Pressing Events offers its brides a relaxed and inviting boutique in which to review wedding albums from Crane, William Arthur, Wiley-Valentine, The Lettered Olive or Pressing Event’s own assortment of wedding selections. But the majority of our brides elect to place their dreams on paper by collaborating with a graphic artist in an original one-of-kind custom designed wedding invitation.

Pressing Events owner Nancy Billingsley Calvert has always enjoyed the creative process – first as an interior designer, six years ago partnering in the development of a wholesale line of stationery, two years ago opening a retail store in the Memorial section of Houston, and most recently with the introduction of MacKenzie-Childs Ltd. to our luxurious collection of gifts and antiques.

Pressing Events welcomes Style Me Pretty readers with a 15% discount on custom designed wedding invitations using letterpress, thermography, or engraving.  Just mention Style Me Pretty when meeting with one of our designers.

A very big welcome to you, Pressing Events!  We are so happy to have you as part of our SMP family!

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Post tags: Pressing Events, Stationery Boutique, Texas, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, welcome post
Post categories: Texas Weddings

From Akimbo… You’re reading Style Me Pretty so I know you’re putting a lot of love and thought into making your wedding day memorable and unique to you. So why announce your special day with stock standard invitations that your guests have seen a hundred times before?

Akimbo’s quirky invitations are complemented by a range of save the dates and personalised stationery as well as those little details that will really make your wedding shine. As much thought and care is put into a clever concept as into the execution, so you know your stationery will be impressive from every aspect. I search far and wide to source the world’s best supplies and printers so you can take advantage of a variety of materials and printing methods, including letterpress, digital, embossing and foiling.

But for all that detailed, careful process, I still receive feedback from happy brides saying that the invitation design process was so easy and enjoyable… just as it should be!

Akimbo has a range of existing designs for you to browse, or if you’re after something one-of-a-kind, I’d love to chat about a bespoke design.

If you’re swooning over all the gorgeous stationery here on Style Me Pretty but don’t know where to start, be sure to download Akimbo’s free e-book to find out everything you need to know about ordering your wedding invitations.

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Become a fan on Facebook to join the fight against ugly stationery.

So, so, so gorgeous, right?!?  Oh, how I love beautiful paper!  And there is so much more inspiration to be had on their website (I just spent the last hour perusing all of the awesome), so be sure to stop on by and show them some SMP love!  Welcome to the family, Akimbo!  We are so happy to have you!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Akimbo, Bespoke Stationery, Custom Invitations, Digital Printing, Embossing, Foiling, Letterpress, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, welcome post
Post categories: Australia Weddings, Welcome Post

From Hayden Avery… Hayden Avery was established in 2003 with the goal of providing beautiful custom invitations and stationery for the discerning bride.  Hayden Avery carries a carefully curated selection of vendors/artists who offer an array of styles and printing processes – from contemporary letterpress invitations to traditional engraved notes.  Nestled in a cottage in the heart of Austin, Texas, the boutique offers a serene setting to select the perfect wedding invitation, that conveys both the formality of the event and the couple’s personality.  It is truly a pleasure to get to know and create something tangible for each of our clients at such exciting milestones in life.  It is not uncommon, after working with a bride, that Hayden Avery continues to create birth announcements, holiday cards and party invitations for her and her family for years to come.  It’s the personal connection and special friendships that make Hayden Avery a unique and fulfilling place for both clients and staff.

Oh how I adore beautiful paper!  And I just know you are going to make a beeline straight for their website for even more lovely and to give them a big SMP hello!  Welcome to the family, Hayden Avery!  We are so happy to have you!

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Post tags: Hayden Avery, Invitations, Stationery, Texas, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, welcome post
Post categories: Texas Weddings, Welcome Post