DIY Floral Bouquets by Madeline Trait

You may remember Madeline Trait by her amazing cake toppers, but today we're excited to feature her for her more prominent role as floral designer. Madeline creates beautiful bouquets that reflect the character and style of each event. As a San Francisco artist, she chooses locally grown plants and flowers for her displays. Madeline is also the official floral designer for Locally Grown Weddings, a team of San Francisco-based small business owners with an emphasis on green business practices. We asked Madeline to write a guest post on our blog with tips for making your own bouquets or arrangements and we love what she came up with. Take it away Madeline!

Flowers are a decorative element that not only add to the decor of your event but also add to the importance, and that is why it is such an integral part of a wedding or party. Whether you DIY or have a florist do your flowers, it is that finishing touch that you don’t want to skip.

Today, I have a fresh modern look to a wedding bouquet using Hello!Lucky’s wedding stationery as my inspiration. Many times, the invitation is the first thing your guest will see to introduce them to your special day so it’s only fitting to have that the guide for the design of your event as you move forward. I selected the Big Day suite as my inspiration as I like the bold colors and modern look it has with it’s big bold text. Red being the main color was perfect guide for selecting summer seasonal flowers.

The red flowers that I chose were Dahlia’s, Lipstick Pods and Godetia. I chose these not only for their color but for the diversity in their shapes and textures. Yellow peonies were then added to the mix due to their red/orange centers and that added splash of yellow, plus, you can’t go wrong with peonies. Hasta leaves were used as a the final trimming to the bouquet creating a backdrop of green and pale yellow to set the other flowers off.

Looking to create your own? Here are some quick tips to consider for a bright, modern and bold bouquet:

Use bright colors.

Choose a mixture of textures such as the soft petals of a rose with the hard structure of a poppy pod.

Choose flowers that contrast in color and or shape and texture.

Finish the look with a bold stroke such as an interesting ribbon or leaves.

Photos by Aurora Meneghello Productions

Real Wedding: Jennifer and Rishi

Finding the right words to describe this real wedding is a bit of a challenge because every image takes our breath away. Jennifer and Rishi celebrated their marriage at the stunning Carneros Inn in Napa Valley and truly embraced their cultural heritage with a Hindu/Christian hybrid wedding. Along with their talented event designer Laurel Anderson of Esla Events the couple put together one of the most heartwarming events we've ever seen. The combination of Hindu and Christian traditional garments, the soft blossom and sage color palette, the incredible scenery and delicious local wine and foods make up one spectacular celebration. One that we're sure will inspire many future brides.

We recreated one of our archived designs into a modern invitation that would flatter both the Hindu and Christian ceremonies. The invitations matched the scenery of the location and the gorgeous floral arrangements by Crimson Horticulture Rarities.

To view more photos, head over to Style Me Pretty!

Photos by Carlie Statsky Photography

Real Wedding: Kendel and Brian

These wedding photos have been long awaited! Last October we created a stunning wedding suite, for just as stunning of an event. Kendel and Brian said their "I do's" under the most spectacular greenery in Cavallo Point in Sausalito. With just a peek of the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, it couldn't be any more beautiful. Their theme of modern camp ground and summer recreation carried on throughout the day with rustic accents and navy and papaya striped paper goods. Just check out that view!

To go along with their camp theme, we custom designed and letterpress printed their invitations on smooth wood veneer. The matching pieces incorporated bold patterns and color combinations, along with a custom map of their wedding events. We felt so attached to this wedding suite we decided to offer it as a standard design on our website!

The suite, called Hearts and Arrows, is available now!

With fabulous event design by our friends Alison Events, this wedding was surely a dazzling sight.

Congratulations Kendel and Brian! If you're looking for a great deal on wedding stationery, head to our website now! We're offering 20% off all wedding paper products. Use the code SummerSpecial at checkout!

Photos by Jesse Leake Photography

Real Wedding: Sarah and Christian

In celebration of the upcoming holiday, this wedding couldn't fit anymore perfectly. Last year over the fourth of July weekend Sarah and Christian tied the knot at the Healdsburg Country Gardens on what seemed to be the most lovely California day. The rustic ceremony tied in pieces of red, white, and blue, giving a nod to the summer holiday while still keeping it simple and unique. There's something about their big day that's got us dreaming of some summer lovin'.

The couple customized parts of our Heartland and Mi Amor designs to create menus and wedding programs that matched their decor.

We're loving the lively red/white striped ribbon to hold the place cards. You really can't go wrong with wooden clothespins for a rustic wedding!

Even the groom got down with the theme and rocked these blue/white striped socks. Nice touch!

To view more photos, check out their wedding over on Wedding Chicks!

Photography by Christina Diane 

Sweet San Francisco Wedding + Video

Our friend Greg recently married his darling Mel on a windy day underneath the Bay Bridge. Complete with their closest family and friends and a bunch of bicycles, their wedding didn't need anything more.  The couple loves cycling so much they're on a tour de Europe on their very own bikes. What a terrific way to see the sights while doing what you love!

Oh how we love our home. This lovely video by Tony Benna emphasizes all the things about San Francisco we couldn't live without. The bay breeze, the gorgeous cityscape, the incredible food (including a cake from Miette!) and so much more. And, we're giving huge props to Mel for biking in those heels. Enjoy!

Photography by Traci Griffin Photography

Real Wedding: Caroline and Blair

This real wedding is definitely one of our favorites. Once Caroline and Blair decided to tie the knot in wine country, they turned their beautiful Calistoga wedding into a wine lovers paradise. Set with deep red florals and classic decor, the event was truly one to remember. For their save the dates, each guest received a bottle of wine fit with a custom label and a vintage prescription inspired card.

The wedding invitation suite included prohibition-inspired letterpress invites, custom designed match books and place cards, and even a dictionary of wines to prepare all the guests for what Northern California has to offer. So many fabulous keepsakes!

Of course the natural beauty of Calistoga, CA (even in December!) created the perfect backdrop for such an event. Alison Events had their finest ladies work to create the ultimate romantic environment. The photos of their wine cave ceremony completely blew us away!

Caroline and Blair's dream day carried on into the night with a stunning reception, full of fine spirits and dancing. Oh how we love cozy winter weddings!

Check out the entire post and more photos on Style Me Pretty!

Photos by Jesse Leake Photography 

Featured: Brides Magazine

We always feel honored whenever our name is featured throughout the growing realm of wedding magazines, blogs, and resource websites. We also love to cater to our community by offering one-on-one consultations with brides when making the big decision to buy wedding stationery. It truly is a joy to be listed in Brides Magazine as one of the "people and places you need to know to plan a wedding in San Francisco!"

The issue highlights all of the places throughout the city that offer helpful advice and inspiration for your wedding. Our beloved Faye even made her way into the spotlight!

The current issue of Brides Magazine is available now!

Real Wedding: Christine and Eugene

The San Francisco ferry building is one of our favorite historical destinations in this city. During the week and weekends the ferry building is bustling with locals and tourists alike, all gallivanting throughout the markets and shops. But when the crowds clear out and an intimate wedding is arranged, it transforms into one of the most beautiful indoor venues we know. Christine and Eugene said their "I do's" last October underneath the shimmering arches of lights, and their photos reveal the quintessential San Francisco we call home.

The couple chose to use our San Francisco Skyline invitation in a beautiful charcoal and curry combination. Plus, the customizable address labels gave guests a sneak peek at the venue.

 For their day-of stationery, bright curry colored escort cards guided guests to the most elegant table arrangements...

...and the bright yellow tulips and yellow linens brightened up the dimly-lit room.

Oh, how we adore a classic San Francisco wedding. To view more photos of the event, visit Elizabeth Anne Designs. Congratulations Christine and Eugene!

Photography by Julie Mikos

Today's Bride

These photos from Nancy Liu Chin's Anatomy of Today's Bride for Today's Bride SF are to die for! We were approached by Nancy awhile ago in efforts to come up with a classic and whimsical invitation and day-of paper suite for her ultra-sweet photo shoot. It was a piece of cake once she shared her inspiration with us, and knowing which amazing vendors were also on board, we knew it would be a hit.

You can see our working files below. We were really into mismatched patterns and folded cards. If you look closely, the invitation reads Christian & Dior, tres chic!

Visit Nancy's Brown Bag to view Anatomy of Today's Bride Part I and Part II, and watch the amazing video by Luke Goodman here!

Photography by Kevin Chin

Martha Stewart Weddings

By now you most likely know about Eunice and Daniel's wedding featured in Martha Stewart Weddings back in 2010. The excitement was radiating around our studio, and we still relish in the memory of such an honor of appearing on the cover. Martha Stewart is one of the most inspiring bridal information destinations [along with endless craft and recipe ideas] so we feel blessed to be a small part of it every now and then. It's such a thrill to see weddings we have worked on appear in the Bride's Guide or even inside the shiny pages of the magazine, and because we love the Martha Stewart collection so much, we wanted to revisit all those moments of pleasure by bringing the real weddings to you.

Eunice and Daniel started the trend by customizing our Woodland Damask wedding invitations (designed by Joel Dewberry).

 Recently, Megan and Alex's wedding was featured including one of our newest destination invitations Visit Martha's Vineyard (designed by Lab Partners).

We also created these program fans incorporating an illustrated version of their reception spot The Beach Plum Inn. You can really see the resemblance!

 

And of course, a New England wedding isn't quite complete without fresh oysters. We love the display atop this rustic mini fishing boat.

 Jenny and Ben's fairytale Sonoma wedding was a favorite last year, especially their custom created wedding invitations and programs. Their feature in MSW really highlighted their charming characteristics and artistic creations for the ceremony. We love that they weren't afraid to incorporate bright colors!

We can't forget about Jean and Devin's whimsical wedding. The true inspiration for our Big Day invitation suite, this couple's witty wording set the tone for one lovely [big!] day.

With the help of our friends at Alison Events, lots of crafty details made this intimate barn yard setting pop with color.

 

Real Wedding: Kathryn And Joe

This wedding has been on our minds and in our hearts for months now, so we're thrilled to finally bring you the details of the event! Kathryn and Joe's glamorous San Francisco wedding has to be one of the most classic weddings we've seen yet. (Check it out on Martha Stewart Weddings!) Set in the heart of the city at the art deco designed venue Bimbo's 365 Club, this wedding was definitely not short on style. Kathryn is the founder and creative director of Dream a Little Dream Events, so without question, her wedding would be a show stopper. We love the classy details she and Joe chose - from all white flowers to fur shawls donned by her and the bridal party. And check out that sparkling backdrop for the ceremony!

Eunice worked her magic on the wedding stationery, which included the invitation suite, table numbers, programs, menus, matchbook favors - the list goes on!  Kathryn and Joe had always enjoyed live music at Bimbo's so a New Year's Eve blowout was a no-brainer for them and creating a design to flatter such a classic San Francisco landmark was a dream come true for us.  The art deco themed invitation suite took cues from vintage concert posters and album covers with a clean black, white and silver color palette.  We called on a neighbor silk screen shop to help out with the impressive tri-fold invitation and the ever-amazing Michele Papineau added the final flourish with calligraphy addresses.

Since Kathryn and Joe are avid music lovers, it was only fitting to create table signs with names of their favorite albums.  This was no ordinary wedding of course, so we created unique artwork for every album.. that's forty-one tables!  The couple had such fun coming up with names that they ended up keeping the cards and framing them as artwork in their home!

One photo doesn't do it justice so below are a few of our working files.  Eunice really knocked it out of the park with this one, now we all want copies!

In keeping with the music theme, the escort cards were custom designed to resemble concert tickets with each guests name printed along with their table assignment and corresponding illustrations.

A classic takeaway from a music venue, each guest left with custom matchboxes as favors.

Congratulations Kathryn and Joe and cheers to a new year and a new life together! View more photos here.

Wedding photography by Kate Harrison Photography

Rustic Farm Week: Real Weddings Roundup

It's Rustic Farm week at Hello!Lucky! We're dedicating this week's blog posts to all things country chic. There are some unbeatable farm destinations in California, but brides from across the country (and overseas!) contributed to our roundup. Today we're piecing together a collection of the most heartwarming farm weddings from our Real Weddings archives. We love it when couples match their wedding invitations with their venue and decor, and as you can see below, these weddings are all about country comfort.

 Kathleen and Seth's Barndiva wedding in Healdsburg, CA charmed us with their youthful band and warm red accents.

Erin and Nick also customized our Heartland invitation to match their summer wedding in Sonoma. We love how they hand made their place cards with tags, ribbon, and hung them on chicken wire. Doesn't get more farm friendly than that!

Our hearts flutter every time we see photos of Lisa and Rory's classic English wedding. Their table signs were an homage to local pub signs with silly plays on words like "The Stumbled Inn" and "The Drunken Duck."

The organic and picturesque landscape of Sonoma Valley always makes for a charming event. Lily and Andrew wed underneath the most enormous oak tree, which provided just enough shade from the hot summer sun. Guests took their seats atop hay bails - what a cute way to incorporate farm decor!

Their farm animal table numbers and bright floral arrangements reflect the summer wedding perfectly.

It's always impressive when couples come up with unique place card holders. Heather and Tom knocked our socks off with these apple place cards. When we found out Heather's childhood home had it's own apple orchard, we knew it would be an adorable wedding! Equipped with a farm house, pond and lush east coast greenery, they really could do no wrong.

And last but not least, this custom designed wedding invitation suite for Erin and Jeremy tops the cake. The couple wed in Calistoga in 2010 and took country wedding style to the max. Our favorite part is the Kansas City barbeque feast invitation hosted by the groom's parents. Sounds like a hootin' good time!

Click on each photo to see the full post!

The Lab Event - A Success!

We had a blast at The Lab Event last weekend and wanted to share a few pics of the jaw dropping vignettes that filled the barrel room at Cline Cellars.   Guests were able to stroll through these themed areas gathering ideas, inspiration and even some sweet treats like monogrammed cookies and (I-can't-believe-these-are-vegan) cupcakes!

One of our vignettes had a "Toasted Marshmallow" theme with warm brown tones, gold accents and plenty of rustic wood and twig textures.  The menus had a burlap-inspired pattern framing text and a floral sprig and was letterpressed on a recycled cotton card stock.  We're so happy with the way everything turned out, we plan to offer the entire suite on our website soon.  Stay tuned!

How cool is that chandelier?  Its made from branches, Christmas lights and a few Ikea light fixtures... someone please DIY and let us know how it turns out!

Jen Musty from Batter Bakery blew us away with all her delectable desserts like Meyer Lemon shortbread cookies and Key Lime tarts.

The lovely ladies from The Collection Event Studio, styled a fantastic booth full of vintage flair and wedding inspiration galore!

The best part of the project was meeting so many amazing and talented vendors that we can't wait to work with again!

Real Wedding: Carolyn and Ben

There are endless destinations that make great wedding venues in the bay area, and we never tire of browsing the beautiful scenery and indulging in the rustic charm each place has to offer. But this venue's classic architecture and sophisticated style has us feeling city-stricken and in love. Carolyn and Ben wed at the historic Julia Morgan Ballroom in downtown San Francisco amongst dear friends and family. The event, which takes classic beauty and tradition to a new level, turned out exquisitely.

The couple chose to use our San Francisco Skyline invitation and day-of materials in a crisp black/white to capture the simple yet striking characteristics of their decor.

The floral arrangements by Chestnut and Vine graced each table with fresh scents and bright whites.

Congratulations Carolyn and Ben!

Check out the entire gallery on Style Me Pretty here!

All photography by Meg Perotti

Real Wedding: Devorah and Carlo

It's hard to imagine a more beautiful couple getting married in a more beautiful place. Devorah and Carlo conquered both coasts of the country before wedding at the Trentadue Winery in Sonoma County. Catherine Hall captured every delicate detail of their big day among the beautiful California backdrop. With a warm summer night and a lively band, the event was sure to be magical! We also loved reading the story about how each side of the family contributed an heirloom or tradition, and how simple and comfortable the proposal was.

We had the pleasure of printing the couples wedding invitations and table stationery, and adore their warm and rustic decor. Congratulations Devorah and Carlo!

All photos by Catherine Hall Photography

Mark your calendars!

We're thrilled to be a part of the upcoming Lab Event taking place January 14th, 2012 at the Cline Cellars in Sonoma, and after Monday night's inspiring kickoff party at The Collection ES our heads are bursting with fab ideas for the event. Stay tuned here for more information or you can visit their soon-to-be-released blog. Tickets will go fast so be sure to book in advance! Looking forward to seeing you all there!

(above: The Collection ES, below: Cline Cellars in spring)

Tickets available here!

Real Wedding: Kathleen and Seth

Since we often meet couples in the first stages of their wedding plans, its always such a thrill to see how it all comes together in the end.  The adorable Kathleen and Seth were married at Barndiva in Healdsburg, California and our Heartland wedding invitation suite coordinated perfectly with the rustic elegance of the celebration.

We'd love to have this dapper group of young musicians at our next soiree, do they take special requests? We're in the mood for some Monday melodies!

You can find more images of the wedding here!

All photos by Matt Edge Photography

Big Day's big feature in The Knot!

Hello!Lucky's Big Day invitation was recently featured in The Knot and we couldn't be more proud!

The classic black, white, red and gold color scheme pairs perfectly with the old world grandeur of San Francisco's City Hall, the setting of Courtney and Ethan's fabulously chic wedding.

Things we adore: crimson peep toe pumps with sleek black dresses, tiny red velvet cupcakes, bouquets of hot pink and orange blooms, the Golden Gate bridge icon on our San Francisco Skyline Menu and Place Cards... and did we mention red velvet cupcakes?

All photos by Michelle Walker Photography

Real Wedding: Jenny and Ben

There is nothing we love more than collaborating with our clients - especially when they are as creative and inspiring as Jenny and Ben. Jenny  is a poet and artist and started the design process by bringing in some mixed media collages she had created using paint and colored papers. We took her vision and transformed it into pieces that we could reproduce for her guests; the process involved several revisions and mock-ups as we refined all the details -- it was a true artistic collaboration.

The final invitation was contained in a kraft box, whose lid we gold-leafed by hand. The box was tied with hand-braided rope made out of a variety of fabrics. The invitation itself was simple and classic - embossed in gold foil and edged in gold on duplex cotton card stock.

Included in the invitation was a prayer card that guests could decorate (it was enclosed in a muslin bag that also contained scraps of patterned papers and a glue stick).

The collages that the guests sent back with their RSVPs were pretty amazing and very creative. They were displayed on a board at the wedding for all the guests to enjoy their handiwork.

Escort cards were calligraphied by Michele Papineau and displayed with gold thread.

The venue, Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma, was decorated with brilliant hues of gold and pink.

Congrats to Jenny and Ben!! For more photos of this stunning event, please click here.

Photos by Jesse Leake and Julia Kostreva.

Real Wedding: Michelle and Jacob

Just married! We recently had the pleasure of designing a "Just Married!" photo card for Michelle and Jacob's private June celebration. This one couldn't be any more playful! The whimsical watercolor, precious pinks and tell-all photograph just screams pure joy.

Michelle and Jacob wed at the San Francisco City Hall, accompanied by 15 close family and friends. The photographer, our dear friend Edyta Szyszlo, shot these utterly romantic images of the big day, and their reception at Bar Jules in Hayes Valley (below). We're loving the simplicity of the event, and the casual/comfortable setting for their reception. Just the right amount of table decor paired with classic dinnerware makes for an effortless yet chic display.

All photos by Edyta Szyszlo.