Bicycle Weddings

If there's one thing we're really into this summer, it's gotta be a good bicycle wedding. It may be because we live in a bike-friendly city (despite all the hills!) or that we melt in the charm of the rusty tires and cute carrying baskets. A good bicycle wedding consists of your standard adorable tandem bike photo, the flower basket above the handle bars, and our favorite - the printed bicycle stationery. Our new French Bicycle wedding invitation designed by Jacqui Lee has all the summery details we love: balloons, bikes, and red, white, and blue. Here's a little collection of some of our favorite bicycle weddings we've seen around the web.

1. Best bicycle wedding...ever - Green Wedding Shoes 2. French Bicycle folded thank you card designed by Jacqui Lee - Hello!Lucky 3. Killer belt buckle - The Knotty Bride 4. Amazing bicycle fruit cake - Rocket Fuel 5. Kissing bride and groom cake topper - Wedding Star 6. French Bicycle wedding invitation designed by Jacqui Lee - Hello!Lucky 7. Great idea for a gift basket - Style Me Pretty

Wedding Invitation Pin Boards

 By now Pinterest has become the most inspirational search engine and idea web on the internet, and we're still amazed by all the style and design popping up every day. We use Pinterest to not only gather inspiration for our own work, but to also give our followers a place to gather ideas for your own use. We've taken our favorite and most popular wedding invitations and curated a collection of inspiration pieces that match the aesthetic of our designs. The best way to start planning a theme for your wedding is to start with paper products - and we've got you covered. Figs is the perfect design for a casual outdoor event, and for all you brides having a cozy, rustic wedding, the Figs Inspiration Board might be the ideal place to gather tips for table displays or floral arrangements. You'll find everything from neutral color palettes to delicious looking treats.

If bright colors are more your style - or if you're planning a desert wedding - check out our Desert Skyline Inspiration Board. We've taken our classic Desert Skyline design and transformed it into a bright and festive picture palette. Here you will certainly feel at home by all the warm sandy backdrops and gorgeous succulent bouquets. Visit us on Pinterest to view more inspiration boards and to find links to all the images above!

Real Wedding: Elizabeth and Simon

There's something about this wedding that has us completely captivated. Perhaps it's the stunning teal blue color palette, or the breathtaking Tres Hermanas Winery backdrop, or maybe the fact that this is just one of two wedding ceremonies this couple gets to enjoy. Either way, this wedding is glorious. Elizabeth and Simon met - of all places - on an airplane and immediately clicked. Their first destination wedding in Santa Barbara embraced all the rustic qualities of a winery, but incorporated many luxurious accessories, like the insanely beautiful gemstone hued table displays and floral arrangements. We can definitely see this color trending for fall!

The bridesmaids all wore the same teal feathered headpieces. Gorgeous!

We couldn't think of a better theme to match their palette than peacocks! The couple tucked our Antoinette menu card into their table linens and it matched perfectly with the setting.

Congratulations to Elizabeth and Simon! To view the entire post on Wedding Chicks and to see more photos, click here!

Photos by Beaux Arts 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 

DIY Cotton Boutonnieres by Mrs. Vintage

It's always such a treat to see projects from our Handmade Weddings book come to life in real weddings. One of our favorite wedding inspiration blogs and gorgeous rental boutiques Mrs. Vintage recently crafted the sweet tallow berry and cotton bud boutonnieres for her big day and we'd say they turned out flawlessly.

Although creating your own floral bouquet or arrangement may seem complicated at first, this three-step process is quite simple! Mrs. Vintage tells that with the right materials and some trusty hot glue your boutonnieres can be DIY'ed just like that.

We love the adorable lavender pins for her ring bearers, and the pink ribbons tie it all together just right. Props to Mrs. Vintage for mastering this DIY! To see the step-by-step tutorial along with endless bridal inspiration, click here!

Our Poms in Martha Stewart Weddings

Our signature pink poms are featured in Martha Stewart Weddings Special Issue! Back when Eunice and Daniel got married they handmade each of these coffee filter poms and dyed them various shades of pink. They were a huge hit strung along the top of their reception tent, and since then we've found lots of ways to reuse them.

We keep them in the studio to brighten up our blank white walls. They are easy to store, too! Just re-fluff the paper filters each time you've got a new decor project and dust with some fresh paint or glitter.

A Most Curious Wedding Fair

Saturdays at the historic York Hall in London's East End may usually be associated with boxing matches and Turkish baths but last weekend it was the venue for the first Most Curious Wedding Fair in London. Rather than the 3-day events this was just a single afternoon but after the doors opened the hall very swiftly filled-up.

It was lovely to see so many small independent traders there nearly all with something unique and charming on display all with a distinctly vintage theme. For our own booth we created a fold-out screen in calico and then hand-drew picture frames onto them and mounted the invitations onto acetate sheets which we attached using upholstery tacks secured by a small cork at the back. Larger suites of invitations we just laid-out on the table in the front for the guests to handle to feel the quality of the cardstock.

Among the many stands that took our eye were this fantastic paper artist called Suzi McLaughlin who creates the most exquisite works from folded paper and laser-cutting. We just adored the simplicity of the bouquet made from printed paper.

For an equally beautiful keep-sake Suzi also makes 3d books where the pages are folded over and have a cloud of butterflies (or anything else you may want) flocking out of them. Or this beautifully simple open book with a simple corsage. Just stunning!

Entertainment was provided on the stage throughout the afternoon with ballerina models giving a fashion show of vintage dresses, music from The Old Time String Band and from a couple of very saucy burlesque dancers! It was good to be at a show where there was most certainly something for grooms!

There were a couple of bakers and caterers that caught our eye. Christina at Feast Food certainly did both with her wonderful dress, fantastic display of delicious-looking goodies and the lovely old kitchen dresser . They cater any event and can provide the crockery and service to if needs be!

Pom Poms of a different sort from BeauButtons who create these fantastic bouquets from vintage buttons and notions; a truly inspired way to put Granny's old button box to good use and to serve as a lasting memento to all those much-loved dresses and coats.

A couple of wonderful characters couldn't fail but to catch our eye! For those of you wanting a totally unique service provided at your wedding, look no further than Reginald Spleen and his travelling snuff bar. Like a living cameo from a 19th Century state fair Mr. Spleen brings a wide selection of this delicacy from tobacco-free lemon snuff to deep, rich 'knock your socks off' Cafe Noir...the taste of which stays with the taker for several hours...trust me!

Lastly we couldn't help but mention Pearls and Swine and its particularly colourful designer Bink. From all the wonderful fascinators and headpieces on her stall she chose this spectacular fruity model - and we are all very glad she did as it kept a smile on our faces all afternoon!

Congratulations to Gemma and Becky from Most Curious for putting-on such a pleasurable and successful event - here's to the next one!

Photography Credit: Alex Dimopoulos of My Love Story

Eunice's Pinterest Picks - Happy Spring!

This week I've been getting into the idea of a fun and fresh spring wedding. It all started with the launch of our new wedding invitation lines with the ever fabulous Jacqui Lee & equally lovely Susy Jack*. From left to right and moseying down: Our brand spankin' new save the date from the  Flora & Fauna invitation suite by Jacqui Lee, love this beautiful, beautiful girl - so happy! Details from this adorable wedding (shot by Sweet Little Photographs), this handsome guy is so casually hip (Jenna Trapasso of Red White and Green Photography), and a snappy striped bow tie from Forage. Fun, graphic shoes from BHLDN, polka dot blusher veil from Sibo Designs, this lovely bouquet by Flowerwild (photo by Jose Villa Photography), simple ruffles (photo by Elizabeth Messina), and Flyaway Confetti from BHLDN.   Susy Jacks*' Daisy save the date from her brand new line with us! Love these plaid bows by the Belle and the Beau, and these cute graphic napkins from Merriment Events. Also love this fabric photobooth backdrop from Lena Corwin's gorgeous wedding...and last but not least, how cute would this little vintage beetle be for a getaway car? (Stephanie Williams Photography).

Real Wedding: Katie & Justin

Think pink! We were thrilled to be part of Katie & Justin's wedding, featured today on Green Wedding Shoes. We had so much fun designing this custom suite, which included a few of our current obsessions - neon and edging. We worked with the couple's navy and fuchsia palate to create a modern yet elegant design (calligraphy by Michele Papineau).

The couple selected the Majestic Halls, located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Built in 1921 as the former Los Angeles Bank of America, the building retains many of its original historic and ornate details. Katie and Justin fell in love with these architectural elements that made the space feel unique to downtown Los Angeles.

Aren't the flowers stunning? Katie and Justin wanted a pink ombre effect and The Little Branch executed their vision perfectly. Each table had various distressed bronze buckets filled with fuchsia, pink or blush flowers. The bride’s bouquet was comprised of a variety of deep pink flowers, including roses, and tied with a navy ribbon.

Katie's dress was Halston Heritage, her shoes were RED Valentino and her stole was vintage, purchased from a local flea market. Justin's suit was from Hugo Boss.

The ring pillow was made by Katie's mom using our how to guide! We love the addition of the pom pom border.

In addition to the invitation suite, we also created matching day of materials: menus, place cards, table numbers and programs.

Congratulations Katie and Justin! To see more of this gorgeous wedding, please click here.

All photos by Erin Hearts Court. Wedding coordination by Kristeen LeBrot.

Bridal Accessories by Twigs & Honey

We're absolutely drooling over these bridal accessories by Twigs & Honey. We spotted their collection over on the lovely blog Honey Kennedy, and since then have been adoring everything they showcase. Their use of vintage laces and delicate silks provide the perfect mix of classic and feminine. Plus, their new 2012 collection includes beaded and rhinestone crowns, seriously stunning!

You can view all Twigs and Honey products here, enjoy!

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

Wedding DIY: Heart Shaped Programs

Add a sweet handmade element to your wedding with these heart shaped programs from our book Handmade Weddings published by Chronicle Books. These adorable programs double as fans for an outdoor summer wedding. They're also the perfect compliment to the Big Day wedding suite!

Materials

Makes 100 programs

• Two hundred twenty-two 8 1/2-×-11-inch sheets red card stock

• 100 wood fan handles

Tools

• Heart-Shaped Program template (available online here)

• Font: Strangelove Text

• Laser or inkjet printer, with extra ink cartridges

• Scissors

• Pencil

• Double-sided tape gun and extra tape (we recommend the 3M Scotch ATG 700 Transfer Tape Dispenser), or glue sticks

How to

1. Customize and print your programs. Customize your program text using the online template. Print 110 copies onto red card stock using a laser or inkjet printer (10 copies are for inevitable mistakes when cutting). Using scissors, cut each program into a heart shape, following the outline on the template and being careful to cut inside the line so the outline doesn’t show.

2. Assemble your programs. Place your hearts back-to-back. Try to pair up hearts that match each other as closely as possible, as there will be some inconsistencies due to the hand cutting. Once you are happy with your pairings, take the first two hearts and lay them side-by-side, right-sides down, on your work surface. Center a fan handle on one of the hearts, left to right, and position it vertically so that the top 6 inches of the handle lie inside the heart, and the bottom 3 inches lie outside of it, forming the handle. Dispense glue or double-sided tape on one side of the top 6 inches of the handle and press into place (figure 1). Dispense glue or double-sided tape along the heart-shaped areas of the same heart as well as the second side of the handle. Align the second heart, right-side up, over the glued side and press down firmly (figure 2). Repeat for all programs.

Variations

Paddle fans, as these types of fans are known, can be made in any shape—a circle, oval, square, rounded square, egg, leaf, or traditional fan shape (resembling a quarter circle). If you have a longer ceremony, you can print on both sides of the fan, adding a bit of decorative flourish along the borders.

Rustic Wedding Inspiration Board

Cowboy boots and mason jars. We love the little touches that set the tone for a rustic barnyard wedding. We put together an inspiration board full of details and accents that will help get your guests in a down home mood. For more inspiration check out our Elegant Equestrian board on Pinterest, where many of these images were pulled from. We’ll be doing more theme weeks on our blog in the future - if there’s a theme you’d like us to focus on let us know in the comments!

We also asked you (via Facebook & Twitter) what you thought made for the best rustic wedding decor. Here’s what you told us: Sharla - Sheriff badges with wedding date & couples names to adorn cowboy hats. Napkins from brown western bandanas. Wedding favors from my wedding. Ruth Anne - Burlap definitely!!!! One True Love Vintage Rentals - Chippy paint cabinets + farm tables! Juliann - Baby's breath + lace...swoon! Pomp & Plumage - Wheat fields, chalkboards, paper straws and twinkly lights....love. Shana - Mismatched chairs & burlap tables runners.

Image Credits: 1. Bridesmaids Ruffle Dresses: Crush Cul De Sac  2. Champagne and Kraft Paper Flags: Style Me Pretty 3. Tartan Wrap and Big Bow: Alexan Events  4. Wheat Boutnniere: Wedding Bee 5. Coral and Peach Flowers: Crush Cul De Sac   6. Peach Cake: Martha Stewart Weddings 7. Horse Ribbons: Velvet Strawberries  8. Strawberry and Peach Vodka Popsicles: Endless Simmer 9. Flowers: Martha Stewart Weddings 10. Our Kind of Horse: Style Me Pretty 11. Pendelton Blankets: Country Living 12. Groomsmen: Men of Habit 

Gaga for Gingham

In celebration of Rustic Farm week, we're channeling all the details that make us love country weddings. One of the most recognizable patterns has to be gingham, and we're going gaga for it! At the first glance of these gingham patterned plates we envisioned a large picnic style table setting with lots of fresh fruits and garden flowers. Paired with simple white linens or vintage lace, these dishes would be downright adorable.

Jcrew knows how to pull off patterns the right way. Matching your fiance might seem cheesy at first, but these gingham patterned getups could definitely dazzle in a photo save the date.

We absolutely need these gingham cupcake liners!

Can't you see this gingham washi tape as the ultimate decor accessory? There are endless ways to spruce up a simple setup by adding a little patterned tape. We can't get enough of it!

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!

Tech Toys and Wedding Accessories

(USB wedding ring via Mashable Tech)

When we stumbled upon these geek-tastic wedding accessories, our inner nerd fluttered with excitement. It's always fun to test out a new toy or gadget, and there's no better way to satisfy those computer cravings on the big day than with the most tech-savvy wedding trinkets around!

(Cufflinks by Ravi Ratan via Mashable Tech)

(Outlet rings via Scrambled Eggs Blog)