Thursday, April 28, 2011
You've taken great engagement shots that you're dying to share with everyone you know. Now what? How about Save The Date (STD) invites with your picture on it! If anyone can come up with unique ways to turn your photos into custom wedding paper, it's Shannon O'Kelly of Southall Eden Paperie who sent us a few samples of Save The Dates and invitations she's put together!
Peel & Stick: Turn your picture into a little square sticker that your guests can then place on their wall or desk calendars! This is a really creative way to get your guests' attention and they'll be pretty aware as the date approaches!
Envelope Liner: What a fun surprise it will be for guests when they open the envelope and see you and your fiance right there! Placing the picture on the envelope liner is another fun way to grab the recipient's attention because it's the first thing they see!
Matching Accents: For this Save The Date, Shannon has matched the ribbon to the blue of the bride's dress to accentuate the picture. The entire Save The Date is very classic and sophisticated and when I see this, I know I'm in store for a pretty cool wedding.
Around the Enclosure: When your picture is something guests have to touch to get to the message enclosed, it's definitely going to get their attention. This option also gives you the opportunity to share with your guests more than one image from your engagement shoot.
The couple's style looks fun and stylish, much like the invitation design.
It's not often you have great pictures of yourselves taken and when you do, you wouldn't want them to just sit in an album or on a disc unseen - using them for your Save The Date or even Invitations would be such a nice way to show those pictures off.
Thank you to Southall Eden Paperie for sending us these examples of the ways you can use your engagement pictures. Visit their website for more samples of their work and when you give Shannon a call to talk about your stationery, don't forget to tell her you're an ABG Bride!
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Invitations & Paper Goods
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Tuesday, April 12, 2011
I love stationery. In this modern age of electronic messages and less and less paper, I feel like stationery is not as appreciated as it used to be. As convenient and free as evites are (or worse still, Facebook invites - ugh), your wedding day is not a day to stinge. It's not just a Saturday afternoon kegger you're having. And with all the effort you're putting into the other details of your day, you want your guests to be able to get a feel for your style and vision from the moment they open your invitation.
When we saw a new invitation line by Paperkuts Studio at a recent bridal show, Ashley did a double take and asked Kim of Paperkuts to tell us more about her fabulous new invites by Regas New York. Take it away Kim!
Today's Guest: Paperkuts Studio
Letterpress is still one of the hottest trends in stationery. It's an art form that I would love to learn. What exactly is letterpress? This tactile style of printing dates back to seventh century China where artisans printed characters on fabric. In the 1450's, Johannes Gutenberg created movable type to allow easier manipulation on paper. After the 20th century, letterpress printers became mass-produced. The letterpress technique involves using plates of raised reversed art to impress text or images into cardstock. The feel and look of letterpress is amazing! The look is definitely elegant, classic and produces high-end work.
One of my great finds from the 2010 National Stationery Show was the fabulous letterpress design of Regas NY. This innovative team provides beautiful paper for wedding invites, save-the-dates, chic party notes, menus/programs and custom work. Because letterpress is all hand-made, time is of the essence. Each customer is different, so if letterpress is where you want to go, I always stress to start early. Production time can take 3-4 weeks from the approval of the art. Because of this, letterpress can average from $12 and up. It solely depends on the bride's wants and needs.
I always state that your choice of paper sets the tone for your event. The average spent on invitations is around 2-3% of your wedding budget. Let's sit down and talk about your vision and how paper can make it even more fabulous!
All ABG lovers can take 20% off of their order with PaperKuts Studio. Give me a call/email and set up an appointment.
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Invitations & Paper Goods, Luxury Nashville Wedding Finds
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Tuesday, February 22, 2011
With so many great events/specials for engaged couples this week, I want to make sure you don't miss anything. So, here's a quick reminder of opportunities you don't want to miss:
Nashville Wedding Savings / Contests
Relish Invitations - Like Relish on Facebook and you could win FREE wedding invitations!!! Click this link to like.
Feb 24: Little Black Dress Revue - HALF PRICE tickets for ABG brides/grooms! Use my special code "ABGBride" and register asap
The show is intimate, upscale and has quality wedding professionals. This is a boutique show so you won't feel overwhelmed like some of the others. I really like this show.
Feb 26: Boro Bridal Ball
I enjoyed this show last year. It's not too small and not too large. There were some great wedding professionals, across all budget types. It is definitely a drive for Nashville folks but if you are in the Mboro area, it's well worth your time. If you are a Nashville bride - here's a tip - vendors are sometimes less expensive outside our area. Why? Think cost of living in 'burbs.
Feb 26: Historic Cedarwood’s Planning Open House
Cedarwood has one of my favorite Nashville wedding blogs because weddings that take place there are AMAZING!! One reason is that their design team works with their brides to create the wedding design of their dreams! Each wedding is spectacular. Now, they are opening their doors to Nashville brides to come out, get inspired and enjoy a day of wedding wonder.
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Posted by Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide |
Filed under: Bridal Shows & Events, Contests, Giveaways, Specials, Invitations & Paper Goods
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Monday, February 21, 2011
Ashley said something recently that has stuck with me since hearing it, "Your invitations are the first thing your guests see and will determine how great your wedding will be, or if your wedding will suck." I'm paraphrasing, of course but she has a point. And I may be old-fashioned when I say this but I like paper invitations and when you see the work of Southall Eden Paperie, you will agree that these invites will excite your wedding guests and give them a taste of what's to come!
Our Wedding Specialist Spotlight: Southall Eden Paperie:
Contact Info
Name: Southall Eden Paperie
Main Contact: Shannon O'Kelley
Phone Number: 615-775-4080
Email Address: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Twitter: http://twitter.com/southalleden
Facebook: Southall Eden Paperie fan page
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Number of Years in the Business: 7
How did you get started in weddings?
I had been freelancing as a commercial graphic designer for a couple of years, doing mostly music industry and medical related design as well as logos, baby announcments and the occasional party invitation. I was intimidated by the Bridezilla stereotype and said I would never do weddings. Then a sweet couple saw my website and asked me to do their invitations, and I decided to give it a try. It turned out that I absolutely LOVED everything about the job. I was hooked, and have been doing weddings ever since. Eventually time constraints forced me to give up commercial design altogether, and wedding stationery is pretty much all I do.
What do you like most about weddings?
Can I have two answers? The first is the creativity that is involved. I love meeting with a couple and hearing about their lives and their vision for their big day, and then combinging everything I have learned into something that can be put in an envelope (or box) and mailed! My other favorite thing is seeing the look on the couple's face when I reveal their proof. Its so gratifying to see someone get so excited over something you have created for them. If I can get a groom to tear up a little bit, that's the ultimate compliment ;)
What’s your favorite wedding pic/video and why? I love this pic of custom event signage we did recently because it shows how cute signage can really add such a personal touch and also help to tie together all the elements of your big day.
Image courtesy of Souder Photography
What is your service philosophy?
It's such an honor to be asked to create something to announce the biggest day of someone's life! We strive to give each of our clients top-notch personalized service and ensure that they walk away from the experience feeling like they got morethan their money's worth.
What are your strengths compared to others in your category? / Why should a bride hire you?
All of our designs are exclusive to the Southall Eden line, meaning that you will not see them everywhere else. It also gives us the flexibility to customize to a bride's exact specifications. We do all of our own designing, printing, die cutting, and assembly in-house, which gives us complete control over the design and quality of the finished product. Each of our clients is able to see (and touch!) an exact physical proof of her invitation prior to ordering, so that any necessary changes can be made and the end product will be EXACTLY what she wants and expects!
What do you read/watch regularly to stay on top of wedding/event trends?
Stationery Trends Magazine, Martha Stewart Weddings, Bride and Bloom,
What are your favorite wedding websites? / Neatest wedding find? (links and pics)
Well ABG of course! I also love Once Wed, Style Me Pretty, 100 Layer Cake, Oh So Beautiful Paper, Southern Weddings, and Grace Ormonde. But I also get inspiration from non-wedding blogs like Design Work Life and Design Sponge.
Does your company do anything special that a green bride might want to know?
Yes! We are very eco-conscious and are happy to accommodate similar-minded brides. Our standard white invitation paper is 100% cotton that is made from the byproducts of textile mills, by a company that utilizes wind power. We also work with several lines of recycled papers and envelopes, including a new seeded paper that can actually be planted to grow wild flowers. We are adamant recyclers in our studio and frequently donate paper scraps to pre-schools.
What is the biggest misconception about your industry?
Often times brides think that «custom» is synonymous with «unaffordable». That's not necessarily the case. Just as invitations from a catalog in a store come in all price ranges, so do custom invitations. A good custom designer can also start with the bride's budget in mind and work backwards.
Note: In addition to our custom invitations, Southall Eden also has a new retail line available at You're Invited in Belle Meade and Williamson County Weddings in Franklin.
For more samples of Southall Eden Paperie's work, visit SouthallEden.com.
Images courtesy of Jonathon Campbell Photography.
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Invitations & Paper Goods, Luxury Nashville Wedding Finds
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Friday, January 14, 2011
As we addressed yesterday, winter weddings do not have to be holiday-themed, decked in tinsel, red and green. Winter can be about the simplest of colors - white. It's polished, elegant and can be oh-so dazzling and today's Winter-inspired shoot done at Southall Eden was styled to be just that. It features the details that make Southall Eden such a beautiful location for weddings, and also features owner Shannon O'Kelley's creativity and style when it comes to Southall Eden Paperie's custom stationery work.
Venue: Southall Eden
Photography: Souder Photography (SouderPhotography.com)
Styling: Lovebird Style (LoveBirdStyle.com)
Cake: Unique Flavors (UniqueFlavorsCafe.com)
Dress: The Bride Room (TheBrideRoom.com)
Props: Southall Eden and Lovebird Style
Stationery: Southall Eden Paperie
Flowers: Village of Flowers (AVillageofFlowers.net)
Grey is such an understated yet elegant color!
So dreamy!
WIth each picture I fall more and more in love with a winter theme!
In keeping with Southall Eden's rustic, vintage feel, the bride's accessories are also vintage looking. Gorgeous.
A closer look at the tablescape - I'm loving every little detail.
Hot chocolate mix to give away as favors.
For more pictures of Southall Eden and their stationery line Southall Eden Paperie be sure to check out their website. All images in this Winter Wedding Shoot were courtesy of Southall Eden and Souder Photography.
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Posted by Tabitha |
Filed under: Inspiration & Trends, Invitations & Paper Goods, Luxury Nashville Wedding Finds, Wedding Venues and Locations
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