We are super excited that our own Katie Martin was chosen as one of Bella Figura’s Trendsetters for their 2012 stationery collection!  Check out her hints and get her favorite stationery picks sample pack today by clicking on the photo above!  100% of the proceeds of the sample pack go towards the Conservation Fund!

We are so proud of our new issue of Eco-Beautiful Weddings Magazine!  It is chock full of summery goodness!  Plus we have two featured weddings it from local photographers and vendors!  A must see issue!  Click on the cover above to check it out!

It’s Live and we are in Love!  Click on the Cover Above to Check out all the Eco-Friendly Yumminess from the Spring 2011 Issue of Eco-Beautiful Weddings!

We are pretty jazzed about being awarded a Bride’s Choice Award from Wedding Wire!  A lot of favorite friends in the DC area (and beyond our “borders”) made the list as well!

We wanted to also announce that our friend Carla David is having an open house on Sunday!  Not to be missed!  Click on the invite below to learn more!

Carla has done such an amazing job of working with our clients to create super unique details for their weddings!  This open house is not to be missed!

And a very interesting and fun Auto Show is this weekend at the Washington Convention Center!  I got the chance to see the show floor before it was open to the public yesterday and I was just floored.  For those that don’t me – I am a car fanatic.  This concept car (below) from Cadillac called the UTC swept me off my feet!  They hope to have eco-compact luxury cars out in the next 2-4 years.  This car is projected to get 56 mpg!  If you are on the verge of investing in a new car as a couple – this is the best possible place to go so you can see every single model all in one big showroom (from all of your favorite auto makers)!

And as we sign off for the weekend,  I thought I would announce something fun…

Drum roll please …

We are adopting a dog from a shelter this weekend so look out for the photos!

Have fun with Carla and don’t miss the Auto Show!

I am excited to introduce to you Greenvelope!  A great resource for doing your invitations online!

I was super impressed not only for their designs but also the fact that they donate to environmentally conscious non-profits.

They recently launched and are offering our readers 25% off one of the packages!  Just use coupon code “eleganceandsimplicity”!

We were very excited to see Merry Maps in our inbox last week.  Owner Daley Harris is located in Dallas, but draws her maps for any bride around the world!  They are adorable!  These maps will be sure to become keepsakes and scrapbooking materials after the big day!  Click on the map to learn how Daley can make your map!

There are so many wonderful invitation designers all over the states. However, we strive to show smaller designers here and those that are doing some amazing eco-friendly things! We found this amazing designer on Twitter and we adore everything she does.  Here are few of her samples that are specifically eco-friendly!

Carey, the owner, does a great job of explaining eco-friendly options for her clients.  For example, to save paper in addition to having PCW papers, she makes these fun and original postcards for Save-the-Dates and respond cards.

I love her map options.  I love the look of a classy map!  Some of our clients have done hand-painted maps (which can take FOREVER) or have scanned a map from the venue where the reception will take place.  Doing a combo of the two is the most elegant way to do it in my mind.  Most hand-drawn/painted maps are not drawn to scale and tend to be, well, just cute (meaning not very helpful as far as a map is concerned).  If you are having a lot of out-of-town guests, a map drawn to scale is imperative if you are not providing transportation for them.  Here Carey has a real map and has infused a small element of whimsy along with detailed written out driving instructions.

An invitation designer will do all they can to ensure that every element of your invitation is edited and easy to read.  Carey does a fantastic job and it shows in her examples online and in her communication with me. Click on any of the photos above to get to her website and start planning your stationery journey today!

Happy Planning!

~Katie Martin

]]> http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/lassod-moon-designs/feed/ 0 http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/sugarb-studio/ http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/sugarb-studio/#comments Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:01:15 +0000 Katie Martin http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/?p=1187

If you are looking for a wedding website design or fantastic invitation (or a combination of both) – Kari Becker Beard of SugarB Studio can make it happen.

On top of the exquisite beauty and simplicity of her work – she is also local!

I met Kari at Ben’s Next Door in Washington, DC and got a chance to see a wide range and variety of her work!  She can even do business collateral!  Invitations are art and should be made that way – Kari definitely has the flair!

Happy Planning!

~Katie Martin

Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Invitation: Wedding Paper Divas
Bouquet: Martha Stewart
Cookies: Epicurious
Gown: Ulla Maija
Hair: Pip Pip and All That
Parasol image: Green Wedding Shoes
Place setting: Style Me Pretty

Liz and Brian planned their DC wedding from all over the US.  Living in New York and traveling often for business made it imperative for them to hire a wedding planner.  Liz loved the fact that we do both wedding planning and floral designs!  We save our clients a lot of time and hassle by doing both services.  Liz also liked the fact that we are an eco-friendly company and we strive to provide only the best in quality “green” floral and event design elements.  She asked, like many ask me, how are you able to do that?  Well, we have staff and I love to create beautiful things!  The people that work for Elegance & Simplicity are dedicated and loyal.  More than half of our staff have been with us for over 5 years.  We take our employees seriously and we are constantly learning (or educating others) about innovative wedding trends, technology and eco-friendly practices.   Take a look at a few of the eco-friendly elements in their wedding below.

The couple chose a floral motif for all of their wedding stationery.  The dried pressed flowers were also on their beautiful invitations.  Our in-house calligrapher used soy ink for their escort cards.

Instead of a wedding cake, the couple choose fantastic cupcakes from Kendall’s Cakes!  At the top of the cupcake tower they used a family heirloom cake topper.  I absolutely adore this particular topper as it is simple and it just has an enormous amount of character and charm.  Reusing items for your wedding and donating what you have left over is key for an eco-friendly wedding.

All I have to say here – the cupcakes are almost as cute as Kendall!  If you have not met with her yet for your wedding cake, desserts or cupcakes – click on the photo here and get in touch with her!  Cream cheese frosting on top of red velvet cupcakes in cute paper holders- seriously yummy for the eyes and the tummy!  If you have not noticed already – she decorated the cake stand with matching ribbon.  Ahh – how I love thee (Kendall)!  A wedding professional that understands the importance of the details!  You would think this happens all the time, unfortunately such is not the case.  Just a case-in-point of why asking questions is so important when meeting with all of your wedding professionals!

Yet another reason why I love Jennifer…she is the only photographer that I have had at the City Club at Franklin Square who has taken a photo of the club outside after dark.  I love my city at night!  The City Club at Franklin Square is right in the center of the city and easily accessible via metro and within walking distance of a couple of museums, restaurants and hotels!

The couple chose a mixture of low centerpieces with tall arrangements with manzanita branches and hanging glass votives.  I love using these branches – they create a sense of wedding whimsy to me!

These photos from people dancing to Aaron Couch’s skills as a DJ are hilarious.  LOVE IT!

I want to hug Jennifer for taking this photo…perfection…

I will post again about their flowers in a separate post!  For now, I want to just say a big congrats to Liz & Brian.  Another happy couple to add to the Elegance & Simplicity, Inc. newlywed column!

~Katie Martin

While I was in New York during Bridal Market, I had the pleasure of meeting Corrie Feld of Invite Couture! Her work is exquisite and hand-made!

For couples that are planning eco-friendly weddings, Invite Couture offers a variety of eco-friendly stock options including cotton papers made from 100% cotton linters leftover from textile processing, or several 100% FSC certified papers.

Your invitations set the tone for your wedding day!  Make sure they represent you and your fiance!

Happy Planning!

~Katie Martin

Invitation via Papeterie
Ice cream cones via Elegance & Simplicity (by Design Cuisine)
Candy bar via Big Wedding Tiny Budget
Shoes via Rodney Bailey
Bridesmaids via Our Labor of Love
Gown: “Dandelion” Collen Quen Couture
Cake Weddings Fresh
Bouquet:  District Weddings

I found Lela New York on Twitter last month and I am in love with her work!  Now is the time to start looking for your stationery if you are getting married in the spring!  Remember, it can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months to get your invitations from various stationers.  Then, you have to address them!  Why wait until the last minute!

Lela New York’s letterpress invites are printed on tree-free 100% cotton papers.
Lela New York uses natural fibers such as silks and cotton rather than synthetic fabrics.

Happy Planning!

~Katie Martin

There are so many options on the internet today to find exquisite and interesting stationery.  However, not all have an extensive mission statement about the environment like Bella Figura does.  Paper and stationery is inevitable when it comes to many social events and social graces.  Why not choose a company that gives back to the environment?

Bella Figura has some of the most beautiful designs and interesting products.

Whether you want save-the-dates or interesting coasters, Bella Figura can weave an eco-friendly and custom designed stationery landscape for your wedding!

Happy Planning

~Katie Martin

Links:
(clockwise from upper left)

Place setting via Loving

shoes: via Casando Ideias

candlelight: via Elizabeth Ann Designs

Cake: via Southern Weddings

Gown: via Douglas Hannant

Pomander Escort Cards: Via Elizabeth Ann Designs

Bouquet: Via Project Wedding

Invitation: via Wedding Paper Divas

This week is our Summer Orchard Inspiration Board

Invitation: White Thread
Fruit Escort Card: Joy de Vivre
Dress: Atelier Aimee
Cake: Project Wedding
Bouquet: Grant Riley Weddings
Tablescape: Style Me Pretty

Happy Planning!

~Katie Martin

“Eco-friendly” seems to be an over-used terms these days, especially when it comes to weddings, yet perhaps this is a good thing. As more and more companies in the wedding industry start to change their policies, eco-friendly will become the standard, not the exception. Until then, it’s important to arm yourself with the right knowledge when planning your wedding. Below you’ll find a few helpful hints on choosing environmentally friendly invitations.

Pay attention to the recycled content of the paper. Many papers claim they are recycled, but that doesn’t mean they are 100% recycled. Earthly Affair offers a premium 100% post consumer paper, available in both white and ivory. This paper is created from consumer products, usually retrieved from curbside recycling, and ensures there are no new trees used in making the paper. You might also look for other eco options, such as bamboo and hemp.

Inquire about printing methods. There are four popular types of professional invitation printing methods: thermography (raised printing), offset (flat printing), letterpress printing, and digital. The most earth friendly is probably a manual letterpress printed with soy ink, while the least might be thermography (there is a question as to whether or not thermographic ink is suitable for recycling). Each one has its pros and cons, so it’s best to talk with your stationary provider about what they are doing to lessen the impact of their printing. If this is a question they can’t answer, chances are the environment is not on their list of priorities.

Environmental practices. When “green” became popular, companies were happy to jump on the band wagon. Unfortunately, that resulted in a lot of what is known as “greenwashing” — when a company uses deceptive marketing to trick the consumer into thinking they are purchasing an eco-friendly product or service. Avoid falling into that trap by seeking out company’s environmental policy on their blog or website. You can even call them up and ask.

At Earthly Affair, you’ll find we take advantage of digital printing, which allows us to print small orders at a lower cost to the environment. We offset all shipments through carbonfund.org, and we run everything out of our eco-equipped studio. All of our invitations are completely customizable and we work hard to ensure 100% satisfaction.

Rachel, for her wedding next week picked these fun cards (so did Ameena for her August wedding)

We are doing this one for Sally – I love the Ginko leaves – which is a tree that grows all over Washington, DC!

If you are doing floral designs or consulting with us – you get an automatic 10% off!!!  Mention this blog post and get 25 of your envelopes addressed in calligraphy for free!