February 2015 - Las Vegas Wedding Planner // Las Vegas Weddings

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to be part of the first ever West Elm Las Vegas registry event! They partnered with Paper & Home to create an evening of meeting vendors and learning from pros–all from the comfort of our favorite West Elm furniture pieces. After mingling with photographers, florists, wedding planners, bakeries (and more!) couples had the opportunity to learn how to create the perfect signature cocktail with a quick mixology lesson. Next, a wedding planner panel spoke on trends and design. There were 5 topics addressed and we want to give a quick recap on 2 of our favorite topics!

1) Layering Your Tablescape

We recently posted some favorite tablescape designs. What’s important to remember when designing your wedding tables is how to layer all of your elements. Your chair, chair cushion, chair tie, table size, table linen, charger plate, napkin color, napkin fold, menu, place card and favor are all layered to create a vision. Keep in mind, your caterer will then add flatware and glassware which also contributes to the overall impact of the table. This is all before even addressing flowers or candles in your centerpiece! Beautiful floral is one key way to add your style and color to your wedding, but remember all these other pieces. They can all add to your color palette and help tell the story of your wedding. Just the way a napkin is folded can make all the difference! Have you ever walked into a room with napkins folded and sticking out of champagne flutes? We did–and it was like a flashback to an outdated restaurant. Re-arranging the look of the napkin created an entirely different look in the room.

2) Creating a Floor plan

Using interesting tables in a unique floor plan is one of the best ways to add style in your wedding space. Gone are the days of entering a ballroom with the dance floor centered in the room and dozens of round tables surrounding it. Long tables can be used individually to seat 8-10 guests or extended to seat as many as your room will allow! Glen & Elizabeth used one looooong dinner table to seat their 120 guests in the center of their family orchard. Shelbi & Ray put long tables together in a U Shape for their intimate guest count. Mixing round and long tables creates visual interest and versatility in your space, like Liz & Jean, Tina & Adam, Carrie & Kaz and many more!

Thank you to Paper & Home and West Elm for having us part of this event!

Having majored in Graphic Design it’s no secret that stationery is my absolute favorite element of every wedding! Stationery is so important because it is your guests’ first glimpse into what kind of party and guest experience you’re planning. The moment they receive that Save The Date in the mail they get an idea of the color scheme or theme you’re going for and more importantly, it gets everyone excited for the day to arrive!

Today we have a Q&A session with Suzanne of She Paperie to give our brides and grooms a look into what goes into choosing your stationery. Be sure to check out some of her gorgeous work below!

• With all the technology available today what are some trends you are seeing and hoping to see in 2015?

Whether 2015 is your year to tie the knot or you just like to keep in the know of the latest and greatest wedding stationery trends, here are a few that are sure to stick around throughout the year.

*HANDLETTERED LOVLINESS! Think calligraphy but with a modern, less traditional feel. Currently, the work of an artist’s hand lettering masterpiece is often times the focal point of a wedding invitation suite. I can’t think of a trend I like more than this one right now.

*COLOR, COLOR & MORE COLOR! Long gone are the days when you’ll receive an all white or ivory wedding invitation with embossed lettering (ah-hem, mine may or may not have looked like that 15 years ago!) Colors ranging from the softest shade of blush pink to the deepest shade of wine (hello ‘Marsala’ which Pantone named as 2015’s color of the year) will be infused into invitations and their coordinating wedding day paper elements. This colorful trend will continue to be seen on the wedding stationery scene.

*GOLD FOR THE WIN! Beautiful gold foil pressed invitations, hand painted gold edges and even flat printed cards with highlights of gold are all the rage right now. There haven’t been many invitations I’ve designed lately that haven’t had at least a touch of gold somewhere on them. In my opinion, gold will not be getting old any time soon!

Lastly, a few other trends we’re seeing include watercolor, unique shaped invitations (it’s hip to NOT be square!), and laser cut cards…which lucky for me two Scheme brides have recently done.

• Which invitation etiquette rules must be followed no matter how formal or casual a wedding may be?

The request I cringe at most is when asked “Is it acceptable to include our wedding registry information on the invitations?” Sorry folks, but it’s simply impolite and bad etiquette to do this. If you have a wedding website, this is a more than acceptable place to share the information. If you are sending Save The Date cards, share what your web address is so your guests can find the information there. If you aren’t sending a Save The Date card, another option would be to include a SEPARATE card within the wedding invitation suite noting what your website is. And if a wedding website or Save The Date card just isn’t happening, ask your family members, friends and bridal party to help spread the word!

• What are some things couples should consider that might not be apparent without the help of a professional?

I could go on and on with this topic, but my top tips include…

*TAKE A TRIP TO THE POST OFFICE. It’s incredibly exciting to mail the very first peek of what’s to come on your special day, but don’t gamble with assuming you know how much postage to place on your invitations. Be sure to take a fully assembled invitation (enclosures, lined envelopes and all!) to the post office beforehand to have them weighed for the proper postage amount. Be sure to take any invitation being mailed out of the country as well since their postage amount will be at a higher rate than those being mailed domestically. It can be very costly to have invitations come back due to insufficient postage, so take the time to make a trip before you start stuffing and sealing those enveloped! Also while you’re there, ask you post office about hand canceling and non machinable options. Hand canceling your invitations will allow them to be processed differently and not be run through their machines which will cause them to bend or in some cases get ruined. You’ve gone through this much effort and expense already, so it’s definitely worth it to have this service done.

*BE SURE TO ORDER EXTRA INVITATIONS. If you have 100 invitations going out, don’t just order 100 invitations! It can be costly to have to re-order more after the fact due to a new lower quantity needed, re-printing set up fees, etc. I typically suggest at least 10% over your invitation count for keepsakes, any that may need to be resent in the mail, a few sets for your photographer to capture images of the front and back sides of your suite, and perhaps you even have a “B list of guests” cued up that will need an invitation. In the end, you don’t want to come up short so be sure to order additional from the get go.

*KEEP YOUR WEDDING STATIONERY CONSISTENT. Keep the look and feel of your wedding stationery consistent from start to finish. From the Save The Dates down to the escort cards, menus, and wedding day signage, order all your paper elements from the same stationery company instead of sourcing bits and pieces together in an effort to save money. In the end, you’ll want all your colors, fonts, graphics, and paper types to be in harmony with one another for a pulled together, cohesive look.

• Any additional tips and/or advice.

I get to keep going?! Okay…:)

Envelopes matter too! I can’t think of anything more unsightly on a wedding invitation suite than an envelope that’s been addressed with crooked, sloppy penmanship or when a office label printed in Times New Roman has been slapped on there (gag!). Have them printed in the same fonts and colors featured on your invitations or have a calligrapher hand address them. If you want the whole presentation of your wedding invitation suite to be beautiful, be sure to consider your envelopes too!

And while still on the topic of envelopes, SPELL IT OUT!!! The city, street, post office box, and word apartment should not be abbreviated.

Lastly, let your personal wedding style be reflected on your invitations. Since the invitation sets the tone for what’s to come on your wedding day, don’t send a casual looking invitation for your black tie affair. Give your guests an indication of the formality of your event and give them a real feel for your keen sense of wedding style (you know, let them know how cool the two of you really are!)

Thanks Scheme for featuring SHE PAPERIE and allowing me to share some insight today. Cheers to love, laughter and a happily ever after!