We haven’t had any submissions for real wedding details in I don’t know how long. But when Heather announced that Simply Designed Invitations was going to be releasing a BRAND NEW DIY Invitation line, we knew it would be perfect to kickstart the feature all over again! In just one word, these invitations are FABULOUS! They are perfect for the modern gal and DIY bride who are looking for both the experience of working with a custom invitation designer, and the freedom and the affordability that doing-it-yourself offers.

Simply Designed Invitations has created seven truly beautiful designs (of which you can alter the colors and the text) for you to choose from. A little birdie told us that this is just the beginning, and more designs are on the way!

Each DIY Wedding Invitation Suite includes invitation, response card, and an insert. They’ve even gone one step further to offer you the option of purchasing their beautiful eco-friendly paper and envelopes – both of which are totally safe to run through your laser or inkjet printers. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

You have three options when you go to order:

1. You can order just the PDF (design with your custom color and text alterations)… $125
2. You can order the PDF and the Paper Kit… $200 (plus tax and shipping)
3. You can order the PDF, the Paper Kit and the envelopes… $255 (plus tax and shipping)
4. Ribbon Add-On (they’ll find premium satin ribbon to match your color of choice)… $50 (plus tax and shipping)

More Details + How to Order can be found by clicking on any of the designs your admire from this link here. It’s totally fun and super simple too!

{From Heather of Simply Designed Invitations} “I’m so excited to launch this DIY line of wedding invitations. This idea came to me as I was talking with one of my brides and she wanted to print a few pieces herself for her day-of stationery. As we were brainstorming on the best way for this to work for her, I started thinking that this is a great foundation for downloadable invitations. After a year of designing and brainstorming I am finally able to offer, what I feel, are great designs at a very affordable price. I feel this will give brides the opportunity to work with a designer, get a great product, but not have to worry about breaking the bank. I wanted to make this even more unique then just a downloadable PDF, so I have put together paper and envelope kits that you can order and I will ship out to you, including matching ribbon if you choose. So after months of sorting through paper swatches, testing many different options on our office printers, I can guarantee these kits will give you the high-end eco-friendly paper that I love, and will work with your at home laser-jet or inkjet printers. I’m very picky about paper and only offer some of the highest quality to my custom clients, so you can rest assure that this paper will be held at just the same level of quality. By offering the full kits to brides or just the PDF, I think this will alleviate a lot of stress for the DIY bride, and they get great invitations with a custom design feel. I really wanted to do this because I’m conscious of budgets, and the economy right now, and that brides still want well-designed invitations, but kept within a set budget. I know that there are many options for downloadable DIY invitations, but part of what I offer is one on one consultation and direction, so say once you download the PDF and still have some questions about your stationery, even if it is as simple as how to assemble your invitation to as complex as you want to print with a letterpress printer, I will be available for consultation, and will help you all the way to completion of your project. I’m even happy to offer professional printing with these designs too, if that is something a bride will need. I plan on updating and expanding this line in the future to include bridal showers, baby showers, announcements, and much much more.”

We are just pleased as punch to help Heather launch the next big thing for her business and brand! And, as a special treat, just for Heart Love Weddings readers, Heather is offering $25 off when you order your very own, custom DIY Invitations!!! If you didn’t think it could get any more fabulous, it just did. This offer is good until May 11th. Use the Code HLW25OFF at checkout.

P.S. If we had to pick a favorite, it would be Whitney! But we also love the flag garland detail in Devon :) What’s yours?

Happy Friday!

xoxo

What a wedding is and what a wedding needs are two very different things. What is a wedding you ask? Simply put, a wedding is love. No other day is entirely devoted to two hearts becoming one. (That only happens once you know.) So what then, does a wedding need? Besides a wildly in love bride and groom, a wedding, of course, needs details! Simple or lavish, romantic or glamorous, rustic or vintage, the cake, the colors, the flowers, the dress .. details, details, details! We featured some truly amazing weddings (and love stories) this year with oh-so-gorgeous details! We’ve rounded up the most memorable below! See. Swoon. Sigh. Enjoy.

{Yellow, Gray & White Southern Wedding} Where do I even begin with the wedding I mainly refer to as “the one with happy bride”? The flowers, the dress, the amazing ring shot, ceremony decor, lemony cocktails and stripe-y straws .. so yellow, so very, very happy! from Shannon Kelley Photography

{Blue & Green Tennessee Wedding} Fabulous sapphire bridesmaids dresses, luscious bouquets and a rose strewn aisle that will have you swooning in your seat! from The Collection

{Gray, White & Green Destination Beach Wedding} It’s easy to be smitten by a rustic-y wedding sign, beach-y locale, handmade bouquets, J.Crew bridesmaids dresses and local honey favors! from Ashley Daniell Photography

{Romantic Blue & White Beach Wedding} Romance and elegance are at an all time high in this beach fete! A ceremony by the ocean, seashells and sparkles galore only add to the charm of it all! from Blue Lane Studios

{Classic Vintage Garden Wedding} Blush pink bridesmaids dresses, mossy letters, ribbon streamers, a cake stand handmade by the groom, a sweet shoppe .. So this is what dreams are made of! from Imago Vita Photography

{Cream & Green Rustic Wedding} Limes, coffee beans, a groom and groomsmen in cowboy boots and jeans. Need I say more? from Hearts & Horseshoes Photography

{Rustic Fall Wedding} The prettiest of pretty details include to-die-for rustic florals, gorgeous Jimmy Choo shoes, and, brace yourself, a mash potato martini bar! from ZoomWorks Photography

{Orange & Cobalt California Wedding} Pretty, personal details include endless roses, a brilliant color scheme, a sweet tooth’s dream, and blue goblet tumblers that double as favors! from Hearts & Horseshoes Photography

{Purple & Yellow Rustic Vintage Wedding} A fantastic purple and yellow color scheme, a gigantic cheesecake in lieu of wedding cake, and nods to the couples love story (and proposal) at every turn! from KimJMartin Photography

{Wishing Tree Guestbook Idea} One of my most favorite wedding details of the whole year .. The Wishing Tree! from Two Chics Photography

Le sigh. So many details. So little time. But we love them. We really, really do. And we cannot wait to share yours in the new year! Brides, photographers, vendors too – send us your weddings, details and love stories for feature in 2012!

xoxo

Around here, we love letterpress! Almost as much as we love Bella Figura, an eco-friendly artisan letterpress shop out of Central New York. And we couldn’t be happier to help them launch their new 2012 collection today! It’s AMAZING! 83 new invitation designs, a slew of new colors including neons and metallics, custom calligraphy styles, letterpress pocketfolds and so much more! Take a look!

{Metallics} have arrived and all signs point to them being huge in 2012! Bella Figura now offers foil stamping and foil edging in 12 brilliant foil colors. Add traditional colors like gold, silver or copper to the edge of any card for sophisticated flair. Or, be daring, and add brilliant shades of fuchsia, indigo, forest and teal!

{Custom Calligraphy} became quite popular this year and because they don’t see that changing any time soon, Bella Figura has added 6 new calligraphy styles! This brings their grand total of hand calligraphy styles to 22! Impressive.

{Envelope Liners} Patterned envelope liners are now 2 and 3 color, and easier than ever to custom create! You choose a pattern and colors, and Bella Figura will create a (100% PCW, FSC-certified) custom liner for you! New FSC-metallic envelope liners and new eco colored envelopes are also available.

{Letterpress Pocketfolds} Add a monogram, wedding date, or stylish pattern to any exclusive eco pocketfolds.

{Neons} 3 neon letterpress inks (hot pink, lime-aid and day-glo) have been added to the collection!  I just love these colors .. and their names! Lime-aid = yum!

{Free Personal Shopper Service} So many colors. So many designs. How ever will you decide? After a brief, but detailed survey, Bella Figura’s invitation experts will help couples navigate all of their design options, making sure their invitation choice captures the spirit of their wedding. Are they amazing, or what?

{Everything is Customizable} One of the things I love about Bella Figura is that everything about their designs can be changed. We’re talking ink, text, font, artwork, monogram, everything. Not many can claim that every design printed is unique, but Bella Figura can.

{Environmentally Green Printing} Bella Figura is a wind-powered, carbon neutral print shop. They print sustainably on luxuriously thick 100% cotton paper made from reclaimed fibers (it’s tree-free and made exclusively for them by a 500-year old European paper mill!). We. love. them.

And if that’s not enough…

{Free Letterpress or Foil Favor Cards} if a couple’s wedding favor is a donation to a non-profit. Place card sized, Bella Figura will match your design and highest quantity – for instance, if you order 200 invitations, they’ll offer 200 free favor cards in the colors and design of your choosing. Holy amazingness!

We’ve been drooling over all these new colors and designs since we first laid eyes on them! We’re dying to know what you think! Do you love letterpress too? How about those neons? The metallics? Let us know and be sure to leave Bella Figura a ton of love below!

xoxo

*Images courtesy of Bella Figura

I was browsing the internet as I often do and came across the super fantastic site of Two Chics Photography and what do my wondering eyes behold .. a Wishing Tree. A Wishing Tree, you say? Yes, exactly. A Christmas winter wedding with a truly unique twist on the guestbook. A gift that will keep on giving year after year. Chad and Lucy had a bowl of ornaments available for their guests to sign with good wishes and then hang on the tree. What a totally awesome, beautiful way to celebrate your anniversary at Christmastime each year. When I saw this, I couldn’t wait to share with you all. Isn’t this just the most awesome idea and weren’t their guests creative in their designs?

Aren’t they just the cutest couple?

Happiest of Holidays and congratulations to Chad and Lucy! Thank you so much Shauna and Jessica of Two Chics Photography for sharing this awesome idea!

xoxo

Boy, do I have an exciting day planned for you! It’s a double dose of happiness from the incredibly talented Shannon Kelley Photography! To start you off, we have this practically-perfect-in-every-way rehearsal dinner!

I am so in love with these sweet Southern details! The glass jugs of sweet iced tea and those pretty floral centerpieces. It’s all just so happy, isn’t it?

Guests dined on yummy Southern goodies, and were even invited to play a personalized game of cornhole or two!

And how fun are these personalized buttons for the bridesmaids?! Such a fun way to determine who does what on wedding day! And what a hoot too! ;)

And this is just the beginning… Leslie and Andy’s practically-perfect/Southern/happy-in-every-way wedding day is coming up in just a little bit! This was just meant to whet your appetite and tell you to stay tuned! You are not going to want to miss one bit of this splendid, little Southern affair!

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Shannon Kelley Photography is a member of our Vendor Boutique. For information on how to join our growing family, click here.

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Rehearsal Dinner & Accommodations: Litchfield Beach and Golf

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Stay tuned…

xoxo

So excited to be introducing another new feature this Monday! Real Details is a submitted feature open to all wedding pros! Topics include, but are not limited to invitation suites, cakes, florals, bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, and engagement parties. And to kick it all off today, we have this fabulously extravagant engagement party from Tab McCausland Photography!

{From the Bride} We chose a Phantom of the Opera theme because we’re both big fans of the musical! On New Year’s Eve, we were supposed to go to a masquerade party but our friends wanted to do something different. I was a little disappointed because I had never been to a masked event before. Well, little did I know, Jorge was going to propose to me later that night. Right away we decided to have a Masquerade Ball for our engagement party. And, of course, Phantom of the Opera fit right into place for our masked affair! It was an amazing party that everyone enjoyed! We had a masked belly dancer perform, and also came up with a dance of our own where six of our close family and friends joined us. We named ourselves The Masquerade Zombies! We started the dance with Music of the Night. Then surprised our guests with Thriller. And finished it off with a mix of the old and new Time of My Life! What a blast!!!

*Be sure to check out that fabulous dance filmed by Cinematique Films, here.

How amazing is this?! The costumes, the masks, the elaborately decorated cakes, Sarieha’s dress and ring!! My God, that ring is stunning. As is Sarieha herself, whom you might recognize from her guest appearances on CSI and Scrubs, amongst many others. Didn’t Kristy Rapp Events do an incredible job on the styling of this lavish, masked affair. It’s one to remember, for sure!

A big thank you to the amazing Tab of Tab McCausland Photography for sharing this with us today and for indulging in my love for this engagement party she photographed so brilliantly!

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Photography: Tab McCausland Photography

Videography: Cinematique Films

Event Styling: Kristy Rapp Events

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Happy Monday!

xoxo

*Have a Real Detail you would like to share with us and our readers? Click here for details, or email us!