Phil Kramer Photographers

We each drew a pig on paper, how ever we thought a pig should look. The position that we drew it in, the placement on the paper and the details we used meant a different personality trait; if we were optimistic, negative or even confrontational. It was silly and made everyone laugh so it was a creative way to get everyone interacting with each other.

Phil Kramer Photographers

She shared very valuable information about the biz that we all love so much! A couple memorable tips were do not become friends with your clients! Something as silly as not lighting a candle in the guest’s bathroom could end your friendship and even a professional relationship with your client. Although the economy isn’t doing so hot, brides are still spending the money! The six figure bide is out there! That’s why you need to take a chance!!! You will not get anywhere in this career path if you don’t make yourself available and step your game up! You are promoting and selling yourself. You need to take chances and don’t compare yourself to others! It is important to find your passion in Event Planning. What  of Event Planning do you love and strive at? Is it décor? Is it organization? There are four different personalities Event Planners seem to fall into. The first one is an actor. They seem to have a lot of passion, but sometimes too much. They tend to have an over the top personality. Second is the thinker, who over analyzes everything. They nickel and dime you which means they love to take, take, take and never give. But they are usually great in business. The third is a doer. They always get things done and aren’t the ones who sit back and watch. Doer and thinkers have been known to work well together. The last is the friend, which I discussed earlier. Not always the best to be. Feelings can get hurt and ruin possible opportunities with future clients.

Phil Kramer Photographers

Pennock supplied our beautiful flowers for our table arrangements. Karen Pecora and Nicolle Ingram spent all day putting center pieces together and putting linens on the tables.

Phil Kramer Photographers

The Brooklyn Girl Bakery supplied our dessert for the night. Peri, the owner, displayed a cake with fondant and had red velvet cake for sampling. Phil Kramer did our amazing photographs for the night and captured some great shots. Before our meeting came to an end, we got the opportunity to take pictures with Samantha in front of our step and repeat. I know I can speak for all of SWP, we were so excited to have Samantha Goldberg at our meeting in little Chesterbrook, PA. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and spending the evening with us! We would love to have you again!

Phil Kramer Photographers

See You in June!
Rose Mellor
Philadelphia Event Planners

Coco Chanel

This is a quote that truly describes the fabulous evening we had for the Society of Wedding Planners 2012 Kickoff Event! Everyone met up at SWP’s newest corporate sponsor Pennock Floral in Philadelphia, for an evening full of mingling, dining, and a two part instructional series!

Thursday night, though it was a bit tricky to find the right entrance, everybody arrived at Pennock Floral.  We began the evening by registering at the entrance and making little name tags to be sure that we wouldn’t get confused with all the new and seasoned members of SWP that we would be meeting that evening!

There was a fantastic selection of hors d’oeuvres and desserts done by SWP sponsor Infinity Caterers. From the exquisite carrot and ginger soup served in adorable little shot glasses (one was definitely not enough) to the whimsical cake pops, these caterers did a wonderful job at satisfying our sweet (and salty!) tooth.  We can’t wait for a big feast next time from you guys!

After our grumbling stomachs were put to rest, Ted Johnson of Pennock proceeded to giving us the grand tour of the warehouse.  We entered the very cold and very big refrigerator that holds all of the company’s flowers and let me tell you, did that room smell wonderful.. We continued on the tour and Ted told us about all of the areas, where we can find vases, ribbons, marbles and just about anything else you can imagine, so that the next time we come to Pennock Floral [alone or with our clients] we’ll know just where to find everything we need!

As the tour came to an end all SWP members and guests took a seat for a fabulous trend setting, fashion forward design seminar given by the renowned Bill Schaffer and a wedding flowers Fix-It session led by Darlene and Barb from Precious Petals.

Bill’s seminar was all about being trendy, original, and special and learning what little details need to go in to a centerpiece to make it truly spectacular. As we already know, all of fashions ins and outs, dos and don’ts come from Paris the heart of art and fashion and the same goes for flowers; After a couple of years in the Paris showrooms, all the hot trends that began there make their way to the U.S. and to our weddings and events.  A few years ago it was all about the yellow, black and white, but as we go forward those colors have changed, to suit the more fashion forward minds, to golds, charcoals, and silvers.

“Mixed textures in the upcoming two years is [going to be] hot,” Bill said while adding touches to the beautiful centerpieces he and his assistant were creating on the spot for us.  Mixing up tall bouquets with short ones is a excellent way to demonstrate “mixed textures”, as well as adding large marbles to the bottom of the vase gives it a very eclectic feel.

As the seminars continued, we bounced to Darlene and Barb who taught us techniques on how to fix boutonnières and bridal bouquets in case something goes wrong!  Darlene showed us how to put together a boutonnière or bouquet if a rose falls off by rewiring the flower back to its original state.  In the case of a bridal bouquet you need to unwrap the ribbons, rewire the flower/stick in   Now to the untrained eye this technique looks pretty hard and unless your florist is still around, I personally would go for the simpler route which involves using Oasis Floral Adhesive, commonly known as “miracle glue” around florists and other professionals.  Simply squeeze some glue onto a piece of cardboard or some kind of base and dip the bottom of the flower into the glue and just put it back in place.  Although this is the easier way, it will take some time for the flower to dry so for all you grooms out there, you better be careful!  This glue sounds like a  wonderful product to have on hand just in case whether you’re a wedding planner, a DJ, or mother of bride!

So another tricky situation that many brides come across is when your grandmother decides that she doesn’t want to wear a boutonnière anymore because she is scared that it may ruin her dress, so now she wants a wristlet.  Since the wedding is only an hour away it is too late to rush to the florist so it’s time to take matters into your own hands! Generally the boutonnière comes with a ribbon so all you need to do is pull the ribbon with the pin and then tie it on grandma’s hand!

Back to Bill Schaffer…

Now if you, as a bride or a wedding planner, want a fabulous and unique wedding you need to go with a florist that is original and knows make something special.  Also you should direct your florist to Pennock floral where you can just about anything for your centerpieces.  Bill showed us an example of a “Peacock Concept” for a centerpiece.  He used jewel toned vases that make it look like the water is colored and gives it an enchanted look.  He added feathers to the arrangement, mentioning that you don’t need a lot of feathers to make an impact but feathers are hot! Finally by using floral glue, Bill glued some dragon flies to the flowers to finish up the look.  Additionally a very important thing to keep in mind is lighting.  Whether it be up lighting or pin spotting, the lighting will make the biggest difference in the photos.

Another tip Bill gave us was that cheap is not always better.  I know I know, who doesn’t love an amazing deal, but when it comes to your wedding flowers try not to go for the least expensive thing you can find.  Many times you will end up with old damaged flowers so why wouldn’t you want everything to be perfect on this special day?

Finally, Bill’s design session ended with information about “New Luxe”.  New Luxe is all about blending haute couture, sleek acrylics, and bling with nature.  It is about architectural concepts and strong shapes, the new diamante- big & chunky!  “It’s about drawing your eye into something you’re not used to.”  And boy, did Bill draw us in with his beautiful creation.

All in all it was a great evening; Pennock Floral was a very gracious host to SWP, we learned so much from Bill Schaffer from Schaffer Designs and Darlene and Barb from Precious Petals, and Infinity Caterers left our palettes wanting more.  Thank you to Phil Kramer from Phil Kramer Photographers whose images are featured in the blog.  Can’t wait for the next event!

Arielle Shemesh

Philadelphia Event Planners

Kathy Wolper founded Kathy’s Just Desserts, Inc. in October 2001.  For the past ten years, Kathy has been baking made-from-scratch wedding and special occasion cakes, cookie trays, and breakfast pastries from her home kitchen, which is certified by the Dept. of Agriculture.  Kathy has always had a passion for food – especially sweets – and she uses many recipes that have been handed down in her family.  Kathy’s Just Desserts partners with several talented cake decorators to create custom-designed wedding cakes that taste as delicious as they look.  Those with discriminating taste will notice with their first bite that baked goods from Kathy’s Just Desserts have no preservatives.

Kathy’s Just Desserts also has a division called Kitchen Wizards.  Kitchen Wizards helps “kids of all ages” to discover the magic of cooking, one bite at a time through their culinary enrichment programs.  From kids’ cooking parties, camps, and after-school programs to Ladies’ Night Out, senior citizens’, or bridal party programs, we create a menu – teach their participants how to make recipes, and then enjoy the “fruits of their labor”.

Kathy’s Just Desserts, Inc./Kitchen Wizards

Post Office Box 804
Blue Bell, PA  19422

www.kathysjustdesserts.com
kw@kathysjustdesserts.com
610 348-5284

**If you are interested in submitting a blog post about your company and it’s happenings in 2012- please e-mail info@societyofweddingplanners.com or kassie@kpconsulting.tv for more details**

Majestic Images

We always love all the off the wall ideas that Karen comes up with, but the seating arrangement she designed for the holiday luncheon was really, really cool! This year we all dined while seated in a giant square, with everyone facing one another. This modern seating style definitely gave us plenty of face time with one another! Craig from Jeffery Miller Catering, put together a delectable lunch for us. Our mouths still water at the remembrance of the delicious pear dessert that had a blend of luscious textures in perfect harmony!

We also conducted our first holiday gift exchange, which doubled as our afternoon luncheon entertainment! We played a gift exchange game that became quite competitive, in a quest to score the gift we wanted most! It was quite interesting to witness our group make up new rules as we played! Some of the hot gifts that everyone wanted were: a Panera Bread gift card, a Starbuck’s gift card, and a knit wrap; along with an assortment of candles, picture frames, and beer steins!

Majestic Images

Eli of Majestic Images, supplied us with his fabulous photo services- see them on the SWP Facebook fan page and a few scattered throughout the blog post. Lydia from Shutterbooth Philadelphia, had some spectacular holiday props that all attendees enjoyed in a fun session in the photo booth! Anytime you have a room full of industry professionals, and add a photo booth, the result is quite a party!

Sound Choice DJ’s very own Dave Hoeffel, provided us with some wonderful musical selections, played throughout the afternoon while we enjoyed the day’s activities.

Majestic Images

This year was the first year we did not have a fashion show, and although we did miss it, the real “hit of the day” had to be the “make and take” that Pennock Floral put on for us! They provided us with our very own center piece arrangement kit packaged in a clever tin pail! With their arrangement know-how, we put together beautiful holiday hydrangea arrangements to decorate out homes with! Thank you Ted, Alaina and Rick! We are looking forward to having Pennock Floral host February’s event! You won’t want to miss this one!!

Majestic Images

We are proud to say that we were really on top of things this year; every member received a custom certificate announcing their membership in this elite club, as well as a CD of the SWP logo’s to put on promotional items and their websites; distinguishing themselves amongst other industry professionals.

Majestic Images

2011 also marked SWP’s 5 year anniversary!  We had three special industry professionals who have been in SWP since the beginning of it all when it was just a group of 8 meeting for dinner once a month!  Eventually it grew into this outstanding organization.  We gave recognition to Valerie Franklin from Weddings by Valerie, Virginia Schawacker from Shaw Strings and Antoinette Collier from Weddings Etc. who have been members since the beginning.

Majestic Images

Last week we had a guest blogger on the SWP website. If any SWP member is interested in writing a blog post about what their company provides or any upcoming news/events they would like to share, please submit all documents via e-mail to kassie@kpconsulting.tv. We will let you know when your blog is posted!

Pennock Floral Team-Majestic Images

We hope to see you at February’s event at Pennock Floral!

Make it a Great start to 2012!

Kassie & Rebecca
Karen Pecora Events

Enhancing the cocktail stations with props, mirror image, and the excitement of mass amount of fruits and vegetable poured onto the table. Voluminous arrangements of blueberry branches 6 feet high with filled vases of blueberries, tables of square vases with lemons and yellow and pink gerberas, chandeliers laded with ivy over the tables, themed coclktail stations…. cake tables with added sugared fruits and flowers enmasse  to the cake and gros grain ribboned tables over the overlay..  At home  Engagement and showers with a surprising flair, beauty, packages tied up with ribbons…  Also working  with the  caterer and embellishing the presentation .. Breakfasts of ivyed stands with pastries bowls of oranges and sunfklower sculpture vases…  Enhancing all platters with edible flowers.  Teaching how to set a beautiful table on tv, being on radio, and speaking about all the visual decor to make a party fantastic…  Arlene  can be hired by wedding planners, photographers, invitation sources for venues, country clubs . The bride, the event, the conference will be whimsical and  perfect!

The talent displayed at SWP’s 2011 Whose Table is it Anyway Tabletop competition gets more difficult to judge as the years pass by.  We had 18 competitors and 19 tabletop displays!  These displays were a spectacular site to see for the space that Phoenixville Foundry had available for our competitors to use!  Karen Pecora Events planned, coordinated and helped execute this event with the help of all of the sponsors listed throughout the article.

Each competitor had a 10 x 10 area that they were allowed to work within.  Party Rental Ltd. donated everything that each competitor needed to create their tablescape.  Tables, chairs, chargers, candelabras….As you can see it was a soup to nuts type of donation! Thank You Party Rental!

Among the ranks were beautiful wedding inspired tables as well as vintage decor, candy-scapes, break up themes and King Henry’s Feast.

There is no doubt that the talent and creativity portrayed in this one evening will be hard to top!

This is one of SWP’s biggest events of the year.  All of the proceeds go towards a charity that the SWP Board chooses.  This year’s charity was the Gift of Life Family House in Philadelphia!  We handed Sarah, Talia and Alyse a check for $800.  Later on it was calculated to $1,000.  The event was a huge success.

Dinner was prepared by J. Scott Catering, a fabulous array of food stations were scattered about Phoenixville Foundry to encourage attendees to walk to space and vote for their favorite designs.  Dinner included, portabella mushroom slider, crab cake sliders and angus sliders.  Shoe string French fries in paper cones as well as 2 choices of milk shakes.  There was also a sushi station which was a big hit!  Frank’s Union Wine Mart poured libations from glass to glass as the night went on and Brandywine Valley Talent entertained us with there musical performances throughout the evening while Sound Choice Disc Jockeys were our MC’s.

The past two years SWP has done a mini onsite floral competition.  This year Wegman’s Florist of Collegeville sponsored our competition; providing everything from vases, flowers, to cutting knives.  There were 10 competitors that had 20 minutes to create a masterpiece.   First place went to Christina Carnevale of Paper-Rock-Scissors.

I know for those of you who could not make the event are waiting to hear who our winners were in the four categories that our 18 competitors, literally brought their “A-Game” to Phoenixville Foundry.

WINNER of Wedding Décor with a budget OVER $10,000: Christofer + Janesson and Ilonka Floral Decorator

Christofer + Janesson & Ilonka Floral Decorator

WINNER of Wedding Décor with a budget UNDER $10,000: Blue Moon Florist

Blue Moon Florist

WINNER of Theme Décor with a budget OVER $10,000: Passion for Petals

Passion for Petals

WINNER of our newest category Rising Star: Laurie Sasko Designs

Laurie Sasko Designs

2011 Whose Table is it Anyway WINNERS

Lydia from Shutterbooth Philadelphia let attendees step into the photobooth and create timeless memories of this SWP event.

There was even a firework display from Fireworks Concepts.  There were no holds barred with this event! Be sure to check back for the highlight film which is currently under production from Alicia at Blossom Productions.  Enjoy the pictures from the event, courtesy of Lindsay Docherty Photography!

If you missed it, you’ll have to make sure you block off your calendar next year in September for our 5 year anniversary!

Make today, YOUR DAY!

Kassie Budzinski
SWP Secretary
Karen Pecora Events

Chorus Photography

Carol Keene, Catering Sales Manager opened up Huntingdon Valley Country Club‘s doors for SWP’s “What’s Hot” Event.   The crowd was buzzing and lively as everyone sipped libations and snacked on coconut lobster tails, lobster spring rolls, sweet potato turnovers and lamb chop lollipops during cocktail hour.   There were dinner stations with salad, shrimp and scallop stir fry with rosemary rice, spring rolls and sirloin steak.

We had some new faces among our regular SWP attendee’s that we would like to welcome to the melting pot!

Chorus Photography

The educational piece of the night started off with a bang as Tessa Miller of Partyspace.com and Jeffery Miller of Jeffery Miller Catering, filled us in on the newest addition to Partyspace.com, Registry 10! Most engaged couples now a days already live together so they don’t need a new microwave, toaster or even want a set of fine china.   Registry 10 is the buy local gift registry for Philadelphia allowing couples to register for unique gifts not found on traditional registries. Some really cool gifts include a hot air balloon ride, fine dining, Wine from local vineyards, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Charitable donations,Chocolate fountain for your wedding reception, and best of all you can add a dream gift, such as Phillies season tickets which is on Tessa’s registry.

Our panel consisted of Jeffery Miller of Jeffery Miller Catering, Alana Tosti of Philly Mag, Mike Sardanapoli of EventQuip, Marc Smiler of Marc Smiler Video Artist, Rian Winther of Eventions Productions and Phil Kramer of Phil Kramer Photographers.

Chorus Photography

Jeffery Miller gave his insight on food trends, speaking heavily on the influence of couples of different backgrounds, mixing their traditional foods together to create an  amazing meal and some added creativity on the chefs end.

Marc Smiler filled us in on the latest video trends starting off with movie trailers. Couples can use movie trailers for sneak peaks for their actual wedding day video and even use it for their Save The Date’s and Invitations. What a unique idea!! Videographers are making it easier for all of the wedding guests to see the wedding video by providing a link of the video to share on your thank cards, Facebook, Twitter and your wedding website. Now you can hang on to your DVD or Blue-Ray Disc without the fear of losing it amongst the family.

Chorus Photography

Phil Kramer shared with us how many couples are breaking the tradition and taking pictures together before the ceremony.  This allows you to calm some of the nerves and actually enjoy your cocktail hour, where the party really starts! Lighting has become a necessity to create that WOW factor.   Rian Winther spoke about intelligent lighting providing ways to spice up the walls of your reception by adding designs, which could later change into a slideshow, your monogram and whatever you could imagine.   Rian, Phil and Marc also shared some valuable information on how LED Lighting may look great in person, however you may not be pleased with the colors showing up in your photos and video. The LED lights can alter the color dramatically, as Marc gave the example of buying a blue sweater at the store and bringing home what now looks purple, so use LED lights sparingly such as uplighting a tree outside at night.

Tented weddings allow for complete customizing including new distinctive floor trends.  Mike Sardonopoli of EventQuip, shared how you can trade out your lawn for wood grain, linoleum, and even real wood such as tongue and groove found in hardware stores.  Now that’s a way to make a statement!

Chorus Photography

Last but not least, fashion trends….by our only woman speaker, Alana Tosti of Philly Mag. The wedding dress is one of the most important parts of the wedding, lets face it- you can’t get married without it. You’ll find many of the hot trends coming straight from the runway especially ballet inspired including feathers and tulle. The royal wedding has influenced beautiful lace sleeved dresses but make sure you have a party dress to dance in.   Celebrities are always inspiring including recently married Vanessa Minnillo’s, two piece dress. Brides really get to showcase their personality through their wedding gown like never before.

We would like to recognize and Thank Huntingdon Valley Country Club and staff for hosting our event, Choice Party Linens for donating the crinkle linens, Kremp Florist for arranging such beautiful centerpieces, Bri Miller from Chorus Photography and the Marriott.    Thank you again for all of your hard work in making our meeting a success.

Chorus Photography

We look forward to seeing everyone attend our Annual “Whose Table is it Anyway” table top competition on September 21st at Phoenixville Foundry.  Tickets are now on sale under Events-Whose Table is it Anyway.  All proceeds go to Donors are Heroes- Gift of Life Program.

Kassie Budzinski
Karen Pecora Events
&
Lauren Reilly
Karen Pecora Events

This is a chance for all industry professionals to show off their creative talents and design a table scape with the option of four categories (Wedding Over $10,000- Wedding Under $10,000-Theme Over $10,000- Theme Under $10,000)

This year we are really excited to debut a new category…

Set yourself apart from the pack and get recognized as 2011’s “Rising Star Designer” in the Society of Wedding Planners Whose Table is It Anyway Tabletop Competition!

Our new category allows our newer peers to get involved now, instead of waiting to get an idea of what other contestants are doing this year.  It will also give you a year of practice before going up against some of the top industry pros in next years competition.

To participate in this category you must be in the industry for three years or less, and you can not have participated in the Whose Table is It Anyway competition previously ~ It’s that simple!  You can design your tabletop any way you like (wedding, theme, bar/bat mitzvah, etc.).  You can also team up with other Rising Star’s to create your design, or you can fly solo.

We can’t wait to see what fresh and creative ideas our new talent will share!

Renee McIntyre
All About Events
&
Kassie Budzinski
Karen Pecora Events

This was one hell of a night- great food, fabulous food trends, phantom chefs in chef garb, not to mention a killer food fight!

The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum was an excellent venue that could keep anyone occupied.  The five chef’s that showcased their talents- walked down a massive stage that would have any super model jealous.

Chefs included:

Jay Embler of Herb Scott Catering
Charles Moretz of Voracious
Erin Morrison of J. Scott Catering (represented Phoenixville Foundry)
Rob Schlosser of Radley Run
Kevin Evans of Village Catering

Each chef prepared a dish of their choice- entree, hor d’oeuvres or dessert.  Some of the delicacies included, Seared sea bass over herb basmati rice and Surf and Turf  mini spoons.  All looked delicious.

Aramark supplied our phantom chefs with chef uniforms.  Phantom Chefs included Valerie Franklin (Weddings Etc.), Dave Buckley (AFR Event Furnishings), Greta Russo (Lotus Event Designs), Erin Proud (Proud to Plan), Eli Allen (Majestic Images) and Jason Weldon (Synergetic Sounds and Lighting).  They all made the fashion show lively and utterly entertaining with Eli’s strip tease, Greta’s wedding planner meltdown.  Jason and Erin had a lovely picnic on the runway, while Valerie and Dave made soup until it all turned south and a giant food fight erupted on stage.

There are a lot of people to thank for the success of this event:

Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum & staff
Village Catering
Phil Kramer Photographers
IMS Audio | Visual
Synergetic Sounds & Lighting
Mid Atlantic Events Magazine
Aramark

Look for more information on a July event and mark your calendars for SWP Whose Table is it Anyway on September 21, 2011 at the Phoenixville Foundry.

Make it a positive day!
Kassie Budzinski
Karen Pecora Events

Phantom Chefs/Chefs:

Jason (Synergetic Sounds)-Phil Kramer Photographers

Greta (Lotus Event Designs)- Phil Kramer Photographers

Eli (Majestic Images)-Phil Kramer Photographers

Erin (Proud to Plan) Phil Kramer Photographers

Dave (AFR) & Valerie(Weddings Etc.)- Phil Kramer Photographers

Rob Schlosser: Radley Run- Phil Kramer Photographers

Erin Morrison: J.Scott Catering-Phil Kramer Photographers

Jay Embler: Herb Scott Catering-Phil Kramer Photographers

Charles Moretz: Voracious- Phil Kramer Photographers

Kevin Evans: Village Catering- Phil Kramer Photographers

Majestic Images Photography

May 4, 2011,  The Society of Wedding Planners had their monthly meeting/spring mixer at DuPortail House and member Christina Carnevale put a program together called “Sealed and Delivered: A planner’s guide to wedding stationery.” There are so many different ways to print invitations.  Each ranges in price from a

Majestic Images Photography

couple hundred dollars to a few thousands, and of course let’s not forget what should and should not get printed/listed on wedding invites.  Those of us event professionals that are not invitation experts, love handing our clients over to the pro’s when a client asks us for advice in that department. Meet Christina Carnevale, owner of Paper Rock Scissors and invitation guru!

Majestic Images Photography

Her work is fabulous (check out her website) and her presentation was most informative.  Check out the notes below from her presentation. We owe a special thanks to Kate Frey at The DuPortail

Cricket Catering-Majestic Images Photography

House- thank you for hosting SWP’s event, Cricket Catering, Select Event Rental, Choice Linens, Patrice and The Show, Empire Valet, Majestic Images, Philadelphia Distilling, Rolling Barrel, Intercourse Brewery for providing us with libations, Christina Carnevale of Paper Rock Scissors, and April Bradley Designs for donating custom create earrings.

If you’re engaged or are just curious to get some more information about invitation etiquette…Well then, you have come to the right place.  See Below for what is trending in the Invitation world and so much more.

Sit Back and Get Ready to be… “Sealed and Delivered- A planner’s guide to wedding stationery by Christina Carnevale.”

Timing: Q.  When should you be looking at invitations? A. ASAP- look soon approximately 6-8 months before Invites should be mailed within 6-8 weeks before the wedding Destination wedding within 10-12 weeks prior (for delivery purposes) *TIP* If you have family overseas- Christina says to batch the invites all together and mail them to one address and have a family member distribute them- that way they don’t get lost and everyone will receive them at one time. Pretty Methods: Engraved: there is a plate for every single image that is on your invitation. This is the most labor intensive invite to produce- someone stands at a machine and feeds the paper into the printer individually and it is them hung to dry. This is the most expensive invitation. Letterpress: less expensive than Engraved but still expensive. **Even with how expensive it still is, this form of printing invites is a Hot Trend** Thermograph: almost like embossing. Digital: Inexpensive:  Able to print in multiple colors.  Hot Trend**

Paper Rock Scissors-Majestic Images Photography

Dark Envelopes are a Hot Trend with light colored calligraphy. Envelope Liners- plain or patterned (even the bride on a budget is choosing this hot trend) Inner Envelopes- not necessary Pockets (very neat concept) Q.  Can I save paper by not having a response envelope and just have an RSVP Postcard? A. Christina still recommends putting a response postcard in an envelope.  If you have a postcard everyone then   knows where you will be and your personal information is floating through the postal service.  Plus these small postcards get lost in the mail easily. RSVP- 3 to 4 weeks before weekend wedding Q. Should I do printed RSVP’s or internet? A.  We still live in the age where not everyone knows how to work a computer.  Plus internet RSVP’s can get lost in cyberspace. **I know you are all thinking; “they can easily get lost in the postal mail.” Which is true but it will always get sent back to the return address. **TIP- Keep Everything in one method.  Hard Copy or Internet.  Do Not mix methods.**

Paper Rock Scissors-Majestic Images Photography

Things you SHOULD NOT put in the Invitations: No Children                             Gift Registry Adults Only Addressing Envelopes Should be written/calligraphy- it is not proper etiquette to run envelopes through a printer! Christina always encourages brides to hand write their envelopes. If you have a B- List: people who wait the longest to RSVP from you’re a list are not coming. It’s a fact of life. **TIP- Postage is never included in invitation price.** If you want custom postage it’s a 20% surcharge. **Recap of Invitation Trends: Letterpress and Digital Print Invitations Dark Envelopes with light colored calligraphy Envelope Liners (plain & patterned) Visit Christina’s Website for more information! We hope to see you at our Food Fashion Show June 1^st! Kassie Budzinski Karen Pecora Events