Top Three Tips for Un-Inviting a Wedding Guest

So you’ve got too many rsvp’s- yikes! If you’ve only got the budget or space for a certain number of people and too many say they’ll be there it can come down to a harsh reality- you’ll have to un-invite some guests. This is absolutely no fun, but it does happen. We’re here to help you get through it.

Be Honest

If there’s no way of sugar coating it- don’t. There’s nothing wrong with being honest. In fact, it’s the best way to handle any situation- tough or otherwise. There can be a better way to approach it, but your subject matter should always be rooted in honesty. Think about why you have to cut the headcount- is it money? is it the space? Whatever it is, work out the best way to phrase it. Ask your fiance to help you out and back you up. Try having the conversation with each other to make it easier. Just be honest and don’t change your mind. Once someone’s cut, they’re cut!

Offer an Alternative

While you can’t have them at the official wedding or reception, ask for a dinner or brunch. Say that you want to celebrate privately in place of the large ceremony and plan on a different sort of get together. While you’re explaining why you have to un-invite that guest, you can follow up with scheduling a different time to celebrate. This can also help you while you’re explaining- you can mention that you’d prefer a more private time to celebrate and share this moment in your life with this guest. For the most part, your friends and family want to go to your wedding because they want to support you and they’re happy for you. Remember that and work out another time to celebrate and share.

Follow Up with a Thank You

After the conversation about un-inviting, it can be good to follow up with them to ensure it wasn’t out of bad blood. After you un-invite someone, it is just good manners to extend some sort of love their way. It can be tacky to send them a wedding thank you card (definitely DON’T send them pictures from the wedding they were un-invited to), but send a short handwritten card just thanking them for understanding. No need for frills or anything crazy, but show that you do appreciate their flexibility and that they are still meaningful in their life. Be gracious and kind, it always pays off in the end.

 

BHL Vendor Hot Pick: EAST SIX

I am totally into things that are unique and gorgeous. That is why on this lovely Monday morning, it comes to no surprise that I am in love with a pair of brilliantly talented ladies who dress to impress. Dress up paper goods that is.  This lovely duo creates a wedding detail which gives the first impression to guests. Yep, I am talking about the invitation.  Invitations that are so darn pretty and unbelievably designed, that I may just plan myself a lovely affair, just so I can have one of these fabulous invitations.  I am proud to introduce the fabulous vendor, EAST SIX to our “Vendor Hot Picks”.  It is the type of vendor that has me swooning at every turn. This incredible vendor is nothing short of paper perfection. image

I had a chance to visit this lovely little studio and browse through all the gorgeous and stunning paper goods. Oh my goodness! I never thought I would love paper so much until I got a peek of these elegant invitations all beautifully crafted.  Another reason to fall in love with this company, is the ladies behind the talent. They are the sweetest, and such a pleasure to chat with. I enjoyed every moment with them. Seriously, wait until you see what these gals can make. You will not want to miss a single image below. Go ahead, fall in love with paper. I know I did.

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About EAST SIX

A boutique design studio with locations in New York City and Los Angeles, EAST SIX was founded in 2005 by childhood best friends Stacey Mui and Marina Marchisi. The two noticed a need for EAST SIX during a wave of friends’ weddings – so many of the invitations and accompanying wedding sets they received were uninspired and predictable. Stacey and Marina chose to combine their professional backgrounds and artistic abilities, and opened EAST SIX, where they create never-before-seen custom designs that truly reflect the style and vision of the bride and groom.

EAST SIX works intimately with every client, to create personalized paper accents for every detail of an occasion, imprinting the story and personality of each couple onto every facet of their wedding invitations and accompanying accessories.

EAST SIX designs have been featured in The Knot “Best of Weddings,” New York Weddings, Elegant Bride, Brides, The Knot, INSIDE Weddings, Bride & Bloom. WellWed, Grace Ormonde, Weddings Unveiled. They have been selected for inclusion Style Me Pretty’s “Little Black Book” and Grace Ormonde’s “Platinum List.” Their work has appeared in “Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings” and WE TV series “My Fair Wedding with David Tutera”.

Five Things to Remember for Save the Dates

Are you in super planning mode? Be sure to pay attention to the details and not forget any of these five vital components of your save the dates!

Return Labels

Neither you nor your fiance will want to hand write out your address for every single envelope. You know that sounds like a wrist cramp waiting to happen. Instead, go to a printing website and design your own for the occasion. You can do a set in neutral colors so you can reuse them for thank you notes or just regular mail. If you’re pretty much settled in your home, you can invest in a custom stamp with your names and address.

List your Loved Ones 

Be sure to have an outline of all the people who will be receiving save the dates so you know how many to order, and how many supplies you’ll need. It can be handy for you to get a feel for your guest list as well. Keep it all on a spreadsheet or listed in your bridal book for reference. You can also use it to check people off as you send your save the dates out.

Double, No, Triple Check It

These are going out to all your loved ones and will be a keepsake from one of the greatest events of your life. Make sure it’s right. Have a friend check your work before you get them printed- another set of eyes can sometimes catch mistakes you can’t see. Be sure all addresses are right and all times are correct (with AM or PM specified). Do a name and address check with your loved ones list as well- just in case.

Invest in Forever Stamps

Forever stamps are always a good purchase for anything. You want to be sure to pick up a few sheets of them for all your save the dates- and even your invites and thank you’s while you’re at it. You can find cute ones with neutral images like flowers and birds typically at the post office or ATM. Some websites let you customize your own stamps with your own images, which is more expensive but would be a fantastic touch to your save the dates.

Make It Yours

Remember, it’s not purely informational. Make it personal with photos of you and your fiance and maybe a few images that are reminiscent of you as a couple. Be sure to either sign or put in a small message for your save the dates to give them a  personal touch. The little touches make people feel that much more cared for, and can go farther  than you may realize.

 

Retro and Vintage Invitations from Peaches and Queen

Before you rush off to start your lovely weekend, I thought to give you a little inspiration fix.  Do you know what I love? Weddings of course. But, I am totally obsessed with all things vintage…the gorgeous florals, the pretty colors, and all the charming details.   So, when you mesh the two together, it makes for a pretty sweet combo. My heart is beaming with joy! What I am really excited about today, is when vintage meets the paper goods. I am talking about the romantic and adorable invitations brought to you by Peaches and Queen. I want to dazzle your Friday morning with a dose of vintage inspired and retro fun, combined with a creative edge, which will make your pretty eyes oh so happy.
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Hello, my name is Mandy and I design retro and vintage inspired wedding stationery. I love to create quirky, colourful invites for brides and grooms looking for something a bit different to the norm. I have many types of stationary, however I love working closely with brides and grooms to create something completely bespoke and unique to them. Because everything is designed by me, every aspect can be personalised with colour changes/images/extras to be exactly what my clients want. All of my paper goods can be adapted to feature on Save the Date magnets and bookmarks, invites, RSVPs, thank you cards, candy buffet signage, luggage tags and place settings.

I was married in June 2012. I knew exactly what kind of stationery I wanted in my head but could not find anyone that created it, so I decided to do it on my own. I found I really enjoyed making them, and after my wedding, I received many compliments.  Someone asked if I can design something for their wedding too. Since I enjoyed designing so much for own wedding, I  decided to set up Peaches and Queen, and  share my designs with other brides to be.

My style is heavily inspired by retro and vintage styles from a bygone era. I have always been drawn to works from artists from the 50s and 60s and love nothing more than rummaging around antique fayres and boot sales for kitsch and quirky items for my home. Being surrounded by these things everyday has led me to try and carry this theme across many of my works.  I have my “Betsy” perfect for a 50s prom queen bride, “Alice” with its subtle Alice in Wonderland style as well as many other vintage inspired ranges, rich in pastel colours and lace. Another favourie of mine is birds. So, many of my works will feature them.  In fact I am slightly bird obsessed loosely having a bird theme at my own wedding. The height of kitsch also has to be my Jasmine invite, perfect for the bride travelling abroad who doesnt want to compromise on a fab style. Although many of my invites are digital prints I can also adapt some of them to be even more special with the addition of pearls, sparkles and real lace.

Although there is a strong vintage trend that has been running through the wedding industry for a few years now, I have always had a love of vintage items so I design what  I find visually pleasing to me rather then moulding it to current trends. I do really enjoy creating rustic pieces, and my new “Poppy” range combines rustic brown kraft card with lace really well. I also “tea dye” my own luggage tags and hand stamp and personalise them – there are so many different combinations possible!

I hope to keep creating and introduce many exciting new stationary over time. I also hope to introduce other beautiful venue styling items to my website over time such as handmade bunting and handmade favours.

Thank you Peaches and Queen for all the vintage inspired lovelies. I am head over heels!

Gorgeous Paper Goods from Gourmet Invitations

Today, it is hard to say Happy Friday. It is with a heavy heart that we watch the city of Boston go through such a emotional and heartbreaking time. Watching from the other side of the country, I can not imagine the anxiety and uneasiness that the Bostonians are going through right now. At BHL we continue to pray for those affected by this tragedy  and are keeping the city of Boston in our hearts.

With Boston in our thoughts, we want to continue the afternoon with something of joy and love. Taking a short break, to introduce a fabulous and creative company, Gourmet Invitations. When we first laid eyes on all the amazing paper goodies, we could not get over all the personal, and lovely details of each and every product. Gourmet Invitations came about when the owner and founder, Tifany Wunschl hand-made all the programs, place cards, and table numbers, for her own wedding. She loved it so much, she continued to do it for friends and family.  It then grew into something she never would have imagined. And, we are so grateful for that. Yep, this super creative and beautiful company can seriously deliver all the pretty goods. Let us take a look at the type of goods we are talking about.

Gourmet Invitations does more than just wedding invitations. Yep, they have the perfect recipe for all the hand-made paper goodness. Bridal shower and engagement party invitations, save-the-dates, seating charts, place cards, table numbers, menus, thank you cards, and more. Tifany works closely with all her clients in creating personal and beautiful paper goods for their taste, style, and look.  The end result? A beautiful work of art! What is great is that all the paper goods come together in a cohesive fashion, weaving all wedding elements into one. So, when the guest sees the invitation for the first time, it is their first sneak peek into what is to come on the wedding day. From the save-the-date, to the place card at their seat during the reception, your guests will be able to enjoy all the wonderful details of your wedding. So, take a break, get ready to inhale some happy and joyful fragrances of pure talent and beauty.

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The Invitation

Have you checked your mailbox today? What do you find? Junk mail and bills? Do you ever get a letter from a friend?  Probably not.

These days with email, text, twitter, Facebook, evites and other social media outlets, we rarely find any personal letters in our mailboxes. Just the junk.

Would it not be nice the next time you  open the mailbox and see an envelope with some pretty calligraphy, and a cute stamp on the top right?  Not junk! Yes!

What is inside this envelope? A wedding invitation! How wonderful!

Emily Baird of Emily Baird Design says that the first impression is everything.

The first impression of the wedding day is the invitation. The style, color, font, and design all give a sneak peek of the wedding.

Emily Baird is a talented designer who works closely with the bride and groom when designing their invitations.   From choosing the paper style, to the seal which closes the envelope, Emily will continue to work with the couple until she gets the perfect look!

She will even find you the printer, so there is no hassle for the couple.

Each of Emily Baird designs are unique.  The invitation that is created for the couple will never be reproduced.

Want to have an all together look? Emily also creates  save the dates, place cards, and escort cards, and menus.

Just remember, first impressions are everything, so why not make it  an amazing one!

Check out: www.emilybaird.com