Oh…. Pinterest…. My best friend and my biggest enemy when it comes to designing wedding stationery.  Pinterest wasn’t around when I got married (I got married in 2006 and Pinterest launched in 2010).  But if it had I probably would have gotten very overwhelmed!  I was limited to wedding magazines and google images searches.  It was the dark ages! But when it comes to wedding stationery there are good things and bag things about Pinterest. 
Why I LOVE Pinterest:

1. Pinterest is the best place to get ideas.  There are billions (yes… billions… with a “B”) of pictures on Pinterest. I am sure at least one billion of them are wedding related pictures.  Ok… I don’t know for certain but that has to true, right?  There are more pictures than anyone thought could be in one place.  It is great for seeing what you want to incorporate into your day.
2. You can find anything on Pinterest.  Literally.  Whatever search terms you type in the box it will find you results.  So even if your theme is super obscure you will find something on Pinterest that will fit that search.
3. As a designer, I love when people share designs they found on Pinterest.  Whether it is the color they are going for or design elements they would like to include (Note: I will NOT copy a design exactly.  That is unethical in my opinion and I just won’t do it).  I am a visual person so I understand much better when shown a picture instead of being explained ideas.  If there are multiple designs that have elements you like it is a great place to find all the things you love and keep track of them in one place.
4. If you don’t know what you want or envision for your day you can just start clicking and liking things and get ideas.
   

Why I HATE Pinterest:

1. It can be overwhelming.  There are so many pictures and you can see so many things you like and then get overwhelmed by making decisions on the direction you want to go.  Too many choices is actually a bad thing.
2. The Pinterest Fail- we have all heard the term.  You see something you love on Pinterest and because it is done so well you think you can pull off the same thing.  Unfortunately, probably not.  It is best to use Pinterest for inspiration instead of copying exactly.  Keep your expectations in check.
   
3. Love a design but can’t find the designer.  If there is not a direct link back to the person who did it odds are you will never find that designer.  This can also be difficult for me because people want an exact design but I will not copy (not that I can't, just that I won't)
   
4. Not all things on Pinterest are possible.  For a variety of reasons.  Maybe the fire code is different for your venue versus the one in the photo.  Maybe that color tablecloth is discontinued.  Maybe there are copyright issues involved with the design.  Maybe that wedding dress is discontinued by the designer and no longer available.  There are many reasons why it is not possible and that can be very disappointing. 
   

There are many pros and cons to Pinterest.  But it is a necessary evil.  Can’t live with it, can’t live without it.  Be cautious of falling in love with an idea on Pinterest.  Make sure you go into it with an inspiration lens and not expecting to see your Pinterest pictures come to life exactly the same way on your wedding day.  This will allow you to keep from being disappointed but, more importantly, will make the designs unique to you and your wedding day.

Keywords: wedding, wedding inspiration, Pinterest, Pinterest fail, wedding invitations, save the dates

Working with Deirdra and Michael was so much fun.  Their design process included many aspects of wedding stationery that I love: great couple, fun theme, elements you can’t get when you buy from a big online retailer, and creating something super unique.

It all started on a Saturday in May.  I was all prepared for a nice quiet Saturday in my pajamas and sitting on the couch with my laptop getting some work done.  But then my phone rang and Deirdra was feeling stressed about her invitations and they needed to be out to their guests in just a few weeks.  So an hour later we were meeting to work out their design.

Deirdra and Michael were such a sweet couple.  They were having their wedding at The Empress Estate in Ridgefield, Washington.  Beautiful doesn’t even begin to describe The Empress Estate.  They also were having a Beauty and the Beast theme.  Love! Love! Love!  This was going to be a lot of fun.  Their colors were sapphire and gold and they wanted to incorporate roses as well.  We also decided putting “Be our guest” at the top of the invitation would be a great way to pull in the theme.

Now that we had a design in mind it was time to figure out the actual paper pieces.  Anytime the design is simpler I suggest a textured card stock.  It is a subtle detail that makes a big impact.  Two common textures I recommend are linen and eggshell (looks kind of like the texture of a painted wall).  They agreed that a texture would do nicely.  They chose eggshell.

They were wanting a little more pizazz on their invitations so we talked through some options.  It was also a nice way to add in more of the sapphire and gold.  They chose to have the invitations mounted on a sapphire gate card tied closed with a gold ribbon and to use a gold shimmer envelope.  That envelope was going to make quite the impression before their guests even opened it.  I always suggest colored envelopes to my clients because most mail comes in white envelopes.  Your invitation is not “most mail” and it should stand out.

To help them get their invitations out in the mail as soon as possible I delivered the envelopes for them to be able to start writing out the addresses before the invitations were done.  About a week later I delivered the invitations to them.  I was very excited to show them the invitations but also a little nervous (I am always nervous before a delivery).  But they loved them!  That is my favorite part.

Keywords: wedding, wedding invitations, wedding theme, gate-fold invitation, Beauty and the Beast, theme wedding, The Empress Estate, Washington