 Every year Pantone (a color specialist company that sets the standards for color coding for consistency across design platforms and printers) picks a color of the year. They take into account the trends across fashion, design and art and pick what they think will be a trending color of the year. They have been doing this for over 20 years.
2021 is a banner year as there is not one color of the year but two. Illuminating and Ultimate Gray share the honor of being selected. The combination of the colors, according to Pantone is "practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, the union of [the colors] is one of strength and positivity." With they way the world has been in 2020 we could all use some strength and positivity. Yellows have always signified cheerfulness, calmness, and essentially "a light at the end of the tunnel." That there are brighter things ahead. Gray is a color of stability, strength, fortitude, resilience, and a firm foundation. The union of these two colors is very calming. Learn more about Pantone and the Color of the Year here: www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2021
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 There are a lot of wedding professionals you need to hire to pull off your wedding. The average wedding couple will hire 13 vendors for their wedding, according to Wedding Wire. But there are some you didn’t know you needed or that they even existed, Here are some unique wedding professionals I think you should check out.  Just Us Girls Mobile Bartending- Most weddings have a bar. Some venues have bartenders and some require you hire your own. Traci and Lesli lead a great bunch of bartenders. They make delicious drinks, can purchase the alcohol for you, can serve alcohol you purchase, and also carry additional insurance to help protect you. The entire team is also fun to have around!  1927 S’Mores- I mean… s’mores!!!! Need I say more?! They bring everything you need to have s’mores at your wedding. They also offer to go packages as wedding favors. It is such a unique way to add memories to your wedding.  The Mobile Scoop Ice Cream Shop- They bring the ice cream to your wedding. They have a cute cart they can bring to serve the ice cream out of. They also have cones and toppings to go along with the scoops. They are an ice cream lover’s dream.  3Birds Caravan- Luxury brought to you. They are mobile bridal suites. They offer all the comforts of home but on location. They are designed for you and your crew to get ready in. Very inviting and calming.  The Little Photo Bus- It is a photo booth that drives up to your wedding. Climb in and take some cute photos. This vintage Volkswagon bus is so cute and unique. It may be the only time in your life you ever see one of these!!!!
These wedding professionals all offer a unique service to make your wedding go smoothly and add a touch of fun. Reach out to any of them and see how they can help you on your day. Keywords: wedding vendor, wedding professional, ice cream, portapotty, luxury wedding, rustic wedding  Most people know “invitation” and “RSVP” but “insert” is one term that many people don’t understand. An invitation suite will include 1 invitation and RSVP but can include 1 or more insert cards. Let’s dive into inserts and why you need one (or 2…. or 3…. or more.)
An insert card is for any information you need to convey to your guests in order for them to attend your wedding. You should assume NOTHING and include everything your guests need to know. Just because something seems obvious to you doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be included. All the information needed to attend should be included in the invitations. Information to include may be:
All the information needed for your guests to attend your wedding should be included in your invitation suite. Your invitation suite should make it as easy as possible for your guests to attend. Keywords: wedding, wedding invitation, wedding invitation suite, invitation design, wedding invitation insert card  This years’ event took place on Sunday, September 20, 2020. This was the third year of this event and once again was hosted at Log House Garden at Willow Lake in Keizer, Oregon. There were over 25 professionals there to meet couples and help them plan their wedding.  2020 has been a year to remember…. And not for good reasons. Even with the COVID-19 Pandemic we decided as a group to move forward with the showcase and to be sure to follow all safety precautions in place. Our showcase was scheduled for Sunday, September 13 but unfortunately less than a week before the showcase the Willamette Valley was hit with wildfires. There were evacuations of many people, including some of our professionals in our group. The decision was made to postpone in the interest of respect for the safety of all vendors and guests to the following weekend.  While the showcase this year looked much different than previous years it was still very successful. We had over 150 people come visit us. And the sun was shining!!!! The last 2 years we have been in a downpour for most of the show. The smoke had cleared from the wild fires as well so this was the first day in almost 2 weeks we were able to see blue skies in the Willamette Valley. Thankfully, Caroline with Events Planned Perfectly was able to take the helm and steer this event toward success! Without her hard work and dedication to making this event not only possible but great would never have happened.  Every year there is a charity we choose to give the proceeds from the show to. This year, due to the wildfires happening just before our show we decided to donate to The Red Cross Cascades Region. They did wonderful work for all those evacuated (people and animals) and it was an easy decision to decide to donate to them. We were able to donate $500 to them to help.  Thank you to all the professionals and guests who made this day so special! Until next year…. Check out all the professionals that were at the showcase. All photos by Stunning Portrait Photography  Me!                         Mariz and James were a wonderful couple to work with. They were referred to me by my friends at Danner and Soli Event Rentals (Love my fellow wedding pros!). They came to me with an idea I had never done before. I am always up for the challenge of something new.
Mariz showed me a picture from her Pinterest page. She liked a layer of vellum over card stock. This is a wonderful way to add depth to stationery. I loved the look and was excited to help them achieve the look they were going for. The design required an eyelet to be punched into the sheets to keep them together. I had never done that before but again, I am always up for a challenge. So I set out to start figuring out how to make it work. I would have to be sure the layers lined up when the eyelet was punched. To make it work I put a dot on the design of both layers so when they printed I could line them up when punching the eyelet. Now that I had the logistics figured out for the final product it was time to start designing the text. The design on the vellum needed to not obscure the photo coming through but also needed to still be legible. They wanted the text to be deep purple. It was a great way to incorporate one of their wedding colors into the invitation. On the back of the card stock is where all the details for attending the wedding went. Their ceremony and reception were not in the same venue so they needed to include both locations on the invitation. Traditionally reception information goes on a separate card but this design allowed for it to be included in this design. I usually advise clients against putting all the information on the invitation but they liked the idea of having it all on one card. We also kept the purple color throughout the design. When the text on the back was designed they decided that it looked a little plain so they wanted to add a wreath with their initials in it. When the design was completely done I did a sample print of the photo and text on a white card stock and a pearl card stock to show them options. They chose to go with the pearl card stock. It gave the invitation more texture. I really enjoyed working with Mariz and James! They got me thinking outside the box and I grew as a designer and was able to give them the unique invitation they were looking for. Keywords: wedding, wedding invitation, vellum, vellum wedding invitation, overlay, layered wedding invitation  Not every wedding uses a seating chart. For my wedding, we didn’t use one but there were a couple of reasons for that. Does your wedding need a seating chart? Here are some things to consider and help you decide.
Keywords: wedding, wedding day, wedding sign, wedding seating chart, seating chart, COVID  Wedding planning is hard. There are so many pieces to try and coordinate. Often you are asked “how many guests are you expecting?” Most people can answer that question pretty quickly. The guest list has been made and numbers calculated so you can get a venue the right size and order enough food for all your guests.
One of the first questions I ask clients is “how many invitations will you need?” I always follow up with “how many guests are you expecting?” More often than not they give me their guest count as an answer to both those questions. It is one of the only things that is NOT guest count you will encounter while planning your wedding so it can be confusing. So how many invitations do you need? I always suggest counting addresses. You will send one invitation to each household. If there are multiple adults living in the same house you will want to send one to each family unit. So if mom lives with her adult son and his spouse, mom would get an invitation and son and spouse would get a separate one. Typically you will need about 60% of the guest count. So if you have 200 guests you will need about 120 invitations. I always suggest adding 5-10 more so you have a keepsake and in case there are last minute people that get added to the guest list. So if I were to ask you “how many invitations do you need?” I hope you feel better prepared to answer the question. Keywords: wedding, save the date, wedding invitations, ordering wedding invitations, ordering save the dates, shop local 
Photo by Alisha Hale Photography
Styled shoots are so fun. It is always nice to meet up with friends and make new friends while being creative. With weddings being rare this year there has been a lot of opportunity for creatives to get together and created some fun shoots.
Krystle Allen with Krystle Clear Events is a wedding planner and designer extraordinaire. She put together a team of vendors to showcase the beauty that is the Eola Hills Legacy Estate Vineyard in Salem, Oregon. Just a couple miles once you cross over the bridge from downtown Salem to West Salem is this beautiful oasis with a view of the coast range. 
Photo by Alisha Hale Photography
Photo by Emily Skye Photography
Krystle created classy tables using a farm table and jewel tone items. Her eye for detail is #lifegoals. You can tell it is her passion and she has found her calling.
Alana with Flowers by Alana used orange and blue flowers along with greenery to accent the tables. The bouquet was stunning as well. 
Photo by Alisha Hale Photography
Nothing Bundt Cakes don't just have a catchy name.... they also make delicious desserts. These Bundtinis were red velvet and lemon. Not gonna lie... desserts made be my favorite part of styled shoots. ;)
Photo by Emily Skye Photography
Morgan Nichols did a wonderful job on Grace's makeup. Grace was a beautiful canvas and Morgan did a great job.
Photo by Emily Skye Photography
Grace and Taylor looked great in their outfits as well. It is always fun to work with models that are a couple in real life. You can't fake this chemistry.
Taylor was dashing in his tux from The Black Tux. Grace was adorned with a dress from Adorned in Grace (see what I did there? See.... I'm punny!). 
Photo by Emily Skye Photography
This photo I shared on instagram shows how well the photographers and videographer worked together. Maybe I started on the wine a little early.... I cannot confirm or deny.... It was a vineyard after all!!!
It takes many hands to put these styled shoots together and this team was great. All are definitely professionals. Honored to be in the same space.
Here is the list of all the wonderful professionals who put all of this together: Venue: Eola Hills Legacy Estate Vineyard | Instagram | Facebook | Coordination/Styling: Krystle Clear Events | Instagram | Facebook | Photography: Emily Skye Photography | Instagram | Facebook | Photography: Ashley Masters Photography | Instagram | Facebook | Photography: Alisha Hale Photography | Instagram | Facebook | Videography: Valley Trademark Photography | Instagram | Facebook Flowers: Flowers by Alana | Instagram | Facebook | Rentals: For the Love of Pete Rentals | Instagram | Facebook | Dessert: Nothing Bundt Cakes-Clackamas | Instagram | Facebook | Models: Grace and Taylor | @grac_eelizabeth | grace.roth5 | Makeup: Morgan Nichols | Instagram | Facebook | Dress: Adorned in Grace | Instagram | Facebook | Suit: The Black Tux | Instagram | Facebook | Stationery: Blue Bonsai Printing | Instagram | Facebook | 
Photo by Alisha Hale Photography
Photo by Alisha Hale Photography
Photo by Alisha Hale Photography
Photo by Emily Skye Photography
Photo by Emily Skye Photography
 Etsy is a wonderful marketplace. I sell on Etsy, so it is not that I have anything against Etsy. I also offer printing services for those that buy designs off Etsy for their save the dates and invitations. But as an Etsy seller and print shop there are some warnings I want to share.
1) Designs using copyrighted images- anything with a cartoon character or their likeness is illegal. I am sure you are thinking “but that stuff is all over Etsy!” Yes, it is but that doesn’t change the fact that it is illegal. Etsy is shutting down shops for posting illegal items. But what does this mean for you? If you buy a design that is illegal you will not be able to get it printed by a business. FedEx, UPS, Office Depot, Staples, Blue Bonsai, your local print shop- none of these places will print illegal designs because printing an illegal document is also illegal. No business will risk the repercussions of printing an illegal document. I have had so many people contact me asking if I would print a design with copyrighted material that they bought off Etsy. I hate to hear the frustration in their voice when they realize they have no options of getting them printed commercially. 2) Printables not set up for printing- if you buy a file on Etsy and the file is not set up properly it makes it hard or impossible to print, for you or a print shop. If a design is supposed to go all the way to the edge of the file will need to have a bleed on the design. If it doesn’t the design is not able to be printed to the edge. If the designer can’t define a “bleed” you should be wary. The other problem is resolution. A low-resolution file will look horrible when printed. If the file is set up low, you can’t do anything about it. The owner of the file (the Etsy seller) would need to fix it. They may not even know they care creating a low-resolution file which means they won’t be able to fix it. 3) Be wary of “editable” files- these are usually PDFs that have specific fields that you can change. But you have the fonts on your computer or it won’t work. You also can’t edit them on a mobile device typically. It is much easier for you to get a file that the designer changes for you and sends to you as a completed PDF so all you have to do is print. If you choose to get a design off Etsy I hope I have given you some tips for saving yourself some headaches!!! Keywords: wedding, wedding invitation, save the dates, Etsy  Respondez s’ilvous plait RSVP questions are the second most common questions I get about wedding stationery after “when do I mail everything?” The most common questions I get are:
You may have asked yourself these questions too. RSVPs are a necessary evil of wedding planning. It is important to collect them so you can account for every guest. Let’s go through and answer each of these questions. 1) How do I collect RSVPs? There are 3 ways to collect RSVPs that I recommend- through mail, email, or online. Which method you choose is based on your preference and the way you think will be most successful in getting your guests to actually respond. There are pros and cons to each method. There are things to consider when choosing which route is best for you and your wedding. Mail- This is the most traditional way of collecting RSVPs. Before the advancement of technology this was the only way you had guests respond. If you are having a formal wedding this is the route of collecting RSVPs that fits that style of wedding. Having your guests mail back their RSVPs is the most successful way to get your guests to respond, as long as you put stamps on the RSVP. Whether you choose a postcard or a card with envelope this method with the stamp provided is the most effective. Email- I recommend using this method only if you have a dedicated wedding email address. If you use your regular email you have a higher chance of losing the emails in all your regular email. This also helps keep all of them in one place and you have a lower chance of overlooking. Online- If you have a wedding website through any of the big wedding companies (The Knot, Wedding Wire, etc.) it probably includes the option to collect RSVPs online. The drawback to this method is that the RSVP function can be cumbersome to set up and may be difficult for your older guests to use.  2) Why do I need to do RSVPs? There are two reasons why you need an accurate guest count- food and seating. Food- Your caterer and baker will need to know an accurate guest count. They will need to make sure they have enough food to accommodate your guests. Whether you are having a buffet reception or a plated dinner your caterer will need to know how much food needs to be prepared. Your baker will want to make sure your cake is the right size. You also don’t want to pay for more people to eat than you have to. Seating- If you are setting up seating for your ceremony you need to set up enough chairs plus an additional 15-20% in order to make sure everyone is comfortable and everyone can still find a seat where they can see the altar. If you are choosing to do a seating chart you will need to know very accurately in order to assign the seats for all guests. If you choose not to do a seating chart you will still want to be sure there is enough seating for everyone and not have anyone missing a seat or having families have to sit apart from one another.  3) When should RSVPs be due? RSVPs should be due 1 month before your wedding. If your caterer or baker needs a final head count more than 14 days before your wedding date you should make your RSVP date 2 weeks before the due date. I recommend having the extra time because not everyone will RSVP so you will have to track down some people and that gives you enough time to do that and ease some stress.  4) How do I track RSVPs? A simple spreadsheet will do wonders. You can use the same spreadsheet to collect addresses and track all information in one spreadsheet. As soon as you get an RSVP returned you can go in and mark the response as well as the number of guests. If you have guests’ responses like food restrictions or song requests those can go in the spreadsheet as well. 5) What about food choices? If you are having a plated dinner with food options, you need to make sure guests know the choices and how to let you know of their choice. Email RSVPs typically don’t work for this because people will RSVP but forget to mention a food choice. Mailed RSVPs are a better option because with it right on the card people are much less likely to forget to complete the food choice section.  However you choose to handle RSVPs be sure to be detailed and diligent. This will be one of the most frustrating parts of the wedding planning process. I hope the answers to these questions help alleviate some of the stress.
Keywords: wedding, RSVPs, wedding day, wedding date, invitation design, invitation details |
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