Laura Hooper Calligraphy in Southern Weddings Fall/Winter Edition

We were so thrilled to be asked by Beth Helmstetter to contribute one of our maps for this spread!



You will find information and tips on all things destination wedding - how to plan, what to pack, what to expect, etc...

The full print edition will hit stands on November 10th!

Emotional Map - with lots of travel!

This emotional map does a wonderful job of sharing the couple's journey together and to each other - twice! The bride was born in Russia, but they met in 7th grade in Los Angeles. After a time as high school sweethearts, and sharing teenage milestones such as prom, each went to different colleges.

But love leaps all boundaries and they reunited just a couple years later for their second "first date"! They traveled through flood & fire to be together, and then traveled the world visiting Italy, Spain, France, Russia & Croatia. The couple happily ventured back to Italy for their pre-wedding honeymoon before tying the knot just two weeks ago!

Congratulations Juliya & Ariel!

Oversize Map - Pasadena, CA

This map of Pasadena, CA was printed as a 20" x 10" poster for a September 2009 wedding. It features the ceremony and reception locations, local hotspots and even the couple's favorite In-N-Out and Starbuck's!

The happy couple even paid a special tribute to their wedding planner, Mary Dann, in Manhattan Beach - check out the lower left hand corner to see her with "six arms" to complete a multitude of tasks!

Brasov, Romania Map

We adore this save-the-date for a wedding taking place next year in

Brasov, Romania!

The map features Brasov, within its city walls, and the outer area which includes Bran Castle, commonly known as "Dracula's Castle." The castle is marketed as the home of Bram Stoker's title character in Dracula! It is now a museum commonly visited by tourists in the area. You can also see Poiana Brasov - the most popular Romanian ski resort!


It is such fun to depict architecture and landscape so different from that found in the United States!

Sports-Themed Seating Charts

One of our brides just sent over a picture of her St. Louis Cardinals seating chart from her rehearsal dinner - and we think it is so adorable!

The bride had surprised the groom with this special touch to the event! She had this to say: "Brian loved the rehearsal dinner seating chart...It was a HUGE hit!!! Lots of STL fans were there so they all thought it was the best thing ever...Brian was SO surprised."

Here is another example for an Atlanta Braves fan.

This is just another idea on how to make your big day personal to you. The rehearsal dinner is a great time to incorporate fun ideas that may not fit in with the mood or feel of the wedding itself.

Seating charts and placecards can be created with any theme - we are dying to do Los Angeles Dodgers and UCLA Bruins themed charts!!

In the Press: INSIDE Weddings Fall 2009

We were so happy to learn that one of our weddings was featured in the Fall 2009 edition of INSIDE Weddings. Tina LaMorte of Oh So Fabulous was the coordinator behind this fantastically lavish affair!


The golden invitations were delicately accented with a crystal band - so lush!

This gorgeous wedding was even featured on Season 5 of Platinum Weddings this past summer!

Click here to see another feature on Laura Hooper Calligraphy in this same issue!!

Sun Valley, Idaho Map

This Sun Valley, Idaho map is simple, creative and showcases the town and couple's favorite activity - skiing! We also included some area wildlife like the eagle, deer and sheep.

We love doing maps that include intineraries on the reverse. They are fun and informative!

Spotlight on: Bella Cupcake Couture

{Cupcakes by Trophy Cupcakes}

We were recently introduced to Bella Cupcake Couture, and we simply can not get enough of these adorable (and creative) cupcake wrappers!


Bella Cupcake Couture offers chic textile-inspired cupcake wrappers. The boutique-style designs are exquisite and offer a sophisticated elegance to any special occasion - weddings, baby and bridal showers, birthdays, celebrations, and just because.


{Cupcakes by Sweet Endings Bakeshop}

The patterns mix elegant hues like chartreuse, chocolate brown, citrus or soft pinks, making every cupcake look stunning. They are not only fashionable, they are also eco-friendly. Each design is printed with soy inks on recycled paper.

No matter which type of cupcake you enclose it around, it is sure to be adored!

Visit their website or blog for more information.

Cape May Map

We can't wait to see photos from one of our couples' wedding this past Saturday in Cape May! Here's a peek at their adorable map...

The wedding took place at the historic Macomber Hotel, and other local hotel options were depicted on the map as well - it even included a dog icon for the pet-friendly hotels!

Similar to a Los Angeles, CA map we posted last month, this Cape May, New Jersey map includes a frame around the border, which we think adds nicely to the overall look.


Congratulations to Michelle & Paul!

Real Wedding: Gotham Hall, New York City

We simply love the details in this New York wedding coordinated by Tina LaMorte of Oh So Fabulous!

The whole look of this wedding is just gorgeous - and the accents truly add so much character. Now this is a fall wedding!

{Leaves by Jennifer Aitchison, Photography by Craig Paulson}

An Emotional Map for an Austin, Texas Wedding

Having been born and raised in Texas, this Boston-based photographer returned to Austin for her September 2009 wedding! The couple decided to create an emotional map to showcase their journey to each other and life together thus far.

He was born in Pennsylvania, and both moved to Boston in 2001 where they eventually met in 2003. They chose to feature various vacations together and even their Boston Terrier, Betty. The cowboy hat on the groom is an especially fun touch!


Thank you Chelle and Adam for sharing your "Wedding Road Trip" with us!

Engage!09:: the Encore

We are happy to be at "engage!09:: the encore" with fellow wedding industry professionals and so very proud to have designed the map for this amazing conference event!

The 3-day conference taking place at Encore at the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas will be kicking off this evening with a Welcome Cocktail Party followed by an all day wedding intensive tomorrow. The intensive will include guest speakers Rebecca Grinnals, Simon T. Bailey, Marcy Blum, Sean Low and Todd-Avery Lenahan - and a special wine & cheese tasting by jtwines! The night will be capped off with an "engaging" mixer at BLUSH Nightclub.


Click here for more information on the sold out engage!09::the encore and engage!10.

Real Wedding: Norwalk, Connecticut

This couple loves Laura Hooper Calligraphy maps so much...they had two created for their wedding! They provided a 3-color map in letterpress with the itinerary on the back to all of their guests (the wedding weekend included a clam bake and post-wedding brunch)...

...and then had an enlarged poster of their "Journey to Each Other" (across the U.S.) displayed at the reception!


{Photos of the beautiful event from Laura Novak Photography}

Thank you to Traci Romano Events for including us in this very special wedding!

In the Press: Town & Country Weddings

You can find Laura Hooper Calligraphy listed in the Fall 2009 issue of Town & Country Weddings as one of their recommended "Blogs for the Bride!"

Congrats to our friends Abby Larson of Style Me Pretty, Kathryn Storke of Snippet and Ink, and Maria Cooke of Ritzy Bee who are also included in the group!

Wedding Planning Tip: Table Names

Couples are often looking for interesting ways to showcase their personalities through their weddings, and having meaningful table names is one way to do just that! But what "themes" work best? Here is a list of recent ideas that our couples have come up with:

Movies

Places the couple has traveled

Places the couple wants to travel

Sports players

Sports teams

Icons (rather than names)

The word “love” in various languages

Various words in different languages (ie. Italian, Portuguese, or French)

Lakes and Fish (the groom was really into fishing)

Gemstones
Names of buildings at/around your college(s)
Local street names

{handmade invitations from Blue Magpie that match the adorable name tags up top}

Happy Planning!

Attention New York area brides!

Laura Hooper Calligraphy has partnered with Elisabeth Events for their 2010 Designed to Dream Wedding contest. Visit the Elisabeth Events blog for full details on how to win the prize package valued at $15,000 - including your very own Laura Hooper Calligraphy map!

{Be sure to enter by October 15th!}

Spotlight on: Micah Dahlberg Photography

A few months ago we were introduced to the husband and wife team behind Micah Dahlberg Photography, and we are so happy to share their work with our readers!

{Micah and Megan themselves on a camping trip!}

You can immediately sense the love of art, photography and people shared by this couple, and it truly shines through their work.




Micah Dahlberg Photography will capture every moment and emotion on your wedding day (or engagement session!), and share your love through a vivid story of photos. Micah describes it best in these words: "Through my lens I aim to tell your story in a way that is fun, fresh, unobtrusive, and photojournalistic, but most importantly, reminds you time and time again how lucky you are to have found one another."


Please visit the Micah Dahlberg Photography website and blog to enjoy more of their fantastic work!

Laura Hooper Calligraphy map on TLC's Wedded to Perfection

Watch TLC's Wedded to Perfection October 9th to see our map for London-based couple Alexa and Jorge!

As part of their wedding ceremony, Alexa and Jorge had their save-the-date transformed into a huge puzzle that was used as an escort table. Guest's table assignments were printed on the back of each piece with a coordinating puzzle key.

It was a great way for the guests to interact with the couple - and a lovely display of our map!

Click here for more information - Episode 2: Under the Wire Wedding.

Vote for us on MYFoxLA's 2009 Hotlist!

Love our work and our blog? Then vote for us on MyFoxLA's 2009 Hotlist! Help us win for the Best of LA by clicking here and voting! Be sure you click on the yellow "Vote" button for your vote to count!

It takes about 2 minutes and you have to be a "member" to sign up -- but we really appreciate all our clients, followers and friends who take the time to do it!

{This bride took took an old map she liked and changed it to fit her event!}

Laura Hooper Calligraphy featured in INSIDE Weddings magazine!

Our Autumn Garden invitation suite is featured in the INSIDE Weddings magazine Fall 2009 "Hotspots" feature!

The invitations and map are letterpress printed on a rich wooden veneer, giving the invitations an added texture and special design touch.


Visit the INSIDE Weddings website for more wedding planning tips and ideas!