Wedding Shoot by Bella Weddings & Events

We were so honored to be included in this gorgeous green + white inspiration wedding shoot by Bella Weddings & Events that was recently featured on Green Wedding Shoes!

From Susan & Kathy at Bella..."When Leila came to us asking to collaborate on a shoot, we were thrilled. We immediately thought of Vibiana as the perfect venue for the shoot and a fresh green spring theme started to evolve. Vibiana is a gorgeous venue with so many amazing architectural details - we loved shooting the details in the church's old altars and confessionals. The white marble is a gorgeous background!


Carissa's inspired floral designs brought to life the modern look for the dining and cake tables and through the light and airy bouquets. We had so much fun playing around in the Classic Party Rentals showroom to find the perfect place settings and chairs. The cake designed by Melody from the Sweet & Saucy shop picked up details from one of the gorgeous wedding gowns from the Alisa Benay collection. And Laura Hooper's classic custom calligraphy invitations, menus and place cards completed the look."

To tie the stationery in with the green + white theme, we provided invitations, menus and place cards using our Manhattan script in green ink. To play up the elegance of the venue and decor, we used a formal, all-calligraphy invitation.

We just love the dessert pieces!

Thank you to Leila at Be Inspired PR for bringing us into the shoot and to all of the vendors involved!

Venue: Vibiana
Coordination & Design: Bella Weddings & Events
Florals: JL Designs
Photography: Barnaby Draper Studios
Wedding Gowns: Alisa Benay
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals, Culver City
Linens: La Tavola
Cake & Desserts: Sweet and Saucy Shop
Producer: Be Inspired PR

Spotlight on: Urbanic Paper Boutique

We love unique finds and this boutique stationery store in Venice, CA fits the bill!

Tucked away by the ocean of Venice Beach, Urbanic Paper Boutique offers a sophisticated collection of unique cards, stylish papers, modern gifts, office accessories and custom stationery. Their store, opened in 2006, features a Bridal Lounge that is a private, by-appointment parlor brimming with inspiration and modern creativity. There you will find and personalize customized wedding invitations, save-the-date announcements and thank you cards that reflect the essence of who you are - in a style that captures your celebration. You can relax in the charming suite, enjoy a sparkling drink, and savor each moment as you plan your special day.

In addition to the Bridal Lounge, Urbanic stocks greeting cards, papers, agendas, calendars, journals, pens,  notebooks, unique gifts, wrapping papers , ribbon and boxes. Their collection of stationery also includes a line of eco friendly products that are recycled, post consumer and made from sustainable materials like soy ink and tree-free paper.

Visit their website and blog for more details and definitely stop by store at 1644 Abbot Kinney Boulevard the next time you are in Venice, CA!

Eco-Chic Lake Tahoe Set

This adorable 3-piece set was created for an eco-friendly couple getting married in South Lake Tahoe.

Both budget conscious and environmentally conscious, the bride loved our idea of the 100% recycled kraft paper with soy printed navy ink - both very eco-friendly! And what destination would be complete without one of our maps?

Keeping in line with minimal paper waste (and you can save on postage), they opted for an easy RSVP postcard (not pictured) - the whole set is sweet and simple, the perfect look for this happy couple! They completed the look by tying a nice little bow around the set.

Eco Friendly Inspiration

Tina LaMorte and the team from Oh So Fabulous! designed these lovely table tops and we were pleased to be a part of the shoot! They put together some eco-friendly but not impossible tabletop ideas for NJ News 12 to show brides how they can go "green" without sacrificing style.

First was a beach inspired table top using a denim linen, shells and candles.

Next they featured a nature inspired theme with succulents, river rocks and a burlap linen.

Rocks like these can be hand calligraphed with your guests names and make for excellent place cards or escort cards!

Thank you to the team at Oh So Fabulous for including our pieces in this special shoot! Visit their blog for more details on these eco-friendly table tops.

The shoot will air on NJ News 12 starting today and will also be in the next NJ Bride issue {along with another one of our weddings!}

Floral design by Stem & Co. Photographs courtesy of Images by Berit.

Out of Town Bags -- Chicago Style

Yesterday I was browsing around online and found that Elizabeth Anne Designs was featuring a guest blog by one of my clients, Blair, who had recently commissioned her map of Chicago. The custom map was to be used in the Out of Town Bags, and includes all their favorite haunts, including the wedding accommodations, and several art museums. The reverse side features a schedule and locations of all the train and trolley stations (not shown) so the map does have a sense of practicality in addition to being an artistic keepsake.

{Photos courtesy of the client, via Elizabeth Anne Designs}

Here's Blair, bag in hand, in front of her Christmas tree! The reusable bags she chose are made of recycled fibers, and in addition the maps are printed on recycled papers, always. We try to do our part here at being green! Also, if you need totes, we can get your map printed on totes {We're still awaiting the actual photos from our photographer, Mi Belle Photography} or can be imprinted with a design, much like the one shown above by Blair. Inquire via email for details!

Green Invitations

After talking to Michelle Mansfield Loretta of mmm....paper in Seattle I was inspired to write about her green stationery line. It was nice to see that mmm...paper has always been green, not because it is trendy but because Michelle desires to use papers that are inherently good for the environment. They source papers from all over the world, not only utilizing recycled papers, but papers that are tree-free and come from mills that conserve energy, papers that are from highly renewable plants rather than forests, and hand-made papers. They use a fine line of Japanese, Italian, and domestic papers, all of which are environmentally friendly. Their invitations are made the old fashioned way, by hand, which consumes less power. Saving a little piece of the environment while using their ability to create a beautiful invitation is a wonderful way to make invitations!