Invitations: Palm Tree Touches

This oldie-but-goodie save the date reminds us that simple can still be chic...and the perfect palm trees allow us to hang on the the fading days of summer!

One of my favorite things about this invitation is the line of icons letting recipients know what information they can find on the wedding website ~ it was so creative!

Guests can visit the wedding website for tips on golf, shopping, food, hotel and flights!

Creative Tip: Photo Save the Date

Looking for a fun way to use your engagement photos and share one in particular with your friends and family? Turn your favorite pic into a save the date postcard that you just know your guests will happily hang on their refridgerators!

For this couple we gave them two options for the Save the Date text - both in Rook script.

Keep your text simple on the reverse and you're all set!

{also included but removed for privacy is the couple's wedding website}

Let us know how we can turn your engagement photos into a beautiful invitation keepsake!

Maps: New York, NY ~ Save the Date

Today's Save the Date map features the wonderful New York City and comes complete will the Times Square ball drop! In addition to the wedding locales (church & reception), the couple also includes the beautiful flowers of Central Park, a horse-drawn carriage and even a simple tribute to New York City Firefighters with a couple small hydrant icons and the NYC Fire Museum.

We especially love the throwback to the old subway coins!

Honoring Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, we remember those who have died honorably serving the United States military. While we have become accustomed to celebrating this holiday with BBQs, shopping and sales, and spending time with our families, it is important to always remember the significance of the day. So we offer our sincere "thank you" to all those who serve!

Enjoy this sneak peek of a beautifully red, white and blue Santa Barbara wedding - we'll post the full wedding later this week!

Creative Save the Date

We were so excited to see our client share her save the date card in her Real Life Bride post on the Beth Helmstetter Events blog!

The couple started with their adorable photo by Lauren Ross Photography, and on the reverse we included their important wedding details. You might notice the adorable icon of the bulldogs on the postcard, too. The couple has two bulldogs that are very important to them and have been incorporated here in a playful way!

We also created custom stamps on Zazzle to complete the look of the set.

This showcases how fun a save the date can be, even if you plan on making the invitation more formal. This can showcase your personality and love in a very unique way!

Maps: Puerto Vallarta

We love this vibrant map of Puerto Vallarta that was used as a save-the-date for an upcoming wedding. The couple will be sharing a entire wedding weekend celebration with their family and friends!

With martini glasses, beer mugs and fireworks off the coast, you just know this is going to be a true celebration!

Maps: Michigan

This Michigan map showcases the area bordering Lake Michigan at Little Traverse Bay!

The map includes the venues pertinent to the holiday weekend wedding and also the many outdoor activities such as skiing, golfing, kayaking, hiking and bicycling! This was a save-the-date piece that included further wedding details on the reverse.

Calligraphy style is upright.

Maps: Jamaica

This sweet map of Jamaica served as a save-the-date postcard, and we just love the beautiful blues, purples and greens - such a great spring look!

The wedding weekend was set to take place at Round Hill Hotel & Villas in Montego Bay, Jamaica and the map included other visitor hot-spots. The save-the-date also included the couple's website (removed for privacy) where guests could visit for more information on booking their trip.

Calligraphy style is Ella.

In the Press: Weddings in Houston January 2011

Thank you to Weddings in Houston for including our Pineapple set in their current magazine issue!

We love this adorable Pineapple set complete with a custom map, and you can find more information about it on our Etsy website!

Photos by Steve Steinhardt.

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!

Fort Worth, TX Save the Date Map

If you talk to anyone from Texas, they will most likely rave about what a great state it is. I've had first hand experience with my soon-to-be brother-in-law...who happens to be from...Fort Worth, Texas! This map isn't my sister and her fiance's, but it does make me think of him and I can see all the Texas charm he speaks of right here in this sweet map!

This map features the downtown Fort Worth skyline, a point of pride for any local, and also includes the famous Stockyards as well! The Trinity River runs directly through the city and leads you to the beautiful Texas Christian University - home of the fiesty Horned Frogs...take a look at that mascot!

The couple used this map as their save the date indicating a formal invitation to follow. The reverse side of the map included the accommodations options for guests travelling in for the wedding.

Giving your guests this information in advance allow's them to plan ahead in terms of flights, days off of work and, most importantly, budgets.

Norfolk, England Map

This adorable map of Norfolk, England is being used as a postcard Save the Date for a wedding next June. It's simple, showcasing the countryside of England, while also including the classic tourist icons of England - phone booths, double-deckers, Big Ben and the British flag! It even has the Statue of Liberty  and American flag for those coming from the States!

Calligraphy style is Copperplate.

Same City, Three Different Maps

We showed you before how the same city (Washington, D.C.) can look very different as different maps. Here's another example of how Rhode Island can look to 3 different couples.

The above map is full of icons for locations (don't miss the special tribute to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox too!), while the map below has a simpler look with a more "zoomed in" feature.

This couple opted to leave the full color behind for a pink palette!

Three common features of these three maps? Astors Beechwood Mansion, Claiborne-Pell Bridge & Newport Harbor (and the year - 2009)! Other than that, each couple chose to include the places, streets and icons important to them resulting in three, very different maps of the same city!

Maui Map Save-the-Date

We do many maps for many couples all around the world, but there is still something special about a Maui map! We love the tropics (family trips to Hawaii and the Caribbean, vacations with friends), which probably plays into our love for these maps!

This map showcases so many of the great things that Maui has to offer - scuba, whales, sea turtles, parasailing, luaus, golfing, helicopter rides, waterfalls and pools! This save-the-date map has further information on the reverse side including the couple's wedding website for more information.

Save-the-dates are almost essential for destination weddings so that all of your desired guests can plan accordingly, but more often than not, many couples will send them for any wedding location to ensure that all the important people in their lives can share in their joyous day! Save-the-dates are generally sent out around six months prior to the wedding date, sometimes more for destination weddings and less for local weddings.

Visit our website for more save-the-date options and other printed material ideas!

Buy LH Calligraphy Stamps on Zazzle

We recently opened an online store at Zazzle, and now anyone can easily buy our custom stamps for all of your wedding (and other occasion) mailing needs!

Don't see one you like? Email us with your desired icon and wording and we can create a new custom stamp for you!

Real Wedding: Oheka Castle

We were delighted to receive pictures of a recent wedding at Oheka Castle in New York! The couple used our compasses and made them personal by tying a note that read "we found each other now find table 2" - so creative!

{calligraphy in Bickam Swash Caps}

The wedding was filled with personal touches, like these antique hankerchiefs as save the dates, and telegrams that each guest received after RSVPing yes, and a personal note from the couple upon arrival at their hotel.

And the room at Oheka? Elegantly clean & breathtaking...

All photographs courtesy of Justin & Mary Photography. Visit their blog for more details on this beautiful affair!

Saratoga Springs Map

Going through our files {call it a little Fall cleaning}, we came across some wonderful maps from years past! So please enjoy some oldies but goodies {along with the new maps} posted in the coming weeks as much as we do!

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!

Introducing...A World Map!

We are so pleased to share our very first World map! A lovely couple asked us to create a map of the whole world, indicating both places they have been, and also places they have yet to travel.

We were happy to create many new icons to mark the well-known monuments such as the pyramids in Egypt, the mountains of Machu Picchu, Peru, and of course the columns in Greece!

Once the icons were all placed on the map, this client went back in to have us create table numbers and inserts for their escort envelopes to go along with the map. Each table was named after a destination on the map for very exciting seating. {And, once the guests found their seats, each was greeted by one of our signature brass compass placecards, keeping right with their travel theme!}

{Our client, located in Texas, also ordered these adorable compass placecards, in addition to escort cards/inserts, map totes for the out-of-towners, a gift card box, four different cake/cupckae signs, and several huge signs to match so we'll be sure to post the pics as soon as we get them!}

Whether you prefer our traditional custom maps, an emotional map, or a world map, there is something for everyone and nothing we won't try!

Jamaica Maps

We've shown you before how maps can be used for various announcements. Here are three examples of our Jamaica maps used for a welcome piece, a save-the-date and even a 10 year anniversary celebration!

You'll notice that each map is fashioned in a slightly different style - most notably the different calligraphy fonts and of course different location icons. But of course there are the similarities, such as Dunn Falls/Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, Negril and of course the tropical icons and sea life!