Trend: DIY Invitations

Bicycle Invitation on Wedding Chicks. 

There has been a big trend lately revolving around 3 letters...DIY. Yup, that's Do It Yourself. No longer are crafts resorted just for when you're a little girl making a paper mache box for your mom. Nope, now adays DIY is everywhere, especially weddings. Not only can it save you money, but it can allow you to really let your personalities shine. Just keep in mind that DIY will most likely not save you on time, but, if you've got a bunch of friends & family at your disposal to help assemble your DIY projects, then get their help, and it will fly by in no time. Here are some of my favorite DIY Invitation templates courtesy of Wedding Chicks.

Bunting Invitation on Wedding Chicks.

Mason Jar Invitation Suite from Wedding Chicks.

Sweet Love Suite on Wedding Chicks.

Fun Retro Invitation Suite on Wedding Chicks. 

Vendor Pick: Luke Skywalker Laser Engraving

I met Zenia, 1/2 of the Luke Skywalker Laser Engraving duo, at a fabulous vintage Halloween party on Tuesday. She and her husband create amazing laser engraved wooden and acrylic invitations, place cards, table numbers, etc. And they can engrave almost anything including toasting flutes, picture frames, and even an iPhone. They're prices are also extremely reasonable for what they offer and you don't have to meet a minimum order for these amazing works of art.

DIY: Invitations

I love that the Wedding Chicks have FREE DIY Templates. And these invitations look so good that guests will think they're from a fabulous stationary store as long as you have the right type of paper.

Click here to download this gorgeous Crown Invitation. You can also see the Wedding Chick's original blog post here.

Inspiration: Navy Blue is the New Black

More and more I see "navy blue" being used in place of black which, in my opinion, creates a softer more romantic look as well as being chic and stylish and classic. I've seen it offset with pink, orange, yellow, green, and white. If you're looking for a way to have your wedding colors stand out and still be classic and elegant, this is the way to go.

I love this inspiration board from the Wedding Chicks.
Here's a modern take on a beach inspired wedding using coral in an orange shade to compliment the navy blue. Love this sample from Kenzie Kate.

This is a photo of one of my beautiful brides, Rachael, who got married in Ojai and had the color scheme of white, green, and navy blue. The maids look just stunning in their navy blue gowns. This photo was taken by the talented Heather Jagger of Jagger Photography.

I was first introduced to JL Designs at a wedding last August at the Hummingbird Nest Ranch and the flowers were STUNNING. This "baroque" design as seen in Bride and Bloom Magazine was done by the ever talented Carissa, owner of JL Designs and again uses the navy blue which compliments the warm colors of the peach and gold with the stark white and I think looks just fabulous.

Here's a photo from the wedding that I met Carissa of JL Designs last year. I love my bride, Nicole, owner of Nicolita Swimwear who is extremely talented and not to mention gorgeous and who designed her own dress and those of her bridesmaids who are in navy blue and the fuscia boquets just pop for that WOW factor. And you may recognized the second maid on the left who is the bride you saw in the photo earlier in this post. Referrals are fantastic!!! This photo was taken by my FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER who is sweet, and beautiful, and funny, and extremely talented, the lovely Jasmine Star.
Here's another fabulous wedding from Carissa of JL Designs, photographed by Sweet Monday Photography, which was just featured on Style Me Pretty, a great bridal blog.

Inspiration: Phantom of the Opera

One of my absolute favorite productions and movies and soundtracks is The Phantom of the Opera. So, in honor of one of my favorite movies I have designed an inspiration filled with deep crimson red roses, black crystals, damask patterns, and plenty of romance.

This engagement ring fairly similar to the one that Christine receives from Raul.

I found these diamond earrings while exploring Polyvore.com. They are almost like the one's Christine wears when she's on stage singing "Think of Me".

Here is a stunning and even DIY invitation you could use for this special event.

I love that Christine's gowns are off the shoulder, which is just enough to be sexy but still glamourous and romantic. This gown is by Anne Barge. Wow!!!

Here's a photo of Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and her now husband Pete Wentz at their wedding. One way to have a better chance of a bridesmaid wearing her dress again is to have her wear black. You can't go wrong with a classic black dress.

Or if you're really daring and love red, why not wear it. Who says you have to be in a white dress. Colored dresses are coming en vougue. This photo was taken by Sergio Photographer.

How cute is this flower girls dress? To add even more pop I would put a crimson red silk sash around the waste to add that punch of color.

As I mentioned before, you can't go wrong with a simple black dress and here's an example from Jim Hjelm.

I found a new love for Project Wedding where I stumbled across this stunning bouquet with calla lillies and roses wrapped in black satin ribbon, photographed by Erwin Photography.

You could find a location with a stunning chandalier either as a focal point on the ceiling above the ceremony, cocktail hour, or reception. This chandalier is at Paris Opera.

I would suggest making your grand entrance down the staircase of an old historic opera house like this one in the Paris Opera.

Here below is the ever so stunning Vibiana, located in downtown L.A., now a special events only location with a beautiful outdoor garden. This photo was taken by the ever so talented photographer Victor Sizemore.

Carnations aren't the insignificant inexpensive flower they used to be. The keep your budget down but keep the chicness high, you can create pomanders and cover them in red carnations or any color and they look just fabulous.
And what type of Phantom of the Opera wedding would it be if you didn't have a masquerade element to it. This photo was taken by the very talented Victor Sizemore, one of my favorite photographers.

And I just love this decor from my favorite floral designers Rene & Niki at R Jack Balthazar. They did this modern romantic goth decor for the wedding of the guitarist of Good Charlotte and his fiance.

Here's another closeup of the table decor at the same Good Charlotte wedding.

Here's a lovely and romantic centerpiece from Fleurs de France.

Now, I haven't had a chance to work this company yet, but their decor is fierce. This wedding decor below is what I would call "Pirate Chic" and it was created by An Elegant Touch.

I heart DAMASK. I really do. I love how classic and romantic it looks and it's just stunning next to a punch of color like the gorgeous red roses below. This photo was taken by Erwin Wijanto.

I love the idea of having a room with different table configurations and different centerpieces. This is from the same wedding as above where you saw a long banquet table and to add some dimension the room also has the traditional round tables.

And, to amp up the drama, lighting can do wonders...truly...it can make a blank space look absolutely fabulous.

I like this cake because it's simple and chic and incorporates the star crystals mimicing Christine's costume and accessories when she sings "Think of Me".

Now, if you have a bigger budget, and are looking for a cake that will be talked about for a while you could go with this dramatic number below from a local bakery, the Cake Divas.

Or, you could infuse that damask pattern beyond the stationary and linens and have your cake showcase the beautiful pattern as well. And you can't go wrong with a little added bling. Photo by the wonderful Victor Sizemore from the same wedding with the hand painted masks you saw above. And just in case you haven't seen enough cakes, here is one last gorgeous option from a cake artist who has commissioned me for cake jewelry before, and even created a cook that made Snoop Dogg Happy, the one, the only Nancy Kay.

Vendor Pick: Event Essentials

I am a sucker for anything sparkly. I ran across these beautiful invitations that are custom made and just had to share my find. The Event Essentials is a coordination company, but they also specialize in custom stationary. They make everything from invitations and save the dates to menus, programs, and table numbers. Here are some of their designs.