Wedding Wednesday | Fashion + Wedding Accessories

I LOVE looking at wedding stuff still to this day!!!! It's fun getting to look at all these amazing and gorgeous items for weddings!!!! I put together a few of my favorites for you :) 

All of these items are from David's Bridal!

1) Strapless Mermaid Gown with Floral and Lace Detail  - $1050.00 - I am in LOVE with this dress! Lace and some sparkle together makes it absolutely gorgeous!!

2) Hammered Satin-Side Draped Dress with Bow Detail  - $99.99 - How pretty would this mulberry color be beside the lace mermaid gown?  Beautiful, right?!?!

3) Casted Comb with Organza Flowers and Metal Leaves - $129.99 - I would wear something simple like this with my wedding dress. It gives my hair a little bit of sparkle without taking away from the dress.

4) Lace Frosted Glass Tealight Holder (Set of 4) - $10.40 - I didn't even know David's Bridal had reception items, but you can use these tealight holders for decorations or as the guest's gift. 

5) Somerset Ring Pillow - $54 - This pillow has such adorable details!

Wedding Wednesday | Jami + Eric's Custom Designed Wedding Stationery {Defiance, Ohio}

Having the honor to create stationery for my little sister's wedding day was absolutely amazing!!  Designing gorgeousness for couples is always wonderful, but knowing that you're doing it for someone you love and care for takes it to an entire other level of awesome :o)

When Jami and I sat down to chat about what she was looking for, two things were clear - she wanted to incorporate a monogram and her favorite color, purple.  So to check the first thing off the list, I went straight to the amazing talents of Laura Lavender Calligraphy - Laura is not only a favorite person of mine, but what she does with hand-drawn monograms and calligraphy is to-die-for!  She certainly did not disappoint - the intricate, vintage-esque "EJ" monogram was so beautiful that we incorporated it on to everything we could think of.  And when your older sister owns a stationery and design company there is A LOT of everything when it comes to paper, lol!

We started with a very traditional and elegant invitation suite printed on Ivorystone Classic Laid Stock (something completely unique to Jami and Eric), designed with a touch of that vintage feeling - incorporating the deep purple into the envelopes and finishing them with hand-written addresses.  We also designed gorgeous, tall programs for the wedding ceremony itself.

At the reception, guests were greeted at a table full of crayons and cute pages to color on for the kiddos and cards for the adults to leave notes, advice and well wishes for Jami and Eric.  At the gift table, a purple tulle encased bird cage was adorned with a sign reading "Cards".  Each guest table, in addition to the beautiful centerpieces, had a homemade bottle of wine with a custom made tag and a hand-bent fork holding a sign with little bits of trivia about the couple.  The dessert table, full of homemade goodies, had containers with "Thank You" labels so guests could take the treats home.  Each dessert also had its own custom dessert stick with the name of the goodie (and who made it!) and couple's monogram was pressed into beautiful moss green napkins at the bar.  Place cards told the bridal party where to sit at the head table and the bathroom kit even got a little sign!

We had an amazing time finding ways to incorporate stationery into Jami and Eric's big day and the result was breathtaking!

baci designs | Natalie + PJ's Wedding Stationery {Akron, Ohio}

I love having the opportunity to work on family weddings so I was thrilled when Natalie, Ilario's cousin, approached me to design the stationery for her big day!!

We started with a simple, but cute save the date magnet - the two got married at The Portage Country Club overlooking the golf course, so their photo choice was perfectly appropriate :o)  Their custom monogram, black and green color combo and polka dots were continued throughout the rest of the stationery as well.

Taking the basic pocket to another level, we attached the invitation to the front and stuffed the back pocket with all the necessary information - Directions and Accommodations Card, Reception Card and Reply Postcard.  Adding a bit of flair, the circle hole punch allowed for the couple's custom monogram to peak through.  One of my favorite parts of the invitation suite was the polka dot return address - it just was too adorable for words!

We continued the black and green polka dots onto day-of stationery, creating fan programs for the outdoor ceremony (and boy were they necessary that day - the temperatures soared!), wine bottles that doubled as both an escort card and a favor for guests to take home and place cards for the dinner tables.  Finishing off the stationery, we created coordinating thank you notes adorned with the couple's monogram.

Wedding Trend Forecasting | Colors {Neutrals - Burlap + Lace}

To finish up our Wedding Trend Forecasting week, we've got a gorgeous Neutrals Inspiration Board!

And in case you missed the rest of the posts this week, here's a recap:

Wedding Trend Forecasting | Oscars Inspiration

Wedding Trend Forecasting | Colors {Brights - Neon Green, Orange + Bright Pink}

Wedding Trend Forecasting | Colors {Sparkles - Shades of Gold + Ivory}

{Image Sources Clockwise from Top Left 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

Handpicked | Rustic Wedding Items from Etsy

I love Esty, all of the readers should know this by now :) Etsy is one of my most favorite places to shop and look at beautiful handmade items. I always see amazing items for sale, so I picked out nine wonderful wedding items for any "Rustic" wedding.

1) Rustic Table Numbers - $84 for 12 - Perfect to use for table numbers, as the description says, or use them for decoration, such as: centerpieces or writing the food you will be serving.

2) Guest Book Pen - $27 for a set of 2

3) Bride and Groom Chair Signs - $25 - I love these, if you don't have place cards, at least the 2 most important people in the building do :)

4) Mason Jar Oil Lamps - $56 for 4

5) Ring Bearer Pillow - $58 for 2 - How adorable are these!! Even better, you can pick the flower and ribbon to match your wedding colors. 

6) Vintage Wedding Guestbook - $125 - I have never seen anything like this before. One of a kind is a big key to having a perfect wedding. 

7) Burlap Bag with Mini Chalkboards - $18.50 for 10

8) 4-Tier Dessert Stand - $125 - Unique and it's re-usable to put in your house after the wedding. 

9) Window Chart - $45 

What's your favorite? And what would you use for a Rustic wedding?

Jess' Baby Shower Brunch | 07.03.10 {Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio}

I'm not really sure how I let this little beauty slip past the blog, but it is most certainly better shared late than never!

You might remember Jess from the other life events baci has been a part of, starting with the engagement party Ilario and I hosted at our home for her and Glenn, their 2009 wedding held at Goodale Park and even their holiday card from last year :o)  Well right in the midst of all that wonderfulness, I, along with her sister and two sister-in-laws hosted a Chic Black, White and Yellow Baby Shower Brunch for her - right here in baci's back yard :o)

It all started with the incredibly unique paper and fabric invitations I designed and printed in-house.  They were finished off with a hand-stamped dahlia and machine sewed to a coordinating dahlia print fabric.

 The plain white invitation envelope was spiced up with another hand-stamped dahlia and gorgeous abstract postage.  The menu for the day was also designed and printed in-house by baci.

 The event decor continued with the black, white and yellow color scheme - we even added a pop of zebra, which Jess adores!

The menu for the day went as follows and it certainly didn't disappoint!

Appetizers

Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches

Fresh Fruit Kabobs Served with Marshmallow Dip

Main Course

Schtone

Rosemary Potatoes

Herb Roasted Bacon

Spinach, Apple and Walnut Salad

Cinnamon Toast with Blueberry Compote

Dessert

Madeleine Cookies

Beverages

Mimosa

Lime Sherbet Punch

Canada Dry Ginger Ale

San Pellegrino Sparkling Water

Dark Roast or House Blend Coffee

Even the gifts for the shower games matched the decor!

The favors were Homemade Lemon Iced Sugar Cookies, using my Grandmother's Recipe, of course!

We even grabbed a photo of all the ladies at the end of the event!  Though the heat was definitely intense that day we all had a wonderful time :o)

A special thank you to:

Brandy J Photography for the amazing photos of the custom designed stationery

Alexis Moore and Klaus Rothe for the wonderful event photos

Sitting Pretty Linens for the beautiful napkin rentals

Benny of Tallmadge Tents for the perfect white chairs

And of course, Ilario Cursaro, Alexis Moore, Laurinda Moore, Allison Rothe and Carolyn Moore for making this event possible!

Wedding Wednesday | Christina + Eric 06.09.11

Today I have a beautiful Real Wedding by Alaina Carnahan from Ace of Images with Elizabeth Weddington of Studio Seventy-Nine as the second shooter!  I feel so lucky to have the work of such talented, and sweet :o), ladies!  Bonus:  I get to work with both of them at a wedding next weekend - yay!!!

Christina and Eric were married on July 9th at Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Bryan, Ohio with a beautiful, rustic reception following at the Williams County Veterans Memorial in Montpelier.  Their wedding was extra special because Christina's son, Josh, was the ring bearer :o)

Are you kidding me with that cuteness?!?!  Also, Eric's company Herm-TV Productions did the videography for the day!  It truly was a family affair ;o)

Now a little about the couple from bride, Christina:
We met while working together at a local TV station. We were inseparable and best friends.


He proposed at our new home after we went to check out “construction”. He asked me if I could see myself living there for quite awhile and I said, "yes". He said, "Since we're starting a new life here together. . . do you think you could spend the rest of yours with me?"

And now for the details of the big day:
The wedding was all planned around the ring. It’s beautiful, vintage and classy. We wanted the style to carry throughout the wedding look. The dress was found at David’s Bridal and definitely had a vintage flair.

The centerpieces were all made by us, as well as the cake table's wood platters.  The cake was made by a church friend and the cupcakes were made by a friend of my Mother-in-Law.  For the tall centerpieces, my mother-in-law glued hydrangea pieces to tree limbs then we washed river rock and stuck them in. For the short squares we bought fake hydrangeas and placed them in the river rock. Our florist was Gabe from Wonsetler Flowers in Bryan and he did the amazing pew decorations/bouquets, etc.

All Occasions Plus in Defiance took care of the hall decorations, including the beautiful hand-made chandelier which fit the theme so well. Stella Blue in Archbold was the caterer and Foxtunes Entertainment out of Stryker was the DJ.

Some words from groom, Eric:
The centerpieces were twigs and branches cut from my parents' back yard, Josh helped pick out the ones to cut. The wood planks for the cake table were cut from my grandparents' backyard tree that was a favorite climbing tree when I was growing up.


Jacob Rausch - my cousin - did the grandparents' memorial flowers.  He is an award winning floral designer who is a freshman at University of Toledo. He has fun doing it on the side as a hobby. and has worked for a florist during the summer.

Absolutely beautiful!!  A definite source of inspiration for brides-to-be :o)  Thanks for sharing, Alaina, and congratulations on your new life together Christina and Eric!!

Handpicked - Wedding Favors

There are thousands of different wedding favors you can give to your guests at the end of the night, but how do you choose which one is the best? There is not just one answer. You have to go with your own style and get what you like, even if it is not a traditional wedding favor. I picked wedding favors that could suite any bride!

1) Mark it with Memories Double Heart Design Bookmark on wrapwithus.com - 100+ = $0.89 each

2) Personalized Apothecary Jar Favors on weddingaccessories.com - 84+ = $0.95 each - Remember with something like this, you have to purchase candy as well to put in the jars, so be sure to add that into your total costs.

3) LOVE Design Candle Tins on wrapwithus.com - $0.99 each

4) Soap Favors (Rosemary Mint) on etsy.com - $19 for 10 - I enjoy these because they also have different soap fragrances to choose from.

5) Frosted-Glass Photo Coasters on myweddingfavors.com - 72+ = $1.90 for a set of two

6) Fall Leaf Cookie Cutter in Autumn-Themed Gift Box on myweddingfavors.com - 96+ =$0.99 each

7) Rustic Personalized Engraved Wedding Favor Boxes on etsy.com - $85 for 10 - I think these boxes are beautiful!

8) Personalized Playing Card Favors on weddingaccessories.com - 80+= $0.89 each

9) Personalized Wedding Swirl Pops on orientaltrading.com - $9.99 for 24 pops

Wedding Wednesday | Milk and Cookies Inspiration Board

Cutest thing ever!!! That's all I can say about Love and Lavender's Milk and Cookies Styled Shoot because the photos say all the rest. This yummy theme would be perfect for a backyard wedding or a shower. Love it!

For more incredible photos by Jonda Spurbeck Photography and a complete list of involved vendors, check out the two original posts: I & II.

Wedding Wednesday | Final Project

My Wedding and Event Planning Certification Course is coming to an end next week so I've been working steadily on my final project - Combining two unique heritages into a wedding for a "client" (classmate) using the course's A6 Event Production Formula (stating how you'll incorporate Anticipation, Arrival, Atmosphere, Appetite, Amusement and Appreciation into the event). It's so much fun and I adore the gorgeous inspiration board I created for my in-class presentation so I thought I'd share :o)

Row One: Table Decor Image from Style Me Pretty; Bride Photo by Abi Q Photography

Row Two: Vera Wang Dress Photo from 100 Layer Cake; Floral by JL Designs; Signage and Ring Images from Style Me Pretty

Row Three: Uplighting Photo from Tara Guérard Soirée; Shoes Image by Sarah Yates Photography; Floral by JL Designs

Row Four: Cookie Bar Image by Cheyenne Schultz Photography; Wine Bottle Table Number by Joyful Bride Online; Designs by Lilmissi Etsy Shop Image from 100 Layer Cake

Wedding Wednesday | Campground Wedding

I am so in love with this Campground Wedding Photo Shoot designed by some of my absolute favorite vendors - it creates the perfect inspiration board to kick off the summer!!

The list of incredible vendors who put together this fabulous shoot. . .

concept + design: jesi haack weddings

photography: Gabriel and Carlie from gabriel ryan photographers

stationery: paper and thread (I LOVE their combination of paper products and sewing. . . be on lookout for something using this concept from baci for an upcoming baby shower!!)

rentals: signature party rentals

hair + makeup: flourish

bridal gown: mary me bridal

floral design: Carissa at JL Designs

cake: sweet & saucy shop (I am so obsessed with balsa wood flowers right now so this is my favorite ever!!!)

2010 National Stationery Show {New York City, New York}

A few weekends ago, Ilario and I took a trip to New York City for the 2010 National Stationery Show. It was such an incredible and inspiring experience!! The stationery show is in it's 65th year and exhibits 900 companies featuring more than 10,000 lines. Here are a few of my favorite finds at the conference:

Quirky Cards by Haute Papier - I love greeting cards that make you laugh!

Bright Souls Collection by Wild Pulp - Educational, eco-friendly cards

Beautiful Thank You Notes by Anna Griffin

Quite possibly the cutest things ever - Little Envelopes Collection by Studio T

And hands down the best favor I came across - "Write from My Heart" Eco-friendly Notepad and Pencil by Kate Aspen

Another wonderful aspect of the stationery show is the opportunity to network and meet so many talented designers and vendors. I was lucky enough to meet Agnes from Blossom Accents, a handmade wedding invitation and stationery design shop located right here in Cleveland. All art and photography is done by Agnes herself - her talent is unremarkable, see her beautiful Gerbera Daisy Flirt Invitation below!

I was also lucky to run into the sweet and southern Allison from Allison R. Banks Designs - the two of us just so happened to be interested in the same letterpress vendor (yes, Ladies, affordable custom letterpress is coming to baci soon!!!!) at the conference and once we got to talking there was no shutting us up, we had so much in common! Allison offers couture hand-designed monograms and calligraphy design. Below are just two examples of her outstanding work!

Allison blessed me with the pleasure of meeting Miss Ginny, owner of The Scribbler, a stationery and gift shop offering custom invitations and stationery located in Alabama. She, too, is sweet and southern, just a joy to be around. These women made my time in the city memorable - it's so nice to sit and gab with people who have the same interests as you! I look forward to working with each of them in the future!!