Perhaps I haven't made my love of paper clear enough. I've only mentioned it here, and here, then I died when I discovered this place. If there's such a thing as "paper fever" I definitely have a case. I simply can't pass up a cute little paper boutique. One of my all time faves is Urbanic Paper Boutique in Venice, CA. Check it out if you're in the area.
So, when I received two boxes of beautiful lace cut-out paper from Mama Seashell for Christmas, I immediately requested more. "This would be just perfect for bridal shower thank-you cards!" I gasped. She was thrilled I loved it so much and was sure she could track down some more. I now have 100 cards and envelopes. I love the sweet, elegant, bridal feel of these!
Five days post-shower and I've been thank-you-noting away!
And how could you not adore those return address labels? Oh, paper products, you're just the sweetest. Those pretties were a Christmas gift from Bridesmaid Leah. They're by Pica Press ordered through Urbanic Paper Boutique (as mentioned above). I've also had to throw a few pieces of personalized stationary in the mix. I have to use them up before the big name change in just a mere 99 days!
But, I digress. This post wasn't even supposed to be about thank you notes entirely. While I was home for my bridal shower I got a sneak peek of our completed wedding invitations. I'm having mixed emotions. Here goes...
Below is a photo of the paper being used for our wedding invitations. Ignore the patterned piece to the far left. That got nixed. Also, the "ecru micah" is a much richer ivory than the photo conveys.
If you don't recall, the Seashell wedding invitations are heavily inspired by this:
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As I've gone back and fourth with the designer, the proofs are simply gorgeous. They perfectly convey the look and feel I've been hoping to achieve. The invitations themselves are being printed on the ivory paper, and then mounted on the "antique gold". Then, they will be set within the "majestic" purple pocketfold. I initially wasn't into the idea of a pocketfold, but Mama Seashell made a strong case for them as so many of our guests would be traveling. Similarly, she shared that she has really appreciated having a place to tuck all of the information cards from an organizational standpoint. I'll be honest: my main drawback with a pocketfold would be how it would look when framed as a keepsake. Obviously it could be cut down by a framer, so that was just me being somewhat ridiculous.
On Saturday while I was getting ready for my bridal shower, Mama Seashell ran over to pick up one of the complete invitations. I was so excited to see it - to see all those .pdf files and paper samples come to life! All the elements were there...but something was missing. We agreed the invitation itself was beautiful, but the purple was just so...so...LOUD. Loud, intense, Barney the dinosaur purple. It was not this rich, elegant, regal, "majestic" we'd envisioned.
Mama Seashell went to visit the designer yesterday and shared our thoughts. Then I called her from work when I was in between clients. She shared our sentiment. Luckily, she hadn't begun assembly yet. We've got a Plan B in motion, and new pocketfolds on their way! If I had anything in hand I'd share pics with you, but until I do keep your fingers crossed for me, hive. This paper-lover is praying that paper doesn't fail her now!
Have you ever had to speak up in your wedding planning process? How did it turn out?
