Archive for the ‘Style and Trends’ Category

We love finding fabulous new items to share with you, and these invites are just that – super stunning! The details, textures, and embellishments offered by Allure Invitations will have guests anxious for your wedding.

From textured paper to metallic motifs, these invitations have plenty {of options} to offer. My visit with Mara of Allure Invitations opened doors to new stationers that I had never heard of but am now eager to design with!

{  person + killian }

Arabella Papers, just one of the stationery companies Mara works with, is in high demand this season for their beautifully embellished invitations. The pockets, rhinestones, textures, and color can be used throughout their samples for a truly customized invitation. With all the options I suggest working with a stationery expert to help keep your design process simple and cohesive. With Mara’s guidance I can’t wait to see what we come up with for my next photo shoot!

After seeing all she had to offer we chatted about stationery, trends, and a bit about her.

Q: What are a few things brides are looking for this year? What trends have seen and where you do hear about the latest styles?

POCKETS! are very in this year, as well blues and purples – fun vibrant colors – not the classic ecru. Rhinestones and embellishments are also very popular right now. I stay on top of trends by belonging to event planning associations. Twice a month I attend networking groups that provides education within the industry. Every year I attend the National Stationery Show in NYC that offers seminars about all of the upcoming trends and the latest and greatest out there.

{  person + killian }

Q: Do you have any tips to offer?

Make sure there is time for addressing the envelopes to your guests and stuffing the envelopes. I always leave at least 2 weeks for that process. And please don’t ever buy stamps in advance – you must take the entire suite to the post office and have it weighed. The price typically varies between .55 to over $1.50/ stamp, so ordering stamps in advance can turn out to be a very stressful situation we can avoid. Remember that square envelopes are more expensive to mail than a classic envelope.

Q: Tell me about Allure Invitations. What’s unique about Allure Invitations and the invitations you offer/create?

Allure Invitations, formerly Yours Truly, Mara, has been in business for over five years. Customer Service is our greatest quality – if a client can’t get to us, we will go to the client. Very often we run into town with 2 or 3 vendor books to help a bride create her unique and special invitation. We take a client’s budget very seriously and do not try to up sell the client. Planning a wedding can be very stressful financially and we want everyone to leave with the feeling that they got their moneys worth and feeling amazed about the first glance their friends and family will have into the big day. We have graphic designers on staff and can create anything imaginable – besides the invitations we also address the envelopes, create programs, menu cards, placecards, table numbers, napkins and hospitality bags for out of town guests.

• Planners Note: A stationery vendor who will address your envelopes is a fabulous find!
  

Q: When working with you, what is the process that couples should expect?

It is different for every bride. I always start with sitting down and talking about their wedding day and what it will look like, if they have any thoughts about what they want to do for the invitations. We make a timeline so the bride can see all of dates related to her invitations: when the invitations need to be ordered, mailed, and the RSVP date. Based on what we discuss, I show them manufacturer books in the appropriate price range and production time. If they don’t find something they love in all of the books, we start from scratch and actually create the image they have in mind. We offer over 20 different manufactures, so its typically easy to find what you love – but we also love the excitement of creating an invitation that is delivered in a silk box or with exquisite brooches and rhinestones.

Once the invitation is designed, I place the order and we receive and emailed proof to review the spelling, layout, and fonts. After the proof is approved, the production time can take between one week and five, based on the complexity of the order. I highly suggest a bride start looking 6 months before the wedding – that is plenty of time to allow the above steps to move smoothly and stress free.

Visit Allure Invitations online to schedule an appointment for invitations, save the dates, or stunning ceremony programs!

Cheers,
__Jessica

With all the latest fashions coming out of Bridal Market 2010 I can’t wait for the newest additions to Lilly Pulitzer’s line of fabulous clothing and accessories… wedding dresses!

{  let the tide pull you in }

I’m very impressed by Lilly’s 2010 line. She created a range of designs to suit weddings from beach-side soirees to formal fêtes.  But in keeping with her usual sparkle, the dresses, both long and short, have subtle hints of pink and green. Some bear a striking resemblance to Lilly’s signature cotton dresses while others appear to be her first departure into formals fit for a wedding.

{  the preppy princess }

White eyelet, backed by a pale pink, is a pretty twist on the traditional white-on-white lace overlay and is one of my favorites!

{  the preppy princess }

Short dresses are versatile, making them great options for either formal rehearsal dinners or afternoon weddings. I love that Lilly is working with different details – the hint of beading on this v-neck gown is just enough for the simple silhouette.

The collection is set to debut in a select group of boutiques sometime in the next six months. Once we hear more we’ll pass the good news along. Until then, good luck finding the *perfect* dress!

Cheers,
__Jessica

Weddings are family affairs, so why not involve your favorite family member – your pet! Chances are that Max was around when you said “YES!”, has comforted you when the planning became stressful, and even threatened the mail man when your favors didn’t arrive on time. So it is only fitting that he play a role in the wedding.

{  row 1:  couple |  chocolate lab |  white lab }
{ row 2:  ring bearer |  kitty attendant }

Other than being adorable, what can your pet do at the wedding? Dogs can pretty much do anything: ring bearers, best man, or flower girl are standard roles. Cat, on the other hand, are a bit more challenging. Depending on your cat’s personality he or she could fulfill the same role as a dog, but I do recommend a human assistant – if kitty is the ring bearer, ask your adorable nice or nephew to pull kitty down the aisle in a wagon. This way the ceremony’s focus isn’t on coercing the cat to you with promises of cat nip.

And if you are dressed up, shouldn’t Max be as well? I LOVE these pet accessories!

{  floral collar |  preppy pearls |  handsome bow tie }

Are you planning to involve your cat or dog in your wedding? We’d love to hear your plans!

Cheers,
__Jessica

This week mother nature is making herself very clear, announcing that summer is officially over (as much as I hate admitting that.) Here at Alden Blair Events, we suggest kicking off the fall season by adding a little plaid into your wedding. Plaid is a great pattern that can be used with all color schemes.

You can add a pair of plaid pumps under your beautiful dress, add a plaid accessory to your hair or even have your groom wear plaid cuff links. Here in New England it hasn’t stopped raining the past few weeks so we suggest purchasing a pair of plaid rain boots in case the weather doesn’t cooperate (don’t worry they say rain on your wedding day is good luck, and there are some pretty cute rain boots out there.)

The sky is the limit with plaid…and remember you don’t need a family tartan in order to incorporate plaid into your wedding day.

Enjoy!

Jen

With the change in the weather I’m already missing the warm weather and sailing. So when the world of Twitter introduced me to Kiel James Patrick it made my Monday seem a bit more sunny.

The company, and the man behind it, are all about the classic American lifestyle. Combining classic patterns with fresh design is too good to be true, making their products a unique but traditional find that compliment casually elegant weddings.

I envision the gents with coordinating belts and loafers, don’t you?

{  kiel james patrick }

Inspired by lazy days by the ocean and driftwood bonfire gatherings at dusk, [the Cape and Brighton Beach bracelet line] is a montage of classically preppy motifs including seersucker, nautical icons, and madras plaids with polka dots.

A late summer beach bonfire is music to my ears – and a fabulous way for guests to mingle after the rehearsal dinner.

Cheers,
__Jessica

Today’s the big day – we have photos from the European inspired style shoot!!! The other day we tweeted “bringing an idea to life is exciting – rockin’ it is even better!”, and these photos are the proof.

Our goals for this shoot were to inject a bold color palette, subtly infuse a theme-like style, and to merge modern and traditional elements. It tells a story of a worldly couple who has traveled extensively overseas; maybe even met at a cafe near the Trevi fountain… romance is an important element to their celebration, so shimmering candlelight and glass helped to create the perfect ambiance. But not all of their guests will appreciate the intimate nature of the couple’s relationship, so the focus is more on the bold, beautiful, fun celebration! A color palette of teal, aqua, lavender, and gold creates a WOW factor that will show guests “We’re here to P-A-R-T-Y!”.

We used traditional elements in the stationery pattern as well as other items: formal invitations, individual menu cards, champagne favors, and dramatic centerpieces set the tone for a formal event. But modern elements in the ghost chairs, stemware, chargers, and cigar favors created what we call a “relevant” design — an overall style that merges traditional and modern elements to create an event with personal, contemporary relevance.

Looking through the photos we had a hard time slecting the few to share with you. There are only a few here, so touch base with Tyra Bleek for more images.

{  credits  }
style and concept design: alden blair events
photography: tyra bleek photography
floral design: blooms of hope
gondola: gondola di venezia
rentals: rentals unlimited

It was great to see some of our work featured on La Belle Bride on Monday afternoon. This inspirational photo shoot was a lot of fun to bring together – from custom paper details to the “Love at first bite” cupcakes, it has an elegant vintage look that we truly enjoy.

For full coverages read the La Belle Bride post here!

This weekend we brought to life the European Elegance inspiration board from one of our previous posts. Thanks to the fabulous Tyra Bleek we have a sneak peak into what we created, so stay tuned to for more photos and details.

{  tyra bleek }

A special thanks to Joseph of Gondola di Venezia, Boston’s only gondola tours. It was not only a fun way to spend part of the afternoon, but it is a romantic experience. As it turns out the couple on the gondola before us got engaged on their ride! The evening tours are a little more intimate, and a little less warm without the beating afternoon sun – this and dinner would make a lovely anniversary, don’t you think?

Cheers,
__Jessica