The Wedding That Wasn't

As soon as Carolina Pear was official, our first order of business was to throw a fake wedding. OK, not really. Sort of. Let me back up.

Brettany, my business partner, works as an events coordinator for the Belmont Estate. Last fall the Belmont had a booth at a local bridal fair and Brettany laid out her booth with tables, chairs and linens as if it was a reception hosted by the Belmont. She thought it would look much better if we had some paper goods to jazz up the tables, so she enlisted me to whip up some place cards, menus and table numbers. Although we couldn't officially advertise - Carolina Pear didn't pay to be a featured vendor - it was great to have so many brides see our work.

For the sweetheart table we used a love bird motif for the place cards and table number card.

On the guest tables we used the same cage but swapped out the birds for the table number. Cute, no?

Each place setting got a menu card outlining the dinner courses.

All of the brides I have worked with, myself included, have more contemporary tastes so it was nice to do something with a hint of classical style.

Another Year, Another Wedding

One of best friends in the world, Rachel, is getting married and she asked me to do her stationery! Here's a peek at her save the dates:



Her colors are yellow, black and white as a nod to Appalachian State University. She and her hubby-to-be both graduated from ASU (but never crossed paths) then finally met at an ASU football game. Following the color scheme, Rachel picked daisies to be one of her main flowers. This girl has loved daisies as long as I've known her, so that was no surprise to me. To play off the daisy, I created this geometric flower pattern and served it up in shades of gray and yellow. I also love, love, love her yellow envelopes! So cheerful!

The geometric flower will probably pop up again in her invitations and programs, so stay tuned!

Introducing: Carolina Pear Paper Goods

This is where I shamelessly plug my new business...

I recently launched Carolina Pear, a paper goods company, with my best friend Brettany. I couldn't be more excited about it!


Our love of all things paper blossomed when Brettany and I designed our own wedding invitations, programs, place cards, etc; you name it, we DIY'd it! After we said our "I Do's" and settled into married life with our hubbies, we still had the urge to create. When friends and family got engaged, we were more than happy to lend a creative hand with their paper goods. Last fall, with many weddings under our belts, we felt we were finally ready to start the business we had always talked about.

As much as we adore weddings, our business doesn't stop there. Carolina Pear offers full service stationery design - party invitations, holiday cards, birth announcements and more!

Our bodies may be firmly rooted in the South - hence the name, Carolina Pear - but we would love to help brides and families all across the country! Please check out our website and feel free to recommend us to those in your life. To make it easy for you, I've added a Carolina Pear button to my sidebar, so you don't have to go rooting around the blog to find the link!

Orange Wedding Cakes

I love being married and I do not miss the stress of wedding planning. However, I am a HUGE fan of cake; especially pretty cakes. With that in mind here are some orange lovelies I spotted on The Knot.

Too yummy, er, beautiful not to share.

Build Your Own Biscuit

I don't normally post things I find on other blogs but, come on, this is too adorable not to steal. A wedding with a biscuit bar instead of a wedding cake! Frickin' awesome, I tell ya!

It's true, I love cake like a fat kid loves cake.* But, I am Southern and I have the highest respect for a good biscuit. Especially if said biscuit is accompanied by real butter and fresh jelly. Perfection.

*Because I'm a fattie, obv.

Happy Friday!

[ via 100 Layer Cake ] [ Photos by Anna Robin ] [ Biscuits by Baked ]

Anniversary Flowers

Yesterday was our anniversary - has it really been 2 years already? - and when I got home from work the hubby had this beautiful little potted plant waiting for me.

He's not much of a flower buying guy, but when he does he prefers to buy me a plant instead of a bouquet. He admits the "bouquets are prettier, but they just die and that's dumb." I couldn't agree more. I took the plant to work and now I think of him everytime I look at it.



Neither of us know anything about plants, but the tag said this is a Kalanchoe. After some quick googling my co-worker told me this plant is dense, bushy and a member of the succulent family. Even as ignorant as I am, I do know that succulents are fairly hardy, don't need much water and are pretty easy to keep alive. That's good news for me.

It's not in full bloom yet, but pretty soon this plant will be covered in little white flowers. I can't wait!

Fabric Inspired Wedding Cakes

This definitely isn't a wedding blog, but I couldn't help but share these gorgeous wedding cakes.

If you remember my wedding cake, you'll know I love all white, super textured cakes.

my wedding cake, by Edible Art in Raleigh

How about a cake inspired by eyelet or lace for your upcoming wedding?

All cakes by Martha Stewart Weddings.

Vignette #3

I'm back again with another decorating vignette. This piece was my wedding gift to the hubby.


A quick back story: The hubby and I got engaged in March of our Junior year of college and two days later we left for spring break in Biloxi, MS where we spent a week doing post-Katrina clean up. Our days were devoted to the volunteer work, but in the evenings we were free to explore the city or relax. Often we would go "scavenging" where we would find interesting items buried in junk piles - hey, it's not stealing if someone's throwing it away, right?



I found this board on one of our scavenging trips and brought it home with me, unsure of what to do with it. As our wedding day drew closer, I was wracking my brain for a meaningful yet inexpensive (we were still in college, so I was broke) wedding gift. Then it dawned on me to turn
this tattered board into a plaque that commemorated our engagement and wedding in one fell swoop. I removed a few rusty nails, but otherwise left the board in its damaged, post-Katrina state. Then I used the laser cutter to engrave our wedding date into the blank panel at the top.


Now whenever we look at it we think of not only our wedding day, but the first trip we ever took as a bona fide couple.

Vacation Day 5 - Morgan's Favors

So, now on to Part 2!

As a thank you to all her guests, Morgan wanted to do some simple table favors at the reception. I had the idea to give out small bags of red rock candy. Red Rock Canyon... rock candy... get it? Yeah, I love a good pun. We ordered strawberry candy and it was a little pinker than I had hoped, but I still the favors look adorable.


I ordered the chipboard tags and baker's twine from Etsy. The front of each tag had the wedding date and the back was stamped with the guests' names. The best part of making the favors was getting to use my rubber stamp kit again. See, I told you I had big plans for it!

The wedding and reception were beautiful and we had a wonderful time. Once everything got started it was nice to be able to relax and just be a guest.

We finished off the vacation with dinner with the hubby's grandparents and some crib shopping - you'll have to wait for my nursery design posts to hear about that!

Vacation Day 5 - Morgan's Programs

Today I'm back with the final 2-part installment of Morgan's wedding.

For those keeping track of the vacation days, Day 4 was spent prepping programs and favors, chilling in the pool and enjoying some great food at the Welcome Dinner (you can't really call it a rehearsal dinner since you don't have wedding rehearsals when you get married in Vegas). It was a great day of making new friends and catching up with old ones. Now back to Day 5, the wedding day!

As I mentioned earlier, Morgan is a no frills kind of gal so she didn't want much out of her programs. In fact, she didn't even want them but her mom is traditional so programs were made. They're quite simple - just a list of parents and grandparents and a quick thank you paragraph.



Morgan had the idea to put a personalized crossword puzzle on the back of the programs, which I loved. She used some software to create the puzzle then I drew up the puzzle in CAD - I didn't want it all gross and pixelated from bringing in the jpeg.


She also ordered some pens to give out with the crossword puzzles. They were just simple pens from Oriental Trading, but they made such a nice touch.

My best "aha" moment came when I figured out how to incorporate the pencil into the program. I toyed with tying it on with twine or ribbon, handing them out separately, but none of that seemed right. Then, out of nowhere, it occurred to me to use the "Valentine's Lollipop" method. All I did was add the guide lines to the printed program then cut and scored them by hand. Easy, peasy.

At the ceremony it was my job to hand out the programs so I served them up in this fancy, schmancy basket.

Stay tuned for part 2 later this afternoon!

Morgan's Invitations Part II

The hubby and I are jetting off tomorrow to have a mini-vacation in San Diego and attend Morgan's wedding. In that vein, I wanted to show you the latest piece of Morgan's wedding package.

Because the wedding is in Las Vegas they wanted a chance to celebrate with the folks that couldn't make the long-distance trip. Once they're back on NC soil they will be hosting a casual pig pickin' which means an evening of pulled pork, sweet tea and a Southern good time.

The invitations, while staying with the established theme, are simple and casual. No RSVP cards, no formal wording. No muss, no fuss.

When I get back I will post images of the programs and favors, but for now I don't want to spoil the surprise!

EDIT: I need to have my head examined! When I first posted this, I included an un-edited picture of the invite with the host's phone number, e-mail and address. EEK! I have been so protective of my information, and here I go posting hers on a billboard. I apologize and have fixed the situation. For those of you who briefly saw the info, please don't do anything creepy. Thanks to reader Mom in High Heels for catching this!

Morgan's Invitation Suite

That's right, an invitation suite. Since Morgan is having a destination wedding I had to up my game to share all of the necessary information with her guests.

First up, the booklet cover. Morgan requested this quotation but I'm not a big fan of quotes on the actual invitation so I had the bright idea of using it to jazz up the front on the invitation suite.* I continued my use of the typewriter inspired font and the gray, red and powder blue color scheme. I especially like the red accent color on the word 'love' at the end of the phrase.



Again, with the love of detail shots, I had to include this image.



When you open the booklet this is what you see: invitation affixed to the right panel and all the information cards tucked into a pocket on the left panel. Morgan wanted the elegance of a simple invitation but still wanted to convey lots of information so this was the perfect solution for her. The abstract mountain range is a nod to the ceremony location and adds a touch of whimsy to an otherwise serious design.


I stacked the information cards so guests can see, at a glance, what the cards have to offer.

Here's an up-close shot of the RSVP postcard. Being a modern bride, Morgan was more than willing to forgo the traditional RSVP/envelope situation and was even game for some fun reply wording.

I'm very pleased with how these turned out, but I'm not finished with this design yet. I still have programs, favors and a second round of invitations** to whip up!

*No, I won't stop calling it a suite because I like the way it sounds. Suite, suite, suite.

**In light of the destination wedding, Morgan and Andrew plan to host a casual reception here in NC after they return from their honeymoon.

Making: Morgan + Andrew's Sate The Dates

Ok, I already posted about these here, but I can't help it. I would normally wait and post a photograph of something rather than a rendering, but I was impatient and went right ahead and showed you the rendering anyway.

This is the Save The Date I created for Morgan and Andrew, and since I am a friend of the happy couple, I actually got this one in the mail!

I used gray envelopes and pale blue linen cardstock, both from Blue Dot Paper, and printed them on my home printer. I highly recommend Blue Dot because they have a large selection and reasonable prices, plus I think they're a small business - I frequently get thank you notes from the owner with my purchases.

I love seeing the invitation as it's presented to the guests because I get a chance to see the personal touches the bride adds once it's out of my hands. Here, Morgan added a seal to the envelopes using red wax to tie in the accent color. I love the flair of formality it adds!

I am almost finished designing the invitation suite and I can't wait to share it with you all!

Making: Save The Dates

Since I last wrote about her wedding, my friend Morgan decided to have a destination wedding in Nevada. The ceremony will take place in the Red Rock Canyon State Park and the reception will be held in a restaurant in downtown Las Vegas.

The colors were inspired by natural color pallette of the venue and the typewriter font is a nod to the groom's career in academia.

I am by no means trained in graphic design, but an architecture education includes many other design disciplines. I really enjoy designing paper goods and I feel like I'm getting a little better with each project. Maybe some day I'll be good enough to get paid for doing this!

Watching: Amazing Proposals

These proposals are the stuff of dreams. Not likely to happen to the average girl, but it did for these two lucky ladies. The grooms-to-be put a lot of thought, effort and planning into these never-to-be forgotten moments.

I love the first one because the woman has no idea it's coming. This guy even manages to get down on one knee without raising suspicions.

The second one is a wee bit over the top and the bride immediately knows what's up. But would you expect anything less from a Disneyland proposal?

Both videos were found via Smitten.

I love this sort of thing as a spectator but I would hate it if that were me getting proposed to. You see, when I am the center of attention* I turn bright red and start sweating because I know all eyes are on me. It is particularly bad if the focus is on me when I'm not actually doing anything (wedding toasts, for example). I am terrible at acting amused and charming for more than 30 seconds. I learned this when the hubby wrote and played me a song for my birthday many years ago. He was looking at me lovingly and singing wonderful lyrics, but MY GOD, that was the most awkward 2 minutes of my life. I told him it was a sweet gesture, but please never do that again.

Anyway... My neuroses aside, those are darn cute proposals. I hope this brightens your morning!

*Oddly this doesn't happen when I am acting on stage. I only get nervous if I am 'playing myself' so to speak.

In Focus: Necessary Photography

After unofficially declaring myself Morgan's wedding stylist, my first act was to recommend the photographic services of one Miss Rebecca Necessary. I thought she would be perfect for the job because:
1- She originally hails from my hometown in the NC foothills
2- She graduated from my alma mater, where we both studied architecture
3- Have you seen her work? She's amazing!!

image credit: R Necessary

Seriously, words cannot express how much I wish I could go back in time and get married again, just so she could take the pictures. But if I can't have it, I want someone I know and love to have it (so that I can take credit for it, and pretend it's me - haha). Please stop by her site and send some business her way.

Making: Morgan + Andrew

Having just wrapped up my work for my step-sister's waterfront wedding I have already found another wedding to design for.


The bride is Morgan, a long-time friend of the hubby (and now a friend of mine). She is direct and practical (not at all a woo girl, which is why she and I get along so well) and her style is clean and somewhat classic. The groom is Andrew, they met in grad school and they are the perfect couple - funny, smart and always up for a night of board games. The wedding is going to be wonderful - intimate ceremony on a pier, having a friend officiate, minimal wedding party - they are focusing all of their attention on having a wonderful party with their friends. What better way to celebrate your love than to do what makes you happy?


Not only is this exciting because we know and love the couple, but I've been given somewhat of a promotion. For Chelsea's event I only helped her with the papergoods. This time around I will get to help with everything - papergoods, flowers, decorations and maybe even the wedding and grooms' cakes (with help from the fabulous Brettany, of course) - and I have taken to unofficially calling myself her stylist. If all this goes well the hubby is going to help me build a website so that hopefully I can get actual clients that aren't also my friends or relatives. It feels so wonderful that he believes in me and that someone might want to pay for my help and insight.

I'll leave you with some eye candy inspiration.

image found here

Making: Wedding Programs / Going: South Outer Banks

Gimmeakiss has been silent recently and it's because I have spent all my free time working on the paper goods for my step-sister's waterfront wedding. Here are a few shots of the wedding programs. I have continued to use the tree motif, drawn by Kermit, which was inspired by a prominent tree at the ceremony site.

The best part about these programs is that they could easily be a DIY project for your wedding. I printed the paper portion of the fan using my home printer, finished the corners with a paper punch and glued it to a wooden fan handle. The ribbons were added by the bridesmaids - they were so sweet to help out!

In addition to having a wonderful time at the wedding, the hubby and I had a great time at the coast, which I captured in a few diptychs.

The hubby enjoying our new green and blue beach gear and getting serious with his fantasy football strategy magazine.

An old pier on the river at sunset, and a new pier on the sound just before a thunderstorm.

The sky over the ceremony site and an upside-down sky courtesy of a large puddle.

As you can see, I take far too many pictures of clouds and/or my hubby. But when your hubby is as handsome as mine, can you blame me?

All images by me. Click here for more.

Making: Chelsea + Eric's Invitations

I finally got a chance to finish Chelsea's wedding invitations! This is the sample I printed for her final approval, and if she likes them we will get started on production... 1 down, 99 to go. The tree artwork was privided by my friend (and fellow Etsyan) Kermit. For more of his work, see his blog Drawn Along. (Please forgive the yellow glow. No, I don't live by candlelight - my task lamp has a very yellow bulb.)

Making: Chelsea + Eric

My step-sister Chelsea is engaged and planning her wedding for next June. I offered to help her with her invitations and she accepted. Since I graduated, I have been looking for craft projects to work on - I guess I'm still not used to having free time! I am glad to have a project that will require creativity but not money. I have so many ideas, but I haven't yet met with the bride to learn what she has in mind. I will post whenever I make progress.