My sister Carla and her husband Kevin met in high school and got married in the White Mountains of New Hampshire last August. Carla knew from the start that she wanted birds to play a major role in her theme, and for her colors to be “blue, shades of blue, maybe blue and some bluish greens, but mostly just blues.” As straightforward as that sounds, it was amazing how many different “blues” we considered before agreeing on a final palette!

After a few rounds of options, Carla settled on an invitation design that brought some of the white birch trees at her ceremony site into the design. We checked out the paper colors at Paper Source and decided to focus on using Night, Pool and Luxe Fino White as her palette.

I mixed water-based inks to match the Pool and White elements in the suite, and screen printed the graphics and text onto the Night paper. I also utilized an Embossing Heat Tool with a custom rubber stamp to carry a carved “C+K” heart theme into other components of the suite. With my inkjet, I printed a custom “birch bark” pattern onto 8.5×11” sheets of paper and used an envelope liner template to cut out liners. I paper-punched tiny birds and tied tassles onto the insert. The entire ensemble fit into Half Moon Enclosures and an A7 Outer Envelope.

On the big day, we integrated the theme with the floral arrangements, signage, decor and cake. Carla’s bridesmaids each wore a dress of their choosing in different shades of blue and the groomsmen wore navy suits with “bird and twig” boutonnieres. We printed illustrated bird escort cards on cardstock, which I cut by hand before folding into tents. The programs were paper hand-fans, printed on 8.5×11” cardstock, folded in half and rounded at the corners. In lieu of a guestbook, I painted a midnight blue tree trunk and branches on watercolor paper and asked guests to add their “thumbprints” in various shades of blue and green stamp ink, signing their names in silver.

* Special thanks to Tim Shellmer Photography for permission to use his images.

In the end, Carla and Kevin had a cute tree poster for their wall, with “leaves” representing all the friends and relatives who celebrated their wedding day.

–Emily Foran, Three Little Words – San Francisco, PS customer
PS colors: fig, persimmon & paper bag
Latest fave: Gratitude Journal

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

7 Responses to “Guest blogger: A birch & bluebirds wedding”