I hope you enjoyed the last posts about all the new products that we will be getting into the store.  We are really excited about everything, and truly hope you will be too when you see it.  While it was 3 days of “work” at the Stationery Show, we managed to have a little fun in the big city as well.

Of course we had to catch a Broadway Show…

and go to Serendipity Dessert Shop from the movie “Serendipity”…

I’m not going to say we finished this ridiculously huge sundae, but then again I won’t say that we didn’t … I will say that it was AMAZING.

And last but not least…what else would a girl who owns a wedding store do on her last couple of hours in New York City?  Well visit the J.Crew Bridal Boutique of course!  Pretty much for me J.Crew + Weddings = bliss.

Here a few *sorry not great* photos of the fabulous store.  It is the only store in the nation that has their wedding dresses and all the different colors and styles of bridesmaid dresses.

I wanted to try some dresses on…

but then I am already married so Jacob thought I shouldn’t ask.

Smart guy.

Once we saw the store we headed to the airport and flew home!

Once we checked off finding new invitation books for the store, it was time to go searching for new cards and other fun items.  I quickly realized that I wanted to buy something from every single booth, and Jacob quickly realized that his job at the show was to make sure I didn’t go crazy and buy everything!  But we did find some really fantastic new products that I cannot wait to share with you all.  Here is just a peek of a few things we found.

This might be my favorite…

What a fun shower gift, or engagement gift!  It all has to do with what was going on in Portland the year you said “I do”.  So clever and so unique.

As soon as I saw this card below I thought, I must get that for the store!

This photo really doesn’t do this card justice, but it is sooo cute!

I have a confession to make – I am in love with all things silhouette.  Which is why I was in love with the card above, and which is also why when I saw this cake topper, I couldn’t resist getting it for the store.  I think it is so unique and different than any of the other cake toppers I have seen before.

I hope you enjoyed our little preview.

I guess you’ll just have to come into the store and see everything else we got! :)

Eco-Friendly Invitations are definitely a sought-after style in Portland.  But what if I tell you we have something even better than eco-friendly?  Yup that’s right folks, I now introduce you to plantable invitations!

We will now be featuring Bloomin Invitations at The Wedding Cottage.  A little info from the company, “Bloomin Wedding and its production processes are the most Earth-friendly available. Each sheet is handcrafted from 100% recycled, post-consumer paper and embedded with wildflower seeds. We print this seed paper with natural biodegradable inks that will not compromise the seed’s ability to grow.”

I guarantee your guests will be pleasantly surprised when they see the little message on the bottom that they can plant the invitation and it will turn into flowers that will grow back every year.

This company also features plantable favors as well!

And don’t think that by having eco-friendly invitations you have to compromise customization.  You are able to change up the card stock, all the colors, and of course the fonts and wording.

We often hear from Brides and Grooms that they want their wedding to be personal and unique.  I think these style of invitations will definitely fit the bill, and I hope you think so too!

Wiley Valentine.  How cool is that name?  Yes, I was in love at first sight.  I am so excited to tell you that we will now offer Wiley Valentine Invitations at The Wedding Cottage.  After seeing many, many talented invitation designers at the stationery show, Wiley Valentine seemed to offer something just a little bit different.  From their vintage style designs, to their color choices and customization, I knew it would be a perfect fit for our store.

One thing that really attracted me to this company is all the customization that they can do. The designs in this book feature their signature textured paper, and all of the colors on each invitation can be changed.  As an added plus, all the paper is 100% cotton – that means tree free for you eco-minded brides!   What is also wonderful though is that all of the designs in the book can be done in letterpress (if that is what you are looking for), or printed digitally (to save a little $).

By being able to change up all the colors and fonts, as well as the option to order that oh-so fabulous RSVP postcard, you can make these invites very personal and very you.

But don’t think we just found wedding invitations from this lovely company. We also now have a new book that features photo save the date cards, and photo save the date postcards.

So go out and get those engagement photos!

I am so very excited to share with you a sneak peak of some of the new invitations and goodies we got for The Wedding Cottage at the Stationery Show this past week.  From Saturday to Wednesday we went up and down the aisles visiting booth after booth to make sure we found the perfect new items for the store.

One of the companies that I am so excited to start working with is Designers Fine Press.  Like many people out there I have a huge LOVE for Letterpress.  It is gorgeous, and there is truly nothing like it.  My heart skips a beat just thinking about all the beautiful letterpress invitations we saw over the last couple of days.  But there is one big huge problem with letterpress… it is expensive!!!  Sometimes it seems you have to pay a small fortune for it.  Which is why I was so excited to come across Designers Fine Press, because they are truly able to keep the costs down without skimping on the quality.  I know you probably don’t believe me, because honestly I didn’t believe it at first.  But listen up girls because this is the real deal.  The average letterpress wedding suite is $7.50 each (100 sets of invitations, reply cards and printed envelope).  And to top it off, their designs are fun and fresh.  I cannot wait until this book arrives and you can see for yourself!

Another thing that I am excited about is they offer Postcard RSVP cards!

I love this one invite with the hearts, it is just so darn cute!

And this has been letterpressed on wood, so creative!

The hardest part now is to wait for the book to come in.

We’ll keep you posted when it arrives!

There is nothing quite like New York.  The moment Jacob (my hubby) and I arrived in the Big Apple and hopped in the cab I was in awe of the city!  I have been to New York a few times, but every time I come I am so excited that I just want to dive right in and see the Today Show, find a good slice of Pizza, walk up and down 5th Ave and head up the Empire State building.  However, this trip was different than all the others, because instead of being tourists, we were off to the National Stationery Show. This was my first year going and I was like a kid in a candy store.  Everywhere I turned there were creative people showing off all the latest and greatest invitations, cards, favors, and accessories.  There was so much to look at that we quickly realized it was a good thing we had 3 days to see it all.  I was determined to find amazing new products for The Wedding Cottage, and while I don’t think Jacob quite knew what he was getting into when he decided to come along, he was a wonderful sidekick and helped me find some really great new things for the store.

Apologies for the lack of great photos, all were off my camera phone!

One of the highlights of the show was getting the chance to meet Darcy Miller who is the Editorial Director of Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine.  I attended a seminar where Darcy talked all about the current trends for weddings and stationery.  When I was planning my own wedding (and still today) I read Martha Stewart Magazine religiously.  The magazine is jam packed with so much creativity it amazes me that they can come up with new ideas for each issue.  I also read Darcy’s blog The Bride’s Guide so it was very exciting to get to meet her in person.  I think it would be a pretty good gig to work side by side with Martha Stewart to design and dream up new lovely wedding details, don’t you think!?

Up next, a sneak peek of some of the new invitations we got for the store!

February – is the month of LOVE.  Not only do I LOVE Valentine’s Day (who doesn’t love a holiday celebrated with flowers and chocolate!?) but I also LOVE that with Valentine’s Day comes lots of proposals! It makes me so happy to think of all the newly engaged couples who are ready to start planning their big day!

The other thing I LOVE in February is the Bravo Wedding Affair!  This is a gorgeous wedding show that every Bride and Groom should not miss.  I promise this show will provide an afternoon of eye-candy, wonderful ideas, champagne, and of course cake!  The show is this Sunday, February 20th from 11am-4pm – Visit www.bravowedding.com to get more details, see photos, and to purchase tickets.

But the LOVE doesn’t stop there-  If you stop by The Wedding Cottage on Friday or Saturday and mention this post, I will give you a promo code for free tickets!

XOXO

The holidays are over, the big bridal show has come and gone, and now it’s time to start planning your wedding! But be honest, are the details getting you down? Are you totally and completely overwhelmed by your “to do” list before your “I dos”? Well don’t worry, because we are here for you!!  The Wedding Cottage, along  with many other local wedding vendors will be participating this weekend in the NW Wedding Scoop Bridal Event.

What is the NW Wedding Scoop you ask?

The Scoop is not just another bridal show. As Bridal Pros we will be there to talk with couples and offer our expertise.  Instead of being about the vendors, it is about the YOU and YOUR wedding plans.

Here is what will you will find at the NW Wedding Scoop:

• Tips and tricks from local industry experts
• ‘Man Cave’ for the Guys
• ‘Scoop Swag Bags’ [only the first 150 couples in the door]
• Opportunities to win one of over 40 door prizes
• Wedding service providers without the awkward sales pitch experience
• The opportunity to talk one-on-one to top vendors without having to schedule appointments, commit to consultations, make phone calls, do hours of online research, etc.

Come hang out in a hip & relaxed environment so we can share our secrets, you can get pampered, and the groom-to-be will have a Man Cave to come hang out in!

Plus, there are going to be fabulous door prizes!

DETAILS:

Saturday, January 29th – Show is from 11am-4:15pm (Doors open at 10am)

The Courtyard Marriott City Center

Buy tickets and see more information at www.nwweddingscoop.com

Hope to see you there!

Wow, what a fantastic weekend it was at the Portland Bridal Show!  It was great to get the chance to meet so many brides, grooms and their friends and family – we can’t wait to welcome them to the store.  I love show days because there is always so much excitement and energy, and it is fun to meet new people and show them a taste of what our store has to offer.  I always want to bring everything from store to the show but with a 10×10 booth, clearly this isn’t possible!  I always over pack but I just don’t want to leave out any of our cute items.  This is the biggest show of the year and I couldn’t have done the show without my wonderful husband Jacob!  He helped me setup the booth, worked the show all weekend, and drove out to The Wedding Cottage 3 times in one day to get more brochures .  Oh and did I mention he also helped me breakdown the booth?  What a lucky girl I am!  Here are some before and after photos of our booth.  We set it up in record time!  Hope everyone had a great time!

Before

After!

We’re packed up and ready to head over to the convention center to begin setting up for the largest bridal show of the year.  This weekend is none other than the Portland Bridal Show!  With fashion shows to watch, vendors to meet, cakes to try, and lots of eye-candy, this is a great show to get inspiration and ideas.  We are bringing all our favorite accessories and invitation samples to show off so I hope you will come by the booth to say hi!

And if seeing our smiling faces at the show isn’t enough to tempt you to our booth, we’ll be giving out 10% off coupons that can be used for invitations and save the dates!  To top it off our signature Bride/Mrs. totes will be on sale, and when you buy a tote at the show it comes with a 40% off coupon for one item in the store!

These cute totes will be on sale at the show this weekend!

Show Times:
Mornings (Each Day)

Doors Open 10:30 am • Fashion Show 12:30 pm

Afternoons (Each Day)
Doors Open 2:00 pm • Fashion Show 3:30 pm

Evening (Saturday Only)
Doors Open 5:00 pm • Fashion Show 6:30 pm

For tickets and information visit: www.portlandbridalshow.com