Wedding Invitation Trends 2012

Guest Blogger, Christina Carnevale, Paper Rock Scissors
Christina Carnevale is a professional designer and owner of Paper Rock Scissors, a design firm located in Conshohocken, PA dedicated to creating original invitations and announcements for weddings, mitzvahs, corporate parties, and all other special events. 

As Winter is blasting us with its bitterness, Spring and Summer weddings are sitting on the horizon, just waiting to be announced.  Invitations have become the method by which couples introduce their guests to the overall theme, design, or colors of the wedding, often incorporating elements that will be used at the wedding ceremony and/or reception.  We’re seeing less and less of the “ivory card with black writing” invitation and watching our clients move into a fully designed invitation suite that truly reflects the theme of the event, and often, the personal style of the couple.

Since we begin booking clients for 2012 weddings in mid-2011, we start to see invitation trends earlier than many companies.  As a result, we’re seeing the following trends forming for 2012, and we’re happy to share them with you.

A Continuation of Jewel Tones

After the Royal Wedding, we began to see an infusion of jewel tones into many weddings.  Unlike the Royal Wedding invitations, which were a traditional ivory with a gold gilt edge, we’re seeing brides who are incorporating  the jewel tones into their actual invitations, choosing papers and ribbons that are deeply saturated with color.  Whether or not you choose to combine two jewel tones together, or simply ground your color with the jewel tone and add a brighter “pop,” you can’t go wrong with the luxe look of Jewel Tones.

Cobalt and Coral

Cobalt provides a backdrop to this invitation, while the coral ribbon and patterned paper gives it that pop of color.


Ruby and Gold

Ruby and Gold is always a beautiful mix of colors.  Whether the wedding be in December or July, using red and gold is a sure-fire way to add a bit of luxury to your wedding.


Blue Topaz and Gold

Blue Topaz (tiffany blue) paired with a gold grounds the color and focuses the eye on the important details that are accented and backed in the blue.

Sapphire and Hot Pink

Sapphire and Hot Pink is a popular combination for both ballroom weddings as well as beach weddings.  Depending on the colors that are used in the ink and in the pocket, an invitation can range from formal to fun.  The hot pink adds just the right amount pizzazz.

Handwritten Calligraphy

I’ve said it before in blog posts, and I’ll say it again.  There is nothing more formal that receiving an invitation with a handwritten guest name and address on it.  We’re seeing more and more brides return to the basic of handwritten envelopes, and we are excited about it.  When a piece of mail comes in that has been handwritten, it’s a show stopper…particularly, beautiful  calligraphy on a lovely envelope. 

Though we do quite a lot of work with traditional calligraphy styles, we’re also seeing more free-flowing calligraphy styles used on envelopes.  Brides are looking for something original and not so cookie-cutter, so a more unstructured script is appealing.  We are also seeing the use of white, silver, and gold inks on darker envelopes (again, going back to jewel tones) which gives the invitation a different look immediately upon receipt by your guest.

Whether you love the ideas of the trends we’re seeing, or if you are looking for something completely different, think about how you can make your invitation part of your overall design aesthetic for the event.  The possibilities only end where your ideas do!  We here at Paper Rock Scissors are happy to help should you require professional assistance in designing your very own ensemble.

Wedding Flower Trends 2012

Guest Blogger, Tanti Lina, Papertini

After about a gallon of coffee, here's what came to my mind on the topic of "Wedding Flower Trends 2012":

"Vintage" is still going to be around for a while; because it's easy to embrace the idea of simple, familiar, comfort, warm, cozy and ooey gooey, like a good chocolate chip cookie should be. How that translates to flowers and decor is we'll get to see things like pick-from-the-garden bouquet style (handtied, textural, natural), mason and antique jars/bottles/containers, break away centerpieces (what that means is a table has 3-5 bud vases vs 1 big arrangement), mercury glasses, cute birds, etc...etc... Just browse Style Me Pretty, Anthropologie, and etsy, you'll find a lot of answers there. ^_^

A little twist for 2012 that we can see coming is probably the return of the cascading bouquet style - BUT, nothing crazy like the 80's royal shabongle. It will be the more subtle, slight teardrop shape, simpler version like, well, the new millenia royal shabongle (Thank you, Your Royal Highness for not going for the super long cascading holy cannoli bouquet and yes, "shabongle" is my own made up word). 

Now, that's just my "business" or "industry driven" opinion. If you ask for my personal opinion as an invidiual, a woman, and an artist: Trend Schmrend.

Why?? Because it's YOUR wedding! Trend articles are there to serve as guidance, reference, and inspiration sources. Seriously, none of these mean anything if they are not what you truly want. For most people (cuz you know that one Kardashian story), this will be the one and only time you get to do this wedding shabongle!

So...Do what you love and follow your heart!

Wishing you a happy and prosperous 2012! 
And...Happy Planning! ^__^

==========================


Pictures Credit:
Lindsay Docherty Photography:
Antique Jars
Mercury Glass
Pick from Garden Style
Vintage

Picture taken by Papertini:
Ciao Bella Cakes with Cute Birds (Cake by Ciao Bella Cakes)

Photo courtesy of CLiu:
Short Cascade Bouquet

All flowers in the pictures are by Papertini

Wedding Cake Design Trends for 2012

Guest blogger, Rafael Logrono

...couture continues...
In 2011, there was a huge increase in fashion inspired wedding cakes; let it be lace, drapes or brooches, this popular trend will continue in 2012. Brides love to see the embroidery and fabric designs of their gowns, transformed into a confectionary work of art on to their wedding cakes.

...blissfully bold bows...
Dressing a cake with bows hand crafted out of sugar, not only makes a dramatic statement, but the elegant look is a much more affordable alternative to a sugar flower studded wedding cake. Bows have been a part of weddings for a long time; seen in chair coverings and on the bride's gown, the dainty embellishment will be seen more often on wedding cakes in 2012.

...tall confections...
A trend that has been highly popular in 2011 will continue to grace the weddings of hundreds of couples in 2012. Tall wedding cakes are show stopping! Bakers can use one or two tiers of styrofoam pieces and decorate them for a grand 5 tier wedding cake. The trend of tall wedding cakes also includes tiers of varying heights. Much more attention is brought to a wedding cake with tiers ranging in heights.

...white canvas and black elements...
White and lackluster wedding cakes are so 1990's; this year, the color white will serve as a clean canvas for cake designers to portray color filled designs, let it be hand painting, sugar flowers or embroidery. Black at a wedding? Yes! Splashes of the color black are very edgy and avant garde and set apart any wedding cake from the rest.

Remember, your wedding cake is the one dessert you'll always remember for the rest of your life, so choose the right baker to make it a memorable one!

To book a wedding cake consultation e-mail Rafael at info@RafaelLogrono.com or you can visit his website RafaelLogrono.com for more information. Follow Rafael Logrono on Facebook at Facebook.com/RafaelLogronoCakeDesign

All photos courtesy of Rafael Logrono

Lighting Trends for 2012

Guest blogger, Jason Weldon, Synergetic Sound & Lighting, Inc.

The beauty with lighting is that we can set the trend with each event we do. We are always trying to do something a little different from the last event we did. So we are always looking to set the new trend or come up with a hot new way to light an area. Many of the changes happen in the technology we use. And the technology in L.E.D. lighting is getting really good; however the cost of the fixtures is still pretty high. So 2012 will see more and more of the higher end events using more and more of the newest L.E.D. fixtures.

Whenever we talk about lighting trends, color is always the first thing that has to be brought up. For 2012, Tangerine Tango is the color to have! You are going to see this in up lighting, gobo projections and area lighting. Compliment that with a gold or purple and the room will just look brilliant.

Digital lighting is a trend that will be brought into more proposals that we put together for 2012. Instead of using the traditional lighting fixtures, projectors are used to create endless possibilities on the dance floor, walls or even the outside of a building. Digital light is still rather expensive, so the trick for us is to find a way to make it affordable, but still give the effect we are looking for.

And I say this every year, but I think 2012 will be another big year for Intelligent lighting. We did more Intelligent lighting events last year than any year previous and I think more and more clients see how much it adds to the design and feel of a room. It also helps that our clients and prospects can come in and get a demonstration of what it looks like, this way they are educated and can “see” exactly what it is.

Set design is going to be big this year as well. Draped out sweet heart tables, trussing around the dance floor, cabanas set up for lounge areas: these will all start to come into play to jazz up a room physically and allow us the chance to light them properly to show off the client’s personality. After all, that is the end result, to make the party a reflection of you!

We also started to see a push in monogram sales towards the end of last year and I think it may last for most of 2012. But not just the typical initials next to each other with the date underneath. I am talking about custom designed monograms that are truly breathtaking. We are getting monogram designs from more calligraphy artists than ever before and we love it!

And last but not least, sometimes it is the simple things that look the best. We love the look of the old style, Italian string lights and we think this is something that can be incorporated in many of the events we design. The look of these lights is different, but traditional enough that it brings a feel to the room that typical up lighting or dance floor lighting just can’t do. We have been showing this off in our DreamSpace (our lighting demo area) for months now and clients have been really excited about it.

2012 is going to allow us to get very creative with lighting and we are excited about our DreamSpace to show it all off in! We look forward to working with our trusted partners like Always Fabulous Events and hope that you will come over to our offices with Randi to design your wedding!

All photos courtesy of Synergetic Sound & Lighting. 

Wedding Trends for 2012

As the real world approaches the end of 2011, the wonderful world of weddings is already into 2012 and onward. Just to make sure we are all on the same page, I decided to talk about Wedding Trends we are seeing for 2012.

DRESSES

• Illusion Necklines have been seen at Carolina Herrera, Alfred Angelo, and Monique Lhuillier. Their interpretations of this fashion style are completely different. My favorite is this one by Monique Lhuillier.

photo source

• Two-Tiered Skirts are a great way to hide larger hips and thighs.
• Lace Sleeves. All thanks due to Kate Middleton. (Warning: If you try this trend and your arms look like they are stuffed in sausage casing, then it is not the right trend for you.)
• Blush is an acceptable alternative to the traditional white or ivory.

PHOTOGRAPHY

• Engagement Shoots have become increasingly popular. It not only helps you get to know your photographer. It also helps you become comfortable having your photos taken together and you learn how to pose for a flattering shot. By the time your wedding day rolls around, you will feel like a professional model. 

FOOD

• Stations are making a permanent home as wedding reception dining options. Frankly, they are much more interesting than a standard buffet. Setting up stations around the room allows for traffic control and eliminates the long wait holding a plate. 
• Dessert Tables are HUGE! It will include your wedding cake plus so much more. One of our recent wedding couples even had a gelato cart wheeled in to serve the frozen treats they shared on their first date. 
• Groom's Cake... yes, its back. Since most of the wedding day is about the bride, this is a way for her to surprise him with a little reflection of his interests. 

DECOR

• Full-Blown Themes... not just color schemes. I'm talking about the other elements that make up ideas like "A Midsummer Night's Dream" or "Alice in Wonderland".
• Non-Floral Accents. Brides are taking notes from fashion and incorporating things like feathers, fabrics, and metals into the wedding decor. Jeweled accents never seem to go out of style. Bling is sticking around a little while longer. 
• Personalization does not have to mean DIY (do it yourself). We're seeing lots of personal touches that are created by professionals. You can have a monogram created by a graphic designer to be strategically displayed from your stationery to your wedding cake decorations and dance floor lighting. You can name the tables after all of your favorite songs and have your invitation designer print them for you with the same font and paper stock as your invitations, programs, and menu cards. You can even hire a writer to help you create the perfect vows.

I'm sure we'll touch on a lot of these topics in more detail later. For now, please enjoy the holiday season with your friends, family, and loved ones. 

Muchos Smooches!

Gourmet Cupcakes & Vino

Photo Source

A little while a go, I enjoyed a new experience... pairing gourmet cupcakes with wine. This is a great cocktail party or upscale dessert option. At this event, Cupcakes Gourmet provided yummy delicious mini cupcakes (not pictured above) and Franks Union Wine Mart provided a variety of wines from Cupcake Vineyard (how appropriate!).

I learned a few pairing tips and (lucky for you) I decided to spread the knowledge:

• Lemon cupcakes taste best with Sauvignon Blanc
• Raspberry cupcakes go fabulously with Pinot Grigio
• Vanilla cupcakes go nicely with Chardonnay
• Red velvet goes with a blended wine called... wait for it... Red velvet 

The next time you feel like splurging on cupcakes, don't forget to grab a bottle of wine to go with them. 

Go and be FABULOUS!  

Is It Hot or Not? The Results

A big thank you to everyone who participated in our survey. Here are the results (drum roll please)

Garter Toss:
Hot - 54.5%     Not - 45.5%

Bouquet Toss:
Hot - 63.6%     Not - 36.4%

Money Dance (aka Dollar Dance)
Hot - 18.2%     Not - 81.8%

So what do you think of these results? Is it on point or way off? We'd love to hear your opinions... even if you did not take the survey.

Unity Sand Ceremony

Couples add the unity sand ceremony to their weddings as an alternative to the unity candle ceremony because it so elegantly captures the meaning of their two lives becoming one. It also creates a lasting keepsake of that special day.

Using different colored wedding sands, the bride and groom each take turns filling a Unity Vase as they recite their chosen vows. The flowing sand and blending of the colors symbolize the two lives becoming one. Some couples prefer to leave a small amount of sand in their respective container to show that even though they now function as one, they remain individuals. Once poured into the unity vase, the sands can never be separated. They are forever entwined just as the lives and loves of the bride and groom.

The sand colors can be coordinated with your home décor, chosen based on colors you love personally, or to match your wedding color scheme.

The ceremony only takes 2-3 minutes.

Some say that the ritual is a Native American custom. Others say it is Hawaiian. No matter who started it, the Unity Sand Ceremony is used in weddings around the world.

Photos from My Spiritual Wedding

2010 Trend #9: Black Accents

According to The Knot, black accents are back to give your reception a chic, timeless, cocktail-party-fun vibe. Pair it with a bright color to keep the room from looking too dark.

Photos from: Perfect Wedding Guide, Fearon May, The Knot, Juliska

2010 Trend #8: Letterpress Invitations

Not really a new concept but more brides are realizing the benefit of having letterpress vs. inkjet or laser printed invitations. With the less expensive printing (commonly used for DIY invitations), you risk the chance of smearing and smudging.

Letterpress wedding invitations are always interesting and elegant. You actually see and feel the impression of the type into the paper.

This type of printing goes well with 100% cotton paper.

Photos from Felix Birr and Minted

2010 Trend #7: The Color Purple

No... not the movie.

Purple is a rich and regal color. You can mix multiple shades of purple in your wedding design. Or select one shade of purple and accent it with a complimentary hue like apple green, banana yellow, or a fiery orange.

Photo Sources: (1) TV Guide, Collage (clockwise from left) (2) Wish Special Events (3) Events by Intrigue (4) Starwood Hotels (5) Eli Ross (6) Photocard Cafe (7) Special Flower Delivery

2010 Trend #6: Greener Weddings

It's not about making your wedding appear organic.

It is about making eco-friendly choices that your guests probably won't notice.

It is about choosing a caterer who uses locally-grown foods free of pesticides and preservatives.

It is about understanding how things are made, used, and disposed of.

Some ideas:

• Wear a dress made of natural fabrics like cotton or silk.


• Use mineral makeup. Conventional makeup contains potentially toxic chemicals that are introduced to your skin and into our water supply when washed off.


• Tree-free invitations. They are made of cotton.


• Replace traditional favors with a charitable donation or plant a tree on behalf of your guests. Check out services like Tree Instead


• Donate your wedding flowers to a retirement home or local hospital.


• Donate leftovers from your wedding reception. This may require a little research because most food banks will only accept nonperishables.

2010 Trend #5: Weddings @ Home

Backyard weddings tend to be more intimate events (unless your home can comfortably hold over 100 guests). This does not mean it can't be elegant, but at the same time, it can be as informal as you want it to be.

Instead of spending a lot on floral centerpieces, you can upgrade the landscape with bright flowers. Or use floral prints for your table linens and bridesmaids dresses.

Photos from (1) Always Fabulous Events 2007, (2) Better Homes & Gardens, (3) Mo Plants

2010 Trend #4: Birdcage Veils

They've been seen on the red carpet and on the white aisle runner. Combined with a feathers or a blinging jewels, the birdcage veil is for the modern fashionista bride. This trend first caught my attention on newlywed Kellie Williams (best known as Laura Winslow of "Family Matters").

Photo source: (1) Becky's Little Blog, (2) Cloths World

2010 Trend #3: Red Lips

Make sure you pick the right red for our complexion.

- Blue undertones & Cherry Red

- Yellow undertones & Poppy Red

Matte is more wearable than gloss.

Photo:  Elegance & Simplicity

2010 Trend #2: Lotsa Lace

All gowns by Sottero and Midgley

2010 Trend #1: Jeweled Neckline

Photos: (1&2) Justin Alexander, (3) Monique Lhuillier, (4) Navy & Lavender

That's Hot!

Everybody wants their wedding or special event to be the hottest of the year. For this reason, it is important to know what trends are hot and what is not. We will review the trends that have been forecasted by several wedding, special event, and fashion sources. I hope to inspire a few upgrades and changes to your event design and party attire... all for the better of course.

Stay tuned...