The Green Kangaroo - Unique Wedding Invitations and Stationery

Photo courtesy of Temecula Winegrowers Association’s Web site.

Many of TGK’s invitation designs have been inspired by brides searching for something entirely unique. Our design team loves nothing more than taking a customer’s vision and transforming it into a custom motif that fully reflects the bride’s personality or the spirit of the event. Such was the case when we created our Vineyard Square Pocket invitation! A couple was planning their wedding at a winery in the gorgeous Temecula region of California and was looking for a wedding invitation that perfectly captured the venue’s rustic style.

Working with the bride’s preference for a pocket-style invitation, our designers incorporated the grape vine and wine bottle motifs, showcased here on the invitation’s RSVP postcard. And the Vineyard Square Pocket was born! We’ve had numerous brides since then use the Vineyard Square Pocket as inspiration for their own wedding invitations.

Wedding venues have sparked quite a few of our invitation designs! Do you have an idea for a one-of-a-kind motif or graphic for your wedding? Most of our customers are surprised to learn that our custom design fees start at just $125. Just give us a call or send us an email to get started. After all, custom wedding invitations are at the heart of what we do best!

Last night, a movie called The Cove was awarded an Oscar for “Best Feature Documentary” film. It’s a gripping examination of a highly secretive annual dolphin massacre that takes place off the coast of Japan. The film was produced by the Oceanic Preservation Society, a non-profit organization founded by filmmakers, photographers, and eco-activists.

As animal lovers ourselves, we were astonished by the movie’s revelations about this horrific industry. So in support of OPS, we are launching a special “blue” March promotion! The Green Kangaroo will donate 5% of all blue sales for the remainder of March to the Oceanic Preservation Society.

Help build our fund by ordering something “blue” – literally! Blue orders contain one or more of the following:

• blue ink

• blue paper

• blue ribbon

• blue embellishments

We’ll feature some of the most lovely blue orders on the blog throughout the month, to provide you with inspiration! Just remember, to qualify for this promotion, orders must be submitted before March 31, 2010.

Over the weekend, TGK launched our brand new Website. We are so pleased (isn’t it pretty?)! But the main drive behind this change was our desire to make navigating the site even easier for you, our customers.

Among the new features you’ll see are a streamlined navigation system and better visibility of more products at one time. There’s also a super handy search feature within each product section allowing you to quickly narrow down your selections to see exactly what you’re looking for.

We’re still making changes to many of the “back end” functions, so bear with us as we continue “moving in” over the next few weeks. If you come across something that doesn’t work, or doesn’t make sense, we hope you’ll let us know! Feel free to leave a comment here on the blog or send us a message directly through the Website to alert us to the issue. Honorary beta-testers will be rewarded! We look forward to your feedback and to serving you better with our new Website!

Dreaming of an elegant coastal wedding this summer? Our Sea Oats motif is the perfect complement! Pictured below in chocolate and turquoise ink on a rich chocolate shimmer pocket paper, this design is sure to set the stage for your seaside wedding.

Accessory options include a direction card with custom map and reply card. (They slip handily into the “clutch” pocket on the reverse of the invitation.)

Complete the look with our sea grass themed Ribbon Wedding Program, Sea Grass Menu, matching table cards and place cards. Shown here in chocolate and latte ink on antique white paper, with blue iris satin ribbon and french blue shimmer layer paper!

*Special thanks to Azul Photography here in Cary, NC for capturing that beautiful shot of our Coastal designs at a recent bridal show!

We love the free Wedding Websites on WeddingWire so much that we wanted to be sure to let you know when our new designs hit the site! You can now incorporate TGK’s “Josie,” “Floral Decor,” “Bird & Blossom,” “Sunflower,” “Hydrangea,” and “Fall Leaves” motifs into your own free wedding website to create a fully customized, one-of-a-kind Web presence. Just as with our invitations, each Website motif is available in numerous colors so you can make it your own.

Let us know if you choose a TGK WeddingWire Website design – we’d love to feature you here on our blog!

Our design team has been busybusybusy cooking up some fabulous new motifs to keep up with what our customers are clamoring for! We had such a tremendous response to our vintage-chic Bliss motif on our holiday cards and Bliss save-the-dates that we decided to incorporate this popular design into a new wedding invitation. And to make this announcement even more exciting, the Bliss wedding invitation has been added to our growing Frugal Collection, which is a favorite with brides on a budget!

Shown here in marigold and chocolate ink on champagne shimmer paper, the Bliss wedding invitation is the perfect blend of old and new, with its classic, flouncy blossom and modern use of color and off-center type.

We are also loving it in turquoise and cherry red ink as shown here …

... and in aqua and chocolate ink, seen here on the accessory card and RSVP postcard, items that are both included with each Bliss wedding invitation! How’s that for “frugal”?

Just in time for summer weddings, TGK’s designers have completely revamped the Hibiscus wedding invitation suite with stunning new artwork!

The Hibiscus wedding invitation in turquoise and cherry red ink, on diamond shimmer paper.

This bold, exotic tropical flower is the perfect theme-setter for elegant summer weddings, bringing to mind hot, bright days and steamy, sultry nights. Summer brides looking for a sophisticated way to incorporate just a splash of color will appreciate the Hibiscus wedding invitation’s clean lines and white background set off by the colorful hibiscus flower border. We also love how the designer incorporated the serene, botanical feel of this motif while letting the invitation’s style showcase summer brightness at its best!

Stay tuned for more new designs featured on the blog! In the meantime, check out a few more customization possibilities for the Hibiscus wedding invitation ... the options are endless!

The Hibiscus wedding invitation shown in lime and aqua ink on heavy white paper.

The invitation’s RSVP postcard shows two possibilities for incorporating chocolate and tropical pink inks.

It’s officially bridal show season! And while TGK participates in quite a few shows in our area, we are particularly pumped about this week’s Wedding Secrets event at the gorgeous Brier Creek Country Club here in Raleigh.

The organizers have tapped into a great concept of having the participating vendors do more than just promote their services. They are putting on a full-fledged seminar where brides will get the real inside skinny on the “secrets” for successfully working with wedding vendors – such as getting the most out of every penny in your wedding budget!

So TGK’s design consultant, Lori, is busy putting together her “insiders’” presentation on everything from the latest trends in wedding stationery to tips on questions brides should be asking. Some of the Raleigh area’s most prestigious, seasoned wedding professionals will be in attendance – lucky brides!

If you’re in the NC region, I highly recommend you make plans to attend this event! For online registration information (and hey, a chance to meet the fabulous Lori in person!), visit Brier Creek’s Web site here. Leave us a comment to let us know if you’re planning to attend … there just may be a special prize for blog readers who comment and come to the event!

Photo save-the-dates have become one of the leading trends in wedding stationery. The key is ensuring that the photo file you send your stationer is capable of producing the best possible printed image quality.

A photograph that looks crisp and clear on your computer monitor may not necessarily print at that same quality. The reason is that most computer screens are low resolution (or, designed to showcase small photo files), while printers are high resolution (or, designed to work with large photo files). If you try to print a photo file created for computer viewing on a good quality printer, chances are you’ll end up with a grainy, blurry photo.

So how can you be confident that the photo you choose for your printed stationery will print with the clear, professional quality you see on your screen? The secret is in the photo’s dpi, or “dots-per-inch” measurement, also known as the “resolution.”

Dots-per-inch refers to the number of pixels (or tiny little dots) that are used to make up your picture. The more dots used, the clearer the picture when printed. For example, pictures viewed on the Internet are usually 72 or 96 dpi, which is a fine number for clarity when viewed on a low-resolution computer screen. But when printing on a high-resolution printer, a dpi of 300 or higher is needed to ensure a crystal image. This is because a printer requires more tiny little dots spaced much closer together than the computer screen does to deliver a good quality photo.

Determining your photo’s dpi is fairly straightforward:

• Right click on the photo to view the photo’s “properties” and identify the photo’s dimensions (such as 1200×1800).

• Divide the digital dimensions by what you need the photo’s physical dimensions to be when printed (such as 4×6 or 5×7). The resulting figure is the dpi.

• For example, if your photo’s digital dimensions are 1200×1800 and its physical size is 4×6, divide 1200 by 4 and 1800 by 6 to equal 300 dpi.

If you’re using an image provided to you by your photographer, or even taken with most standard quality digital cameras, chances are the dpi will be at least 300. However, be sure to ask your photographer for a file of the original image. If you attempt to copy a photo from a preview or slideshow, you will probably end up with a low dpi image that was generated specifically for computer viewing. (Working directly with your photographer will also ensure that you have full permission to reproduce and use the photo!)

And if you’re using a photo taken by a friend on a personal digital camera, remember that cropping and zooming in on the image can affect the photo’s dpi. So capture that original image as closely as possible to the size and positioning of the final look you want.

Of course, if you’re working with us here at The Green Kangaroo, our team is always available to walk you through questions on photo files to help you be confident in your finished product!

We love when brides let us help them carry a theme throughout their wedding event. So we had a ball last summer creating a full suite of Coastal Couture inspired wedding stationery for Alyssa and Scott’s seaside gala. A big thank you to Brian Phillips Photography for sharing some of his gorgeous images with us!

The Couture Ava Coastal wedding invitation was the perfect way to set the stage for this upscale coastal wedding.

Alyssa chose to customize the Ribbon Wedding Program to complement the cheerful color scheme.

Even Scott’s boutonniere got the Coastal Couture treatment!

Menus and table numbers were a key element of the reception’s design. This is a great way to get the most out of your wedding day stationery!

The whole event was simply divine! To see even more pictures of this elegant beach wedding, check out the full feature on the Boston Hearts Weddings blog. Congratulations to Alyssa and Scott!

With Valentine’s Day just around the bend, we are preparing for an upswing in newly engaged brides interested in Save-the-Date cards! Love it or loathe it, Valentine’s Day is arguably the most popular day of the year to get engaged. So if you think your sweetie is gearing up to pop the question, we’re featuring some super romantic Save-the-Dates to get you in the spirit of the holiday!

The Josie Save-the-Date in Lipstick Pink and Grass Green ink combines classic elegance with a fun, modern color combination perfect for spring. Shown here with the background tinted Lipstick Pink just a few shades lighter than the type.

The Cari Save-the-Date in Chocolate and Cherry Red ink on champagne paper is a nod to vintage style that retains a modern feel with the brown-and-red color palette.

The Bliss photo Save-the-Date in Pewter and Cranberry ink with its flouncy flower is one of our most popular designs. Incorporating a romantic photo is a great way to personalize your save-the-date cards.

Keep us posted on how you plan to spend Valentine’s Day! We’ll be on the lookout for romantic engagement stories.

We were thrilled to learn a few months ago that TGK had been chosen as one of the University of Georgia’s Top 100 “Best Bulldog Businesses.” And at the awards banquet this weekend, we learned that TGK ranks #14 out of those 100 amazing companies, in terms of our rate of growth! Color us green with excitement!

Melissa and Kristen had big plans to travel down to Atlanta to attend the super fancy awards gala, but were sidelined by the snowstorm that hit North Carolina. So I, their intrepid blogger (and fellow UGA alum), braved the nasty Atlanta drizzle to attend in their stead. Oh, what a rough life I lead …

My sweet husband and I were wined and dined at the fancy Intercontinental Hotel among such illustrious alums as the CEO of AFLAC and the founders of numerous innovative corporations, not to mention a few old faces we hadn’t seen in years. (My husband was most impressed by the appearance of UGA Athletic Director Damon Evans, naturally.)

Unfortunately, my bum camera failed to capture any of the Kodak moments, but we will post some of the “official” event photos once we can get our hands on them. Until then, we’ll leave you with this quote from the University’s press release on the event:

“The Green Kangaroo should be congratulated for being among the first selection of Bulldog 100 companies,” said Deborah Dietzler, Executive Director of the UGA Alumni Association. “With more than 400 nominees representing businesses from throughout the United States, it is a true achievement to be selected.”

February is all about love! To celebrate, we wanted to send an extra special Valentines Day Promo your way. So, we asked ourselves, “What can we give our customers that they both need AND love?” Our oh-so-fabulous guest addressing service, of course!

For the vast majority of us who type far more than we practice our lovely penmanship, guest addressing is a gift straight from cupid! Just imagine your invitation order arriving with the names and addresses of your guests already neatly and accurately printed in a beautiful complementary ink color and font. Voila! Your invitations look totally gorgeous and all you have to do is add postage!

Understandably, guest addressing is one of our most popular services! Normal rates for guest addressing start at just $1 per envelope set (that’s printing on both the inner AND outer envelopes) and $1.50 if you’d like us to use colored ink. During the entire month of February, receive our guest addressing service (black ink only) FREE with your wedding invitation order from our Signature Collection or Frugal Collection! Or, upgrade to color ink for only $0.50! Save yourself hours of time! Simply select the guest addressing service of your choice in the Design Extras section when placing your order! Now what bride wouldn’t want to take advantage of that?

PROMOTION EXTENDED!

Due to popular demand, we’re extending this promotion for an extra week! Stay tuned for news regarding our charitable promotion for March!

Exclusions: Offer is not retroactive and is only applicable on orders placed between 2/1/2010 and 3/7/2010. Offer is only valid on wedding invitations in our Signature or Frugal Collections. Note: Once you have submitted your order, you will receive a guest addressing template from us. Please follow the instructions on our template carefully as we will print your guest addresses exactly as you’ve entered them. If any correction or manipulation is required to your template, a $25 fee will apply.

While obviously we advocate for custom printed save-the-dates, we were thoroughly entertained at the TGK studios last week with bridepop’s collection of “epic” save the date wedding videos.

My favorite is the quirky French couple, but there is a certain je ne sais quoi about the medieval / viking quest-themed movie trailer style video. Oh, it’s impossible to put into words – just check them out here!

Tick tock, tick tock. We all find ourselves in a time crunch every now and then! Maybe the past few months passed quicker than you anticipated? Or maybe you are working ahead of schedule and want to check one more item off of your to-do list. Either way, we understand needing your Wedding Invitations and Wedding Stationery in a hurry- and not wanting to compromise on beautiful, professionally printed creations!

Let us help!

For one weekend only, The Green Kangaroo is dropping their Rush Fees! You can receive our Rush Production Schedule for FREE!

From January 28th – January 31st receive:

• Signature Invitations in 7-10 business days instead of 15-20
• Frugal Invitations in 7-9 business days instead of 10
• Save the Dates in 5-7 business days instead of 10
• Programs & Table Stationery in 5-7 business days instead of 10

Select your Rush option during check-out to receive this awesome promotion!

Note: Our Rush Production turnaround time begins after proof approval. Exclusions: Offer is not retroactive and is only applicable on orders placed between 1/28/10 and 1/31/10. Products in our Couture Collection and our DIY Collection are not eligible.