The Green Kangaroo - Unique Wedding Invitations and Stationery

We are excited to announce that TGK has 2 invitations in the “You’re Invited” Editorial Feature of Inside Weddings Fall 2008 issue!

Both our Madison and Kate Wedding Invitations were pictured as part of the “Metallica” theme in this issue. The Autumn season is a great time to work in these rich shades of bronze, chocolate and gold – although – our design team feels that these hues add sparkle and depth to weddings in any season!

The Madison was pictured with a custom envelope liner in soft gold shimmer. A great way to dress up this invitation theme with a classic monogram watermark. Looking to save a little, the Madison has a DIY option (meaning you glue the invitation onto the base layer) which can save you $1.10 for each invitation!

Stay tuned, the Kate, already clean and modern in style, will be getting some exciting new updates to its design in the next couple of weeks!

Hey Ladies (and the occasional gentleman)! Things at The Green Kangaroo have been rocking and rolling, and unfortunately, yours truly has been slacking on the blog updates. We have been working feverishly to make ordering on our website even easier for future brides and have been on a “design binge”. We are super excited about our new design ideas. Here two new concepts that have been a hit already – The Swirls Wedding Invitation

and the Citrus Wedding Invitation

We have also launched a brand new line of personalized holiday cards. Just got married this year? Why not show off your new status by sending out a personalized holiday card to all of your friends and family. Start a tradition that will last a lifetime!

I was standing in the check out line at Pottery Barn over the weekend (after having grappled with myself over whether I should buy a table runner for my dining room) and was delighted to see a bold display set up in black, white and grass green – I LOVE this combination (oh to plan my wedding again – the things I would do . . .) They had black furniture with black and white patterned pillows and a really fun shade of bright green worked in. It reminded me of our new Josie wedding invitation – which we just designed in this color combination.

Here are some inspiring photos of weddings which used black, white and green. The floral designs are by one of our favorite florists, Fresh Affairs.

Photography by Azul Photograpy Photography by Walters and Walters Photogrpahy

If you haven’t heard of ‘trashing your dress” after the big day, here’s the skinny on it. “It is about creation, not destruction . . .” – that’s the motto of the website devoted to the growing trend of shooting artistic photos of brides “trashing” their wedding dresses. Mark Eric, a photographer from New Orleans was inspired to start trashthedress.com by Las Vegas based photographer John Michael Cooper – who supposedly started the trend (where else but Vegas, baby!). It has been a hit in larger cities, and seems to be slowly finding its way to less urban areas.

Here are some photos from Raleigh, NC based photographers, Azul Photography – (one of our favorites for their journalistic style!).

So really – what are you going to do with that dress anyway? Put it in your closet to collect dust for the next 30 years (like me)? Sell it on ebay? And the trend isn’t just for the newly married – what better way to show your husband of say, 5 or 10 years that he is still the only one by squeezing into your dress and having some creative shots taken? Now – THAT’S an anniversary gift!!

Let’s continue on MJO’s note of wine . I can not tell you how many brides have asked us about vineyard themed wedding invitations.

Vineyard weddings are such festive and elegant celebrations! But you don’t have to have a Vineyard Wedding in order to incorporate wine (or the love of wine) into your invitation design. Some people have a rich family heritage in wine, and others (like myself) are just immensely fond of it! Wine is something that holds sentiment – in a variety of ways.

At TGK, we have an amazing team of people that sell, design, and produce our invitations. Despite the numerous requests for wine-oriented wedding invitations, it wasn’t until recently that we had a reason to design one. Lucky for us – and for all the brides who come after her – Michelle D. graciously helped pave the way to our new Vineyard Design Theme for her October Wedding.

Michelle told us that she was looking for something clean and contemporary, though not ultra modern. Her primary wedding color was Navy, but she wanted to bring in another color to accent. We discovered that her wedding reception was to be held in a grand cask room, and the walls were filled with towering wine barrels. The immediate accent color that came to mind was “sand” – an oaky color that is contemporary, yet organic. We combined an old-world script with a clean block font to further enhance the overall design of her invitation.

My favorite part of her invitation… her reply postcard!

Michelle decided on the Audrey Pocket invitation, and gave her guests the courtesy of written driving directions and a custom-designed map along with her reception card. She provided us great input and feedback, and allowed us the creative liberty to work our magic. The result – an invitation design that everyone loves!”

My family and I are going to the beach next week and I was thinking about all the fun summer wedding invitations we have designed recently. As I mentioned last week, we have a number of brides getting married at the beach but are having a “coastal” themed wedding instead of a ‘tropical” one. I am always thrilled to see how creative they are with their reception decor. These adirondack chair place card holders from Beau Coup go perfectly with our custom place cards. Lighthouse, sea oats, or star fish themed place cards would look fabulous with these guys!

Put these together with a matching menu and your table is all set!

So, everyone knows that brown (also known as chocolate, mocha, latte, cocoa and coffee bean) is the new black. Our brown and pink, brown and blue, brown and green (chartreuse being our most popular shade of green at the moment) and brown and champagne wedding invitations are super popular right now! But . . . black and white will never go out of style. No matter how you do it, there is just something classic and refreshing about a black and white wedding (well, except for Billy Idol’s version – I’m not sure what category “White Wedding” falls into, but if you are feeling spunky, here’s a link to the video).

We recently added a “Black and White” gallery to our website. One of our most popular black and white wedding invitations is the Grace.

If you like the Grace, you can “Complete the Look” (see the bottom right section of every product page on our website for this feature) from the save-the-date to the wedding program).

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Looking for something black and white that is a little more edgy? Check out the Naomi.

Our Design Team generates more than just a few wedding invitations for our customer base, giving us a great vantage point to observe wedding invitation trends. Here’s a top ten list of wedding invitation trends/request for 2008 as we see them, in no particular order.

1. Use of Color

More and more couples are experimenting with bold, rich colors in their invitations. One way people are using color in their invitations is to match or complement the other decorations or themes in their wedding, such as their flowers or bridesmaids dresses. Don’t be afraid to be bold, especially if that matches your personality!

2. Motifs and Graphic Themes

Who says your invitation has to be just a bunch of words? Many couples incorporate a graphic motif to match the season, such as a flower for a spring wedding or a pine cone for a fall wedding. What’s the difference between motifs and themes? Motifs are generally one graphic or decorative element, where as themes are typically created from multiple motifs – butterflies + bees + toile pattern. Themes can also be created from breaking down a single motif into many parts – a blossoming branch = blossom + leaves + branches, which can be used collectively or separately throughout the design. Graphics can lend sentiment and character that your invitation would otherwise be missing. For example, if you met your fiancé in a charming southern town while the magnolias were in bloom, perhaps a magnolia blossom would be the perfect theme for your wedding invitation. And our talented Design Team can add those custom touches to your invitation, tweaking your theme so that your invitation represents who you are – from bold and noticeable to simple and classic. To see how others have incorporated the same theme in a variety of ways, check out our Design Galleries.

3. Pockets

The popularity of pocket invitations is really becoming an established trend. In fact, our line of pocket invitations is by far the most popular on our site! These neat little packages that appeal to many brides because of a these key reasons.

• Pockets eliminate the mess and clutter of those otherwise loose pieces that fall out of your envelope at random when your guests open your invitation. They keep all your accessory cards organized, and allow your invitation to be the primary focus of the package.
• They are professionally designed and printed to coordinate with your wedding invitation. The alternative at-home printed accessory pieces rarely reflect the professional quality and cohesion, and can cheapen your invitation as a result. Brides have enough to stress about without having to worry about designing and printing matching driving directions, hotel accommodations, or map cards. That’s why more and more people are leaving it up to the pro’s by purchasing a pocket invite!
• They are unique and impressive. Regardless of how popular our pocket invitations are, it’s still not everyday that you get an invitation like this in the mail!

4. Map and Direction Cards

In this information age, there’s no excuse to leave your guests guessing about where the reception is in relation to the ceremony – or how to get to the hotel you recommended and negotiated that special rate for! Sure, some people have access to GPS Navigation, but why not take this opportunity to provide key information about parking, give them the best or most scenic route, and to point out some of the other cool areas in town? In our experience, direction cards are nice, but maps are even better. Check out our inspiration gallery dedicated to wedding map and direction cards to see how others have tackled this issue. Don’t worry! You don’t have to draw the map! We just ask you a few questions, and then our Design Team illustrates the map for you – and it will coordinate perfectly with your invitation!

5. Coordinating Pieces (Save the Dates, Wedding Programs, etc.)

More and more couples are striving to be “cohesive” in their communication and presentation with their guests by carrying the same theme or style through all of their wedding stationery. It indicates that you put thought in to every aspect and detail of your wedding, and believe us – people notice!

You can take this as far as you want – from save the dates to invitations to programs, and even on in to the placecards, menus, and thank you notes! When you’re shopping products on our site, make sure you check out the “complete the look” section in the right hand column to find the coordinating pieces.

6. Full Service Packages

Let’s face it – as a society we’re busier now than we’ve ever been. Some people find it a bit daunting to order their invitations, tie a bunch of ribbons/bows, address all the envelopes, find the right postage, stuff all the envelopes and seal them up, and finally to take them to the post office to be “hand canceled”. That’s why we’ve been offering more “complete service” packages to our customers. Of course we do the design and printing, but you can also elect to have your assembly completed, your envelopes addressed (in fonts and colors to match your invitations), and even have your invitations stuffed and mailed on your behalf. When you see your invitation, it’ll be when you get it in the mail. Whew! What a relief!

7. DIY and Partial DIY

Even in the light of our #6, there are always many creative and resourceful brides who just won’t be satisfied unless they design and/or put together their invitations themselves. But finding the right material (paper, ribbon, envelopes, etc…), printing, cutting, and assembling your invites is often far more difficult than even the most accomplished DIY’ers expect – and that’s why we’ve started to offer many of our own designs with a “You Assemble” or “DIY” option. It gives our brides the comfort of knowing that the design, print, and materials will be handled professionally, but the labor of assembling your invitations onto the pocket or base paper can save a little on cost and provide the satisfaction of “Doing It Yourself”. Don’t worry, you can still work with us so that the design of your invitation still comes from you, but at least it will be executed professionally. For those die-hard DIY’ers, we now offer many of our high quality papers, pockets, and adhesives in our Do It Yourself section. We will soon offer Ribbon by the Spool, and even Wedding Program Kits.

8. Crystals & Embellishments

An increasing number of brides are adding glamour and pizzazz to their invitations by incorporating embellishments such as swarovski crystals or rhinestone buckles. High-end embellishments like starfish and sandollars can quickly take an invitation from impressive to extraordinary. Be aware that when you add these sort of embellishments, you often move yourself out of the realm of envelopes and in to boxes to house your invitations. Imagine how your guests will feel when they receive your invitation “gift box” in the mail! It will be a invitation most difficult to turn down! Boxes are definitely the case for sandollars, starfish, and many other major 3 dimensional items. But some crystals, depending on size, quantity, and placement can still be mailed in an inner/outer envelope set. You can designate your invitation as “non-machineable” and ask the Post Office to “hand cancel” the envelopes to help cut down on the impact their system has on sensitive mailing materials.

9. Monograms & Logos

Create your own logo and “brand” your wedding. Many couples ask us to create a stylized version of their initials or wedding date, which is a neat way to create a recognizable mark that can be used throughout their wedding stationery. For a nominal fee, our design team can provide you with a graphic file of your logo so that you can use it on your aisle runner, cake, bar, and even your dance floor!

10. One of a Kind

Couples are invariably interested in making their wedding day one to remember for themselves, their family, and friends – and that means offering unique experiences and memories for all. The wedding invitation is generally the first offering in that quest. If you send “just another invitation” you’re basically telling your guests this will be “just another wedding”. That’s why so many couples these days are in search of truly custom and unique wedding invitations.

One of my best friends from college was married a couple of weeks ago and I was thrilled to be on the “short” list of invitees as the wedding was an intimate affair. The reception was held a few miles from the church ceremony at a quaint bed and breakfast called The Inn at Buckeystown. The pink dogwood trees were blooming and the drive through the rolling hills of Maryland was absolutely breathtaking.

I was (of course) very interested in the wedding day stationery and felt that it reflected the elegant simplicity of the event. The folding place cards were hung with ribbon on a memo board in the entry way, directly across from the wedding cakes (the groom is a Maryland Terrapins fan and the cake most definitely spirited that!)

On each table were black and white pictures of the bride and groom at different stages in their lives. Copies of the pictures were mounted to black stands and the couple invited guests to take any photos that were meaningful to them. The tables were marked by the city from which friends and family knew the couple. (since I met the bride at the University of Georgia – I proudly sat at the Athens, GA table – go dawgs!)