Elizabeth Baggett
March 10th, 2010
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!
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!
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.
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!
Just in time for spring and summer weddings, our design team has unveiled their newest creation: The Modern Calla Lily Wedding Invitation suite! Having carried lovely calla lilies in a few weddings myself (my favorite were the sweet miniature variety!), I love seeing these popular wedding flowers gracing a TGK design.
Several brides have recently requested calla lily wedding invitations, telling us that the ones they’d seen elsewhere were somewhat “tired” looking. (Let’s just say that when a bride describes something as looking like it came “out of the eighties,” it’s not exactly a compliment!) We decided to let these beautiful flowers inspire a fresh, modern design with a TGK flair!
The invitation and two accessory pieces are shown above in pewter and marigold ink for a sophisticated, subtle look. For the bride looking for a fresh, spring style with a burst of color, this motif in lipstick and chartreuse ink (shown below) delivers an entirely different option!
Elizabeth Baggett
January 22nd, 2010
We were super excited to learn this week that The Green Kangaroo has been chosen to receive the Bride’s Choice Award™ 2010 from WeddingWire! What an honor!
From WeddingWire:
“This award recognizes the top 5 percent of local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, and professionalism. The Bride’s Choice Awards™ are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds (brides and grooms) through extensive surveys and reviews, which means your past clients have spoken on our behalf and selected you to receive this honor.”
Visit TGK on WeddingWire and check out some of our reviews there. There is nothing more gratifying than satisfied customers! We’re blushing!
A big, green, hopping congratulations to Allyson S. who is the winner of last month’s Save-the-Date giveaway contest! Allyson captured the win with her blog comment telling us why she and her fiance are getting married in October:
“October is our favorite time of the year to be in North Carolina for SO many reasons – the colors of the leaves changing, the NC State Fair, apple cider, comfort food, Halloween, and the most amazing and comfortable weather ever! Considering that we are a military family and will be living overseas while we plan our wedding, its so nice to know that we can look forward to our special day, with our families, in our home state, in a beautiful venue and during our favorite time of the year!”
The Grace invitation in black ink, with black satin ribbon, and optional reception card.
Allyson tells us she’s been eyeing our Grace invitation for several months and is using her $300 credit towards this customizable wedding invitation. We can’t wait to see what personal design elements Allyson comes up with in making the elegant Grace invitation her own!
There is a lot going on in the studio this week! First, we have to alert our blog readers to our very limited time offer. Starting today, for 5 days only we’re offering super big, flat discounts on your orders!
From January 13th through 17th:
- Take $150 off your order of $1000 or more (coupon code TGK0110-150 at checkout)
- Take $100 off your order of $750 or more (coupon code TGK0110-100)
- Take $50 off your order of $500 or more (coupon code TGK0110-50)
Hurry, hurry! We know you made “getting organized for the wedding” your top resolution for the new year! This is our way of helping you kick that resolution into gear by getting those wedding stationery orders complete.
Also, be sure to check out Kristen and Melissa’s latest contribution to the Wedding Aces blog! They explore choosing a Cool Wedding Date (10-10-10 will be a popular one for this year!). We’ve done some creative invitations playing up eye-catching dates and would love to hear some of the neat dates our blog readers have chosen!
The Citrus Wedding Invitation’s printed envelopes, from our Frugal Collection.
You’ve figured out the complex nuances of wording your wedding invitation, and you’re ready to submit your order (finally!). And then you’re asked something you haven’t considered: What mailing address would you like printed for the invitation’s return address and for the reply card envelope?
Brides call us frequently for help with this question, wondering what is standard, appropriate, and if using Great Aunt Harriett’s address is (or is not) okay.
Typically, whomever is hosting the wedding is the one sending out the invitations, and therefore the one who’s address should appear as the return address on the envelope. For example, if the bride’s parents are the wedding’s hosts, the bride’s parents’ mailing address would appear as the return address.
However, practically speaking, the return address is used for the postal service to return the invitation if it is undeliverable. So it makes the most sense for the return address to be that of whomever will be handling getting a correct address for the guest and sending out a new invitation. This may be the wedding’s hosts, or may often be the bride herself – or even Great Aunt Harriett! Consider how you plan to manage the mailing of invitations and base your decision on what makes the most sense for you.
For your reply card envelopes (or reply postcards), the thought process is the same. Typically, whomever is hosting the wedding is the one receiving RSVPS, and therefore the one who’s address should appear on the response card envelopes. But again, the RSVP cards should be sent back to whomever will be keeping track of guest responses. Whether this is the bride, the groom, or another family member is entirely up to those planning the wedding!
Elizabeth Baggett
January 6th, 2010
Since we do such a large portion of our business online, we really enjoy opportunities to get out of our studio and meet brides and other wedding vendors. And this past New Year’s weekend, we did just that! The Green Kangaroo exhibited at The Wedding Show down the road in Raleigh and, as expected, we had a wonderful time schmoozing with brides-to-be and their contingencies of mothers, maids, and even the occasional groom. Not to mention the amazing group of vendors in attendance, like Southern Bride & Groom Magazine and Katie Hamister Photography. Top notch all the way!
Photo is courtesy of the amazing Christobal Azul of Azul Photography.
Our design team is a multi-talented bunch, and the exhibit booth they have created perfectly captures the TGK style of fun, whimsical sophistication. We thought our blog readers may enjoy a little behind-the-scenes peek at our fancy exhibit space!
We’ll keep you posted on other wedding shows we’ll be visiting throughout the season. Who knows? We may even have some special prizes for blog readers who stop by our booth at the next event!
Sure there’s a lot going on around the holidays, but there’s still something enticingly romantic about tying the knot around a significant holiday, such as Christmas or New Year’s. Incorporating your wedding theme into the glamour and giddy excitement already abounding in the air can add just the right touch of magic and whimsy to make your day extra special. As we enter Christmas week, we thought we’d give you a little holiday-inspired inspiration for wintery wedding designs. Ho ho ho!
The Snowflake booklet program with Christmas-y Cherry Red and Lime ink and a Flame Red ribbon.
The Grace Save-the-Date postcard in Black and Pewter ink sets the stage for an elegant New Year’s Eve wedding.
The Meredith wedding invitation shown in Turquoise ink on Champagne Shimmer paper with our Snowflake motif is perfect for an early December wedding in chilly Pennsylvania!
Now that our holiday shopping is almost done, we’re all feeling a little light in the pocketbook! So we thought it would be appropriate to highlight one of our Frugal Collection wedding invitations this month. Brides on a budget LOVE this collection that offers wedding invitations with a custom, designer look but with the option of a few less frills to keep the cost down.
The Circles & Dots Invitation, shown here in Aqua and Lime ink, is all about fun, contemporary, clean styling. We love the detail of the single-letter monogram and the bold use of color. This bride chose a post card style for her reply card, which is a hot trend!
All of our Frugal Collection invitations include:
• A choice among paper colors, fonts, and two ink colors,
• One matching accessory/reception card, printed on 1 side,
• Matching reply card and envelope (or reply post card), with return address printed on the front in black ink,
• Inner / outer envelope set, with return address printed on the outer envelope in black ink,
• One proof of each item ordered.
Dogwood Wedding Invitation shown in Thyme ink on White paper.
One of the most exciting moments for a bride-to-be is checking the mailbox and receiving the first guest reply card. Despite all prior planning and activity, this is an event that signals the wedding day is right around the corner!
But once the responses are counted, rarely does a bride want to recycle these small treasures that often feature funny notes or sweet sentiments from guests. Rather than relegating your reply cards to a box in the attic, get creative with ways to preserve and display these fun tokens that will provide happy memories long after the wedding day is done.
Crafty brides might incorporate the cards into a wedding scrapbook. Or take the idea a step further and visit a bookmaking site to turn your reply cards into a one-of-a-kind coffee table book. And speaking of coffee tables, mod podge-ing the reply cards to the top of a reclaimed tabletop and covering with a piece of glass will create an eclectic furniture piece for the newlywed abode.
The possibilities are limitless! How have you gotten creative with your reply cards and other wedding memorabilia?
If you’re looking for a whole lot of inspiration for the look, feel, style, and COLORS of your wedding, look no further than The Perfect Palette blog. This online gem is a treasure trove of design ideas to be sure. But it also gives brides a super simple starting point for thinking about their own wedding style based solely on the colors you like. It’s a great way to get the gears spinning and gives those of us who don’t live, eat, and breathe wedding style a basic touchstone for figuring out how to create a one-of-a-kind event from scratch.
We love the author’s thoughtful examination of the meanings behind an array of beautiful colors with incredibly helpful links to palettes pairing those basics with every color combination you can imagine! Oh, how I wish this tool was around when I got married …
