October 17, 2011

All or Nothing



I'm an all or nothing kinda gal. For the most part, this is the reasoning behind my absence over the past few months. I don't do things by halves and I'm not about to write a lazy, hap-hazard post for the sake of it. So in turn, my poor little blog has been in hibernation. Working full time and running my own business certainly has its challenges. I've been working like a little machine over the past few months, designing for our lovely clients and our new range, organising the photoshoot and preparing all of the content and imagery for our new designs on the website. On top of all of this, I decided to make a few changes to the existing content on the site, which has been quite the task. Simultaneously scheduling my new stationery pieces, and a mini website overhaul - I must have gone slightly mad, but with such a lovely new range to introduce, I felt my website needed to step up to the plate. So dear friends, I'm happy to announce that our new designs have FINALLY launched on our all new and improved website and now that I have a moment to breathe and can sit still for long enough, I'm preparing some swoon-worthy new content for this here blog very soon...

Jackie xo

July 21, 2011

Real Wedding :: Amy + Mike

Hope you are having a wonderful week lovelies! Today I'm really excited to share the wedding of Amy + Mike with you. I am constantly inspired by all things weddings - those special details and personal touches that shape the most important of days. It is our aim to bring you some of the most stunning weddings we have had the pleasure of being a part of.

So without further ado, meet Amy + Michael...

Amy + Michael :: Friday 8 April 2011
Bulimba, Brisbane, Queensland

Amy + Mike met at a company they both worked for, yet it wasn't until three years later when Amy left that Mike actually asked her on a date, after wanting to do so for months! Fast forward ten months in Central Park, New York, (where Mike had taken Amy for her birthday), Mike proposed. He had planned the proposal perfectly and even purchased a fake ring in the 'New York, New York' casino in Vegas earlier on so he didn't lose the real engagement ring {cute!}

We were absolutely thrilled to work with Amy + Mike and loved every step of designing their stationery suite. Amy and Mike chose our 'Hello Sailor' design, which we customised to achieve a beautiful wedding stationery suite that was absolutely unique to the couple. Amy and Mike chose a gorgeous custom shade of blue to pair with our 'navy' colour swatch from our colour chart, which was then printed on our ice silver metallic stock. Their stationery choice could not have suited their day any better - the couple chose to have their reception at Brett's Wharf, Hamilton, overlooking the beautiful Brisbane river.

Blooming Lovely Custom





Theme :: Amy and Mike's theme was "classic elegance with a twist of fun." Amy adores stripes, so it was only natural for her to incorporate them in the wedding.

Ceremony Location :: Saints Peter & Paul's Church, Bulimba, Brisbane. Amy and Mike were married by Father John Sullivan who knew Mike's grandparents and had married other members of the family.







Reception Venue :: Brett's Wharf, Hamilton, Brisbane.

Wedding & Bridesmaids Gowns :: Amy wore Leonard Derecourt who worked closely with Amy to design her gown, incorporating elements of three designs that she liked. The bridesmaids also wore Leonard Derecourt - Amy was "very keen on having the four girls in the same colour" however each gown was made to suit each girls style, shape and personality, tied in with matching shoes. We also loved that Amy carried this through with her bridemaids hair - each girl wore a slightly different style, bringing the look together with a custom hair piece, made from the same fabric as Amy's gown.





Groom & Groomsmen Attire :: Mike and his groomsmen wore dark charcoal suits, hired from Tony Barlow Formal Hire. The striped ties were purchased from Trent Nathan and the crisp white shirts were from Shirt Studio. The boys finished their look with brown dress shoes.

Photographer
:: Amy and Mike chose Brisbane photographer Nat McComas for her "relaxed style" and added that Nat was "fabulous to work with on the day." Amy and Mike also had an engagement shoot with Nat earlier in the year and were really impressed with the outcome.

Florist :: Amy and her bridesmaids flowers were an arrangement of freesias, lissianthus, white and cream roses, by Pink + Purple Petals. We especially love the thick striped ribbon Amy sourced from Vandoros Fine Packaging to tie on each of her bridemaid's bouquets (also used on their ceremony programs).





Other recommended suppliers :: Amy and Mike's half mud/half white chocolate cake was made by the fabulous Gina from Cakes Actually. I especially love this element of Amy + Mike's day - the cake is simple, much like the rest of their styling. I just adore the subtle rope detailing around each layer {a nod to the design element on their stationery} and the use of stripes once again to finish. Amy's makeup artist, Donna Sullivan, is also highly recommended. The proof is in the picture - Amy and the girls look absolutely divine!

Tips and advice for other brides :: Amy has the following advice for brides to be:
1. Don't panic about the weather - the rain will always clear.
2. Relax and try and take in as much of the day as you can.
3. Try and put your own personal touch on as many aspects as possible. It makes it feel just that little bit more special.
4. Buy two pairs of shoes - one pair of heels for the start of the day and one of pair of flats for the dance floor.
5. You can never have too many candles.

Most treasured moment of the day :: "Definitely seeing each other in the church for the first time." The couple mentions spending time with the bridal party on a friends boat in between the ceremony and reception was a highlight and an opportunity they simply couldn't pass up! It provided a fun environment to get some more photos and for the couple to have a chance to relax, even with the all the attention from passing citycats and people waving from office buildings!





Creative/Personal Touches
:: Amy and Mike asked a friend to sing at the ceremony - 'To Have You' by The Sundance Kids - a song the couple loved from the moment they heard it. Although Amy never had the chance to meet her, Mike gave Amy his late grandmother's ring to wear on the day, whom he was very close to. Amy and Mike decided to recreate 'Alto Crush' cocktails for their guests to enjoy with their canapes at the reception - a cocktail the couple shared on their very first date. Deciding against a photobooth, the couple decided to have a 'photowall,' shot by Nat McComas, where guests could choose from a variety of props to use in their photo (Nat stayed to cover Amy + Mike's reception). This is another one of my favourite elements - I just love that bold black and white backdrop that the couple sourced from Covered Linen (who also supplied those gorgeous striped table runners). Lastly, Amy had custom cufflinks made for Mike, with their initials {M+A} and the date of their wedding {8.4.11}. Amy also had them made for her father and father-in-law, complete with their initials.




[Photos copyright Nat McComas]

The Details
Stationery chosen :: 'Hello Sailor' in custom colour and 'navy' from our colour chart - save the date cards, invitation, recovery & rsvp cards, placecards, individual guest menus, cocktail, ceremony and photo wall signage, favour tags and table seating chart.

Invitation Suite





"Thank you so much for your prompt, reliable and personal service. With Love played such an integral part in the success of our wedding - you really were fantastic! Our customised save the dates, invites and the other stationery pieces were fabulous and exactly what we wanted.
Amy + Mike x
"

Amy and Mike, thank you so much for sharing the details of your wedding day with us - we hope your life together as husband and wife is a blissfully happy one. For more nautical-inspired details, view our 'Nautical Nuptials' inspiration board here.

With love to you and yours
Jackie xo

Psst... stayed tuned for an all new section on our website showcasing the work we've been doing over the last few months - coming soon!

June 28, 2011

Moments

I was speaking to a client of mine over the weekend about a photographer she booked for her wedding. It was clear that it was important for them to find a photographer that would blend into the background, make them feel at ease and capture the couple just being themselves. Natural, honest, raw emotion. Having this conversation reminded me of a blog that I stumbled across only a few days earlier. Moment Junkie is a 'blog devoted to showcasing the best in contemporary wedding photojournalism, with a focus on moments between people that are timeless, heartbreaking, hilarious, or all of the above.' I thought I'd share a few of my favourites...


'The Emotional Grandmother' by Heather Nan


'The Fist Pump' by Kat Braman


'The Embrace' by Paul Von Rieter


'The Ceremony in Progress' by Cease Fire Studios
{all images via Moment Junkie}

Often the photos we treasure the most are the ones that define a particular moment, or make us feel a particular emotion when we look at them. The photographs that tell a story. A good photographer is one that can capture those very moments.

With that I'll leave you with an image from my very own wedding day... let's just call it 'The Dress Mishap'...



With love to you and yours

May 29, 2011

Our Work :: Megan + Andrew

Hello all! I hope you are having a lovely start to the week. We were absolutely thrilled to receive an email from one of our delightful couples, telling us how happy they were with their wedding invitations and stationery that they had just received. Megan and Andrew, both photographers (you can view their amazing work here) sent us these gorgeous photos...

Blooming Lovely Custom

Megan and Andrew chose our 'Isn't She Wonderful' suite of stationery for their invitations, rsvp cards and wishing well cards, in our 'lime' colour swatch from our colour chart. The more we looked at the printed result, the more we fell in love with the colour - it's so fresh and vibrant and we're really excited to see how Megan and Andrew incorporate it into their wedding. We just love the little details Megan and Andrew have added, like the envelope seals for example and we simply adore the cute bird dish favours (I'm told a sweet little treat will sit on the bird) - I can't wait to see photos of the day!

Thank you so much Megan and Andrew for sharing these with us - we look forward to working with you both again in the coming months.

With love to you and yours


Psst... stayed tuned for an all new section on our website showcasing the work we've been doing over the last few months!

[The details :: folded invitation (front), rsvp & wishing well cards, bomboniere tags, folded invitation (inside), matching envelopes (seals brides own), all from our 'Isn't She Wonderful' wedding invitation and stationery suite]

May 17, 2011

Be Inspired :: Cute cake stands and such...

I have to admit, strange as it might be, I tend to go a little weak at the knees over a well-dressed dessert table...

Sweet and Saucy Supply

So when I discovered Sweet & Saucy Supply, a lovely online store stocking the sweetest cake stands, domes and platters you have ever seen, I couldn't contain my excitement! Here are a few of my favourites...

Clear small dome & Pink Hobnail Pedestal Cake Stands

{love the ruffle cake in the background of this shot}

Jadeite Antique Cake Stand

White Openwork Round Plate

Antique Rose Cake Plate

It's said that you eat with your eyes, so a beautifully presented dessert table will make your treats taste all the more sweet and can add a lovely element to your wedding when they are displayed on an array of different shaped and sized platters, plates and stands.

With love to you and yours


Psst... while you're there, why not check out Sweet & Saucy Supply's sister site, Sweet & Saucy Shop, for scrumptious dessert and cake inspiration!

[The details :: Image, Pink Hobnail Pedestal Cake Stand & Clear Dome, Jadeite Antique Cake Stand, Openwork Round Plate and Antique Rose Cake Plate from Sweet & Saucy Supply]

May 9, 2011

Why hello...

I must apologise, I've been a little absent of late. I was quite shocked to see that my last post was a month (almost to the day!) ago. Between our wedding stationery giveaway, designing our new 2011/12 collection, producing some gorgeous stationery for our lovely clients, birthdays-a-plenty (including my own, and the very first birthday of WITHLOVE), Mother's Day, designing some gorgeous little announcements for a new baby nephew, and just general craziness, I've barely had a moment to stop. Unfortunately this means that my poor little blog has been left out in the cold.

Boy-oh-boy do I have lots to share with you all over the next few weeks. For now though, I'll leave you with this pretty little birthday present that I received...

Roberta-Chiarella

I've been crushing on this gorgeous turquoise necklace for quite some time, so when it arrived in the mail last week, I was quietly thrilled.

With love to you and yours


[The details :: Roberta Chiarella Turquoise Brava Bib Necklace available from Max & Chloe]

April 10, 2011

Be Inspired :: Blooming Lovely

Hello all! Yellow and grey - I've been quite smitten with this colour combination for some time now and one of my favourite designs from our 2011/12 collection is 'Blooming Lovely,' so I decided to combine the two and this is the result...

Blooming Lovely Custom

Pictured here is our save the date card and double sided invitation, printed on our metallic stock - looks pretty special, even if I don't say so myself :)

Talk to us about how you can make your wedding invitations and stationery unique to you - we are open to any ideas you may have to customise our designs to suit your wedding styling.

Love this design? Click here to find out how you could win $450.00RRP worth of wedding stationery!*

With love to you and yours

[*Terms and conditions apply, see our website for details]