Simply eHarmony.

I was already in bed, when I heard my iPhone make a noise that it makes when I receive an e-mail. I glanced to see where the e-mail was from, and in the darkness of my room, illuminating off of the screen I saw a few words "... eHarmony...", "... have been tagged...", "... Claire Renee...". It was the e-mail I have been waiting for a few day now. I could not wait - I had to get out of bed and see the pictures that Claire Renee of Claire Renee Photography had from the eHarmony event! And I am glad I did :-)

{using cricut, I was able to cut out the eHarmony logo}

{we used wishing cards and an apothecary jar instead of a guest book}

{Sharmila of Parties and Petals and myself;

Sharmila designed the beautiful flower arrangements; see for yourself, just below}

{the ink inside of the pen was a pretty shade of green}

{wishing card, invite envelope and a program}

{a bunch of programs}

{to save the flowers, we had to refrigerate them :-) }

{there were a few of the crystal strings left over, so, I stuck them into these flower balls that Sharmila designed, just to tie everything together even more. I was like a kid in a candy store }

Chris Ellis of Chris Ellis Photography was there, assisting Claire.

As soon as he posts his pictures, I will be sure to post them as well.

And here they are :-)

{Kristeen Labrot of Kristeen Labrot Events the event planner for this event, Sharmila Gokel of Parties and Petals, and me}

{most delicious appatizers were provided by Trés La}

{Gregory Walforf, the founding investor for relationship service and CEO of eHarmony.com}

{work of Sharmila Gokel of Parties and Petals}

Only the hope is in ... the mail.

I thought that this was a great idea to lift people's spirits :-)

Russ Haan, a small business owner and founder of Hope Is In The Cards, came up with this inspirational idea, that costs nothing, but has the potential to influence masses. Here is

how simple it is:

"What if every American sent just one letter or card of support to another American? What would happen? What would it do to our collective national spirit if the word HOPE was written on the back of every envelope? You’d go to your mailbox and it would be filled with something besides bills and collections notices. It would contain HOPE. And better yet, you might even have a personal card or letter from someone saying THANK YOU or I BELIEVE IN YOU. Those kinds of messages can do more than just make someone’s day brighter for a moment - they can change people’s lives."

Simplicity is brilliant! Just one pen stroke can change your mood, your attitude, your experience, which will influence and change people around you.

Only, what is it and do I really need it?

Typically, a wedding suite includes an invitation, an inner and/or outer envelopes for it, RSVP/reply card and an envelope for it. Depending on intricacy of your events, other pieces might be added, to accommodate your guests and to complete the vision of your event. We talked about some dates that you should keep in mind when mailing pieces of your wedding suite and here are descriptions for what those pieces are.

• save the date card is a good idea, if you are having your wedding fall on a holiday or if you are having a destination wedding, so that your guests have plenty of time to make travel arrangements; the card should read your names, wedding date, location(s), and wedding website;
• reception card, which tells yours guests the names of the venue, address and time, if your reception and ceremony are in two different places; if your entire event takes place in one location, no need for a reception card; wedding website are popular, so, utilize them;
• directions card, with the name of the venue, address and time of reception, and a map is a good idea to have as a courtesy for your guests, especially if a majority of your guests are from out of town, but this is not a must; if the card is included with the suite, no address for the reception or ceremony is printed on the invitation;

• events/itinerary card, lists details on each activity and boxes for guests to check off which they’d like to attend, if you are having a destination wedding or weekend long celebration with many planned activities; a space for guests to write their names is a good idea when designing the card to make it easier on yourselves; also, ask your guests to return it with their reply card;

• accommodations card tells your guests about hotels near the ceremony and reception sites, airfare or other transportation information together with maps of the area, to make it easier on your out of town guests; including it would be helpful for your guests, but website could be great help instead of it;
• escort card reads your guests' name(s) and table number, to help them know where they are seated (which table); typically they are arranged outside of the dinning room and guests pick them up before entering;
• place card reads your guest's name and is already placed at the table letting your guest know where exactly at the table they are seated;

• belly band is dictated by design and is a great way to tie every piece of your suite together; as an embellishment it is a nice touch, but is not necessary;

• program is not a necessity, but it is great to have since programs are a record of your ceremony and help guests feel a part of your wedding; it is recommended for a religious ceremony or if you have many guests of another culture; it should list your names, date and location of the wedding / order of events / bridal party; as an option, include explanations of traditions, thank you’s, memorials, quotes or poems, songs;

• a menu card lists food, wine and beverage choices; if you are having a special dish or cocktail, you may wish to explain its significance or list any special ingredients used; it is a nice touch for your guests, but if you are on a tight budget, having one menu per table for guest to share might be a solution to not having it at all;
• it is customary to personally thank all the guests for attending your wedding and for their gifts; a "thank you" card, with your names or a line that reads “thank you” could be is a great place to include your new address if you have moved, but is not a must;
• calling card or couples calling card is in a way a business cards, but it has your personal contact information instead of business;
• at-home cards alert people of the address where you will be residing and the date after which you will be there, which would be a nice addition to your wedding suite;
• announcements are sent after the event, to relatives and friends not sent invitations to; they announce past event, so, the year is always included; the announcement follow the same format as the invitation; at -home cards might be included with the announcements;
• favor card is just a little token of your appreciation to your guests, that can be attached to a small gift you are giving to your guests for attending the event;

Now that you are more familiar with what thing are and their purpose, you can make an educated budget estimate for your special day stationary and feel good about it. If you have question(s), please leave me a message and I will be sure to get back to you.

It's only a wedding checklist.

To make it easier on my clients, with their contract I include a personalized wedding checklist, to keep track of dates for mailing all of the pieces of their wedding suite.

Here are some dates to remember:

- about a year before your event, order the "thank you" cards/stationary and the "save the date" cards;

- eleven months prior, mail the "save the date" cards;

- four to six months prior, order the following:

the invitations

directions and map cards

transportation cards

accommodation cards

events/itinerary cards

rehearsal dinner event invitations

bridesmaids luncheon invitations

day after the event brunch event invitations

will-you-be-my- ... (maid of honor, best man, bridesmaid, flower girl, etc.) cards

- six to eight weeks before, mail all of the stationary pieces you ordered four to six months ago and order the following:

programs

menu cards

ceremony cards

table numbers

place cards and/or escort cards

favor cards

announcements

- within two weeks after the event, mail announcements, order correspondence cards/notes, calling cards/gift enclosures and at home cards.

Every event is different and will have its own timeline, but in general, these dates should be adhered to. Also, not all of the listed above pieces of your suite will be used, but that was rather a complete list of items you might consider having as part of your event.