Real Wedding: Jeanette and Brandon

I knew when I met Jeanette that I would be in for a treat! Not only were invitations on the "to-do" list, but so were Save the Dates. For those, we designed a fantastic postcard that was made to look like a black and white newspaper classified ad. We used some of the couples engagement photos that where taken by Laura Kay Photography, and each ad was a real life event that occured between them. The picture was posted earlier on the new website sneak preview blog. The invitations were also featured before in a previous blog called "green splendor." This design was the brain candy of Jeanette. She found a picture of an invitation on the knot that she adored, but wanted to change it to make it her own and that we did. Jeanette and Brandon were married in late October at a world reknown golf course in the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico. After getting to know the bride, I knew that each detail of her wedding would be absolutely unbelievable, and I was right. She sent over these pictures the other day, and the took my breathe away. Here are the details, with some in the brides words:

• Colors - Shamrock green, black, and white
• Ceremony and reception venue - Paa-ko Ridge Golf Course
• Photography - Laura Kay Photography

We used Laura Kay Photography for pictures. She is based out of Washington, DC/Virginia and shoots local photography (in/around their area) and travels for special event photography. We chose her because she doesn't just take traditional pictures, her photography is art and captures all the special moments at different angles. Plus, we are related! She is fantastic!

• Flowers - The Flower Gallery

I worked with Judy who was so creative and knowledgable about floral arrangements. We did not want traditional arrangements, so she worked with us to create something unique. They will work within any budget.

• Invitations - Elva Marie's Fine Paper

For invitations and save the date cards we used... well... you! We could not be more pleased with the invitation and save the date! We got soooo many compliments on the creativity and uniqueness of both. Elva worked with me endlessly until she created the perfect invitation. I found an idea online, and Elva recreated it. Plus, she worked within my budget, and I saved money by assembling the invites myself. Thank you so much for setting the tone for my guests so perfectly as to what to expect during the wedding.

• Cake - Cakes by Lisa

I was fortunate to have a friend who bakes and creates wedding cakes! Lisa, at Cakes by Lisa, is so creative and will create anything you ask! I wanted a cake with white fondant. On top of the fondant and down the cake, Lisa recreated the floral design that was on the invitations. She even used the same color scheme as the invitations. Each tier was a different flavor, our favorites, red velvet, lemon poppyseed, and oreo. Not only was the cake delicious, the design was perfect.

Congratulations again, Jeanette and Brandon! I hope that you have a life time of joy and hapiness. Thank you for letting me play a tiny role in your fantastic celebration.

Real Wedding: Laura and Matt

I have finally recieved some photos from one of favorite weddings this year. I previously wrote about Laura and her mom Joanne, and showed a picture of their "Pretty in Pink Polka Dots" invitation design. When all was done their order included invitations, programs, table names, escort cards, thank you cards, favor bags and custom seals, candy signs, and rehearsal dinner invitations. I had so much fun working with these two, and even had the oppurtunity to work at the actual event by setting up table names and escort cards. I even stuck around to help guests find their seats. Take a look at these beauiful wedding photos, that are compliments of Joanne.

Here are the details:

• Colors - beige, champagne, and various hues of pale pink
• Reception Venue - Hotel Albuquerque
• Flowers - Melba's Floral Studio
• DJ - Complete Music
• Photography - Kevin's Photography
• Cake - Patisserie C
• Decor - Distracted by Decor
• Invitations and paper details - Elva Marie's Fine Paper

Matt and Laura, you had such a beautiful wedding, and I'm sure that your marriage will be even more so. Congratulations!

If you are a bride or coordinator who wishes to have a wedding featured on this blog, please forward pictures and details to info@elvamariesfinepaper.com for consideration.

Real Wedding: Ally and Colin

I am so excited to finally post my first real wedding from New Mexico. I met Ally and her mom, Jan, in the early part of this year, and was fortunate to be able to add some special touches to their big day. Since Ally lives and works in Denver, Jan ended up doing most of the planning. Everything had to be just right, so we spent a lot of time making decisions on designs, colors, and fonts and we ended up making invitations, programs, escort cards, menus, and table signs. Since we started so early in the design process, Jan had enough time to do all of the assembly herself. Which was awesome because it gave me a little break, and it saved Jan some serious dough!


All of these beautiful photos were taken by Dry Heat Photography. Rick and Deanna knew exactly what to do to capture the exquiste details of this formal affair. Speaking of exquisite affair, did I mention that Karen from Celebrations! Weddings and Events was the day of coordinator? After working with her on this event, I can tell you that she goes way above the call of duty for a day of coordinator. We worked together on the programs, seating chart, etc. Here are the details that I know you all are dying to know:

• Colors - Mocha and white
• Ceremony and Reception Venue - Hotel Albuquerque
• Flowers - Nobhill Flower Shop
• Photographer - Dry Heat Photography
• Cake - ABC Cakeshop
• Invitations and paper goods- Elva Marie's Fine Paper
• Dress and accessories - David's Bridal
• Linens - Celebrations! Weddings and Events
• Day of Coordinator - Celebrations! Weddings and Events

Thank you Ally and Colin for give my little company a chance to make such a classy impression for your wedding! I wish you both a lifetime of happiness, health, and good times!


If you are a bride or coordinator who wishes to have a wedding featured on this blog, please forward pictures and details to info@elvamariesfinepaper.com for consideration.

The Centerpieces

Here's a closer look at the centerpieces that I did for the Perfect Wedding Guide Customer Appreciation Party in September. I got the idea from Martha Stewart and Mommy Makes Roses. Each rose is made from a total of 8 coffee filters, handpainted with watercolors, and then each petal is curled. The end result was amazing, but it was a lot of work, I mean a lot of work! Next time I'll buy them straight from the source! Here are the MS instructions if you'd like to give it a whirl. The nesting boxes came from Nashville Wraps, and I used Midori double-faced ribbon to add some color to them. Photo Credit: Loren Higgins Photography

Perfect Wedding Guide Blog

Shauna from the Albuquerque Pefect Wedding Guide just announced the new blog that she just launched. Here, she is going to communicate upcoming events, fun stories about other brides, giveaways, and trends in the wedding industry. If you haven't heard about the Perfect Wedding Guide you NEED to check it out! It's a free publication that is filled with a ton of information from the best wedding vendors around town - myself included :) Another cool feature of the magazine is that in every issue there is a real NM wedding featured! You can check out her website here to find out where you can pick one up, or you contact me and I'll send one out to you. The photos above are from the PWG's annual client appreciation party held on September 9. Guess who made the centerpieces? The cupcake towers were from Cake Fetish, and the photos are by Loren Higgins Photography. Congratulations Perfect Wedding Guide for taking this huge leap into the world of blogs!

Amazing Wedding Resource

I was looking through a ton of wedding blogs and websites this weekend and found one that I just had to share! Elizabeth Anne Designs has developed this great library of wedding resources for several different popular planning catagories. Guess what? My little business is listed under invitations! I am so excited, and so honored to be included with so many other great invitation and stationery companies. Brides, Check out this site often! oh, and check out her blog too. It's pretty amazing!

DIY Brides Beware!

About a month ago I received a call from a frantic bride who had started (with good intentions) to create her wedding invitations for her upcoming July wedding. Without having a solid design in mind, they consulted with many members of their family to come up with the perfect idea. Unfortunately having too many inputs and not enough patience or decisiveness the couple sought out help from a local designer. Me :) At our consultation they handed me a stack of photos, and vellum overlays for 200 invites and using what I had on hand I came up with the design above. Thanks to my new awesome assistant Margie, we had these finished in no time and the couple was so grateful! The lessons to be learned from this story are for all you do-it-yourselfers out there; 1. Start your projects with plenty of time! 2. Have a firm solid idea before you start anything. Sometimes your original vision won't play out well when executed, but at least you have a foundation to start on. Be flexible when it doesn't go according to plan. 3. When seeking advice, stick to asking just a small handful of folks that you can count on to be honest and objective. 4. It doesn't hurt to seek advice from a local designer. I'm always willing and glad to give free advice, so I'm sure that others are too!