Love at First Invite

we've moved!

2009-06-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

We've moved our blog to an all new location here: http://loveinvites.typepad.com

Please update your readers! :)

sneak peek...

2009-06-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peak of a blog post coming soon!

cerimone studio is open for love!

2009-06-08T10:20:00.000-07:00

Photo by Melissa McClure Photography ~ LIGHT

Today is a great day! Cerimone Studio is finally finished. After months of planning, purchasing, returning, re-purchasing, driving, elbow greasing, Cerimone Studio was born on the seventh day of June, Two thousand and nine.

From the LIGHT portion of Cerimone… Melissa McClure Photography.
Check out her blog here for the before and afters, as well as some headshots of the Ladies of Cerimone!

From the IDEAS portion of Cerimone... Swann Soirees.
Check out her blog here for some in-depth behind the scenes commentary! :)

introducing... Cerimone

2009-06-01T14:36:00.001-07:00

Cerimone: (sara-monet) • www.cerimone.com

When Light, Ink and Ideas come together sensational things happen. Cerimone Studio will be the epicenter of the collaboration.

Cerimone Studio's ingredients:

1 part Light ~ Melissa McClure Photography www.melissamcclure.com

1 part Ink ~ Love at First Invite www.loveatfirstinvite.com

1 part Ideas ~ Swann Soirees www.swannsoirees.com

The marriage of this wedding Dream Team will bring unrivaled deals, ground-breaking events, and the uniting of creative minds! All together in the beautiful and up-and-coming Arts district in NTC Promenade at Liberty Station.

To schedule an appointment for a consultation, please contact us.

thank you with love!!

2009-05-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

Okay here it is folks! Love at First Invite is giving away FREE custom thank you card sets with any custom design invitation order! This will be custom, based on your invitation suite! This is a $100 value, just our way of saying THANKS!

Just place a custom invitation order now through June 1st and give us the promo code SUMMERTHANKS and we will add 50 thank you cards and envelopes to your order for FREE! There's no better way to thank your guests than with matching cards to bring your wedding theme full circle. :)

But hurry! This offer is only valid until June 1st!

giving away our love!

2009-05-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

Susan was the winner of our FREE letterpress Ready-to-Love giveaway that was hosted on Style Me Pretty. She chose the Dotted design from the Ready-to-Love collection for her invitations. It turned out beautifully and her guests are going to swoon!

Stay tuned for an exciting announcement today for the May giveaway/sale for all new LAFI clients!!

summer lovin'

2009-05-17T16:29:00.000-07:00

Introducing the Summer 2009 Ready-to-Love collection!

We've added four new designs and brought in the four top favorites of our spring collection.

We are now shipping sample packs of the entire collection for only $20. This includes all 8 Ready-to-Love designs, in different paper types - Smooth, Linen, and Metallic and Natural White and Bright White finishes.

Download the new catalog or order sample packs here.

left my <3

2009-05-14T23:33:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I had a wonderful trip up North this past weekend for Mother's Day. My husband and I both grew up in Northern California, and so both of our Moms are there! It was wonderful to see everyone, and we also got to see some G'ma and Aunties and Cousins!

We snuck in a little trip to San Francisco as well. We hung out in the Little Italy district of North Beach, and basically pretended we were in Italy. I brought my camera with me and got some cool shots of everyone. Although the trip was much too short, it was some much needed family time!

Next up, fam's coming to San Diego to visit. Beach here we come!

nouveau love

2009-05-07T15:26:00.000-07:00

old-fashioned love

2009-05-06T00:12:00.000-07:00

love cinco de mayo style

2009-05-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo all! For day 2 of my post a day, comes a destination wedding in Mexico. Lindsay wanted it to remain light and casual, but not too overdone with the theme. Her colors were rich and bright primary colors. We first did the Save-the-date with the Mexican papel theme, and it became a cornerstone, so we brought it through to the invitation suite. For the invitations, we kept the same feeling but brought in some handwriting to make it more personal and classy.

Have a fun and safe 5th!

love in patterns

2009-05-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

We are starting up a post a day. Woot woot! We will be finally showing a bunch of recent works that we are really excited about. We had a lot of June & July brides and have tons to show! Here's the first installment, Candace & Philip. Aqua and chocolate brown give their modern seaside affair an amazing touch. Here's an email we received from the bride, who is actually an event planner at a popular wedding venue here in San Diego.

"I wanted to thank you for the beautiful work on the invites! They are stunning! I love the contrast of the belly band against the invite and I showed them off at my bridal shower yesterday. Every single person said they had never seen a design like that before! I told them to see you when they get married :) "

Thank YOU Candace, and we can't wait to design the rest of your coordinating pieces for your special day!

our mission of love

2009-05-04T14:17:00.001-07:00

We finally wrote a mission statement, which is part of moving in to our {new} studio. Hope you likes!

Love at First Invite believes in quality, tailor-made, intelligent custom design that encompasses the passion and vision of our clients. We believe in being fully accessible by remaining cost-effective and utilizing eco-friendly processes and materials. We offer the opportunity to create art together; with a dream, paper and ink.

raise up the love

2009-04-29T00:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peek of our upcoming blog post...

i love september!

2009-04-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note (seems like that's all my posts are these days) for some exciting news!

WE ARE OPENING SEPTEMBER BACK UP! :) We've expanded our resources and have more openings. Woo hoo!

Feel free to contact us September brides!

ultimate love this easter

2009-04-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter all! Let's celebrate ultimate love today.

(image credit: one love photography)

for the love of color

2009-04-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

Back in college days I took a class on color. Yes, the whole class was devoted to learning about color. The most interesting things I learned about colors was the effect they have on eachother, on people, on surroundings. Color is alive, it changes when it's next to another color, and it can even move & vibrate next to another color. I suppose it's all optical illusions, but it's very fascinating.

Another aspect of color is it's ability to evoke moods & feelings. Brand strategists are well aware of this fact. And I'm sure as any Bride is aware colors can completely transform the look of your day.

Colors can mean different things in different cultures, at different times, in different industries. However, in the United States advertising at least, studies suggest some universal meanings:

Blue: Cool blue is perceived as trustworthy, dependable, fiscally responsible, and secure. Strongly associated with the sky and sea, blue is dependable and serene, and universally well-liked. Blue is an especially popular color with financial institutions, as its message of stability inspires trust.

Red: Red activates your pituitary gland, increasing your heart rate and causing you to breathe more rapidly. This visceral response makes red aggressive, energetic, provocative, and attention-grabbing. Count on red to evoke a passionate response, albeit not always a favorable one. For example, red can represent danger or indebtedness (in business).

Green: In general, green connotes health, freshness, and serenity. However, green�s meaning varies with its many shades. Deeper values are associated with wealth or prestige, while light greens are calming.

Yellow: In every society, yellow is associated with the sun. Thus, it communicates optimism, positivism, light and warmth. Certain shades seem to motivate and stimulate creative thought and energy. The eye sees bright yellows before any other color, making it great for point-of-purchase displays.

Purple: Purple is a color favored by creative types. With its blend of passionate red and tranquil blue, it evokes mystery, sophistication, spirituality, and royalty (especially in European markets). Lavender evokes nostalgia and sentimentality.

Pink: Pink's message varies by intensity. Hot pinks convey energy, youthfulness, fun and excitement and are recommended for less expensive or trendy products for women or girls (like dolls). Dusty pinks appear sentimental. Lighter pinks are more romantic.

Orange: Cheerful orange evokes exuberance, fun, and vitality. With the drama of red plus the cheer of yellow, orange is viewed as gregarious and often childlike. Research indicates that its lighter shades appeals to an upscale market. Peach tones work well with healthcare, restaurants, and beauty salons.

Brown: This earthy color conveys simplicity, durability and stability. It can also elicit a negative response from consumers who relate to it as dirty. Certain shades of brown (e.g., terracotta) can convey an upscale look. From a functional perspective, brown tends to hide dirt, making it a logical choice for some trucking and industrial companies.

Black: Black is serious, bold, powerful and classic. It creates drama and connotes sophistication. Black works well for expensive products, but can also make a product look heavy.

White: White connotes simplicity, cleanliness, and purity. The human eye views white as a brilliant color, so it immediately catches the eye in signage. White is often used with infant and health-related products.

All the colors above can be categorized into two basic categories, "warm" and "cold." In general, warm colors, like red and yellow, send an outgoing, energetic message, while cool colors like blue are calmer and more reserved. However, brightening a cool color increases its vibrancy and reduces its reserve.

love is bittersweet

2009-04-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon everyone, and Happy Thursday!

There are still lots of posts to come, they've gotten pushed back a ton because we are now in our busiest season EVER for LAFI.

Which brings us to our next bittersweet announcement. We are now completely booked for September weddings! We are still booking for October 2009 weddings, but not for much longer! If you're interested in getting custom designs for your wedding, contact us soon! Don't wait. We'd not love to not work with you! :)

That's it for now. More invites and inspiration is on its way!

the love never ends...

2009-03-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

... but unfortunately sales do! :)

Today March 31st is the final day of our Spring Appreciation Sale. If you wanted to book with us but have not had the chance, email us today and let us know! We will be extending the sale only for those who express interest before the end of the day today.

Goodbye March! You were lots of fun! Here's to April!

love en pointe

2009-03-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

My husband and I took some lovely Trash the Dress pictures earlier this year, and our photographer posted them on her blog here. We just love them! Thanks again Susan for being such an amazing person and photographer!

i'm in love with a picture

2009-03-20T16:24:00.001-07:00

august is filled with love!

2009-03-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody out there in wedding land! I just heard from our production manager that August 2009 weddings are completely booked for custom wedding invitations. There may be some openings for Ready to Love in the future for August brides, but for now we are not taking anymore orders. Thanks to all the August brides and we can't wait to work with you! <3 <3

We are still taking orders from September and beyond. The earlier the better, because we've been booking fast. Also a little reminder that the Spring Appreciation sale is through March 31st, so if you have a proposal out or are thinking of working with us, contact us right away.

love the seventeenth of march

2009-03-17T01:14:00.000-07:00

Apparently that is how you say Happy Saint Patrick's day in Irish! Hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday.

bring on the love

2009-03-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

As a graphic designer first, and stationery design second, I realize that while the two design worlds are very different, they are of course intrinsically related to each other. There are definite styles to the wedding design world, and I find interesting when the design "real world" seemingly takes cues from the wedding/romantic/feminine style of the wedding world. But then I think, is that the chicken vs. the egg syndrome? Does wedding style/design come from real world? Or does the wedding world have it's own trends that radiate outward? It is a big enough chunk of the industry to make an impact. Either way, they do influence each other, and I'm more than happy when I identify styles from wedding design in real world packaging and vice versa. Here are some of my favorite packaging designs that include beautiful details that could be amazing wedding invitations:

Photo Love!

2009-03-15T03:00:00.000-07:00

Yippee yay! We finally got a rockin' camera to take some Bee yoo teee full invitation shots with. So be on the lookout for more invite sets on Love Invites! Here's a sneeky peeky!

Spring Love Appreciation Sale

2009-03-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

Spring your clocks forward and take advantage of our Spring Love Appreciation Sale!

If you book before March 31st, you will receive $50 off custom invitations and $25 off the Ready to Love collection. This offer is subject to scheduling availability, so contact us soon to reserve your spot.

The promo code is LAFILOVE, and you can let your friends in on the savings as well!

Let's create something beautiful together!

Ready to Love - The Favorites

2009-03-01T17:54:00.000-08:00

It's been a very busy season for Love at First Invite, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon! :) I haven't had a chance to post much because of it, but soon we'll be showing some really exciting new works! In the meantime, here's a few images of our most sought-after Ready to Love designs in living color.
Ready to Love invitations are ready to be customized with your wording and your colors, to match your day!

FREE Letterpress Love!

2009-02-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

Style Me Pretty is the host of our FREE Letterpress Invitation giveaway! The contest is for 100 Letterpressed invitations of your choice from the Spring 2009 Ready to Love collection. Head on over to the Little Black Book Blog to enter the contest. Contest ends Monday night! :)

Spring Love

2009-01-21T21:28:00.000-08:00

Spring is in the air! At least for wedding invitations, it is :)

I'm so excited about this couple, they were so fun to meet with. They had a solid idea in their heads, they even brought me a sample invitation they loved! It was a single daisy on white paper with black text. I'm happy that they let me explore the idea and push a little further to give it a much brighter, warmer and happier feeling! And I normally don't post reply cards but I'm just in love with this one! They are so cute that their guests are not going to want to send them in! :)

Congratulations Wendy and Chris!!

New Year, New Love

2008-12-20T01:11:00.000-08:00

I am soooo excited to let everyone in on a few exciting updates and changes for LAFI in 2009. Due to overwhelming demand, Love at First Invite will be introducing the Ready to Love collection.

This will be a few designs with different styles, that will be perfect for the Bride on a budget, the last-minute Bride or the Bride who just wants to see what she's getting! This will be launching early January, so get Ready to Love! :)

Love in Texas!

2008-12-09T01:59:00.000-08:00

You know what they say about Texas. Can you imagine how stunning this wedding will be? Amanda and Kenneth are getting married in the beautiful Rockefeller Hall in Houston, Texas. Amanda is using bright apple green for her centerpieces with rich chocolate brown accents throughout. Amanda is a vintage kind of gal, while her fiancé tends to be drawn to the modern. We married those two styles and came up with this little gem :)

Modern Spanish Love Pt II

2008-12-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

Goodness, It's been a busy holiday season, and subsequently it's been awhile since I blogged... I have tons of new projects to show you, but for now I would like to show you how Jennifer & Jayson's amazing invitation suite came out. These are one of my favorites so far!

We got a new printer and it's a special printing process that uses solid inks. They start off as waxy blocks, melted down, mixed and applied to paper. The end result gives a tiny bit of a raised ink feeling as you can feel the wax on the paper. Too cool! She also upgraded to 110 lb. paper which gave these invites a substantial feel.

Congratulations again to J&J :)

True Love

2008-11-20T21:25:00.000-08:00

You may remember my post from awhile back about Lindsay & Brandon's beautiful Gocco'd programs. Their wedding was amazing and the colors all came together beautifully. LAFI had the pleasure of designing all the ceremony and reception items for the day. :)

Congratulations Mr & Mrs G and thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me be a part of your unforgettable day.

Modern Spanish Love

2008-11-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

Can I just say, designing these invitations made my day! Hey that rhymes! :)

When Jennifer & Jayson met with me they had this very cool idea of incorporating their photo in their invites. Jennifer & Jayson's main theme is Old Spanish infused with Modern styles. Their colors are cranberry, chocolate and ivory. These invites have such a cool personal vibe to them. Love it!

Jennie & Jason Love

2008-11-13T14:35:00.000-08:00

I am so happy to have had the opportunity to see all my design pieces in action, at the wedding of my friend. It was just a beautiful day, thank you again for allowing me to be a part of it!

The lovely photography is credited to the amazingly talented photographer Chrystal Cienfuegos.

Enjoy!

I <3 NY

2008-10-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

"I'm in a New York state of mind..."

I just finished up designing invitations for a Bride and Groom getting hitched in NY, NY. I think I had too much fun designing these. I've been looking forward to designing these ever since she contacted me.

Their wedding is going to be a mashup of elegant, urban, funky, sophisticated... basically New York! Their colors are chocolate brown and lavender. Here are my top favorites.

I am so in love!! :)

Pink Love

2008-10-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

Whoosh!

That's what this week has been for me. I laughed, I cried.

Most of you have heard through the grapevine about Love at First Invite's feature on Style Me Pretty's Think Pink week. Style Me Pretty first contacted me a few weeks ago, and asked if I would be willing to do a free stationary giveaway for their Think Pink week, dedicated to survivors of breast cancer. I excitedly accepted and designed a special invitation set that was inspired by survivors of breast cancer, the bond between generations, and the bond between women together all around the world.

On top of all that love, the world was introduced to Love at First Invite! I received tons and tons of love mail, loving the idea of bringing custom design to all brides, loving my designs, and loving the affordability of all of it! I feel like the world just gave me a big fat hug. All the hard work and sleepless nights are all worth it.

To bring the week to a close, SMP posted a young cancer survivor's story that moved me to tears. It was a powerful statement to such an important cause.

Thank you to the ladies of Style Me Pretty for all that you do. Lots of love ladies!

damask'in in love - i2i

2008-09-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

Another inspiration to invite (i2i) damask style!

Katie and Steve are getting married in a large ballroom, their colors are a dramatic candy pink and black with lots of dressy details. Brilliant!

This stationary set was a pleasure to design and the end result is really breathtaking. These are called U-fold invitations, and they are less expensive than traditional pocketfolds but nonetheless striking. They are actually in a black linen paper which I am totally in love with now. Trés chic!

j'aime gocco

2008-09-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

I haven't busted out the Gocco machine since my own wedding. I have forgotten how much I love it. For those who don't know, Gocco is a sort of mini-silk screen machine. It's made in Japan and was actually discontinued in production. Which makes it even cooler. The machine is definitely quirky and gives the prints a cool distressed look.

Lindsay and Brandon are having a French-inspired designed wedding, and really loved the look of dark programs with gold ink. So I brought out the trusty little Gocco and went to work!

C'est magnifique!

love under the california sun

2008-09-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

Hayley & Chris are getting married alongside the beach and wanted a super modern caribbean feel to their save-the-dates. Their main colors are Aqua and Yellow and their centerpieces will be lemons! How delicious is that? :)

love in del mar - i2i

2008-09-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

My first inspiration to invite (i2i) is from Jennifer & Matt. They will be married in Del Mar alongside the ocean.

Jennifer's colors are an ocean blue and chocolate brown. She wanted her stationary to have that breeze of the ocean and beach life, without being over stated.

Above is her inspiration board for her wedding, you may recognize it as it was featured on Style Me Pretty.

We followed the theme through to her pocketfold invitations, welcome booklet, programs, table cards, and seating chart.

love me pretty

2008-09-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

I just received some wonderful news... Love at First Invite was chosen to be featured in Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book. For those of you that aren't familiar with Style Me Pretty, go there now. :)

It's my favorite blog in the whole wide world, and while planning my own wedding, it was an integral part of my morning routine. The Little Black book section is SMP's list of their favorite and preferred vendors. They hand pick only 3 vendors per category, ones who fit their design aesthetic and style. It is an amazing honor and such a blessing. The VIP launch is on Monday, September 15th. I couldn't be happier right now!

Thank you so much to all the wonderful ladies I had the privilege to design for, you all made this possible!

love at first post

2008-09-10T16:57:00.001-07:00

Welcome to loveinvites.com, the blog for Love at First Invite.

Lots of exciting stuff to come soon, including inspirations to invites, invitation etiquette and wording tips, as well as general fantastic wedding inspirations. Stay tuned!