I think it’s because we’re working on Mayra’s wedding invitations, but I am a bit paper obsessed this week.  I can’t wait for National Stationery Show because I am sniffing a trend that we are going to see a WHOLE lot more of… and that is the RETURN OF LUXURY in invitations… I’m seeing it sneak back in in tiny details like die cut shapes and foil printing and it makes me THRILLED frankly.

In fact, what inspired today’s post was an amazing, foil printed holiday card that we received from our friend Jessica Paulen at Judy Paulen Designs that was from Spark Letterpress.   Mayra and I fell in love with Spark at NSS two years ago, and they continue to improve and expand their offerings.  Their Spark Impress line is the latest in innovative, detailed designs that are all highly customizable and SUPER versatile for any number of tastes and styles.  Here are some of my favorites.

I may have mentioned that I was going to swing by The New York Palace this past weekend for the Wedding Library/ Martha Stewart Wedding Event… It was overall a pretty lovely morning/ afternoon as I arrived early to visit with some wedding friends who were showcasing their talents and services to some of NY’s brides.

When I stopped by to visit with Margot and her husband Steven of Atelier Isabey I was thrilled with some of what I saw.  If you aren’t familiar with Atelier Isabey, they are a luxury stationer here in New York focusing largely (but not exclusively) on Custom and Couture designs.  I’ve  seen their work over the last several years, but I think that right now, it’s better than ever!  It seems strange to say, but we don’t always think about the fact that your vendors (stationer, florist, event designer) are creative people and like all people who make art, they often get better and more inspired and hit a stride. And certainly, right now, Margot has found hers.

Here is this amazing invitation that STOPPED me in my tracks for a destination wedding in Florence.   Having lived in Firenze for a bit (and gone there on a very awkward vacation with my now Ex-husband and Mayra and her now-fiance) I IMMEDIATELY knew it was Florence as soon as I saw the marble paper on the cover.  The inside, a bilingual invitation, was even more stunning with a view of the skyline one might only see from the hills of Michelangelo Square.

And here is the fabulous inspiration board.

I also loved this subtly Halloween-y, Halloween invitation. I love the black on black pattern on the outer cover… notice the little witches? And the Gothic fonts on the interior are just perfect!


Check out their website for more about their company and to see some more of their delightfully detailed invitations!.

Earlier this month Mayra and I decided to host a little dinner party.  Because our guest list was a bit bigger than what either of us could manage at home, we turned to our home away from home: The Creative Edge tasting room.  The food is always amazing, the service exquisite and, we’re there so often with clients we feel right at home.

I thought I would share a few images taken by the lovely Heather Waraska of our table top because, while simple, I did think it showcases how going with one clean idea can have big style impact without necessarily being overly expensive.  A lot of times a rehearsal dinner locale may need a little sprucing up and, while you don’t want it to take away from the “main event” the next day, a look like this is elegant, while not overdone.

For our little dinner we decided to go all winter white.  We selected a silver weave linen- which is kind of bleached burlap with silver threads.  Since we were whipping up these flowers ourselves, and wanted to get the most out of our “monochromatic” look, we kept clusters of flowers together.  It kept it simple to produce while also making a statement. White tulips, White Ranunculous, white hydrangea, baby’s breath and  lamb’s ear.   For an added detail, Laura Hooper was able to design these lovely menu cards that we placed at each guests setting.  And, because we subscribe to the school of thought that assigned seating makes people feel special, we had Laura create some place cards as well. Hope you enjoy!

So, while I thought Darcy’s apartment WAS really awesome, it was totally NOT my intention to leave that post up there all week.  We HAVE been a little bit busy though over here, and not just with weddings.  We are thrilled to announce our NEW name and brand identity:

After 8 years of being “Always a Bridesmaid”, the truth is it was hard to pull the band-aid off and CHANGE OUR NAME.  Mayra and I really liked our old logo with the little lady.. but, it was a name and a logo for a company very different than who we are now.  When our friend designed that for us and we came up with the old name, we thought it would be “cute” and “catchy”.  There weren’t a lot of wedding planners then, and a lot of them were more seasoned than we were at the time (we were only 25 when we started this ol’ thing).  So the idea of being like a “professional bridesmaid” seemed apropos.  But then we started really PLANNING big parties and then we started DESIGNING tablescapes and roomscapes.  And then we started working in just CRAZY places like Ellis Island and remote day camps and beach boardwalks.  And we realized we were many steps away from being “helpful” bridesmaids, we were really CREATING experiences for our clients.   Suddenly, it felt like we’d outgrown the old name; like seeing a grown man walk around in short pants and a propeller hat…

So it was time for a change, but it took us 2 whole years to figure out what and how.  We toyed with totally different names, but ultimately decided an abbreviation was in touch with the past, while the Creates was actively speaking about what we do.  Being visual gals, we knew the right logo was really the trick, so we turned to the best-  Meredith at Regas New York.  She walked us through the whole process and listened to our company life story of how we started the business and it’s various iterations and where we are now and where we wanted to go.  And she came back with the brilliance you see above.  And, wait till you see the business cards! Wowza! As soon as we saw it we KNEW this was the way to go.  There was no hemming and hawing. We knew this was the right way to go.

Next up was the web site.  So we turned to Brent and Teresa at Mimo y Mima to revamp our website and they, too, blew us away!   I hope you will check it out at AaBCreates.com
And keep your eyes open for some changes on the blog too!(don’t worry, we’ll still be Blogsmaids)

I thought we’d be a lot more wistful about the name change, but it actually feels exciting and invigorating….  Here’s to a creative 2012!

While I love wedding magazines and blogs, in my personal time, I find myself seeking inspiration for our client’s weddings from other sources.  Lately, since my Man Friend is about to buy new dining chairs and I’m desperately trying to convince him against going with dark leather upholstery on this set, I’ve been scouring design mags.  So, it was fun/ and striking when I saw a VERY familiar wedding face peeking up from my ipad this morning from a non-wedding site!

The fabulous Darcy Miller Nussbaum and her husband were profiled after finishing a massive renovation and re-design of their apartment. The result is amazing.  Since Darcy is the EYE of Martha Stewart Weddings, and her own wedding launched a million trends, it was super exciting to see what her home space was like.  It’s as perfect as you might imagine, and delightfully serene and neutral.  I can understand… after spending each day inundated with images and inspiration, it must be lovely to come home to such a fresh, sophisticated space.  Here are a few pics of my favorite parts, while Architectural Digest shows off the rest including the delightful play room! Get ready for some eye candy!