So, yesterday Mayra and I got out our taxi fare and headed West for adventure.  West meaning the West Side Highway (Javitz Center) and adventure meaning looking at about 4 or 5 square blocks filled with stationery and not breaking for lunch.  Yes, it was the National Stationery Show. I went in a “press capacity” (which meant free coffee!) and Mayra attended as a potential buyer (we actually do retail several invitation lines in our studio and are expaning our offerings a bit).   It was a good thing too, because I would have been spending money like a drunken sailor because I saw some great stuff, and because I have no self control.  Mayra is a bit more restrained, but regardless, both of us were in agreement about several things. And so, without further ado, here are our favorite finds and lines from NSS (as restricted exclusively to Wedding Related stationery).

42 Pressed

42 Pressed This couture letter press line is 100% Eco Friendly.  The papers are all 100% cotton (no trees!) and all of the ink are soy based with printing done in house.  This does not mean that there is any scrimping in quality or design style though- the designs are varied, unique and really very clever.  They include lots of fresh details like a 2.5″ thick inprinted grosgrain ribbon “belly band” and blind embossing to look like wood grain.  I loved their use of bold colors (btw, we saw a lot more red this year than before, I noticed).  I thought they were very special and then I said so and then Mayra said “I think it’s really funny when you describe things as “special”.

Of course we walked in knowing that we already love Smock Paper.  Their designs are unique and layered and so extremely versatile that it’s almost like having a custom order every single time.  And considering all of the customization options (calligraphy fonts, paper backings, pocket wraps, edge painting etc) their price point is still reasonable.   Plus their suites of additional accessories were just to die for.  In fact, that was another trend of the year- very few lines didn’t contain full suites of add-ons, reflecting the fact that more and more weddings are detail centric these days!

Smock Paper

Spark Letterpress

The line that I’d never seen before, but then fell madly in love with their whimsical designs was most definitely Spark Letterpress Love. Their collections were unique in that each design concept offers it’s main invitation designed in two different orientations- a vertical or a horizontal.  So, you actually can select a suite and then still have some room to make a little bit more “just what you want”.  Their designs were whimsical without being overly cute.  Mayra’s favorite was a really fresh take on the passport concept- for a Secret Agent theme… each invitation was designed to look like a “case assigment”, perfect for a destination wedding or full weekend of activities, but their two album collection contained some designs that ranged from fun to elegant AND their accessories (favor tags, program covers, etc) were some of the more unique and thoughtful that we’d seen during the show.

Another trend that we noticed (that really started last year) is that more and more lines are offering their designs in both letterpress and in flat printing.  While we saw a number that we liked, no one seemed to do it quite as nicely (to us) as Elum. We’ve long been fans of Elum’s couture line which boasts amazing paper and signature modern, and sometimes minamalist designs.  However, their new line called Umi by Elum is slightly more varied, but still amazingly designed.  In fact, Umi probably had the most variety of styles in any one collection, from floral to bold and modern to minimalist to quirky.  Additionally, they offer Envelopments that often feature custom designs that can be added to nearly any invitation suite that they offer.  Again, this line stood out to us because they offered such an amazingly full suite of accessory pieces AND, because of their versatility with flat and letterpress printing, a bride could order her invitation suite letterpress, but all of her ceremony accessories flat printed and still feel that it had a continuity in style.

Umi by Elum

Showing really lovely designs (and for the first time) was Gwyneth Paige. They had a very clever booth display as well that converted old doors into folding screens and repurposed vintage frames into showpieces for their stationery products…. all reinforcing the lovely “shabby chic” aesthetic of their designs.   Born from the mind of a wedding planner, they also include full lines of accessory pieces along with each design and again, 100% cotton paper.   I loved that their designs were so layered- blind embossing layered underneath text or botanical motifs.. Really complex design that wasn’t hard to enjoy.

Gwyneth Paige

Some notable mentions (whose ready to order collections aren’t launched just yet, but who were offering us a preview included our friends at Regas New York and one I’m uber-excited about- Rifle Designs, so I will be keeping my eyes peeled for when their collections are officially launched.  Tonight, I’m off to CeCi New York’s showroom, where they are launching a new collection as part of the White Label series… excited to share with you!

As I mentioned yesterday we hit up the Veranda at The Hotel Roger Williams last night for a party hosted by Francesca Abbracciamento, Ceci NY and, of course, the Hotel Roger Williams.  Kathi Littwin sent us this awesome photos of the event with floral by Fleurs. The suite there is amazing, but these photos capture the lovely palette of the event- which was a contrast of citrus and electric tones.  Just lovely. Yellow is my FAVORITE color, so this just made me smile. Perfect for a summer event in the city!

I am practically in tears because Jessy and the team from Fleurs did the MOST AMAZING flowers (both at their table AND for the event) and she didn’t bring a camera and MY Photos of her tables are terribly blurry- apparently I needed to set for candlelight, but didn’t.   Anyway, I’m going to track down photos, but here are some of amazing, inspirational photos from some vendors I hadn’t met before and familiar faces.

Leslie of Mark Joseph Cakes showed the most lovely cakes. The yellow is soooo sweet.
Greenwich Jewelers wowed us with their amazing designs. They will also refurbish and re-design pieces.  Here is one of their gorgeous rings.  Mille Fiore created this amazing piece with cherry blossoms…. Cake Alchemy (they do that show on the food network, Ace of Cakes, I think? NO, i just checked her site and she is on AMAZING WEDDING CAKES) showcased some gorgeous creations, including this very cool tropical cake!  And, Colin Cowie lifestyle wowed me with Carnations (and made us feel good about using carnations at our table).

At our Always a Bridesmaid table we raffled off a 10 Hour Consulting package AND I’m pleased to announce the lucky winner is Beckett Fabbie!  We’ll be getting in touch with you ASAP!
Mayra and I love this event because we get to meet brides, AND meet new people and connect with our vendor friends. We get glammed up (thanks Luis for hooking me up. He’s the greatest, and I recommend him strongly. He’s at the Chanel counter at Saks and available for wedding day makeup) and My Hair and Makeup glammed Mayra up .

Some of the great people we got to spend some time with are (top to bottom): Jessica Alton of Thomas Preti Events to Savor; Cheree or Cheree Berry; the stunning (and glowing newlywed) Lisa Hoffman of CECI with Ron Ben-Israel; Kate Diago of CECI, the talented photographer Mel Barlow, Eyal Tessler of In Any Event, Lisa, Ron, fabulous Mayra and me and the most ridiculous expression on my face; Mayra and Marcy Blum; Mark Ingram.  LOL, it’s like NY Wedding Diary. ;-)

I’m terribly excited (and not just because of the Martha Stewart Show taping, which I will write more about later) to share with you some of the designs from CECI’s new White Label Collection.  For those of you who stalk wedding style, you’ll be familiar with Ceci’s custom invitations which have been featured in countless, countless magazines.  Gorgeous, but custom isn’t always for everyone.    So I was delighted to hear that Lisa Hoffman, the founder and designer there, has launched a line of ready to order invitations and accessories for all kinds of brides: the Destination Bride, Ornate (or Vintage) Bride, Botanical Bride and the Classic Bride. There are more than 30 looks in the line, but for now, here are six of the fabulous designs!  For right now, you should contact CECI directly at info@cecinewyork.com