We've been blogged about!

Just received an email that Just Ink On Paper was featured on "It's a Bride's Life", a site dedicated to real brides blogging about their wedding plans. The site is beautiful, and full of great information from real brides all over the country.

You can check out the feature on Just Ink On Paper here.

A big thank you to It's A Bride's Life!

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A DC CELEBRATION

Perhaps one of my favorite projects to date for Just Ink On Paper. Sheilah and Chris came to me looking for custom invitations for their DC wedding this past October at The Fairfax at Embassy Row. A stunning location with presidential ties (the restaurant within the Hotel was a favorite of Jackie O's).

Both Sheilah and Chris have strong connections with DC and wanted to tie that into their wedding stationery. The challenge was to incorporate that without looking too "touristy". Their pieces were designed to be a "nod" to DC without being a blatant image. The Save The Dates worked perfectly with the decor of The Farifax, something very important to Sheilah. The wax seal came from a brainstorming session one afternoon while looking at a few designs and plays a prominent factor in their invitations as well. What I love about these save the dates is the incorporation of the black pocketfold. I think a few brides shy away from black for fear of looking to harsh, but it can be done beautifully.

UNITED WITH LOVE

There is a new blog on the scene, and sure to be one of the biggest and hottest around. United With Love, a blog brought to us by Julianne of The Garter Girl by Julianne Smith and Nole of Oh So Beautiful Paper™. The site just launched a few days ago and is already stunningly beautiful with vendor guides, real weddings, inspirations and tips and tricks. While the blog is "DC-Area" based, brides should take note that they are defining the area of DC "as anything from Baltimore, MD to Charlottesville, VA – as far west at the Shenandoah mountains and as far east as Annapolis, MD and the Eastern Shore region."

Just Ink On Paper is thrilled to be included in the vendor guide as well!

BLACKBIRD CAKERY

The newest corporate ID client for Just Ink On Paper is Blackbird Cakery, a new company we were thrilled to work with. A new transplant to Baltimore, owner Diane Stone has created a niche in the cupcake market with an "Edgar Allan Poe-theme" to her company. Taking a peak at her flavor list (which sound amazing by the way), all the cupcakes center around a Poe and Baltimore theme, something truly unique. With this in mind, Diane wanted to create an identity that was a little edgy (while avoiding the ghoulish/Halloween approach), and not your traditional pink and frilly cupcake feel.I would highly suggest a call to Diane for your cupcake addiction (she also does quite more than just delicious cupcakes as well).

HOLLY AND NICK | PARISIAN COLLECTION

Dusty Lavender and Pewter, NOT lavender and black...that was the theme of these invitations. I met Holly and Nick at the Baltimore Magazine Aisle Style Bridal Show last March, where they immediately gravitated towards the Parisian Collection for their wedding this October in Baltimore. Holly and I poured over the hundreds of PMS inks to choose the perfect shade of lavender, a color that was almost a sepia-toned lavender if you will, a term that we kept using to describe it. We finally hit on the perfect color, one that was more "dusty" than your typical "sweet" lavender. We complimented it with a dark gray ink, not black, to produce the same kind of look as the lavender, something a little more subdued. The Parisian is one of my favorite designs, and one that works beautifully with Holly's color palette.

Holly and Nick are the most perfectly gorgeous couple, with an equally perfect proposal story (complete with the "aww" factor) I read on their website. Looking forward to posting some photos of their ceremony and reception items for their wedding at the 1840's Ballroom next weekend.

AMPERSAND LOVE

The season is going strong with weddings, next up are Meghan and Mike's invitations for their wedding this November at the stunning Peabody Library in Baltimore. Meghan came to me with save the dates from another source, but wasn't thrilled with the invitation options that matched the suite. Enter Just Ink On Paper, to create her wedding stationery that still reflected the feel of her save the dates, but with a design she loved. The invitations are printed on a cream textured stock and paired with a metallic green backing to give an extra pop of color.

Soon to come are Meghan and Mike's reception items, which are chock full of "Meg and Mike" details. This couple has really made an effort to include guests in the everydays of their lives. In the works right now is a custom map serving as the unofficial guide to their favorite Baltimore destinations!

KATE AND STEVE'S RECEPTION

A soft palette of pinks completed Kate and Steve's wedding stationery with their reception items. Kate really choose to personalize her reception items as much as she could, a sweet detail that I loved. While their ceremony was held in a church (the same church Kate's parents were married in), their reception was held outside on the family farm under a beautiful tent. Their caterer was able to use the produce from the farm in the creation of the meals, a fact we highlighted on the menus. We also designed a "wedding mad lib" for guests to fill out during the cocktail hour. I can only image some of the creative responses Kate and Steve will receive on those cards.

ROBIN AND JASON | VINTAGE FLORAL

A stunning combination of navy and champagne set the tone for Robin and Jason's summer wedding this past August. Their wedding was held on the gorgeous grounds of the Gramercy Mansion with an outdoor ceremony and reception, which fit perfectly with the style of invitations she choose, Vintage Floral.

REAL WEDDINGS | MEGAN AND KEVIN

Megan and Kevin planned a beautiful wedding on October 17th with a reception at The Cloisters Castle and worked with me to create their invitations, ceremony and reception items. I had such a great time working with both, you could really tell this couple is truly in love. Photography is stunning, as well as Megan and Kevin.

Beautiful photography courtesy of Meaghan Elliott Photography.

SIMONE AND JOE | LAYLA COLLECTION

Weddings are in full season and keeping things quite busy these days. First up are Simone and Joe's invitations for their October wedding in Boston. Simone wanted invitations that had a vintage and modern aspect...something a lot of brides these days are looking for. She choose the Layla design from the collection, but really made the most of it with the dark purples and golds. Simone is such a sweet bride who is also an aspiring wedding planner. If you are in NYC, keep an eye out for her.

CLASSIC AND TIMELESS INVITATIONS

You might remember Kate and Steve's Save the Dates from a bit ago, I wanted to share their wedding invitations. Kate wanted her invitations to be very classic, nothing too flashy or bold. Using the same color palette as her save the dates, we choose to keep everything fresh and clean with just a little hint of color throughout. The belly bands are the same stock used in her save the dates, as well as the peony artwork, although in a completely different format. The peony filled almost the entire reception card, just to add a touch of sweetness and romance. It just proves that you really can not go wrong with beautifully classic wedding invitations. We are in the final stages of her reception items (including a mad lib card!), so check back for a look at what we did.

WHEN A DESIGNER GETS MARRIED...

While I try not to get too personal with my own life on this blog, I recently remembered that my own wedding was featured on a blog a little bit ago. This blog is Baltimore-centric, and provides great research for brides getting married in the area. It's been one of my favorites and was saddened to read in a post that it might not be around much longer? I really hope she continues on! You can read the Charm City Bride blog here.

While planning our wedding, I was working full-time for a design firm in Baltimore, but created all the paper products (invitations, programs, and reception items) for our wedding. I never realized how much work is involved in creating wedding stationery and I have been a professional designer for almost 10 years. While I loved every minute of it, I drastically underestimated how time-consuming the process is. For brides considering DIY stationery, think long and hard beforehand of the time/energy/materials involved in pulling off this feat. As I always say, your invitations are the first and (sometimes) only glimpse your guests will see of your wedding, make it count! This link below will take you directly to the feature full of all the details from our big day.

Really wish I had some of those Amaretti cookies from Vaccaro's right about now....

Special thanks to our amazing photographer Roman Grinev of Roman Grinev Photography.

FACEBOOK

Just Ink On Paper is on Facebook! Well, we have been on Facebook for quite a while, but we would love for you to become a fan.

REAL WEDDINGS | KC AND CHRIS

KC just sent over her beautiful pictures from her wedding on July 17th at the Evergreen Museum in Baltimore. One of the perks of my job is swooning over such photos, and these are no exception. In addition to her invitations, I also designed the fan programs for their outside ceremony. It was difficult narrowing down the selection of stunning photos, many thanks to ArtfulWeddings.com by Sachs Photography for capturing such beautiful work.

And check out KC's shoes...how awesome are they?!

REAL WEDDINGS | ALLISON AND DAN

You might remember Allison and Dan's wedding invitations posted a while back for their wedding the Resort at Singer Island on December 20th. Allison was gracious enough to send me a few beautiful photos from her wedding and details shots of her reception items. I am sure you can agree that Allison made a stunning bride, I am in love with the flower in her hair!

Credit: Rachel Wallace Photography

MONOGRAM CHIC

I have been wanting to design an invitation solely based on using a monogram for a while now but wanted to keep it fresh and modern. After a few intial designs, I settled on incorporating circles to frame the monogram against the rounded frame of the invitation...mixing the two shapes. I love the simplicity of this design and would be perfect for a couple looking for a monogram that is more modern than vintage.

Shown in Sky Blue and Chocolate Combination

Show in Navy and Orange Color Combination