Happy New Year!

The Internet is an amazing tool. One good resolution is to try to use it to inform, delight and have fun. This Internet service seems to have done that. Check out Jib Jab's great wedding and engagement cards -- only for the seriously cynical!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Happy Holidays!

Here's the only card I had time to send out this year! And I do feel like a giant snowman is heading my way!! Make way for 2009!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Wedding Party 2008 Recap Video

So I can't figure out how to upload the video of the Wedding Party on the blog, but I did figure out how to embed a link from an image. SO, thanks to the talented Valerie Barnes, film maker extraordinaire, you may click on the image below to be connected to the re-cap video of our bridal showcase earlier this year. Enjoy!

Peculiar Pair Press New Designs

I actually had to read their email to me three times. One of my favorite letterpress printers is offering 25% off retail invitations through March 15, 2009. The offer also includes their beautiful new designs shown below. They won't be in stores until next year, but we get a sneak peak here. We are delighted to promote the offer and look forward to showing you what this Peculiar Pair can create for you!

Toile

Pom Pom

Peony

Decor

Buttercream

WellWed Hamptons

We've recently partnered with WellWed Hamptons, a locally-focused bridal magazine launching early next year. We'll be offering complimentary copies of the magazine at our boutique and can't wait to see their editorial. Their sister publication,Vermont Vows, is one of my favorite regional inspirations sources. Vendor participation is by invitation only, and they make a point of highlighting only a few vendors in each category, so the edited list will prove useful.
We are delighted to highlight our experience on the South Fork with our lovely ad; the image is thanks to a favorite photographer of ours, Liz Banfield. The escort card "farm" is from a wedding we produced with French plant posts from local garden shop, Marders. We had a calligrapher ink the boards with white marker; the tables were named after meaningful Hamptons locales.

Marvelous Makeup? Seek Cheek to Chic

Raychel Wade, the owner of Cheek to Chic, makes us look beautiful. That's reason enough to love her. Add her sparkling personality, ability to make brides look naturally glamorous, practical pricing and a great web site for inspiration and you've got -- our newest Wedding Library member. As I was adding her description page (below) I thought it was time to give Raychel a shout-out. Hair and makeup services are so personal that it's sometimes difficult to recommend the right artist for everyone -- when you can, you want to tell everyone. Give her a call for a trial (and make it right before your next holiday party!)

Fleurs in Brides Magazine

We love to see our members in print, and we are happy to reveal this hot-off-the-presses spread by one of our favorite floral designers. Jessy of Fleurs was asked to create three bridal bouquets, each with dahlias, for Brides Magazine. The catch is, they were to represent eco-chic, French vintage and rustic Americana.

Jessy told us "I liked using the different ribbons and accents to complete the look. For the eco-chic bouquet, I used kimono trimming. For French vintage, I used an antique cameo. And for the rustic bouquet, the hand dyed silk ribbons, in shades of fuschia, cranberry, orange and brown, really made this look organic. But glamorous of course!"

My favorite bouquet is the white with dark kona accents and bright green. I love the high contrast -- it makes the look very fresh. Dahlias are sturdy and happy flowers, available at their peak in the fall. There are tiny ones and "dinner plate" dahlias with giant, frilly, full faces. Kudos to Jessy! On newstands in New York at the end of February -- so this is a fun sneak-peek.

Dauphine Press Maps

Linda (Wedding Library Stationery Director) and I are currently a little obsessed with maps. How to customize them, incorporate them, make them easy. We use Trish from Dauphine Press quite a bit in this category for their creative and original use of motifs and design. We are able to customize and incorporate our clients' ideas into their pieces, making an original and fun piece (or suite) every time. I noticed that even on their web site Dauphine shows many ways of adapting the same type of map. It's useful to see how a piece from a standard stationery book can be adapted to your personal taste and needs.

From the Voyage suite. The compass tells you you'll be traveling, but the "passport" information booklet lets you know it's going to be a fun trip.

An elegant and more formal way a map is incorporated. Shades of brown for the stock, ink and map make it classic.

The turquoise map hints at a fun and tropical party.

The nautical motif on the reply card reads very New England. Note how the blue ink looks different with the map background in a contrasting color versus the RSVP card where motif and text are the same color.

When your wedding is abroad, it sometimes helps to see the big picture, like this map of Spain.

Love acid greens and a mixture of fonts.

Cornflower and kona, Wedding Library colors, I will always gravitate towards it!

As a save-the-date information set a tri-fold provides lots of surface area for text.

The simple way the map cross over the "pages" creates interest.

This invitation looks very St. Barts to me. Color and text helps to define an event.

Remember, if you are having a destination wedding, simply compiling the information needed for your stationery will take a while. Start planning early so you have time to incorporate beautiful (and event-appropriate) design into your suite. Call Linda if you have questions or for an appointment. 212.327.0100 or email linda@theweddinglibrary.com. Happy mapping...

Breaking News -- This Duo Will Be on the Style Network Show Tonight!

Weddings that carry through a theme or thread appear the most thoughtful and carefully planned. So we always try to carry a color, theme, motif or pattern through the various items that we coordinate for our clients. Here's a great example from a wedding we planned this summer. The bride loves the colors yellow and black together, and we helped her design a custom invitation and cake that pulled the two together.

The invitation was designed by Rebecca at Mr. Boddington's Studio to represent a concert ticket. Available at the Wedding Library. (Invite was also published in the current issue of New York Magazine Weddings.)

The cake was interpreted from the invitation proofs by the amazing Ron Ben-Israel. The monogram was made more vivid and ribbons that the bride chose were incorporated in fondant. Photographs by Karen Hill. Look for more ways that we pulled this wedding together in future posts.

Amy Atlas & Wedding Library Premiere on Style Network Tonight!

Set your Tivo. The Art of Cakes 2: A Martha Stewart Wedding Special premieres tonight. Our favorite dessert table stylist, Amy Atlas, will be featured with the wonderful display she created for the Wedding Library. Tune in for a look at plenty of mouthwatering, gorgeous creations! 9pm on the Style Network!

Buzz Bonus: From what I understand, if you miss the show this time around, there will be many repeats of the episode...

Wedding Party Images

As we gear up for our next big event, our Wedding Party, I took a few minutes to compile some images from last year's event. I also worked (a bit) on my understanding of blog and Internet technology. I learned how to use Flickr to create inspiration boards (always wondered how that was done) and even created a "moving" picture board of the Wedding Party. Below is a static version of it, and an explanation of what you're viewing:

The top row and second rows include images of the New York Palace and the fabulous courtyard. The second row features Elan Artists' trumpeter and Hatch Creative Studio's display. Row three features Stone Kelly, Flowers of the World, Matthew Robbins for Artfool and Marie Belle custom chocolates. The fourth row depicts a stunning Bardin Palomo orchid arrangement, April Reed's fab cake, Hatch and Stone Kelly arrangements. The fifth row shows an African Safari by ROAR Africa, two images of Hatch's cute and clever marketing pieces and my business partner, Jennifer Zabinski, describing what was included for the day's events. The final row shows Reem Acra creations, Matthew Robbins, Silver Star Limo's great 1957 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud and stationery by Mr. Boddington's Studio.

These vendors and so many more will be showcasing at our event in January -- this is a one-stop-shop for brides looking for the best NYC has to offer.
The Wedding Party will take place on Saturday, January 24, all day, at the New York Palace hotel.  All images except Palace by Elan Artists.

Wedding Library Real Wedding

I promised some additional images of the wedding we coordinated this summer at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The colors were yellow, butter and black, the weather was amazing and the vendors were wonderful. Mr. Boddington's Studio created the invitations we designed, the cake was Ron Ben-Israel. The bells were found on-line and the silhouettes were created at the Wedding Library. The bride found the beautiful French, Italian and Swiss ribbons and wore Lanvin. Charles, Sally & Charles seamlessly cater and coordinate the services of the Garden and are always amazing to work with. The floral design was by the amazing Matthew Robbins of Artfool. The images are breathtaking and romantic, thanks to Karen Hill. The best part of all was the amazing couple whom I'm happy to call friends!

Snowflakes and Snowmen

I love these for a winter wedding or holiday party. Okamoto Studio.

Snowflake ice sculpture is great for a bar backdrop

How cheerful for a photo opportunity or outside your venue to greet guests.

Wedding Party at the Palace

Today we had a walk-through for the Wedding Party at the New York Palace with our great friend, Jeffrey Selden, and our partners at Elegant Bride. We are grateful for the generosity of the hotel, as we expect they will be hosting over 75 vendors, celebrity speakers, our fashion show and lots of brides. Here is a peek at a few of the 15+ rooms that we're using for the event.The Villard Ballroom, where we've coordinated a few spectacular weddings with Jeffrey. We love its oval shape and clean, classic proportions -- there's not a bad seat in the house! (This is also where the fashion show will be.)

(From left to right, top to bottom) This shot shows the foyer and balcony where we will greet brides. The marble foyer for vendors displays, and part of the beautiful new rooms on the 5th floor. The Chairman's Office which has beautiful historic wood paneling is elegant as a rehearsal dinner space for up to 30 guests. Bottom row: The courtyard of the Palace -- a classic space for picture taking; we've planned cocktail parties for lucky brides here. The Villard Mansion, another historic space in the hotel. Finally, a 5th floor event space which we will use for our creative vendor vignettes. If you are interested in exploring this luxury (and surprisingly intimate) space for your wedding, call Jeffrey Selden at 212.303.7766 or email events@nypalace.com. Buzz bonus: One of our favorite "secret" spaces for small parties is The Villard Mansion, ask Jeffrey to show it to you if you are looking for a jewel box of a room.

Winter Wedding Favor

There are so many holiday items that work for winter weddings. But if you are looking for a secular favor, options become more limited. I just found these frames that are meant as tree ornaments, but also work as wall ornaments or gift toppers. The ribbon can be swapped out to match your theme. They would also be great on an escort card "tree". I found them at the Kodak Gallery and they come in sets of three. Tree images from Style Me Pretty.

Wedding Library in InStyle Weddings Blog

Erica Sigel, Associate Fashion Editor for InStyle Weddings visited us a few days ago and posted a blog on StyleSchool about us on Monday. Here's what she said:

Hit The Books

If you’re the kind of bride who likes to get multiple things done in one trip—mani/pedis in one sitting, finishing all your holiday shopping in one go—then you should make one of your productive outings a trip to The Wedding Library (theweddinglibrary.com).

Located in an intimate brownstone on N.Y.C.’s Upper East Side, their floors are stocked with bridesmaid dresses, veils, headpieces, gifts and stationery. A one-on-one consultant will help you sift through designers like Badgley Mischka, Amsale and Thread and can also give advice on what vendors will best fit your personal needs and style for your big day.

If you’re looking for some expert bridal advice and want to check a off a bunch of boxes on that bridal to-do list, this is one place you should definitely check out.

It's Right Here, In Black and White

Linda and I were looking at some beautiful new designs we received and noting that some of our favorite pieces are black and white. Not necessarily simple black ink on white paper, but invitations with strong graphics. We know that it takes a bold bride to incorporate these types of invitations into their wedding, but we're waiting for you!

Wiley Valentine at the Wedding Library.

Bernard Maisner at the Wedding Library.

Hello Lucky suites at the Wedding Library.

Mr. Boddington's Studio at the Wedding Library.

Hello Lucky at the Wedding Library.

CECI New York at the Wedding Library.

Wedding Library Trunk Show/CECI Holiday Party

We've been telling you about how excited we are to have the new, 4 volume CECI retail book. Now you can find her beautifully boxed stationery at her holiday sale tomorrow. Before stopping there, stop by the Wedding Library for our Dana Michele trunk show! Happy Shopping!

moo

Placecards. Escort Cards. Gift tags. In room gift tags. Photo thank yous. Moo makes adorable business cards, gift cards and best-of-all mini cards. These diminutive cards come 100 to a pack. They are custom printed on one side with text, digital images or photos. So you can put 100 guest names on the cards, 100 photos, 100 images, etc. The reverse can have a special message from you. They have great colors and excellent fonts. All easily downloaded and inexpensive ($19.99). I recently uploaded 100 family photos and put a personal message on the back. I also made mini-stickers with the same images. Be creative, there is a way to incorporate this clever idea into your wedding!

Bernard Maisner at the Wedding Library

We are fortunate enough to have the enormous volume of Bernard Maisner's newly minted wedding collection delivered to us this week. Bernard is widely known as a master calligrapher and artist. His work is as beautiful as it is clearly labor-intensive. His wedding invitations are each artworks worthy of framing, but this Christmas card tops the cake. This is the perfect gift for the stationery loving. Bernard knows it will be saved, so he thoughtfully includes a separate engraved gold snowflake sentiment card.Spinning wishing wheel reveals your holiday fortune. Bernard Maisner. Check out the rest of his site for amazing wedding invitations available at the Wedding Library.

Wedding Party Developments

We're getting really excited about the Wedding Party, our bridal showcase in January. We've been meeting with the editors at Elegant Bride to discuss how we can bring the pages of their new issue to life. We've got Colin Cowie on board and Jenna Bush bridal designer Lela Rose. Our fashion show is shaping up too -- we've got some amazing dresses, salons and designers to share with you. We've even got top vendors offering floral and cake design demonstrations, even specialty cocktail how-to's. Elegant Bride Editor-in-Chief Antonia van der Meer will be on hand to answer questions and share her wedding know-how. Oh, and it's at the amazing New York Palace hotel. We'll share more as our plans finalize -- suffice it to say you'll be incredibly inspired by the spread.

December Discount

We are introducing this artwork as a postcard for our favorite bridal salons in a couple of weeks. They are off being printed right now; we are really excited about being able to provide 10% off to the loyal and wonderful clients of New York City's best bridal retailers and designers. Until they reach boutiques in January, all of our blog readers can take advantage of this offer. Just print out this page and bring it in to the Wedding Library. Get to the Wedding Library by the end of the year as this offer expires on December 31.
For an appointment call or email Lindsay at the Wedding Library, 212.327.0100 or Lindsay@theweddinglibrary.com.

Crafting 101

It (was) most definitely my little secret. I like a good craft project. And I've been introduced to Michael's -- where I shop purely for research, I swear. And recently I came across their wedding department. Wouldn't you know, Bride's Magazine and Martha Stewart both have sections with some great diy projects if you are so inclined.

Bottle sleeves.

Tags and boxes.

Table numbers or menus.

Don't forget, you have to print these at home.
Happy crafting!