An Invitation to Love } Side By Side

{ SIDE BY SIDE }

A WEDDING INVITATION SUITE

All Photos Courtesy of www.claytonaustinlovestories.com

[ Stationery photos by The Blu Sash ]

Oh we ain't got a barrel of money,

Maybe we're ragged and funny;

But we'll travel along, singin' a song,

Side by side.

— Harry Woods (melody) & Gus Kahn (lyrics) 1927

Some things are timeless. A century old photograph buried in a box. A dress in an attic trunk. A letter from the front lines. A rusting license plate hanging in a barn. The words to a song long forgotten. They still have the power to move you because they posses a human element that can touch any heart regardless of century, decade or hour.

Love is timeless. It is has and always will be the essence of our very being. Today, perhaps love has become too much of a packaged product. We polish and shine our love for all to see. It must be perfect. Unblemished. An ideal. A dream. But reality sets in. Love becomes bumped along the dusty road of life. There are detours, delays, road blocks, wrecks. Often love is left along these lonely roads of disappointment and despair when it is at these times love needs us most.

Would it be that more went into marriage realizing that the dream is about living in this imperfect world with a determination to work for something that is worth more than it costs. What many fail to realize is that the potholes are melded together with periods of breath-taking scenery, memorable stops and mountain top experiences. If one gets out of the car halfway through the journey, so much will forever be missed.

Brooke and Manny's wedding made me think of the beauty found in the rough patches of life. The Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale, Mississippi was full of just such beauty. The beauty of the forgotton, the beauty of the well-loved, the beauty of simplicity, the beauty of trials and tribulation, the beauty of the soul and the beauty of love.

Brooke is my dear cousin and this wedding was a family event. I am so thankful this vivacious woman with a great thirst for life allowed me to be a part of her day through design. It was a weekend full of love and joy, tears and laughter, fellowship and celebration, song and dance. Many people from many walks of life coming together to celebrate a time, a place and a love. A love in all its beautiful, flawed, timeless perfection.

{ WEDDING INVITATION SUITE }

[ All artwork used in this invitation suite was drawn on the computer

using vintage 1920's labels and music sheet artwork as reference. ]

[ Vellum direction cards were enclosed with the invitations

and envelopes were lined with a metallic paper and coordinating pattern. ]

[ The reply card was a 2-sided postcard and

1920's scrollwork was carried over onto the envelope flap. ]

{ SIDE BY SIDE }

"Young lovers seek perfection. Old lovers learn the art of sewing shreds together and of seeing beauty in a multiplicity of patches. " — Finn, How to Make An American Quilt

An Invitation to Love } Deco Love

{ DECO LOVE }

A WEDDING INVITATION SUITE

by The Blu Sash

Wedding Photos Courtesy of www.truereligionphotography.com

Stationery Photos by The Blu Sash

I love all things vintage. If it's old and once belonged to someone else .... I love it. Instantly. I love to ponder the story behind the item. I wonder who once wore this brooch? What was she like? What special occasions did she wear it to? When I am in an old building I immediately want to know it's history, it's story, what tales it's walls might hold.

When Kevin, a good friend of my sister, contacted me about designing her save-the-dates and wedding stationery I was beyond excited. Kevin has a timeless elegance to her. Her classic design tastes and love of bygone eras were evident from the start of our conversations. While there were classic and vintage elements that Kevin and Nate wanted to incorporate into their wedding there was also a small hint of modern sophistication to what they were planning. I tried to season their Art Deco inspired invitations with a sprinkling of that modern elegance and hopefully captured the mood of their day in their "Deco Love" wedding suite.

Many blessings Kevin and Nate for a forever love!

{ WEDDING INVITATION SUITE }

RECEPTION INVITATION CLOSE-UP

CEREMONY INVITATION

RESPONSE POSTCARD

RESPONSE POSTCARD

RECEPTION INVITATION

THANK YOU CARDS

{ I'll be loving you always. — Irving Berlin (1925) }

{ Handmade jewelry by the bride that mimics the burst in the invitations }

{ Drink labels designed by The Blu Sash and made by the bride }

{ All because two people fell in love. }

Goosebumps! We were featured in Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book!

I just had to share that my designs were featured on Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book this week! My thanks to my client and new found friend Jessica for making this happen.

Jessica took a chance on me this spring. I was an unknown designer, designing my first set of wedding invitations, for my first client. She was brave!

I had no portfolio of invitations to show her. All she had to go on was what she had seen me present at a couple of Urban Marketplace shows. She has impeccable taste and was amazing to work with! I could not have asked for a better first client and I am thankful to her for sharing her wedding details with Style Me Pretty.

I am on cloud nine this morning and am remembering that you can get goosebumps without being cold!

Blessings,

Donia

An Invitation to Love} She Sells She Shells

{ SHE SHELLS }

A WEDDING INVITATION SUITE

All Photos Courtesy of www.jenniferangeloro.com

The art of a wedding invitation. From start to finish it's about discovering the bride and groom and the substance of their bond. Molding it into a visual representation of who they are and what their love represents. It's a depiction of that day. That day and place that is purely theirs in time and space. It belongs to no one else but them. We may be privileged enough to share in a small portion of that day, but only they will truly reside in it.

Our wedding invitation hangs in our home. My husband has one he carries in his Bible. When I see it I am in my eggshell white organza gown standing on the green lawn outside the quaint Ryssby church. The Rocky Mountains are basking in the glow of the brilliant sunset. I'm waiting for my husband to find the keys to the vintage white mustang we will leave in. My Uncle and cousins have sent him on a hunt for the keys. He finds them. My family and dearest friends blow bubbles. We hug and wave our way to the car. We drive off down a rural Colorado country road. The wind is blowing my veil and all we can do is laugh. A brilliant laugh. A giddy laugh. A laugh like no other on a day like no other. Our day.

I hope I captured your day Jessica and Matt. I hope when you see your invitation you are transported to a day when time stood still and it was just the two of you, in love.

{ WEDDING INVITATION SUITE }

CUSTOM LETTERPRESS INVITATIONS, ACCOMMODATION CARDS, VELLUM MAPS,

ENVELOPE LINERS AND SAVE-THE-DATE CARDS

{ WEDDING PROGRAMS }

{ MENU CARDS }

A very special thanks to Jessica for entrusting me with the great task of designing for someone with such impeccable taste. Another special thanks to Jennifer Angeloro Photography for your amazing talent! I will recommend you to any bride getting married on Sanibel Island.

She sells sea shells by the seashore.