Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Seabert!

 

 I love it when my clients are quick to respond to emails. I love it when they are kind and unassuming. I love it when they appreciate the little details just as much as I do.

And I am over the moon when I have clients who encompass all those things and so much more. Meet Michele and Chris Seabert...newlyweds (aka awesome clients)!

Interesting fact...my "relationship" with Michele and Chris came down to this:

5 months + 1 in-person consultation + 107 email messages = 1 happy couple and 1 happy designer

Because of busy work schedules and challenging logistics, we relied heavily on email communication to get everything done quickly and efficiently: ideas exchanged, proposals sent and accepted, proofs reviewed and approved, delivery and pick-up times scheduled. 107 emails sounds like a lot, but it really wasn't considering how much we got accomplished. Michele and Chris ordered invitations, table number cards, favor tags, thank you cards...

For their "fall romance" wedding, I incorporated a spray of phalaenopsis orchids, an antique gold backing clear Swarovski crystal accents, and rich purple pocket fold.

Pocket fold invitation with phalaenopsis orchids

The response and outer envelopes were a pale metallic gold.

Printed return address on back flap

And a bonus photo of Michele's gorgeous bouquet...just because

Thank you to Michele and Chris for allowing me to be a part of your special day!

Photo credit: T. Goda Media

I spy...Emi Ink in the news!

I'm not ashamed to say that I let out a little squeal of excitement at the sight of my invitations in the Sunday newspaper. I may have even jumped out of bed and done a little happy dance in my PJs. But it's not like I told my husband to run out immediately and pick up 10 copies of the paper...we agreed that 3 copies was more than sufficient.

But seeing my designs -- vague ideas that once lived in my head that are now in print -- surrounded by my comments (eloquently translated by Nadine Kam, Style Editor for Honolulu Star-Advertiser), has left me with a feeling of...oh, what do you call it...something similar to and vaguely resembling...validation.

I love this job more than I thought I could love any job. I love my clients, love the design process, and I love the fact that everything that's cranked out in my studio will be part of a celebration of love, a milestone event, a fond remembrance, a very special occasion. But this job is also a lot of work and so often, the required multi-tasking is overwhelming and the days start to blend together with no beginning and no end.

It is such a nice boost to my energy (and mood) when I'm reminded of all the reasons I love what I do. ♥

Goodbye Tangerine Tango

With the announcement of Emerald as the Pantone color of the year, "going green" will have a whole new meaning for 2013. In terms of island weddings at least, Emerald has never been a dominant hue in my stationery designs. I'm curious to see how many of my brides will be incorporating this color into their weddings, and even more curious to find out what other colors they'll be pairing it with. I'm favoring the cooler colors like turquoise and mint green, or a crisp, bright white.

Only time will tell if Emerald will be embraced in wedding decor as passionately as Tangerine Tango was in 2012!

Courtesy of Mother Nature

I spent the last day of 2012 flying from Chicago to Denver to Honolulu. I wasn't particularly looking forward to 12+ hours of travel, even with a free upgrade to first class, but somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, I realized that I'd be treated to some amazing inflight entertainment via Mother Nature.

I snapped my first photo shortly after take-off, about 2 seconds after we were allowed to turn on our electronic devices. Then I proceeded to take photos just about every five minutes thereafter because I wanted to capture every moment of the spectacular sunset unfolding outside my window. Yes, I'm sure my dork factor went up a couple of notches but I just couldn't look away (unlike Mr. Seat 2A behind me who pulled his window shade down just as the clouds turned a fiery red-orange).

So, between the color explosion outside and the local celebrity spotting across the aisle from me, it was a pretty enjoyable flight. I will keep said celebrity's identity a secret out of respect for his privacy...and the fact that I have absolutely nothing juicy to reveal (i.e. he requested only one topping for his ice cream sundae, among the dozen or so that were available). Perez Hilton, I am not.

A beautiful send off to 2012.