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19 Jun |
Make the Most of Wedding Photos with Personalized Holiday Cards |
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5:17 am Posted by Kristy |
Is your wedding photo list complete? Have you and your wedding photographer thoroughly vetted the people and scenes you want captured on your wedding day? Any chance that a photo for this year’s personalized holiday cards made the list?
'Holiday Paisley Frame with Ribbon' by tumbalina
Most photographers worth their salt will invariably capture special, small moments and unrehearsed scenes that end up becoming favorites to use in personalized holiday cards. Plus, today’s digital photography gives couples so much more selection. But with so many shots to choose from, it can be overwhelming to decide which photos get permanent display in the wedding book or on the wall!
This is one reason the wedding holiday card is such a great option to have. No matter what season your wedding takes place, the holiday season that closes out the year is the perfect chance to share a favorite photo that doesn’t make the cut anywhere else: your album, your website, your wedding thank you notes, or even the official photo you’ll frame and hang on your wall.
Choosing a Wedding Photo for Personalized Holiday Cards
A wedding photo holiday card is a great way to relive the joy of your wedding day. Here are a few pointers to make the most out of it:
- Uniqueness.
No repeats. Just try to choose a photo you aren’t using anywhere else. Don’t use a photo already appearing in other personalized wedding stationery, such as wedding thank you cards. Many of your holiday card recipients are likely to the be the same people you sent thank you cards to. - Color vs. Black & White.
This is a stylistic preference. Get an early look at personalized holiday cards first to see which designs would work best with your wedding photo. Try the opposite approach also, choosing a holiday card design first to help you select a photo that works well in it. - Candid vs. Formal.
This is another stylistic preference, but we prefer the chance that unique holiday cards offer to present a less formal, more energetic photo. It’s a great opportunity to focus less on the perfection of poses, and throw out a moment that captures the joy felt on that day. Surprise them with a photo not seen anywhere else!
There are many personalized holiday cards you can choose from for at www.looklovesend.com. Many designs lend themselves to more than one photo, easing any difficulty you may have with a second-runner up you just can’t let go of! All cards print on premium quality, heavy card stock in either a matte or photo glossy finish.
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10 May |
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1:17 pm Posted by Kristy |
'Party Hat' by Sarah Trainor for LookLoveSend.com
Whether you’re the party host or guest, there are just a few things you shouldn’t let slide when birthday party invitations are at hand. Here are some of the most common party transgressions, violations of good etiquette and plain, old fashioned common sense:
RSVP vs. Regrets Only
Maybe people don’t care for the high society French-based répondez s’il vous plaît (please respond), or maybe it’s just too much to ask people to pick up the phone. Frustrating to any host, try offering several ways for people to respond, like email, or use the simpler Regrets Only on your birthday party invitations.
Sunday morning parties
Having lived for a time in the deep South, I don’t know anyone who schedules a party during church–no one would show up! In other parts of the country, while Sunday mornings aren’t off limits, they’re still not popular. Many a last-minute-party-planning parent finds Sunday morning the only time slot available at kid-friendly fun-time outlets like bounce houses, roller rinks, bowling lanes and other such places.
Mother’s Day parties
Yes, believe it. Someone you may know is juggling her kids around to get to a party on Mother’s Day. While that party host may not be able to much about the fact that their kid’s birthday falls on Mother’s Day this year, friends don’t need to leave their moms to celebrate it that day. Take our advice, just wait a weekend!
Thank you notes
Once you create birthday invitations, get your thank you notes in hand. That could mean being ready with your camera for a group photo you can turn into thank you notes, or ordering coordinating thank you notes in the same design as the birthday party invitations. Whichever your preference, you’ll find fresh designs for both at www.looklovesend.com. All invitations and note cards print on heavy-weight premium paper, and approved orders ship out within 48 hours.
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29 Apr |
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9:20 pm Posted by Kristy |
Making guests feel welcome is standard practice for the gracious host of any event. Your wedding reception is no exception. Whether you’re going buffet style or sitting down for formal dinner service, use wedding place cards to name every guest at the party and give them a seat at the table.
'Lux Reverse' by LookLoveSend.com
The ABCs of Wedding Place Cards
There are several types of wedding place cards to be used for different reasons, depending on the style of your wedding reception.
- Escort cards direct guests to a specific table.
- Place setting cards assign guests to a specific seat at the table.
- Table cards label tables so guests can find where they’re sitting.
Unless you’re going with an open seating reception altogether, you’ll need to decide how to best use place cards to make your guests feel most welcome. Determining which kinds of cards you’ll need depends how formal your wedding reception is. But also consider how to make it easiest for your guests to find their place.
Place Card Placement
Here are a few basic questions to ask that will help you decide what kind of place cards to use and where to place them:
Are you assigning guests to tables only or also assigning seats?
Display place cards at the entrance way to your reception. This works if you are just seating guests at specific tables, and allowing them to arrange themselves once there. If you’re assigning guests to specific seats at your tables, then you’ll need a second set of place setting cards to indicate where each guest (or couple) should sit at all your tables.
Will you need flexibility with seating charts or be making possible changes?
If you expect to make ongoing changes to your seating chart, or anticipate some possible guest additions, order extra blank cards. It’s also advisable to print blank place cards or cards with only the table number indicated. That way you can write in new or changed guest names.
How would you like guests to find their place cards?
Folded, tent-style place cards are easiest, as they can be arranged anywhere: self-standing on a table strategically placed at the reception entrance or cleverly tucked into the slats of vintage, shabby-chic shutters. Flat cards are another way to go if you prefer to enclose them in envelopes for a little more formality. Flat place cards also work well in creative displays too, such as DIY card holders or when hanging gracefully by clips.
You can find beautiful wedding place cards in all kinds of styles online at www.looklovesend.com. Coordinate your place cards with the rest of your wedding invitations, or look for a design that complements your wedding style or color. Cards are printed on premium quality card stock flat or folded, personalized with the information you want.
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21 Apr |
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5:23 am Posted by Kristy |
Rumor has it Superstorm Sandy spawned a baby boom, and it’s just around the corner this summer. If you’re on the lookout for baby shower invitations for any reason, we’ve got some good book suggestions that make the perfect off-registry baby shower gifts. While it’s always safe to shop the baby registry, sometimes it’s those non-registry gift items new parents are most thankful for!
Books as Gifts for Your Next Baby Shower Invitation
Great With Child by Beth Ann Fennelly from Amazon.com
Great with Child by Beth Ann Fennelly.
This book is the ultimate baby shower gift because it brings so much relief from the barrage of anxiety-based books out about pregnancy, motherhood, and parenting in general. Buy this for the pregnant first-time mom. It’s a beautifully refreshing reminder of motherhood’s powerful moments that make it all worthwhile. Rave reviews confirm this book’s freshness and worthiness as a baby shower gift. Here’s a sampling of just some reader comments from Amazon:
- … a friend in the middle of the night, when pregnancy makes one feel lonely.
- …tackles some tough subjects that you rarely see in other books.
- …brought me to tears many times…it was so meaningful to have my feelings articulated in such a beautiful way.
- ….the antidote to all of the crazy out there.
Waiting for Birdy by Catherine Newnan
This is the perfect book to respond with for your next “mature mom” baby shower invitation or even in response to baby birth announcements if you want send a gift. It focuses on the feelings that come with the babies following the first. Many readers already know the author from her popular column on Babycenter.com (“Ben and Birdy”) and found this book a wonderful expansion of those posts. Citing a high entertainment value and a feel-good, everyday humility that the average parent relates to give solid ground for why this author is so widely read.
Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman
This more controversial book choice is the perfect gift for the Francophile, but any parent interested in non-American influences in parenting would appreciate these research-based and anecdotal observations how the French do it (aren’t we always interested in the French?) Tapping some of the same wisdom readers found from French Women Don’t Get Fat a few years back, this book explores the simple premise underlying French parenting: be involved but not obsessive. You’ll find many interesting if not always agreeable examples of how the French parent with a little less attachment and a lot more simplicity.
If it’s the actual baby shower invitations you need, take a look at the beautiful designs on www.looklovesend.com. You’ll also find coordinating baby thank you notes done in the same designs that also make a beautiful gift to accompany any of these books. All invitations and stationery is easily personalized by you online, and printed on premium heavy-weight card stock.
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3 Apr |
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8:47 pm Posted by Kristy |
Sunshine. Gold. Lemon. What comes to mind when you think in yellow?
We at LookLoveSend think about wedding invitations of course. Yellow wedding invitations to be precise. Yellow continues to be an on-trend color for this summer wedding season. There’s lots of ways to go yellow…
- Pair it with steely gray
- Let it pop against black for a preppy contrast
- Soften the intensity with a vintage hue
- Use it as an accent color
Here are some yellow wedding invitation designs that come to mind:
 'Simply Monogram' by Linda Facci |
 'Ikat' by Suzanne Cahill |
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| Vintage elegance with a peppy, lemony yellow |
A sophisticated pattern frames a classical script style |
 'Peonies' by Yana Beylinson |
 'Tying the Knot' by Samantha Schroeder |
| Romance is golden with these vintage, watercolor peonies |
Yellow as an accent color brightens up any thematic wedding day style |
To see how beautiful these designs are as part of complete wedding invitation suites, visit www.looklovesend.com or click on any of the images above.
Be sure to look at each component in a collection, also known as the wedding invitation suite. Designers are precise and deliberate in how they apply a design to every component in the suite, from the save the date cards to reception and response cards, through to thank you notes. View all the components together too, since you may love one piece but not necessarily another one. Some designs downplay yellow while others let it dominate. Whatever your yearning for yellow, you can find the perfect design for your wedding day style this summer wedding season.
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29 Mar |
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10:38 am Posted by Kristy |
Doesn’t parenting in the brave new world of social media sometimes feel like a game of Candyland? Instead of that mean Lord Licorice or Gloppy the Molasses Monster we’ve got to deal with new apps like ChatRoulette or SnapChat? Just when you get ahead, a new one pops up and sends you back a few spaces.
There’s no warning either–no pretty, printed, personalized party invitations to announce and explain the next new socially mediated experience.
Here’s a sampling of the typical markers we’re finding along the path being forged through Social Media Land:
- Have you arranged a play date yet entirely by text…and never even heard the other parent’s voice?
- Have you or your teen been forced to join Facebook in order to follow the team sports schedule? She can’t miss the travel bus pick-up change.
- Did your child miss the party because you didn’t receive the Group Text invitation? Shame on you for denying her that Android!
Bring Back Printed Personalized Party Invitations
'Classic Anniversary' by Amanda Zoss for LookLoveSend.com
Being in the personalized online stationery business makes us a bit biased. But we can all relate to a story of feeling both overwhelmed and isolated because of our new technology. This is reason enough to give a fresh look at printed paper for your next planned event. Sometimes it’s best to go with an email invite, but with today’s fast turnaround and high quality personalized party invitations, ordering them online leaves fewer excuses not to make a better impression.
Find out why paper is preferable…
Left out.
Ever missed the group text invite? Some of us with the wrong phone have. And not all our kids have them either!
Misconstrued.
Most digital communication can be copied and pasted, forwarded, reply to all. It’s easy to err socially with a misplaced comment or forward to someone not invited.
Not enough information.
Literally left to our own devices, the key information of the traditional party invite doesn’t always make it in a quick, one-off text. Details matter.
To get your next party on, go to www.looklovesend.com and find beautifully printed, personalized party invitations that you can order in an instant. Whether you’re hosting an anniversary party, birthday party, graduation party, or any other kind of party you can imagine, your order will ship quickly (turnaround of orders is within 48 hours). Order one extra for a keepsake!
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22 Mar |
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6:20 am Posted by Kristy |
Baby Trellis by Genevieve Gail at LookLoveSend.com
For many of us, naming baby can be fraught with uncertainty and disagreement. For others who follow strong family traditions, the path may be more clear, and naming made a bit easier (if while a little less original). You could find the perfect baby name just by envisioning how the name reads on
your baby birth announcement cards. Or, you could also follow some of the most popular “naming rules” people follow.
We’ve compiled some common guidelines with help from authoritative sources like Nameberry.com and countless other bloggers. Check your own name ideas against these tips, and you’ll be well on your way to finding that perfect name for baby (and for your baby birth announcement cards!).
1. Steer clear of creative spellings and made-up names.
Don’t make Krysti’s life difficult. Drenden would prefer to actually have a real name.
2. Choose a middle name with some meaning.
What’s the point of a middle name if it doesn’t mean something? This is where paying homage to family and tradition is most common (and convenient).
3. Consider literal meaning but not alone.
No one will care that a name means “wooded hamlet” or “youngest son,” but it’s worth considering since your child will definitely want to know.
4. Be aware of what the initials spell.
The parents of my old friend Paloma Madwin Schpaltz didn’t. Clearly they also didn’t follow tip #1.
5. You can’t always control the common nickname.
If you love James, be ready for Jim. If you love Elizabeth, be ready for Liz. Someone will use it and it might stick!
6. Sibling names should sound distinct.
If you want all your children’s names to start with the same letter, avoid overlapping sound combinations like Darren, Darlene, and Darryl.
7. The last letter of the first name should be different than the first letter of the last name.
Listen for how the name sounds together, especially so it doesn’t run together: Beth Thatcher sounds like Beth Hatcher. Not a big deal, but might get annoying.
8. Help out a gender-neutral first name with a feminine or masculine middle name.
This can help with identification and lessen potential confusion in email addresses, on social media, and in job applications and resumes.
9. Don’t pick a name that’s tough for most people to pronounce.
Your poor child will have to correct every teacher and substitute teacher until the rest of the kids in class can do it together in unison.
10. Choose a name that evolves well from childhood into adulthood.
Many people think if you’re only going to follow one name rule, follow this one!
Once you’ve found the perfect name for baby, try it out by previewing it on a beautiful baby birth announcement card. You can personalize a design you love in online birth announcements at www.looklovesend.com, then delight friends and family by sending printed birth announcement cards of premium, heavy weight card stock. You’ll find fresh, fun designs in every style, and turnaround is fast.
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19 Mar |
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5:47 am Posted by Kristy |
Congratulations, you’re engaged! It’s a heady time for most couples. The sparkling new ring, the story of proposal, party planning according to your wildest dreams….
Wait a minute. Your mother will be involved. Likely also your mother-in-law. What happens between the moment of your engagement and when wedding invitations hit the mail isn’t always about making your dreams come true. It’s also about communication, expectations, a dash of compromise, and a whole lot of diplomacy.
Start off on the right foot with your engagement party. This is the event where one side of the family (or both together) introduces you as a couple to their own circle of relatives and friends. It’s especially important if either the bride or groom isn’t well known by one side’s family, increasingly common in our modern, mobile, far-flung society.
Whatever your particular family’s traditions, use these five helpful “rules of engagement” to guide this part of your wedding planning:
Rule 1 – It’s not really just your party.
The engagement party will reveal a lot about how involved parents may be in the wedding planning. Whichever side plays host, the engagement party is ultimately in their hands, and the style and substance of this event is significantly more in their control than yours.
Rule 2 – Agree on a host.
Rule 1 lead to the next big decision….Traditionally the bride’s parents host the engagement party, but as much with modern life, anything goes. Accept an offer from a friend or relative only if you’ve first cleared it with your own parents. Confirm that key family and friends from the “other half” will be invited.
Rule 3 – Do it within 3 months of proposal.
Don’t delay too far into your engagement. The excitement of your news and celebratory atmosphere may become stale and turn a little narcissistic the closer to the actual wedding date you get. Also, don’t send out save the date cards before you send out party invites!
Rule 4 – Be consistent with your wedding guest list.
Those invited to the engagement party must also receive wedding invitations. An occasional dramatic “falling out” aside, your engagement party guest list is a partial preview of the wedding guest list. Err on the side of fewer guests if you aren’t sure early on to whom you’ll be sending wedding invitations.
Rule 5 – To register or not?
You do not need to register for your engagement party, but it can help out guests who in all likelihood will want to bring something. You may specify No Gifts Please on the party invitations, or, if you register, choose gifts in a more moderate price category.
With these rules in mind, you can shop for all your wedding stationery needs online through wedding invitation websites that allow you to personalize those components you want. You’ll find an exciting selection of engagement party invitations, save the date cards, wedding invitations and much more at www.looklovesend.com. Wedding invitation designs are original designs and include all the details you’ll need for your wedding to create a coherent, beautiful wedding day style on paper.
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11 Mar |
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6:28 am Posted by Kristy |
'Peonies' by Yana Beylinson for LookLoveSend.com
If you’re in a comfortably long engagement, with your wedding day anywhere from a year or more away, you have the luxury of timing your wedding save the date cards as etiquette demands. Brides engaged for a year or more are encouraged to send out save the dates between 9 months to a year before the wedding. Although sending save the dates too far in advance could run the risk of being forgettable, it’s helpful to guests for weddings planned during the busy summer season or requiring extensive travel.
Timing Guidelines for Wedding Save the Date Cards
Here’s a quick look at timing etiquette you can use to guide your wedding save the date cards, based on the length of your engagement:
| If engaged for… | Then send Save the Dates… |
| 1 year + | 9-12 months ahead |
| 9-12 months | 6-9 months ahead |
| 6-9 months | 4-6 months ahead |
But what happens when you’re speeding through your engagement much faster? Is there a point when you need to simply let go of giving guests a heads up with a save the date card and go right to wedding invitations instead?
Save the Dates for Short Engagements
For speedy engagements lasting less than six months, there may be reason to ignore the four-month rule as the customary last point for sending wedding save the date cards. You may consider sending save the dates as late as 10-12 weeks before your wedding date in order to:
- Help traveling guests find good deals on airfare. Don’t skip save the date cards for those who must make extra travel arrangements.
- Buy extra time if you are delayed for any reason with your wedding invitations (decisiveness, a reprint from an error, etc.)
- Remind your most important and special guests that formal wedding invitations are coming soon.
While sending very late save the dates is not customary, and edges uncomfortably close to the time for sending wedding invitations (6-8 weeks before the wedding), it can be a good idea for specific reasons like these.
No matter when you send your save the dates, be sure to coordinate their look and style with your wedding invitation design. Shop the complete wedding invitation suites available through www.looklovesend.com, where designers create collections for all the components you could want for your wedding date, including save the dates for weddings, invitations, programs, thank you cards and more.
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6 Mar |
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4:45 pm Posted by Kristy |
When do you order printed invitations online to mail and when do you simply email your invitations? Other than your own personal preference, it can depend also on the type of party you’re hosting and who your guests are. Of course there are many special occasions when you should choose print over digital, such as milestone birthdays, anniversaries, wedding and baby showers. But what about casual or impromptu get-togethers with friends, neighbors, or a social gathering for your child?
Ordering Party Invitations Online–Print or Email?
Here are a few quick guidelines to follow when deciding between print or digital:
Timing Until Party
- No matter how fast an order for invitations online can be processed and shipped, consider the time you have to address and mail them once they are in your hands. Less than 10 days is a good guideline for going with email invitations.
- Some sources, like www.looklovesend.com, can also address envelopes with your guest list and mail them for you.
Guest Preferences
- If you’ll be emailing guests for street addresses anyway, consider emailing your invite.
- In everyday work and social circles, more of us are communicating digitally (text, email, social media) than by written note, and even telephone! Choose the method most in keeping with how you normally communicate with the people you’re inviting.
- If you have a variety of guests who communicate in different ways, it never hurts to follow up printed party invitations with an email, text or other digital post. Just keep in mind how your guests prefer to communicate!
Need a Keepsake
Will you want a paper record of the party invitation for memory’s sake? If you do, ordering invitations online is fine as long as you order one extra. Most email invitations can’t be printed out, so if you want a keepsake, stick to printed party invites. When you shop www.LookLoveSend.com, you’ll find a variety of styles to create invitations online easily for quick printing and shipping.
