Invitations By Dawn Giveaway

Wedding
invitations are one of our favorite parts of weddings (I have a thing for all things paper)- selecting the perfect
theme, sending them, receiving them- it’s all just wonderful! We feel brides may get overwhelmed when looking through all of the options that are available to them.

So, when Dawn at Invitations by Dawn asked us if she could do a guest
blog and giveaway with us, we said YES YES YES! Not only are her invitations trendy
and  the awesomesauce, they are completely affordable and their customer service is
out of this world! Check out what she had to say about wedding invitation
trends and maybe you’ll be the lucky reader to win her giveaway:



Invitations By Dawn:



We’re thrilled to be here from Invitations by Dawn to
share the latest news about wedding invitations and trends in today’s weddings.

At Invitations by Dawn, we
specialize in theme wedding invitations and coordinating theme ceremony accessories and reception accessories perfect
for YOUR celebration. Our brides contact us daily asking for invitations and
accessories that coordinate with their unique wedding themes. And we aim to
please by adding new wedding invitations and coordinating accessories all the
time!

Some of the latest requests from our brides
include:

Music Wedding Theme

via Invitations by Dawn

Whether they’re musicians themselves or just
love music, today’s brides are loving a music theme for their weddings! We
designed our Noteworthy Invitation
with a
flourish and music notes in classic black and white inspired by sheet music.
Coordinating enclosure cards and a matching seal pull the wedding stationery
look together!

Destination Wedding Theme

Destination weddings are a hot wedding theme
and we love this Passport Save the Date
for
letting guests know they’ll be traveling to celebrate with you. The colors and
design all mimic a real passport for a fun and unique look.

Lace Wedding Theme

Via Invitations by Dawn

Kate Middleton confirmed what we’ve always
known — lace and weddings go hand in hand! We designed our Lacy Rose wedding invitation with modern shimmer paper and an embossed lace pattern to
give brides the opportunity to add a regal and romantic touch to their own lace
theme weddings.

How do you choose a wedding
theme? Anything you love can become your wedding theme! While some brides base
their theme on their favorite color or season, others draw their themes from
hobbies, their occupation, or even their favorite movies! Don’t forget that the
location of your destination wedding can become a theme in itself (Hawaii, the
mountains, the tropics).

Have fun with your wedding theme! We hope
you’ll visit us at Invitations by Dawn soon
to find the perfect wedding invitations and coordinating accessories for your
theme wedding.

Best wishes,

~Dawn





...and that's not all! It's time for an invitation giveaway from Invitations by Dawn!



The lucky winner will get to choose 100 wedding invitations from Dawn's great collection of theme wedding invitations- all of which include the latest trends, patterns and color schemes! Invitations by Dawn adds
new wedding invitations all the time, so you can be the first bride to send one
of their unique styles! Here's how to enter:



1. You must live in the United States (sorry to all of our international readers- we still love you!)

2. You must leave a comment on this post by Monday, October 24th at Midnight

3. Your comment must include your favorite time of the year to get married and why 

4. Also include a valid email so we can contact the lucky winner.



The winner will be selected randomly once the giveaway has ended. Good luck!

{MasterPiece Weddings was not compensated in anyway for posting this - we just like to share awesome things with our readers}

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ELD:: Guest Blogger!

Lauren from Every Last Detail has written a fabulous post for us. If you haven't checked out her blog, please do! It's so chock full of inspiration and fantastic advice. Some brides while planning their wedding realize their true passion for planning, and Lauren is one of those incredible women! She wrote a post for us which I'll call: I Wish I Knew As A Bride.



So without futher ado, let me introduce Lauren....



When Melissa asked me to be a guest blogger, I was so honored and excited! Of course I would do anything to help her out, especially when she's about to pop out a baby! I've learned a lot from Melissa in the past few months, and I often find myself wishing she had been my wedding planner 7 months ago. Therefore, I knew exactly what I wanted to write about when she asked me!



I've had few friends get engaged recently, and I found myself giving them a great deal of advice. I then realized that it was basically what I didn't know as a bride that I wish I had known. I learned all of this goodness by reading blogs, working in the wedding industry, and basically just educating myself. However, as a new bride, the first thought usually isn't to educate yourself…it's to grab the newest wedding magazine and start flipping through it, marking the pages of things you like. That's not a problem at all…revel in your engagement! You have to know what you like and what you want!



Throughout my wedding planning, there was more than one occasion when I caught myself thinking, "I wish I had some sort of warning or preparation so I could've known about this!" One of the reasons I started blogging was to help brides and educated them so they wouldn't have to think that same thought.



1. BLOGS! I had no clue about what wedding blogs were, how to find them, or the plethora of information they had! Photographers' blogs, inspiration blogs, and planners' blogs (such as this one) are SUCH great resources! I found SO many great ideas and inspiration on blogs…if I had found blogs earlier in my wedding planning my wedding would have been so much better! So you're on a great start by reading a blog!



2. Weddings are expensive. Just know that and be prepared. There are ways to have a great wedding without "breaking the bank", but definitely know the running price for services. Do your homework. I was in shock when I found out what the price of an average photography package was. And so were my parents. But that was because we had no idea about what photography (and everything else wedding related) entailed. When we met with other photographers and saw the similar pricing, things started to make a bit more sense. Bottom line- do your homework. It's okay to shop around, but know WHAT you're shopping for and the quality of the product/service.



3. You can plan your own wedding AND have a wedding planner! I thought that I wouldn't be able to put my own touch on my wedding if I had a planner. Then I realized that it was incredibly beneficial to have someone who knew the industry, knew vendors, and would be able to handle everything on the day of. You're still planning your own wedding. A wedding planner just helps you implement the plans! If ANYTHING, a day-of coordinator will be some of the best money you spend, because you will be able to avoid so much stress on your wedding day!



4. You aren't limited to only using vendors that are local. I didn't know this, so I only looked at vendors that were in the town that I was getting married in. Little did I know, most vendors are willing to travel! Of course it depends on how far they are traveling, but there is always a way. If there is a vendor that you want to work with who doesn't work exclusively in your town, you can most likely still work with them! It never hurts to ask!



5. Custom paper goods. Having custom invitations made is the best thing ever. You can get invitations exactly how you want them, to match your theme, style, or color scheme, for the same price (if not better) as the ones out of the big giant books. AND they look ten times better, are totally custom, and no one else will have ever received the same invitation previously (which has happened in a few occasions to my parents). There are SO MANY cool ways to have invitations made! Why wouldn't someone have custom invites made?



I learned about most of these things a little too late in my wedding planning process, which is why I felt the need to share them with you all. Of course there are more things that I wish I had known, but these are the major tidbits of information that I thought were crucial to share! My wedding was awesome, but I think it would have been even better if I had known about these things sooner!



I hope some of these tips can help you have the best wedding imaginable! Does anyone have any tidbits that you've learned along the way that you would like to add? Please do!

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Guest Blogger! With this Ring - DIY

I am loving all of Darci's DIY projects! I cannot thank her enough for these posts! It really makes you realize these are do'able! So, without further ado, here is Darci's DIY Envelope Liners!!

Seeing as how I am a glutton for punishment, I decided to make my own envelope liners for our wedding. It sounds like a daunting task at first but I can assure you that if you give yourself enough time, it can be worth it to have envelopes lined in the paper you have year heart set on (which is why I started this project to begin with)!



It's sometimes easier to pull the envelope apart, but I tried to conserve so I measured one that was still in tact. I used a regular manila envelope to create a template, and started by cutting it so that it was 1/8 of an inch shorter than the envelope on each side:

For the top portion, I cut the manila envelope so that it was about 1/4 of an inch from the top point of the envelope. Then I put the entire square into the envelope itself:

Then I put a ruler at the top of the point and made a (clearly not so straight) line onto the template so that I had a mark for the upper most point:

Then take a ruler and make a line from the crease of the envelope to the mark you just made for the upper most center point:

Make those lines on either side and then cut off the corners...and there's your template! Honestly, making the template perfect took me the longest. From here on out is pretty straightforward.

Just put the template on your paper of choice and trace away. If you use a corner of the paper you only have to make three quick lines:

Cut the liner out along the lines you just made:

And insert into the envelope!

Now you just need to get a nice crease so that it all folds together nicely. So I just folded the envelope flap down and used a boning folder along the edge to make a crease:

Now you just take a tape roller (these things save a ton of time) and put tape on each of the edges:

Press it into the envelope flap, and viola! Once the template is finished it takes just a few minutes to make the actual liner. I traced a bunch of them at once, and then cut about 25 of them in under a half an hour.

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Guest Blogger! Darci Does It Herself! Part 2

Darci, is amazing with all of her DIY projects! I love this pillow! How pretty and how easy! Her work is amazing - don't you think!







This is kind of a simple project but one of my favorites! Our wedding colors are black, white, and green so I wanted our ring bearer to carry a pillow with a little flare. After looking around at a few pre-made options and coming up empty handed, I decided to make one myself! The supplies I used are:



• Fabric (1/2 yard at most)

• Sewing thread to match fabric

• 1” satin ribbon

• Polyfill stuffing



I wanted the pillow to be about a 9 inch square, so I cut two pieces of fabric into 10 inch squares. A word to the wise – make sure that if your fabric has a pattern, it is centered on each of the squares as you’re cutting them out. I learned the hard way that you don’t want things to look off center!



So essentially, you cut out two squares, turn the fabric so that the right sides are facing each other, and sew them together. Leave about a two inch gap on one of the sides and use that to pull the fabric through so you can turn the pillow right side out. Then, stuff away! I found that a pencil worked well to push the filling into the corners but I honestly can’t tell you how much stuffing I used. I kept putting it in and then feeling the consistency until it seemed right.



Once the stuffing is complete just use a needle and some more thread to sew the gap together. Then make your ribbon as long as you want it (depending on how much length you want to hang off the pillow) and put the middle of the ribbon in the center of the pillow. Take another needle and thread and gently sew the ribbon into the middle so that it’s attached to the pillow. Then all you have to do is tie a bow!



And here is a close-up of the back, so you can see the importance of getting that pattern centered:

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Guest Blogger! Darci Does It Herself!

Hello MasterPiece Weddings Readers! My name is Darci and I write a wedding blog called With This Ring. When Melissa asked me to write some guest posts for her blog I was happy to participate, and thought it might be best to show you some of the DIY projects I created for my own wedding. I hope they will give you some ideas and inspiration for your own day!



Last summer, I saw an article in Martha Stewart Weddings about cute ways to dress your dog for your wedding day. There is no chance that our dog, Lola, is well behaved enough to be a part of the wedding itself but we would like to get a few pictures with her beforehand. The article contained several collars and leashes made of ribbon, but I thought that the pearl collar was too cute!



To make the collar you need:



• Embroidery thread

• Large faux pearls (I used 18mm ordered on ebay)

• Sturdy needle

• Double-faced satin ribbon



I also eventually opted for a clasp because tying the thread in a not wasn't quite as sturdy as I needed it to be. Lola isn't a huge fan of the collar so I need to be sure it will stand up to her attempts at removing it!



So first, measure around the dog's neck and add about 12 inches. Then cut the thread to size:

Tie a knot in one end of the thread, thread a needle and start putting the pearls one by one. ebay for about $5).

It took exactly twenty 18mm pearls to make the right size collar for Lola. The $5 package that I bought had about 35 pearls in there, so I used a little more than half. . Once all the pearls are on tie another knot in the opposite end and you're finished! > Again, I eventually decided to use a clasp because just tying the string around her neck didn't work out very well. I bought a regular nylon collar for $3 and when I got home I just cut the clasps off either end and tied them to the embroidery string. I tied about 6-7 knots on each side and tried to get the pears as close to the clasp as possible. This did make it a little longer that it was originally, but luckily before I actually tied the claps on I tested it out. I was able to tug gently and slip one of the pearls off over the end knot to make it a little smaller. !









Once the collar is on take some satin ribbon and tie it around the clasp into a bow...I couldn't get her to sit still long enough to take a picture of that step! But here she is, in all her pearl collar glory: > >

Admittedly, she wasn’t a huge fan of her collar in the test runs, but she did a great job the day of the wedding. Are any of you making special collars or leashes for your pet to use on your wedding day!

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Lucky Guest Blogger!

Thank you Erin for your amazing posts! I soooo appreciate it! And seriously, how beautiful!



Winter can sometimes feel grey and gloomy. Aimee at Creative Montage took grey and made it mean beautifuland sparkly! I love a simple palette like grey and white. It can really blend well with lots of sparkle and shine. Stop by Creative Montage's blog, Creative Odds n' Ends, for more beautiful edding and holiday inspiration.

Images sources: {row 1: Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, Steven Dweck, Kenneth Cole via Brides} {row 2: Jasmine Star Photography, Carolina Herrera via Brides, Beane & Company via Etsy, The Knot} {row 3: Bonzie via Etsy, Martha Stewart Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings, Docuvitae via Style Me Pretty}

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Lucky Guest Blogger! Part Duex!

I love Erin's Inspiration boards, they are so pretty and festive! And I can't thank her enough for her Guest Posts!

This board began with the festive pinecone boutonniere from April Hiler Designs. Black and white is, of course, a favorite palette of mine, and it is an easy palette to customize to any and every season. Red is a perfect choice for a holiday accent color!

Sources: Pinecone boutonniere - April Hiler Designs on Etsy; Cake- Real Simple Weddings; Bouquet on Chair - Anna Williams; Bride's hair - Eclectic Images Photography; Drink - Sweet Paul; Shoes - Jayd Gardina Photography; Bride - TM Photography; Candles - Erin Ever After; Pretzels - Sweet Paul; Invitation - My Personal Artist; Coffee - Just be spLendid 

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Lucky Guest Blogger!

We have some fantastic guest bloggers in the coming weeks, I hope you enjoy their posts, they are some of my very favoritest people in the whole wide blogesphere! If you don't ready Erin's blog, you are missing out! She is full of amazing designs, inspriation, and wit - LOVE HER! So without further ado, Erin....



My favorite color this holiday season is blue. Blue feels romantic and festive. I like the idea of adding a touch of gold and green to make it unusual and unique.



If you are planning a wedding over the holidays, did you choose classic, traditional colors or go with something out of the box?

Sources: Ring Pillow - 5eizen; Bridal Party - Ashley Brockinton Photography; Tree - The Enchanted Closet via Victoria with Roses; Shoes - Jose Villa via Concrete and Honey; Bride - Brides; Confetti via Nice Package; Gifts - Martha Stewart; Cake -Martha Stewart Weddings; Earrings - Star of the East on Etsy; Enjoy - W.Scott Chester Photography

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Be a Guest!

I am a guest on one of my favorite blogs of all time!!! Jen from Earth Friendly Weddings and I have been talking for years about me doing a post for her, but honestly, who am I to tell Jen anything about weddings and earth friendly affairs....



But then she had a great idea! Blog about making your wedding cake, because obviously ....well obviously!



And here I am!

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With This Ring....

In case you missed it, one of my favorite Blogging Bride's got married this past weekend, and while she's away, I got to play.

Check our our super fabulous Guest Post, at With This Ring...

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We Guest Blogged!

Have you been to Invitation Consultant's blog? We had a guest post there, it's pretty spectaculous {yup, that's my word!} if I do say so myself!

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Our Big Fat Greek Wedding {Magazine}!

This summer, my bossy intern had the opportunity to travel the world with her family for her {early} graduation present! She went to Athens and Santorini in Greece and then hopped over to Italy for Rome and Positano!



I had Bossy Intern Assistant (it's hard to get used to that) write up a post for us on Europe, plus she brought back a fun Greek Wedding Mag!!!  So here's Bossy Assistant!!!!



I had such a blast traveling Europe with my family, it was absolutely incredible! I was blessed to rent a home from a future bride while we were in Oia, Santorini (which is in the Greeks Islands). Her name was Effie and she gave me a lot of insight into the wedding customs and traditions that the Greeks practice. The biggest difference in her wedding was that it will be a b.i.g. party! I mean, big party! The whole community becomes involved in the wedding and the celebrations last throughout the week! She showed me a place where I could buy wedding magazines and that is where I got these amazing images. No, you cannot read what it says, you know the saying “It’s all Greek to me” became very literal when we were there…but the images were SO fun to browse through. The ones featured here were some of Melissa’s favorites.

Side Note: We asked one of the people we met if they had heard of the saying “It’s all Greek to me” and they laughed and said of course, but they use “It’s all Chinese to me” in Greece! How funny!



After a bit of research when I got home, I learned that in Ancient Greek times, the brides wore traditional veils in either yellow or red, representing fire. These veils protected the bride from evil spirits and demons. Most ancient wedding history tends to have a way to ward off evil in some form. However, they have (for the most part) done away with this tradition and now they have new traditions. Now they have the Greek circle dance which is led by the koumbaros, or best man as we know them. The koumbaros is also responsible for helping with the crowning of the couple with crowns made of long-lasting flowers such as orange blossoms or “twigs of love and cine” wrapped in silver and gold paper. At the reception, they throw plates for good luck while shouting Opa! A neat tradition that we were able to experience while we were there is that when the musicians are well liked, fresh flowers are thrown towards the stage as a sign of gratitude.



Candy coated almonds, known to us as Jordan Almonds, are given as favors at all Greek Weddings. There are many other religious Greek Orthodox Wedding Traditions that can be found on the internet, but these were some of my favorites! I loved learning about the culture and tradition in the countries I visited…and it didn’t hurt that they were absolutely stunningly beautiful!



{Melissa sidenote: Okay seriously, how beautiful are those centerpieces!!!}

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Lucky Me! Guest Blogs!!

I feel honored to have Erin from Lucky Me! and Lucky Designs! guest blogging for us today! Her designs and creativity are second to none! And this idea is just as creative, I love it! So without further ado, here's Erin!!!! {applause can being now....}

My thoughtful husband surprised me recently with a Sony Handycam. It is so wonderful to be able to capture the fun we are having with Lucky Baby. The Handycam is very easy to use and produces high quality video. While getting to know our camcorder, it occurred to me that it would have been terrific to roam around our "town" and record some of the great places to visit and eat for the out of town guests that attended our wedding. Since hotel accommodations may not included DVD viewing, it might be nice to send your DVD with a rehearsal dinner invitation.

We included all of our out of town guests in our rehearsal dinner so that we would have more time to spend with them. Our guests roamed all over Cincinnati while they were in town and took full advantage of their long weekend here. A personal, enthusiastic DVD introduction may have helped them choose what they wanted to see and do while in Cincinnati. Also, having our family and friends visit that weekend, meant so much to my husband and I. The time and thought put into a DVD would have been another way for us to let everyone know that! So, shoot away and let people know how much you look forward to them being at your wedding and getting to know your hometown!


Thank you for including me on your blog!

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Guest Blogger!

I did a little posty post for Lucky Designs about Hometown Honeymoons! Check it out, here!

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Wedding Day Timeline

I was absolutely honored when Darci at With This Ring asked me to be a Guest Blogger in her Expert Advice Column!

When you have some time check out our advice on Creating the Perfect Wedding Day Timeline. Here is a blurb, and the full article can be seen here.

...The timing of your wedding is a vital part of the entire wedding process. You are designing, producing and orchestrating a party for 200 of your closest friends and family. This timeline not only assists with the flow of your day for you, the bride, but also for all of your wedding vendors.

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What Happens after the Honeymoon?

Hi everyone! I'm so glad my friend Melissa invited me to guest blog with her today! My name is Rhonda and I have my own wedding blog over at Our Wedding Plus.

Today, I'm not going to talk about weddings! I'm actually going to talk about something much more important than weddings...the rest of your life!

It may seem like it will never get here, but before long you’ll be coming back from your honeymoon ready to get on with your life. You’ll be settling in with your new husband, getting used to each others quirks and paying all the bills from your wedding. Then life will throw a few curve balls at you, stress levels will rise and you will look at your spouse one day and those cute little quirks aren’t so cute anymore! You’ll probably begin to argue about things that weren’t a problem while you were dating. You might even wonder, “why did we get married?” Yes, it’s true! It happens to the best of us! And, I believe to a certain extent, it’s normal. So, how do you avoid this inevitable sequence of events? I recommend you start preparing now!

Here’s how to prepare!

1. Face it – Know that things aren’t always going to be “perfect.” Talk it over with your fiancé. Make sure that you’re both of the realization that life isn’t a fairy tale and that you will be faced with stress and challenges. This you can not control. What you can control is how you respond to those stressors and challenges.

2. Learn how to fill your partner’s “love tank” - What the heck is that? Everyone has a “love tank.” When our love tank is full we feel loved, confident, and sure about our mate. Every time your fiancé / husband hurts your feelings, argues with you about money, or whatever else you will argue about, your love tank empties out a little until the point when your love tank is empty, that’s when you ask yourself, “why did we get married?” The interesting thing about love tanks is what it takes to fill your love tank is probably not the same as what it takes to fill your fiancé’s! I’ve been reading a great book called The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate that explains how to find out what fills your love tank and what it takes to fill it! I recommend you check it out!

3. Keep each other’s tank full to weather the storms – While the sky is sunny and everyone is happy; don’t get lazy, work on filling each other’s tank. It might be easy to not give your husband a backrub after you worked all day, watch a football game with your husband and act interested, or do what ever makes him feel loved. (Remember this goes both ways too) But even though it takes some extra effort it will pay dividends when those storm clouds roll in! It is always better weathering a storm with the security of a full love tank!

As you know, nobody goes into a marriage thinking it isn’t going to work. So if you want some extra insurance for your relationship take time now to sit down with your fiancé and prepare for those storms! If you’re interested in finding out more about these “love languages” you can check out my blog today.

Rhonda

I'd like to thank Brymo for the picture!

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I'm so Lucky to have this Guest Blogger!

I feel so blessed and Lucky to have Erin from Lucky Designs guest Blogging for us! She has such a great story, and her work is just so beautiful! Her monograms are so personal, with such a unique and classic approach. So without further ado, here is Erin!


Happy Monday to the readers of Masterpiece Weddings. Melissa has been kind enough to invite me to guest blog today. As a newlywed, I loved planning my wedding. As a result of many compliments on our wedding stationary, I began Lucky Designs (with the help of my family). I greatly enjoy creating invitations, monograms, etc. for brides and their fiancés.


For those of you planning a wedding, shower, or any kind of event, I invite you to consider using a monogram to pull all the elements of your special occasion together. Monograms have been incorporated in household items for many years; however, they seemed to have really taken off in the wedding industry in 2005. A monogram does not have to a couple’s initials, but could also be a symbol (such as a leaf, flower, flourish, or pattern). Not only do colors pull an event together beautifully, but a symbol or monogram does as well (The Knot).


When creating a custom design for my customers, I love to hear about the venue, flowers, bride’s dress, date, and the couple’s overall style. For our wedding, my husband and I really focused on our venue for inspiration – a landmark museum with amazing Art Deco style of architecture. Our monogram and décor was simple, in order to not take away from the location. One couple that worked with Lucky Designs made a landmark the focal point of their monogram – the St. Louis arch!

Your monogram can be a part of your wedding plans from the very beginning – making an appearance on your Save The Dates. Incorporate a monogram in as many elements of your wedding as you see fit. Monograms enhance ... wedding website design, invitations, bouquet jewelry, menus, gobos, banners, aisle runners, table runners, or a something blue for a bride.

Check out some more of her beautiful work:

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