I started dreaming up a bright summer wedding concept and was inspired by the colors of the flowers, sky and sunshine – all in combination! Here are some of my ideas for creating a summer wedding that rivals a garden in full bloom. I was fearless in my color choices – I hope I inspire you to be the same when you’re planning your celebration!

My color palette includes aqua, fuchsia, orange, purple and yellow. It’s a look that fits in just as easily for a garden wedding as it would in the tropics! I decided to set the tone for the colorful event with our Tropical Floral Invitation that brings in a floral design in all those colors. It also makes mixing, matching and coordinating fun and easy! Go ahead and choose bright inner and outer envelopes to grab guests’ attention the moment the invitations arrive in the mail.

To accessorize the look, I went with magenta napkins and orange napkins for pizzazz. Fuchsia favor boxes and orange ribbon liven up the reception, too.

Once you’ve got your sunny, summery color scheme set, go all out with colorful linens, decorations, masses of colorful flowers and even big paper lanterns in bright colors to add a pop of fun to the festivities.

Enjoy summer wedding planning!

For example, let’s say you love strawberries. You love the sweetness, the tangy taste, and the adorable shape of the berries. You love strawberry shortcake, strawberry pie, strawberry jam, strawberry filling in your cake strawberry sauce on your ice cream. AND you love the color – that bright red burst with a topping of brilliant green.

Now let’s roll all that inspiration and deliciousness into a wedding style! I pulled together some strawberry-infused red and green ideas to get you thinking about how to make strawberry your wedding “flavor”!

Set a sweet tone for your celebration by sending an invitation in bright and cheerful colors – like our Red Shimmer Invitation Card with a bold, green shimmer pocket. Tie it all up with a Princess Pink Satin Ribbon for a fresh, summery finishing touch. Or switch things around and choose our Margarita Invitation Card with a hot pink shimmer pocket. Either way, you’ll establish your color scheme in a bright way.

Dress your ’maids in strawberry shades of pink, red and green. Add a bright red or green sash to your own wedding dress. Include strawberry blossoms or silk or velvet strawberries in your bouquets and corsages.

Then bring on the strawberry treats! Put a strawberry in every champagne glass for toasting or serve strawberry daiquiris instead of champagne. Instead of punch, serve strawberry lemonade. Go all-out with a dessert bar filled with berry delights like strawberry tarts, shortcakes, pies, strawberries dipped in chocolate or sugar, fruit kabobs topped with strawberries…anything that fulfills your strawberry craving. Add fresh strawberries to your wedding cake (what other decoration do you need?) Send guests home with pint containers of the berries or tiny jars of strawberry jam.

And don’t forget to accent your entire wedding with satin and sheer ribbon in strawberry shades! Merlot ribbon, fuchsia ribbon and grass ribbon will definitely add strawberry “flavor” to your favors, decorations and more!

Enjoy the sweetness!

~ Jean

P.S. Strawberry not your favorite flavor? Stay tuned for more wedding “flavor” ideas coming up in future posts!

It’s a time-honored tradition is to dedicate a bouquet of flowers to your loved one and display it during your ceremony. But why not go a step further and arrange the bouquet in a beautiful vase engraved with a message the name of that special person?

Memorial Vase

Our Custom Engraved Memorial Vase holds a large bouquet and can be engraved with several names.

Memorial Bud Vase

Honor individual loved ones with a bouquet for each in this pretty Memorial Bud Vase.

Memorical Cylindar

Accent your memorial bouquets with a floating candle in this beautifully engraved Memorial Cylinder. If you wish, take a moment during your ceremony (during the prayers, for instance) to light the candle and spend a moment remembering the love that still surrounds you.

Grand Prize Winner:

Whitney King from Florida

Whitney is planning an October 2012 wedding – a casual, classy and fun event with an outdoor ceremony while the sun sets. Whitney’s story touched our hearts deeply. While recovering from a tragic car accident, she met David, who turned out to be the love of her life. David is in the Air Force and he included Whitney in his fitness plans to help her heal physically. Even though she still has a slight limp, Whitney has recovered remarkably with David’s love and help. Whitney says, “Our love is true and even at my worst, David still loves me and wants to help me. We lift each other up and help each other get back up after we fall. That’s what all marriages should have.”

~ Congratulations, Whitney! As your grand prize, you’ll receive a comprehensive consultation with me in Dallas, including round trip airfare and hotel accommodations for two adults for three days and two nights. You’ll also get MiDesign@Michaels™ Custom Invites featuring exclusive designs by Jean M® (up to a $2,000 value), a $1,000 Michaels® Gift Card ($500 for a custom framing and $500 for custom floral design) and a custom wedding photo book from MiDesign@Michaels™ Photo Creations (up to a $50 value). I can’t wait to work with you and David on creating the wedding of your dreams!

Second Place Winner:

Dori Wyrick from California

Dori’s wedding to her fiancé Nate will be an August 2012, casual country event filled with homemade touches – a lemonade stand, old-fashioned lanterns and a vintage-style bar for serving drinks to guests. Dori is creating her centerpieces, floral arrangements and is also canning jams for gifts. She and Nate just started a business together, so time for wedding planning is tight. But their relationship continues to grow and they look very much forward to their wedding day!

~ Congratulations, Dori! You’ll receive a phone consultation and $500 worth of products from Michaels Custom Invites!

Third Place Winner:

Annie Wignall from Iowa

In October 2012, Annie and her fiancé William will be married at the local opera house in a simple, elegant event with an “English garden” theme in a nod to William’s English heritage. Lanterns and candles will set the scene for romance. Annie is a second grade teacher who loves using her creativity to add personal touches to every occasion, and her wedding will be no different. The couple is looking forward to finally being together in the same country after the wedding. And their new life in America will be the beginning of a fairy-tale, happily-ever-after story!

~ Congratulations, Annie! You’ll receive a phone consultation and $400 worth of products from Michaels Custom Invites!

I can’t wait to be a part of these beautiful weddings. Stay tuned for more posts about our winning brides’ dreams, plans and unique touches!

When you’re dining al fresco, be prepared for what nature may “contribute” to your celebration in the form of busy breezes. I love the idea of having natural wood planks for tables — and actually nailing down the menu cards! This kind of tabletop also means you won’t have to worry about linens getting caught in the wind or glasses of icy lemonade leaving water rings.

No outdoor event is complete without having s’mores around a bonfire. An outdoor wedding should be no different! Offer up s’mores fixings in fun containers and create a station where guests can help themselves when the fire’s ready.

Get creative with your place cards and table number cards. Pin name tags to green apples and secure table numbers with wine corks tied with twine. Then fill your tables with candles – and wrap the votive holders in grasses for a unique touch. Scatter rocks, mosses and green flowers amid the candles and you’ve got natural elegance.

Accessorize with napkins printed with a natural design and add rustic touches (twine, ribbon, etc.) to things like your ring bearer pillow, flower girl basket and more. The finishing touch? A loose, hand-tied bouquet in shades of green – it will look like you picked them just before you walked down the aisle!

Enjoy the natural inspiration!

Inspired by this trend, I’ve put together “A Wedding in the Woods” look in shades of green and brown to give you ideas for creating a wedding look that’s naturally beautiful. Just look at all the options you have for mixing, matching and coordinating!

Choose an invitation that’s simple and understated but still sets the tone for your wedding. Our Olive Layered Invitation with an espresso bottom layer says “natural elegance” without any unnecessary frills.

Then set to decorating! Use moss, greenery, branches, rough wood and rocks liberally throughout your décor. I love all-green bouquets and arrangements – just fill a tall, simple vase with moss and add in hydrangeas and flowers in other shades of green for a lush, woodsy look. Also use fruit and vegetables like green apples, avocados and artichokes stacked in flared bowls for texture and natural style.

Carry through the natural look with place cards printed with a design that coordinates with your theme (anchor the place cards with pretty rocks if it’s windy outside). If the weather’s warm, provide guests with favor fans attached to natural wooden handles and accented with ribbon, twigs and twine. And use the same accents on your favor boxes for coordination.

Want more woodsy wedding tips? Tune in Wednesday for Part 2. I guarantee you’ll love the inspiration!

Enjoy creating a natural look!

A Memorial Day party is the perfect time to roll out those time-tested favorite summer menus (burgers, potato salad and lemonade) and also to add a few new twists (like make-your-own pizzas, grilled shrimp kebobs or other recipes you’ve gathered over the cold winter months). Go ahead – set the bar high for future summer parties!

And then start thinking about the look of your Memorial Day party. We love the idea of a red, white and blue color scheme in a patriotic nod to the reason for the holiday. But red, white and blue doesn’t have to mean stars and stripes a la Fourth of July! Using the solid colors in combination with a fun design element like beach chairs or flowers creates a unique theme you can carry through your entire celebration.

Memorial Day Party Accessories

For instance, you can print your custom balloons and napkins with a beach chair design for great decorations and punches of color. Then personalize custom cups and custom koozies as fun favors guests can take home.

And be sure to set the tone with a bright and bold invitation to get guests excited for the first bash of the summer season! How about a red shimmer invitation printed in white ink for a look that’s simple but fresh and fun?

Enjoy the celebration!

Q. What is the proper etiquette for wording the wedding invitation when the couple is paying for the wedding? I know everything is “flexible” today, but can you give me some pointers?

A. Many people think that the people paying for the event get top billing on the invitation, but that’s not necessarily true. Top billing really goes to whomever is “hosting” the wedding — and that term can be used rather loosely. “Host” is often an honorary role. For example, a couple might list the bride’s parents’ names at the top of the invite, even if they are paying for the wedding themselves. In your case, it would be totally proper to issue your invitation yourselves, or for the bride to put her parents’ names on top, or for both of your names and all the parents’ names to be included. Personally, I like the idea of including all the parents’ names, especially if the couple is paying for the wedding — it’s a nice gesture of thanks to the parents.

Here’s an example of how you could word your invitation and include your parents…

Richard and Paula Anderson

and

John and Samantha Wilking

invite you to share in their joy at the marriage of their children

Elizabeth Marie Anderson

and

William John Wilking

on Saturday…

If you would like to issue the invitation yourselves, here’s an example of wording you could use…

Elizabeth Marie Anderson

and

William John Wilking

invite you celebrate with them at their wedding ceremony

on Saturday…

Enjoy!

We think it’s time that happens more often! That’s why Jean M has designed such fun and beautiful personalized stationery. You’ll find the latest trends in note cards, note pads and coordinating address labels – each with the latest colors, designs, styles and patterns. You’ll even find stationery intended for the children and young adults in your life to teach them how important it is to keep the tradition of note writing alive! Just look at the variety…

Jean M Personalized Stationery

• Simple and elegant Modern Embossed Note Cards in white are available with unique lined envelopes for a personal touch.

• Go a little wild by writing messages on our Wild Thing Note Cards — and accent with matching note pads and address labels.

• Send sweet greetings with our Birds of a Feather Note Cards, note pads and address labels.

• Almost as good as sending flowers is writing a note on these Bursting Blooms Note Cards and note pads. Add matching address labels for the finishing touch.

• Children and teens will love our stylish kids’ stationery designs, like this Sweet Peace Note Card with matching note pads and address labels.

Now…get out your favorite pen, buy some pretty stamps and get ready to keep in touch the special way with Jean M’s personalized stationery!

Enjoy making connections.

Now is the time to order all those accessories, favors and napkins on your wish list and get ready to create a colorful, personal celebration. Because you can’t beat 30% off PLUS free shipping!

Order now – the sale ends Saturday!

Enjoy the savings!