Open House Invites!!

Having to design and print invitations can be so overwhelming! We are getting ready to create and send our open house invitations for our 2011 couples....and we wanted to do something special. In the past I have done the DIY thing which amounted to invitations destroyed, a good deal of time and printing frustrations. More importantly, I had to pick from box sets that might not have been the exact look I was going for. I have decided that I am good at coordinating weddings and decorating wedding cakes......but not so good at making invitations. ...... So this year I've collaborated with a professional designer. Her name is Angela, like an angel!


Prior to contacting Angela, I did my homework. I looked at some online designing options and did some price comparison. After many attempts of contacting these online printing companies, I realized that the price shown, was not the price I thought. When starting to go through the online check out, I recognized that the shown cost did not include the response cards, envelopes, direction cards and the colored ink! Moreover, I could not talk to a real person who was in charge of printing my invitations and have a second person proofing them. I couldn't wait for my meeting with Angela...I knew it would be better because I could actually talk to a real person! Imagine that!

After contacting Angela Dal Bon, a custom invitation designer, I felt better. She came to the Inn and we started by me explaining what we will do at the open house and what it is about. After listening to me patiently, and finding out what my budget was she said she knew exactly what I was looking for. Angela explained that the invitation is going to give our clients an idea of what the event was going to be like....it would set the tone. She also explained that it is important to couples to start working with a designer once you've pick your date and location of your event. When starting early, and finding the "look" you want to create this can influence things like your favors, programs, seating chart....endless possibilities!

Following our meeting I was so anxious to see what Angela could do for me. She presented me with three different designs to choose from. From the examples she presented I realized how much she was listening to me at our initial meeting. She created something so spectacular which was exactly what I wanted and didn't even know it. It was fabulous, she sent me the samples so I could touch them and feel them....just like trying on a good pair of shoes! What even made this process even easier was that I sent her an email with my contacts in a word document, then she addressed all those envelopes! No more printing headaches!

For our 2011 couples that are getting ready to invest in your invitations, please take the time to contact Angela. For those of you that can wait, she will be at our open house for you to view some of her amazing work. I was going to post the invitation in this blog but thought it best for you to see it in person......which should be very soon! See you at the open house!!!

Happy Planning

Kelly


Angela Dal Bon
Custom Invitations & Announcements
916-759-4428
530-632-6843
http://www.angeladalbon.com/

Someone called on Old Man Winter a little early! Despite some rather chilly conditions, we had a great time with our recent weddings. We would like to extend our best wishes to the following newlyweds:

Mr. & Mrs. Ashleigh & Chad Paine

Mr. & Mrs. Daleana & James Friel

Mr. & Mrs. Helen & Josh Dahlberg

Mr. & Mrs. Kerianne & Josh Woods

Below are just a few images of the details from various moments in each couples amazing days!!  

Creative seating chart idea!

In-house floral decor designed by Monte Verde Inn.

Absolutely stunning cake made by Kelly Dalisa, Monte Verde Inn.

Another amazing cake made by Kelly Dalisa, Monte Verde Inn.

What fun couples we have had the pleasure of working with! Some dashed off on their honeymoons while others let the hussle & bussle of wedding planning and celebrating die down before they jetted off to some new adventure.

We wish all our newlyweds the very best! Congratulations and have a wonderful holiday season!

We are on Style Me Pretty!!!

OMG! We are so excited to announce that we have been invited to be part of Style Me Pretty's "Little Black Book!" This is THE MOST exclusive wedding blog/directory in the country! SMP goes through an extensive interview/background check with each vendor they feature to be sure that they are among the best in the industry.....you can't just buy your way in, you have to be invited. We are so honored to be included! Check it out!


http://www.stylemepretty.com/little-black-book/california/sacramento/venues

Charming details for a charismatic couple!

Mr. & Mrs. Heather & Michael Maves had so many elegant details planned for their big day! Some of which included these beautiful little rose garlands hung in the ballroom window (as seen on Etsy) and these incredible Silver Candelabras also provided by the couple. 

                                                                            

As a gesture of their sweet love for their guests, they put together these shimmery little silver bags filled with different kinds of "sweets" as their favors. On the lip of each bag was a beautiful ivory placecard which indicated the guests name and their meal choice.

Each table was designated by a numeric picture frame of the couples life together!

At the planning meeting the floral decor (centerpieces and larger arrangements) were designed with the newlyweds and then created by the Monte Verde Inn on their big day!

Heather and Michael worked with the Monte Verde Inn to design this spectacular cake! A scrumptious red velvet cake with cream cheese filling and each tier was finished with a beautiful ivory lace & satin ribbon (provided by our blushing bride). The cake topper was an adorable pair of bride and groom love birds (also provided by the couple)!

~ We would like to thank the newlyweds for being so wonderful to work with and sharing their amazing day with us!

Hook, line and sinker!

~ Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Alicia & Damian Forsythe ~

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Photo by LexiGraphics Photography

This couple has a profound love for fishing and all things related, so the details of their big day really tied into their mutual love for the sport!

Each of their escort/placecards were color coded but also included a stamp indicating their meal identifiers. As you can sorta see below the solid brown backing on some of the cards indicated one meal option and the brown damask backing on other cards indicated the other meal option. This made it easy to decipher while still looking elegant and creative!

Our newlyweds brought in this rustic fisherman's basket (below) for guests to place their cards into, but carried the fisherman theme throughout with a feminine touch.



Each table was decorated with beautiful centerpiece floral decor designed with Ali & Damian by the Monte Verde Inn.

Mr. & Mrs. Forsythe brought in adorable table names, which included many fishing rivers and adventures they had been on during their courtship.

Photo by LexiGraphics Photography

As with their centerpiece floral decor, the cake was also designed with our newlyweds by Kelly Dalisa of the Monte Verde Inn. Their cake was a delicious very cherry cake: white cake with cherry chips, soaked in Kirsch Liqueur and cherry filling, topped with buttercream frosting under a thin layer of fondant... YUM!

~ We wish Ali & Damian the very best in their future adventures!
Thank you for being so wonderful to work with!

Photo by LexiGraphics Photography

We would like say thank you to LexiGraphics Photography for the great images of Ali & Damian's special day. Visit LexiGraphics Photography at www.davidandchristie.com to see more of their great work.
Thank you for the beautiful images!

As a side note:
We are always on the lookout for new and exciting things for our grooms and family members to participate in while visiting our area. Thanks to Damian Forsythe, we now have one more great suggestion, please check out Hooked Up Anglers for more information.

~ Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Sarah & Ray Witthaus ~

Saturday, October 9, 2010

~ Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Jessica & Kelly Burt ~

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Jessica and Kelly selected the perfect cheerful colors for this grand chronological day. A bright yellow and cobalt blue tied their entire day together, absolutely loved the sunflowers! Each table was named after a state that had significance to them or their families.

They even got a bit creative with the traditional ring bearer pillow and had both of their rings tied with ribbon to a large Sunflower!

The newlyweds brought in colorful placecards, which were color coded by meal choice as well as stickers on card indicating meal choice. Each placecard was weighted down with pretty little irredescent stones to prevent them from falling over or away in a little breeze.

Such an adorable and yummy cake... so it was a tier of Spice Cake with Apricot, another tier of Pound Cake soaked with Hazelnut Liqueur and Bavarian Cream and frosted all over with Italian Buttercream.

See their cake topper (up close) below... so cute!!



We wish our newlyweds the very best in their new adventures as husband and wife!!

Fall is officially upon us...

Fall is officially here and it is reflective in our most recent wedding decor! We absolutely love the colors of the season: bright oranges, reds, chocolate browns, and copper tones amongst many other amazing combinations. Here are just a few images from the weddings this weekend; details that really exclaim the amazing colors of Fall.

There is no order to the images below, just a random collection of beautiful colors and details!
 

We wish our couples the very best in their new future as husband and wife!  We have an abundance of up coming Fall weddings that we'll be sure to share. 

~ Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Kelly & Brennan Garbutt ~
September 19, 2010

The details of this couples wedding were so warm and reminiscent of Fall. Warm tones of chocolate brown, bright oranges, pinks and greens! It was a very beautiful setting for a wonderful bride and groom!

Centerpiece floral decor designed and provided by the Monte Verde Inn.

The bride and groom brought in their own table names, which simply completed the setting. Each name was created with a sweet thought in mind, as seen here at the Dark Chocolate Truffle table... YUM! Such a cute and delicious idea!

Mr. & Mrs. Garbutt decided on assigned tables but open seating. So as guests arrived they viewed their assigned table and took a moment to sign the two unframed mats that would later adorn pictures from this fabulous day!

We wish the newlyweds a fantastic future as they begin their new adventure as
husband and wife!

~Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Shannan & Eduardo Martinez~

September 11, 2010

Happy colors and decor for a very happy couple! Shannan and Eduardo are both very dynamic individuals with personalities to match. So it was no surprise that the details of their big day were amazing!

Centerpiece floral decor and larger arrangements designed and provided
by the Monte Verde Inn. The couple brought in these two creative seating charts for guests to view, which were placed on two MVI iron easels.

One of the cutest cakes, covered with little yellow daisy gumpaste flowers! The newlyweds brought in the sweetest little bride and groom bird cake toppers, which finished the bright and festive bird theme they desired!

Thank you for sharing your day with us!

~Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Emily & Jason Thienes~

September 12, 2010

Having a very similar bird theme, our bride and groom for Sunday toned down their colors a bit and went with a more vintage/romantic look, which suited them well!

Mr. & Mrs. Emily & Jason Thienes brought in their own table names as well, which were very sweet!

Their bird theme details included a little tree used for favors and a small bird house that was used to collect cards on the gift table!

To carry over the theme for their big day, Emily & Jason brought in a cake topper of two birds snuggling!



We would like to extend our gratitude to Emily & Jason for sharing their day with us! We hope you had a wonderful time in St. Lucia!