Portland Wedding Coordinator

Avoid having invitations, save-the-dates, or RSVPs returned to you - Postal Rates Increase Jan 27th

 

via alesiazorn.typepad.com

This just in from our good friend Alesia at Alesia Zorn Calligraphy - US postal rates go up January 27th. Many of you are about to get to mailing your save-the-dates or wedding invitations, so head on over to Alesia's blog and read all the details.

My takeaway from all this: Always use the Forever stamps, so no matter when your guests mail back their RSVPs, the postage will be valid and the responses won't be returned to sender.

Whew - as if engaged couples didn't have enough to worry about already!

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Annual postal stamp increase

Stamps Going Up a Penny

5 things we're still loving in 2012... { Wedding Fashion, Style, and Trends }

Over halfway through the year, can you believe it? I just returned from some Independence Day festivities in Florida where I did lots of people-watching in Miami and West Palm Beach. Super fun!

It just reminded me that there are a lot of hot styles that generated buzz around the first of the year, that I noticed are still super relevant and could be fun to use in your upcoming wedding.

1. Chevrons and Bold Stripes - It seems like we just can't get enough of these bold, preppy patterns. Whether it's a delicate herringbone paired up with lace, or black and white stripes with bright color accents, there's something about chevrons and bold stripes that just makes me go ooh!

Photo: Carla Ten Eyck; Coordination: Jubilee Events; via The White Dress by the Shore

Photo: Avery House; Jesi Haack Design; via 100 Layer Cake

La Tavola Fine Linen Rentals

2. Colorblocking - Yes, the 80s trend is back, but this time it's more layered and less Mondrian-esque. Look for styles incorporating similar color families and sherbet brights.

Twobirds Bridesmaid Gowns, photo by Trent Bailey


Chuchu Suarez's street style featured on Chicismo.

3. Envelope clutch purses - I say avoid the giant ones that dwarf your body type, but there are so many sweet styles out there that can go with the wedding gown or bridesmaid's outfit. And of course, there are chevron ones too!

Neutral envelope clutch purse by Harlex on Etsy

BCBG Max Azria "Harlow" envelope clutch

Edie Parker acrylic clutch purses via This Is Glamourous

4. Ombré - varying shades of the same color can make a big impact, whether in a gown, a cake, or somewhere else in the decor scheme.

Christian Dior couture gown via The Simply Luxurious Life Blog

Peach ombré cake via Martha Stewart Weddings

(The ombré cake craze is well documented in this post by Polka Dot Bride.)

5. Maxi dresses - Not every formal, long bridesmaid gown is really what I think of as the hot "maxi dress" of 2012. I'm thinking, the long, flowy, goddess-y dresses that make your bridesmaids look like romantic figures in an 18th-century painting...

Kay Unger gowns on the bridesmaids; Photo by Aaron Delesie via Style Me Pretty

What do you think? Will these styles and trends hold up through the rest of the year and in the years to come, as we look back at the wedding photos? Are you using any of these in your Portland wedding? Or are there any styles or trends that you are (gasp!) getting a little tired of? Please share your comments.

Lovely wedding photos at McMenamins Edgefield by Fritz Photo

A while back, Shutterbug Magazine featured a photographer we've been working with for a very long time: Fritz Liedtke of Fritz Photo. We were super happy for him, and additionally thrilled that the magazine chose a photo from one of our own clients, whose wedding was held at McMenamins Edgefield.

Here are a few more photos from this lovely Edgefield wedding that took place at Edgefield's Blackberry Meadow and adjoining Hall. A full blog post about the wedding is on Fritz's blog here. Enjoy!

Floral by Punch.

Sweet treats and a cupcake truck - from Hungry Heart Cupcakes

This is being written on Saturday night, and I am at the office doing my 2011 taxes. I just want everyone to share in my misery. Happily, there was one cheerful beam through the gloom of paperwork, and that was the super-nice Jax of Hungry Heart Cupcakes taking the time to stop by with a box of samples. It was really great to finally meet her and to hear about the fun and different service she is offering to wedding clients.

For one thing, Jax has a truck. A cupcake truck named Chomps. Just saying these words gets me pretty giddy. She will drive this truck to your location and be a cupcake fairy goddess of love, handing out cupcake treats to your wedding guests. She can also add on a freezer and ice cream novelties, so your guests can enjoy Bomb Pops, Dreamsicles, and Choco Tacos along with the cupcakey goodness.

Photo via Hungry Heart Cupcakes website.

(DISCLAIMERS: 1) I just ate two of the samples in quick succession, a Saigon Cinnamon cake with Horchata frosting, and the other one was a Dark Chocolate Cacao Nib cake with Dulce de Leche Sea Salt frosting. So maybe blame the giddy on the sugar. 2) She did provide these samples free of charge to me, but otherwise, I have not been compensated in any way for this blog mention. Happy, FTC? All right, let's continue...)

The other neat and different thing about Hungry Heart Cupcakes is their use of offbeat flavorings like cardamom and horchata in the cakes and frostings, as well as their daring flavor combos. A quick glance at the upcoming menu revealed flavors like bourbon apple, apricot brie, and even prosciutto melon. Jax says in a few weeks there will also be gluten-free versions. Can't wait!

Keep an eye on the blog in the coming weeks because I've been so busy assisting clients find their perfect wedding teams, and sometimes that means tasting a lot of cake, pie and cookies. I'll be sure to report my findings.