Paper Persuasions - an invitation studio » accessories

Weekly Recap – weeks ending April 22nd and May 1st

Administrator — Sat, 01 May 2010 19:09:07 +0000

Well, for the sake of getting caught up, I combined the previous two weeks of orders into this recap. We’ve definitely been staying busy and May looks to be a strong month for us. (Evening appointments are already booked up through the 18th! yikes!). Had a couple of baby shower invites in this batch which is always fun!! …enjoy!

1) light green and chocolate brown “circles” baby shower invitation (custom design)

2) photo wedding invitation in grey and purple – double sided wedding invitation (album order)

3) ecru and clover green pocketfold wedding invitation with monogram theme (album order)

4) bride and groom save the date tent – designed to replicate a place card with the wording “save a place for us on your calendar” (album order)

5) sneak peak at a future order – monogram tag on pocketfold with crystal and ribbon (custom design)

6) lime green and white baby shower invitation – cute little pregnant woman with daisy umbrella (album order)

7) ‘now and forever’ themed gatefold wedding invitation with hot pink ink (album order)

8) accessories for a hot pink and silver wedding….table numbers, escort cards, menus, ceremony programs (custom design)

9) hot pink, black and white wedding invitation with black envelopes (album order)

10) damask themed seal and send wedding invitation – black and white (album order)

11) damask themed wedding invitation printed on ‘raw silk gold’ cardstock (custom designed)

12) lime green and hot pink seal and send wedding invitation (album order)

13) celtic knot pearlized border – flat panel wedding invitations (album order)

14) damask themed wedding invitation – black and white shimmer (custom design)

15) deep red, black and white pocketfold order with flourish design (album order)

16) hot pink, black and ecru pocketfold wedding invitation with damask monogram tag & ribbon wrap (custom design)

Weekly Recap – ending April 17th

Administrator — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:52:29 +0000

Somehow I managed to fall a few weeks behind on the weekly recaps again! At least this particular week was colorful! If you see something you like here, don’t forget that many designs can be customized in your color scheme or wedding theme!

1) ecru shimmer wedding invitation with a sparkle crinkle wrap (album order)

2) lime green seal-n-send wedding invitation with teal ink (album order)

3) wedding table numbers – hot pink and white shimmer with silver ribbon (custom design)

4) from the chloe b line: gray and yellow wedding invitation ensemble with slate ink (album order)

5) deep silver and purple pocketfold wedding invitation (custom design)

6) surprise birthday party invitation (custom design)

7) from the chloe b line: purple, black and slate save the date (album order)

8) ‘now and forever’ gatefold wedding invitation with light blue ink (album order)

9) a different take on the pocket invite! This was a bi-fold wedding invitation tied closed with ribbon. when untied, the inserts were attached to the ribbon and the response card was a perforated card (album order)

10) embossed calla lily wedding invitation (album order)

11) pearlized calla lily wedding invitation – gatefold style (album order)

12) sports themed first birthday invitation – gatefold with photos of the birthday boy! (custom design)

13) an assortment of cocktail and beverage napkins ordered this week (album order)

Weekly Recap – March 13th, 20th

Administrator — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:37:41 +0000

At some point last year – maybe October or November - we declared purple THE color for 2010. It appears we were correct. If I had to guess, I would say that 15- 20% of all invitation orders we have placed or handmade so far this season contain a shade of purple either in the paper or the ink choices. Purple works well with silver OR gold as a metallic accents making it a great choice. Three out of 10 invites from this weekly recap contain purple and yet the style of each invitation and the color pairings look completely different!

1) catalog ordered pocketfold wedding invitation with garnet printing. the design was incorporated in to the invitation panel and inserts.

2) custom designed pocketfold wedding invitation in silver and purple. Several crystals were applied within the design and front tag to add some bling!

3) catalog ordered pocketfold wedding invitation in black and teal. the design was incorporated in the invitation panel and inserts.

4) flat panel invitation in black, teal and white. this is on of our favorite catalog orders this season. not only is the design awesome, the ink color pairing turned out fantastic. this invitation comes from an album where you can pair any two ink colors together to make the invitation fit your color scheme.

5) flat panel invitation with pearl embossed border. this invitation is a prime example of how you can take a traditional invitation, use a modern font combo and end up with a very classy, current looking ensemble!

6) flat panel invitation printed on soft white linen paper with a distinctive pearl border. another traditional invitation made current with a modern monogram and font choices

7) our first order from the new value with style book. if you are looking for ‘graphic design’ looking invitations without the ‘graphic design price’ this album has plenty of offerings. this slate grey and yellow wedding invitation is actually double sided. the invitation information is on the front and then the accommodations and reception information on the reverse.

8) custom designed pocketfold wedding invitation in pink, black and white. crystals were applied to the design for a little added sparkle!

9) this two-tone purple wedding invitation is another of my favorites this year. (not shown: the super funky orange envelopes the bride ordered to go with the ensemble)

10) custom designed pocket fold wedding invitation with daisy theme. this purple/pink and green combination looks spectacular and perfectly suited for their outdoor ceremony at manakiki! A single crystal was applied to the center of the daisy on the invitation panel for some bling.

11) a small collection of cocktail napkins that have been ordered through us. a few of them using custom monograms we designed for the clients!

Weekly Recap – Feb 27th and March 6th

Administrator — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:06:16 +0000

So I knew it would be impossible for me to stick with the weekly recaps on…well…a weekly basis. I am doing the best I can over here! Picking up where I left off, this post covers weeks ending February 27th and March 6th. Oh and recaps for March 13th and 20th are not far behind. Hope to have them finished up later today. Wedding Season is in full swing for us right now and I am not able to share all the orders and designs that we’ve received and/or made but here’s a glimpse at some of our favorites….

1) navy blue and yellow wedding invitation. the bride flip flopped ink colors on the inserts and liners to create her own look. this invite can be printed on white or ecru stock in a combination of two of over 20 ink colors.

2) navy blue and yellow table card coordinating with invitation from #1

3) love birds wedding invitation (this invitation won the 2007 louie award for best stationery). the birds’ heads interlock when the gate fold style enclosure is folded close. when open, the invitation panel is in the center.

4) flat panel wedding invitation in ecru stock with designer pearlized border. love how the bride pulled her wedding color of orange in through the print ….the invitations looked super classy!

5) flat panel wedding invitation in white stock with recessed panel. rosewood envelope liners were used to pull the wedding color in

6) custom designed wedding invitation featuring cala lily’s. this was a flat panel invite with the design printed behind the wording. pink, gold and ecru papers were used.

7) pocketfold wedding invitation from the carlson craft pockets album. this invitation can be printed in a combination of two of over 30 ink colors

8) custom designed pocketfold wedding invitation. this invite is actually one of our brides diy projects. we provided design, printing and an instructional packet. she cut and assembled the project herself saving the cost of our labor. this design features products from the envelopments line.

9) custom designed pocketfold wedding invitation. the pocket is made of a subtle floral pattern while the inserts are layered to incorporate both colors from the pattern. a 7/8” satin ribbon was used to accent the invitation adding the perfect touch of ‘formal’.

10) catalog ordered pocketfold wedding invitation. a champagne shimmer pocket with ecru cards. this bride pulled her colors in by using claret ink and claret envelope liners. such a sharp, crisp contrast to the soft ecru stock. a perfect combination!

11) hot pink, black and white wedding invitation. this invitation can be printed in many different ink colors and white or ecru stock can be used.

12) flat panel wedding invitation on eco-friendly stock. love the top-open envelope with motif from invitation carried through!

13) catalog ordered pocketfold invitation. a fun swirl design framed the invitation wording and was used on the inserts as well

14) catalog ordered pocketfold invitation. a flourish/swirl design was incorporated on the invitation panel and both inserts

15) two different flat panel wedding invitations with pearlized designer borders

Real Brides: Emily and Andrew

Administrator — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:32:27 +0000

We first met with Emily and her mom Marianne not long after we opened our new studio. It was clear from our first meeting with them that the invitations needed to be classy, formal & traditional while still setting the tone for a somewhat contemporary color scheme of chocolate brown and orange. Emily selected a gorgeous pearl border invitation from the Carlson Craft line and added a chocolate brown satin ribbon below the monogram to make the invitation unique to her. The orange was first introduced into the wedding stationery when Andrew’s mother Angie surprised the couple with custom rehearsal dinner invites which happened to match the custom wedding accessories we designed for the ceremony and reception. Sending thanks to Paul Floyd Photography for taking some of the best shots we’ve seen of our work. Of course what blog reader of ours is going to pay attention to the stationery photos when the entire wedding party is this gorgeous?!?!

A non-professional photo of the invitation ensemble that we took when her order arrived…

Heres a list of other vendors that Emily and Andrew used:

Bride’s Apparel: Brides by Demetrios (Legacy Village)
Groom’s Apparel: American Commodore
Ceremony Site: Hudson Community Chapel
Reception Site: Sheraton Suites
Cake: A Catered Affair
Floral: Frank Feysa – Ohio Green
Photography: Paul Floyd Photography
Entertainment: The DJ Crew
Salon: Salon 180 (Hudson)

Here’s what Emily and Andrew had to say about their wedding experiences:

Wedding Date: 8/1/2009

What part of the planning was the most fun? Choosing all of the details that made our wedding unique – the colors, favors, music, locations, menu, etc. Anything where we could add our own personal touch and flare was fun for us!

What part of the wedding planning was the least fun? Assembling favors, tying ribbons on bubbles, writing check lists and to-do lists!! All of the tedious tasks that were easy but time consuming.

Do you have any advice for the bride-to-be currently planning her wedding? Enjoy it! It goes so fast. Get as much planning as you can out of the way early on so you can relax and take it all in toward the end.

How was your overall experience with Paper Persuasions? Steph and Stacy were fabulous and made the paper and invitation aspect of our planning so enjoyable and easy! We would recommend them to absolutely anyone!

Did you receive comments from your guests regarding the invitations and accessories? Yes! All positive! We got raving reviews about every paper product – from the invitations down to the table numbers!

*******

Working with Emily and Andrew (and each of their mothers) was such a treat! From their very first visit to look at invitations – all the way through finalizing the table numbers and escort cards for the reception – our meetings were a breeze….sometimes it simply felt too easy!

To Emily, Andrew and Marianne: Thank you so much for all of your kind words…and for the numerous referrals you have sent our way. From close family friends to people you’ve bumped into at the supermarket, we’ve had at least half a dozen people mention that you told them about us. You have no idea how much this means to us!

Bring on 2010 (and a tribute to 2009)

Administrator — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:46:33 +0000

The start of a new year – time for resolutions, goals and a fresh outlook for what is to come! As we sat down today to list the things we want to accomplish at Paper Persuasions in 2010 – we couldn’t help but review the progress we made in 2009. All I can say is this: we are blown away at the support and growth we experienced this past year. In a year marked with significant economic slowdown and several new competitors in our area, we experienced a 48% increase in sales from 2008. We feel truly blessed to have worked with so many wonderful people this past year and we continue to be amazed by the awesome things our customers say about us! Stephanie and I get to live out a dream every day that we go to work, and it’s all because of our amazing customers!

Now, I’m not usually the one blogging (we leave that up to the more creative sister)…but the other day I was glancing over some of the spreadsheets I’ve created along the way and I thought it would be fun to start 2010 by sharing some of the statistics I tracked for 2009.

People always ask us: “How long does it take to make 100 invitations?” Well – every job varies…the total time it takes depends on the number of layers and the number of type of adornments. Here’s a few fun facts regarding our custom design jobs from 2009.

12.76 hours: Average labor hours on a custom design job
27.61 hours: Our highest hours of labor on one custom invitation order. It was an order of 175 pocketfolds with ribbon, three inserts, 5 response card layouts, and all addresses printed by us.
29.89 hours: Our highest hours of labor on one custom accessories order (this was one huge wedding!) It included 300 booklet ceremony programs, 300 menus, 300 placecards, and 30 tented table numbers.
88.41%: Percent of custom orders that included return address printing on the back flap of the mailing envelope
31.88%: Percent of custom orders that included guest addresses printed on mailing envelopes (aka computer calligraphy)
71.01%: Percent of orders that were pocketfolds (yup, that’s what we’re known for!)
45.98%: Percent of invitation orders that also included custom accessories

At Paper Persuasions we offer various discounts to stay competitively priced, to reward our clients for previous purchases and/or subscription to our newsletter AND for the support of community outreach. Below are statistics that show where our clients saved the most money.

$16, 896.53 in discounts were given to catalog clients for various promotions and sales throughout the year
$3,016 in discounts were given to customers who donated 5 items to the Domestic Violence Project with their catalog invitation order
$1,810 in discounts were given to customers who purchased accessories after purchasing invitations from us
$156 in discounts were given to customers who redeemed money-saving offers from our newsletter Paper Points

We value our clients opinions because without them, we wouldn’t know how to improve….so with almost EVERY SINGLE ORDER we send out a survey and a SASE to encourage its return. From the completed surveys, we have compiled the following information…and let me add that we are humbled by the results. Statiscally, surveys are more often completed by people who have a gripe – as you will see, that’s not the case here!

98% of invitations ordered are for a wedding
100% of customers who responded rated Paper Persuasions as ”Excellent” on the following: Quality of final product, Meeting expectations, Customer service, Clear and concise communication, and Overall ease of process (choices are Poor, Good, and Excellent)
100% of customers who responded rated Paper Persuasions as “Above Average” on those same categories when compared to stationery providers they have previously utilized (Choices are Below Average, Average, and Above Average)
100% of customers who responded said they would recommend us to family and/or friends

We pretty much said the same thing in our 2008 year-in-review post but it bears repeating: We just cannot believe how much we have grown and how far we have come in the past 12 months. Of course, we wouldn’t be where we are without our past brides. Many of whom we still keep in touch with, many of whom we miss seeing on a regular basis – and all of whom are the reason we were voted BEST INVITATIONS IN AKRON/CANTON for the SECOND YEAR IN A ROW!!! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We eagerly await the blessings and challenges that 2010 has in store for us and we thank each and every one of you for your continued business, support, and referrals!!!

Real Brides: Jenny and Nathan – October 24, 2009

Administrator — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:20:30 +0000

We were first introduced to this fabulous wedding when Denise, the mother of the bride, came in to look at invitations on behalf of her daughter. We’d later learn that Jenny has a CRAZY work schedule….and mom was doing all the ‘wedding errands’ during the day then sharing the choices with Jenny at night. Normally when this situation presents itself, mom and bride do not see eye-to-eye…but not in this case! Denise and Jenny definitely shared the same vision for this wedding. In fact, we didn’t even meet Jenny until a week before the wedding – yet we felt as if we already knew her! Here’s one of my favorite shots of Jenny and Nathan on the big day:

We provided the majority of Jenny and Nathan’s wedding stationery through our custom design side of the business. Their pocket fold invitations are one of my favorite designs from this past year (I am all about the monochromatic design).

I also loved these “love birds” themed thank you cards. These were used for Jenny’s bridal shower gifts.

Although we designed and printed the programs, Jenny and Denise provided the labor to save on some of the cost. They folded both layers, punched holes in the spine and strung and tied the ribbon into perfect little bows! Denise’s bows are so perfect I see future employment opportunity for her here at PP!

Here’s a glimpse of the 36 x 24 custom seating chart that we made for them! We provided the layout, printing and mounting and gloss finish. Although our seating charts look great without a frame, Denise added a black frame and a small bunch of flowers to the corner to complete the look.

(c)rick sheridan - LAMS

And wrapping up the stationery pics….we made these two layer menus with the flat-knotted ribbon on top…as well as the tag that was tied to the gift bag.

Here’s what Jenny and Nathan had to say about their wedding experiences:

Wedding Date: 10/24/2009

What part of the planning was the most fun? The most fun was all the activities leading up to the wedding and then of course our wedding day. Our family and friends were amazing. It was the best time of my life!

What part of the wedding planning was the least fun?Making all those decisions! We chose not to hire a wedding planner and it was overwhelming at times, but with my mom’s help and our awesome vendors, I loved the end result.

Do you have any advice for the bride-to-be currently planning her wedding? Don’t skimp on stationery or linens. Your invitation and accessories set the tone of your wedding and nice linens (tablecloths that fit properly, chair covers etc) dramatically change the appearance of any venue. Also, make a list of the pictures you want your photographer to take and make a copy for a reliable friend/family member because you won’t remember with everything going on that day.

How was your overall experience with Paper Persuasions? I don’t know what I would have done without Paper Persuasions help and creativity with my invitations, thank you cards, menu, tags, programs and seating chart. They produced first class all the way! I LOVED everything. I’m so glad I had the pleasure of meeting you both and we are honored and humbled to be a part of your blog! Thank You!

Did you receive comments from your guests regarding the invitations and accessories? DID WE EVER! Most everyone said they were the most beautiful invitations they had ever seen. One of my favorite comments was from a family friend (who happens to be a politician) said when she saw the invitation in the mail, her first thought was that she got an invitation to the White House because it was so pretty!! Ha…! Everything was beautiful!

Here’s a list of other vendors that Jenny and Nathan used

Bride’s Apparel: Coming Attractions
Groom’s Apparel: Ammerican Commodore
Reception Site: NEOUCOM
Cake: Made by Mother of the Groom!
Floral: Bonnie’s Bloomers
Photography: Look at Me Studios
Videography/DJ / Photobooth: A Crystal Clear Sound Video Photo

And now….a few more non-stationery related pics from the big day!!!

(c) rick sheradin / LAMS - we had to include a shot of jenny and her mother denise! the perfect mother/daughter wedding planning team!

Jenny, Nathan and of course Denise – We had such a great time working with you throughout this entire process. I still can’t believe how beautiful NEOUCOM turned out to be!! I will be sure to recommend it to any of our brides still looking for a Reception Hall in that area! You guys put so much hard work and pure love into planning this wedding and it really showed! Stacy and I both wish you the best…for many years to come!!!

Killer Save-the-Date discounts start…..NOW!

Administrator — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:01:59 +0000

Today 500 of these postcards were mailed to brides who attended the Today’s Bride Show and whose weddings fall within the 2010 calender year. But – I’m feeling super nice today (stacy is back from vacation!!) so this year we’re going to extend our annual “Save-the-Date Sale-a-bration” to more than just 500 bridal show brides. You too have the opportunity to save by printing the postcard and bringing it in with you when you place your save the date order!! Hurry in – the sale-a-bration doesn’t last forever! To qualify for the save-the-date AND the future invitation purchase discount, your save-the-date order MUST be placed with all final content and a 50% deposit submitted to Paper Persuasions by 4:00 pm on January 8th.

Real Brides: Meghan and Lance (my co-DMB super fans!) and a tribute to Janet from the Sheraton

Administrator — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:55:41 +0000

Since I have been so behind on blogging, we had several brides to choose from for our September “Real Brides” feature. I always have a hard time picking because I want to feature EVERYONE but I managed to narrow it down to 3 brides. Then it hit me – today is Janet’s last day at the Sheraton. (Janet is the in-house wedding coordinator at the Sheraton. Our brides often tell us that they chose the Sheraton solely because she is that awesome). What better than to feature a bride who was not only referred to us by her but who *loved* both Janet and the Sheraton to pieces! Not to mention, I’ve been wanting to feature Meghan and Lance’s wedding because I have a super soft-spot for them. They are such a great couple and HUGE Dave Matthews Band Fans to boot. We bonded instantly – often chatting for 4+ hours about music, food and life in general! Plus they always brought music to share – my cd collection grew not only by what they gave me but by a few albums I picked up based on their suggestions.

Meghan and Lance share a smooch!

Meghan and Lance planned somewhat of a “tiffany-themed” reception so the paper products all incorporated black, white and tiffany blue colors.

Their pocketfold invitations were simple yet elegant – and I especially love that the accent panel on the front of the invitation contained a quote from their first dance song – “Oh” by Dave Matthews (of course!). The invitations had three inserts – response, reception and accommodations.

We flip-flopped the colors for the ceremony programs but used the same song quote on the accent panel.

The table tents were my favorite thing about their wedding. Instead of numbering their tables, Meghan and Lance named their tables after concert venues they have attended together. Below the name and location of the concert venue, there was a brief description or statistic about the place and then a list of the bands that played or memorable songs they heard at that particular venue. I could not believe how many places they have been to see not only my favorite artist (DMB) but several other groups like U2.

A few weeks after the wedding, DMB played Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls. Meghan and Lance were lucky enough to “run into” Dave Matthews and Stefan Lessard. They “happened” to have their Red Rocks Amphitheatre Table Tent on hand for them to sign. Below you’ll see Stefan actually signing the table tent…and then Dave just as he finished signing the tent! Meghan asked Dave if he’d play “Oh” that night….but all she got was one of his signature goofy looks in return.

Back to wedding stuff….

We tried something new with Meghan and Lance’s Escort Cards. The Sheraton needed to know who was eating what, but M&L wanted one escort card per couple or family. Rather than indicate each persons meal choice with a sticker, we used a hole punch shaped for each selection. This picture shows the escort card from above so you can see the names on front and hole-punches on back.

Here’s a closeup of the shapes punched on the backside of the escort card. The cow shape indicated “beef” the chicken shape indicated “chicken” and the little boy and girl punches indicated “kids meal”. This was Meghan’s idea – and she found the hole punches online…but we are now the proud owners of the set and other brides have started to hone in on this concept!

So that wraps up the stationery….

Here’s what Meghan and Lance had to say about their wedding experiences:

Wedding Date: 6/19/2009

What part of the planning was the most fun? Invitations of course! Many of our “fun” experiences were in large part due to our vendors. Stephanie and Stacy are amazing, that goes without saying, but Janet (The Sheraton Suites) has also been amazing…I’m not sure we would have made it without her!

What part of the wedding planning was the least fun? Research, research, research! I felt like I was in school again!

Do you have any advice for the bride-to-be currently planning her wedding?As painful as research can be, do it! At the end of the day, go with your heart. Remember, in some cases you will be spending all day with your vendor. If you can’t handle 15 minutes with them, keep looking!

How was your overall experience with Paper Persuasions?We followed our hearts and can’t express how happy we were with Stephanie and Stacy. They are like family now…(That’s right girls, you are stuck with us!) And Steph solidified our instinct when she started reciting Lance’s favorite song…”What’s the use in worrying, What’s the use in hurrying…”

Did you receive comments from your guests regarding the invitations and accessories?ABSOLUTELY! I was getting text messages, Facebook messages, you name it! Even the guys were calling Lance (LOL)! And his aunt wouldn’t let anyone touch it. Can you imagine?!

Heres a list of other vendors that Meghan and Lance used

Bride’s Apparel: Alfred Angelo
Groom’s Apparel: Men’s Warehouse
Reception Site: The Sheraton Suites – Cuyahoga Falls
Cake: Phyllis Lester Designs
Floral: Prestige Floral
Photography: Best Image
Videography: Graham River Productions
Entertainment: Jon Blair Quartet (Jerry Bruno Productions)
Transportation: Thomas Limo

As you can see by Meghan and Lance’s comments above, Janet was an asset to the Sheraton. We’ve shared quite a few brides with her and we know that she will be greatly missed. We wish her all the best in her new endeavours!!

And finally a couple other photos from the big day!

The happy family!

group shot of the bridal party

the bridal party stopped at Hudson’s Restaurant (one of Meghan and Lance’s favorite place to eat…and home of the MOST.DELICIOUS.HOUSE.CHIPS.EVER.) for photos and appetizers.

the happy family – being serious :)

meghan and lance did such a great job choosing dresses that weren’t identical but worked well together – these could be my favorite flower girl dresses ever!

look at those gorgeous tablescapes!!

a classic sheraton elevator shot!

Real Brides: Elaine & Mike (and Gerbera Daisies Galore!)

Administrator — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:46:53 +0000

Mike and Elaine - July 11, 2009

We first met Elaine and her mom Mary at our Grand Opening Open House shortly after moving our studio from Front Street to Graham Road. We instantly bonded and after hearing Elaine’s ideas about the invitations we were able to design a sample on the spot which is a rarity for custom design. They were both thrilled – and very few changes were ever made to that original mock-up!

Elaine & Mike's Custom Gerbera / Gerber Daisy Pocketfold Invitation

Needless to say, the invitations were a huge hit with their guests. You may remember this post a couple weeks back where we featured a photo of several of their response cards that were returned with handwritten notes from their guests regarding how amazing the invites were! And of course Elaine’s own love for her invites inspired her to carry the invitation theme to the ceremony programs, table numbers, escort cards, favor tags and thank you notes. She even ordered custom cookies from Contessa Pollina featuring the logo we designed for her wedding!

Escort Cards with guests names and table assignments were tied to the cookies. The boxes were then placed alphabetically on a table so that as guests arrived, they picked up their 'sweet treat' before finding their tables.

These custom programs matched the front of the invite perfectly. I loved working on these because it was the first time we had success with the layout so that the program could open vertically.

Favor Tags for the Wine Stoppers (ordered through Debbie from Crain's Creative Occasions)

Here’s a list of the other vendors Elaine and Mike chose along with some follow up questions that we have taken from their survey:

Bride’s Apparel: Dreams to Realities
Groom’s Apparel: Men’s Warehouse
Catering / Reception Hall: LaVera Party Center (Crystal Room)
Cake: Cakes by Maria
Floral: Terry Mascia
Photography: Cirino Photography
DJ/Entertainment: Marino Brothers
Wedding Coordinator: Crain’s Creative Occasions
Custom Cookies & Pastries: Contessa Pollina Pasticceria
Stationery: Paper Persuasions

What part of the planning was the most fun? I enjoyed all aspects of our wedding planning. Some of my favorite memories of planning included the dress shopping, the invitations, and the gifts for my out of town guests.

What part of the planning was the least fun? Although our wedding planner helped make this such a not-so-bad task, I think the seating assignments would be the least fun for me. Our seating cards from Paper Persuasions along with our cookie boxes from Contessa Pollina made the task all worth it.

Do you have any advice for couples planning their own wedding? To enjoy every minute (including the planning) and to find qualitiy vendors so you won’t be disappointed.

Elaine also had these kind words regarding her experience working with Paper Persuasions: We received TONS of compliments on both the invitations and accessories. Steph and Stacy are very creative. Just give them any idea you may have and watch it blossom! That happened to us. I had mentioned to them my love for Gerber Daisies and before you knew it, the Gerber Daisy that Steph designed was the focal point or theme of our wedding! Steph and Stacy were not only great vendors but became our friends!

We often bond with our clients throughout the custom design process and Mary, Elaine & Mike were no exception! We just loved working on thier wedding and we were delighted when we (and our dates) were invited to attend their wedding as guests! My husband Dave & I and Stacy had so much fun! It was the first wedding any of us had attended at the LaVera Party Center and I have to say that I was more than impressed with Anthony! The wedding was perfect…and we were thrilled not only to have had our hands on every piece of wedding stationery, but also to have witnessed this beautiful day! Many happy years to the both of them!