Category: Wedding

Custom Wedding Map

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

It’s time for another weekly installment of custom wedding work! Kelly and Suzannah got married today with the Idaho mountains in the background. While they ordered their invitations from Minted, they knew they needed custom work when it came to a map insert, so the bride’s sister reached out to me. Lucky for me, the driving directions from one venue to the other weren’t too complicated, so I got to have fun hand-drawing each landmark and include some gorgeous modern calligraphy, along with typography that ties into the invitation itself. Since color-matching the existing invitation would be problematic, we kept the design black and white and the results are striking!

Need a custom map for your upcoming event? Get in touch or shop here.

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Romantic Floral Wedding Invitations

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

It’s finally the big day—the one I’ve been waiting for all year. Today is the day I get to share my first wedding of 2017!

Allison and John got married today in a romantic ceremony in a beautiful church in downtown Madison, followed by an elegant and fun reception at a very cool converted warehouse space just outside the city.

I’ve been working with Allison on details for her big day for almost a year now—you may remember her gorgeous floral save the dates from last fall. Being the dream client that she is, she wanted all her paper goods to coordinate perfectly, so I carried the romantic watercolor florals and classic-yet-casual calligraphy throughout the suite and added a truly special touch with a custom liner.

A few months before the big day, one of Allison’s bridesmaids got in touch to ask if I would design coordinating tote bags for the bachelorette party—which I happily did! Such a thoughtful way for all the girls to remember a great day!

I just love the map of local food sources on the back of their mouthwatering menu!

As a parting gift, the couple offered seed packets to their guests featuring a stamped illustration I designed. 

As you can see, Allison went above and beyond to make her day special from start to finish—and most importantly, at the end of the day, she got to go home with her best friend, who is now her husband. Here’s wishing you two all the luck in the world and a love that continues to grow. Thanks for making me a small part of your big day!

 

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Paper Flower Workshops

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

Sorry for being MIA, so much traveling this spring, and a death in the family added another trip home earlier in March. In better news, I am elated as I’ve just returned from teaching my first paper flower class!

A friend of mine from high school is the special events coordinator at the Milwaukee Art Museum and she reached out a few months ago to see if I would be interested in teaching a workshop during their Art in Bloom event. The workshop sold out! So over the last few weeks, I pulled together all my supplies and made hundreds of flower kits and then met 34 lovely ladies in Milwaukee on a rainy Saturday morning.

The class went really well (although I think I’ll limit future workshops to 25 people)—everyone had a lovely time and left with a poppy and anemone and supplies for a few more. I left exhausted and thrilled—turns out I love to teach! I’ll be offering classes in Wisconsin and other cities I’ll be traveling to throughout the year, but if you’re a shop owner or just someone who wants to get a handful of friends together and host a party yourself, get in touch!

Boho Bride

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

I’m sure you all have been holding your breath since I first wrote about my Boho Watercolor Floral Wedding Invitations, so inhale deeply, because this shoot will take your breath away. Based on the inspiration, I wasn’t quite sure how this shoot was all going to come together, but I am just so impressed with Alex Perry‘s coordinating and every last one of Morgan Anderson‘s photographs.

Apparently, so is The Perfect Palette, who featured the shoot in November. This was my first time on the popular wedding and event blog, so I was very excited! Check out some of my favorite images and all the vendors below, and order invites in my shop!

Photography: Morgan Anderson
Event Design & Planning: Alex Perry
Hair & Makeup: Brazil Raine MUA
Vintage Rentals & Venue: Something Old Dayton
Gown: Victoria & Fitz
Stationery: 622 Press
Accessories: Kata Banko Couture
Model: Charlotte Fedunk
Cake: Frosted

Wedding Season

~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

Well friends, it’s that time of year. Love is in the air and I’m busy working on a bunch of amazing projects I won’t be able to reveal until the summer and fall. So it seems like the perfect time to start sharing some of the amazing styled shoots I had the privilege to be included in last year!

First up is a collaboration with a photographer you’ll be seeing a lot this year: Amanda Duke. Amanda and I connected through The Rising Tide Society when she was looking for invitations for a romantic spring shoot, and we’ve now worked together on two additional shoots. People often lament we’re losing true connections in the digital age, but for me, groups like RTS have allowed me to grow my business from abroad in ways that would never have been possible before.

Anyway, I won’t keep you waiting any longer to see these amazing shots! And make sure to scroll all the way to the end to see the other fabulous vendors who made this shoot sing!

Hair & Makeup: Elizabeth Sloan Beauty
Tablescape: Swoon Designs
Stationery: 622 press 
Photography & Coordination: Amanda Duke Photography