Lisa + Scott's Ranch Wedding

Saturday May 14, 2016 | Private Ranch | Marsing, ID

“Make sure you marry someone who laughs at the same things you do.”

— J.D. Salinger

the diy bride

Lisa is incredibly talented! When we first met on Scott and Lisa's ranch and discussed what she and Scott wanted in a Wedding Coordinator, what was most important... a wedding that truly reflected their life, their dreams, their personality and their friends and family. Full of spunk and a design challenge, Lisa laughed and said,

“For our wedding design we need you to think,
Cowboy fur trapper goes to art school in Mexico!”

Challenge on! Lisa created so many incredible DIY elements for her day that infused their relationship, history and lifestyle. It was a joy for our team to help guide she and Scott through planning logistics, bringing their vision to life and creating a memorable celebration!

Ira + Lucy
Shawna Hines Hair + Makeup
Just so Event Floral
Celestial Sights
Paperie + Pen
Open Table Catering
Rhodes Entertainment
Tates Tents & Events
Amaru Confections
Peyton Lind Photography

 

Tips On Designing Your Wedding Invitations

We welcome Guest Blogger, Bryan Passanisi, with Shutterfly, today for some great tips on wedding invitation design! Shutterfly has some great budget-friendly resources for those of you on the hunt for wedding invitations! I first became familiar with Shutterfly from my sister who has been using this company for creating photo books of her children each year. I'm so jealous because I have yet to finish mine and Jagger is almost 4! I have a lot of catching up to do! Be sure to check them out! They have a lot of really awesome and creative ways to add details to your wedding OR make great gifts for your family.

Things to Think About When Designing Wedding Invitations

Invitations are one of the most important parts of preparing for a wedding. Not only do they notify your guests of the marriage and convey important information like time and place, they also set the tone for the rest of the wedding. It’s important to have a good first impression, but there are so many options out there for wedding invitation design that choosing the right style can be difficult. Here are a few tips that can help guide you as you create the perfect invitation.

Consider the Ceremony

First of all, make sure that the tone you pick for your invitation reflects the rest of the wedding. Are you hoping to have a fun, casual celebration? Or do you want a formal tuxedo and ballgown affair? More formal invitations look very different from more casual ones. The difference can extend from wording choices to the paper used—formal invitations tend to be on thicker, more expensive paper than informal ones.

Color Choices

Consider choices such as the colors and design of your invitation. Formal invitations are typically more limited in their palette; you may wish to stick with traditional neutrals such as cream, black, or gold. One color might be used as an accent or highlight. Less formal invitations, though, have a lot more latitude when it comes to the use of color—you can choose vibrant blues, bright yellows, or whatever combinations will match with your wedding theme. Try not to include too many shades, though, or else the invitation can come across as too loud; stick with a set of related hues or go for two or three contrasting shades.

Creative Shapes

If you really want to get creative, then experiment with the shape of your invites. Traditional invitations are rectangular, although elegant quatrefoils may be acceptable. If you’re having a less formal wedding, though, feel free to experiment with rounded corners, scalloped edge, or even circular or square invitations that reflect your personality.

Font Options

The font is important too. You’ll probably want some sort of script for a formal invitation, whereas nontraditional fun fonts such as Comic Sans or Informal Roman are a great choice for casual invites. If you’re having trouble choosing, a basic font like Times New Roman, Garamond, or Verdana can work well, although serif fonts usually have a bit more formality (and in some cases personality) than sans-serif ones do. You might even consider doing an invitation with mixed fonts, using script for the couple’s names and plainer fonts for the time and place, although it’s important not to make these two fonts drastically different or the invitation will look sloppy. Whatever font you choose, be absolutely certain that it’s legible at every size; some of the fancier and les traditional choices can be hard to read when they’re small and the last thing you want is an invitation that nobody understands.

Picture Perfect

Do you want to include a photo? Not all wedding invitations include pictures, but adding a picture of the happy couple gives you more opportunity to let your personality shine through. Black and white pictures tend to be more elegant and classic, while colorful photographs look more approachable and realistic. Make sure that you have a number of pictures of the two of you to choose from; this will help you find a picture where you both look your best. Try to find photographs that match the colors of the invitation so that the colors don’t clash.

Backgrounds

Also, determine how much the setting of the photograph matters to you; if all you’re looking for is a shot of the couple’s faces then the background won’t be very important. For other pictures, though, the background is an important component in the design of the invitation. You can choose a traditional setting like a garden, mountain, or beach, or you can go for modern city shots. If you really want to get creative, take your photos in unorthodox locations like art museums, graffiti-covered walls, or amusement parks. You can even choose to include night or evening photos rather than typical daytime ones.

Arrangement

Finally, determine how many photos you want to include and where you’d like to put them. If you have a lot of pictures that you like, you can choose to create a collage or have a single large photos with smaller insets. You can also pick a single classic photo and put it in a frame on your invitation. Another great idea is to take a single photo, blow it up to fill the whole page, and then use it as a background for the text.

Making it Great

Other considerations you should take into account while designing an invitation include the wedding theme (if you’re having a themed wedding), the wording of the invitation (formal or casual) and whether you want to include extras such as foil stamping, ribbons, or rhinestones. Whatever you end up choosing, make sure that the wedding invitation reflects the style of the ceremony, the personalities of the bride and groom, and—above all else—the love that you have for each other.

Bryan Passanisi is online marketer and writer living in Redwood City, CA. He graduated from The University of San Francisco with his Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing. Bryan has managed a popular wedding blog and has created viral content. He currently is a blogger for Shutterfly.

All images provided by Bryan Passanisi, Shutterfly

Ira + Lucy Wedding Lounge Design Basics

 Ira + Lucy Wedding Lounge Design Basics

We love us a beautiful AND functioning lounge or multiple lounge set ups at weddings and special events, including corporate events. Lounges offer comfortable and intimate conversation areas that guests can sit back, enjoy cocktails, watch guests dance the night away and also work as awesome props for bridal party photos. However, there are specifics you should keep in mind when planning your lounge. Ira + Lucy has been designing lounges for weddings and events for three years now and we are happy to share some insight with you.

• RENT the splurges and utilize your own home decor! Get frugal! Rent the larger items, like the sofa, but source some of your own decor. Lamps? Vases and candles? Even throw pillows or an accent rug. We often incorporate the client's personal belongings into the design, BUT beware, don't use something that has high value or can easily be swiped from a guest that you care a lot about. Items below are coming soon! Inquire to reserve!
• Accent with accessories. Add a pop of color with custom pillows, floral design and signage. Rent from local designers or hit up Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Amazon or Target. I personally love discount designer fabric warehouses were I can find quality and gorgeous fabric for a fraction of the price and then I sew covers over pillow inserts I already have! PLUS, many of these stores have pretty flimsy and floppy pillows. Either invest in fuller pillows or cut a small hole in your cheaper pillows and add filler! You want your pillows to have body! Learn how to do this easy sew project and save yourself a ton of money over the long haul! Perhaps I'll teach a class and I can show you! Stay tuned! Let me know if that is something you'd be interested in!
• Utilize the decor for photos. I always connect with the photographer before one of our events and let them see the design boards and special decor details. When you are doing your pre-ceremony pics, have your crew carry out the sofa, loveseat, settee and accent chairs for some out of this world photos! 
• Hire a wedding designer! A designer thinks through the logistics! Delivery, insurance, floor layout, best location for your lounge (don't place it too far from your dance floor and bar!) A designer also knows how to achieve the style you want: shabby chic, rustic elegance, luxuries, modern contemporary, french country and more! You can learn more about the difference between a wedding coordinator and designer right here!

Hope this helps you with decisions for your custom lounge at your wedding or special event! We specialize in wedding and event design and would be thrilled to help you design your lounge space. Be sure to check out our variety of special accent seating, including sofas, settees, ottomans and more! Everything listed in this post is available through us to rent! YAY! *top inspiration concept image from Pinterest.

Savings!!! Right now until the end of August 2015, new couples who book Ira + Lucy for both coordination and design will receive a sofa, settee or love seat from our rental inventory at no additional rental cost! That is a savings up to $300!!!

Still Water Hollow Raves About Ira + Lucy Wedding Planner

"As the owner of a local Idaho event venue, Still Water Hollow, I have had the privilege of working closely with Heidi Wight and the Ira & Lucy team. It began with Heidi and myself putting on events together to help inspire Bride's and bless the couples who were preparing for their wedding day. I saw she had a creative and gifted mind in the area of decor and quickly noticed she could make a dramatic impact without a lot of fuss. I also saw her attention to detail and her deep care for her clients. I felt confident in referring Ira & Lucy, knowing our clients would be taken care of and would be very happy with their rentals and decor.

Recently, I have gotten to see first hand what an impressive job the entire Ira & Lucy team does when taking on event design, decor, vintage rentals, and coordination as a whole. I am convinced that this is the solution to pulling off a wedding or special event with little to no stress.

On the design and decor front, Heidi has the ability to see the big picture and help those planning an event understand what will give them the most dramatic impact. Rather than spending a little money here and there on things that will most likely go unnoticed, but will add up quickly, Heidi has knowledge of where to save and where to really invest. The events Heidi has decorated always look stunning, but each one has a style that showcases the Bride and Grooms individual personalities or the theme that the company is hoping to convey. There is always an elegant flair whether it is a rustic country wedding or a black tie affair. Creating an atmosphere worthy of celebrating and making lifelong memories.

The Coordination part of this is so important. Please do not underestimate the value of hiring a coordinator. On a personal level, I chose not to hire a coordinator at my wedding and both my mom and I would like a do-ver on that decision. My mom and I are very close and I would have loved to have her by my side as I got ready and during the prayer before I walked down the aisle, but she was out making sure vendors were setup and tying up loose ends. She had to change her dress quickly as guests were getting settled into their seats. Leaving us with little memories of being together on that day.

As a venue, we unfortuantely see many events become stressful and overwhelming to those planning. In the case of weddings, we have seen mothers who don't get to spend time with their daughters. We have seen Bride's who have had to focus attention on decor rather than on the deep and meaningful commitment they are about to enter into with the love of their life. We have seen company employees who have had little experience planning large events feel overwhelmed and unsure how to handle difficult situations. On the contrary, with the Ira & Lucy team coordinating a recent event, we were aware of many things going awry behind the scenes, but not one family member, the parents of the Bride and Groom, or the couple had any idea what was taking place. Heidi took care of everything professionally and quickly to ensure the couple and the family had a wonderful evening and left with only sacred moments that will be shared around the dinner table for years to come.

I trust Ira & Lucy with any event I plan in the future and I highly recommend that couples invest in a decor team and coordinator who will ensure their day goes off without a hitch. Many couples spend $2,000-$3,000 on a tent to protect their event from being rained on, but few think of the protection they can gain from someone there making sure you spend the day surrounded by your family and focused on the real meaning of your wedding celebration. That is priceless!"

Brianne Gray Owner and fellow farm girl of Still Water Hollow

Inkling Calligraphy Custom Gift From Ira + Lucy

I am so thrilled to announce a new offer for our wedding and special event clients! As a token of our appreciation when you book our Design + Coordination services you will receive a custom hand lettered sign by Inkling Calligraphy to use at both your event or wedding and then for keeps in your home or business. We're offering this for both our "Enhanced Day Of" Design + Coordination Package and our Full Design + Coordination Packages *new bookings only.

We adore Claire's incredible talent with calligraphy and hand lettering and are so excited to offer such a beautiful gift! We're sharing below some of her beautiful portfolio! Please inquire for more details!

Fine Art Boudoir Photography, Dutch Still Life Inspired Shoot by Katie Rivera Photography Radion Photography