I would just like to say one thing - well a lot of things because this is a blog obvi - but major shoutout to brides who know nothing about weddings!! It was not until planning my own wedding that it hit me what an overwhelming and difficult process this could be for couples who had never worked in or around the wedding industry. Having worked around the pros at Martha Stewart Weddings and of course America's wedding queen herself, Darcy Miller, I have always felt confident that when the time came I would be well equipped - and I am. We knocked major things off the list quickly (more on that later) and now I am having so.much.fun working on all the little details that are very big details to me.
While I love all of the modern Save the Dates that Minted, Wedding Paper Divas, etc have to offer ( these are pretty and time efficient choices ladies + gents) I knew that I wanted to design ours myself. I wanted them to be so authentically us that no other person or company could possibly do it from start to finish. I'm going to wait for our loved ones to open their special deliveries before posting about them and my talented friend that brought our idea to life, but there is one detail I would love to share.
To keep with the theme of a custom Save the Date, I wanted to use stamps, colors, hand lettering and return address styles that were hand picked and collaborated on between me, him and them. After looking ( for what felt like forever ) for a return address stamp that really spoke to me ( yes these things actually talk to me - no I am not crazy) I finally came across the loveliest of ladies at Of Note Stationers. To me, a wooden handle stamp feels classic and gives a nod to decades gone by. To events and people that relied on and appreciated the lost art of handwritten snail mail.
Based in Massachusetts, the lovely letterpress duo that creates these clean and meaningful designs are Isabel + Kate. When I first contacted them I got a response from Kate, who had just been married THAT WEEK. Anyone that can run their own business, have a wedding and get back to potential clients in the same week must have super powers. For me, this set the tone of the quality of service + design that I knew Of Note would provide. Not only are we trying to incorporate as many friends + family into our celebration as we can, but we are also striving to work with vendors that are small, local to somewhere and who inspire us.
I explained which design I liked, the look I was going for and a few changes I wanted to make. Their response? No problem! They sent me a proof with a couple of choices and got my stamp out to me quickly. When it arrived, it was accompanied by the sweetest card with a handwritten note of gratitude. I love small business and small business owners that do it right. I am so in love with our stamp. It feels vintage, modern and timeless all at the same time.
These ladies create all sorts of things from greeting cards to return address stamps to custom wedding suites. Stop by and give them some love! They deserve it. A peak of my favorites + our stamp below.
And now for a few favs from their shop..
