Courtney & Michael's Wedding

All my blog postings have a story that relates to the client/couple, who they are, how they met and what they envision for their invitation design. This post is slightly different because not only does it have a story but a little bit of my own childhood memories. Courtney found me through her sister and matron of honor Kerri, ironically Kerri and I were childhood friends and like everyone these days re-connected on facebook. I could only remember Courtney as she was the last time I saw her which would have been when she was around 4 or 5 years old. I spent quite a few of my childhood days playing at the O'Brien's house after school; back then we didn't call them "play dates" either. I remember Kerri trying to teach me all the dance moves to The New Kids on the Block "You've Got It (The Right Stuff) in Courtney's then playroom. Thank GOD the O'Brien's had a VCR, Kerri had to keep re-winding the tape because I was struggling to keep up....LOL! It's funny to think that 20 something years later that I would be designing Courtney's wedding invitations. When Courtney and her fiance Mike arrived for their design consult, here was this pretty blonde all grown up and I still could only remember the little girl version of her.

Well I guess we should discuss the design now......the chosen color palette was gold and amethyst, gold can be a little difficult when it comes to card stocks as the range of golds can really vary. She wanted a clean, elegant design and for the amethyst not to be overpowering. Like majority of my brides this year Courtney LOVED the portable pocket which had a beautiful pattern called Regalia the color of the pattern wasn't exactly pure gold but when we paired it with the amethyst it was perfect. If my memory is correct it was actually Mike that found the "winning" pattern.......see who said guys don't care about the details too! When it came to the overall design and layout Courtney like the idea of using their names with just a bit of ornamental design surrounding it. You can see that the use of the ornamental design was carried over to all the other pieces of the invitation suite as well as the place cards, menu cards, table numbers, programs and signage.

Normally when I post a wedding blog I try really hard to not only include photos of the invitation design and accessories but of all the other elements. I was thrilled when I reached out to Courtney's & Mike's Photographer Bharat of Bharat Parmar Photography about using some of the photos he took at their wedding. Bharat immediately responded to my email and gave me the code to choose what photos I would like for my blog, clearly you can see what photos I took and what photos Bharat took:) I looked through his entire portfolio which was really notable; so for all the brides out there that have not found a Photographer I highly recommend looking at Bharat's work, you will not be disappointed.

I have to take a moment to discuss Courtney's WEDDING DRESS.......it was seriously STUNNING, I just loved all the elegant details of it. I have seen tons of wedding gowns but never one as unique as hers, it was so light and airy. Her choice for the bridesmaids was also fabulous, the deep amethyst color was perfect for a March Wedding and all her bridesmaids look beautiful in it. There was only ONE other little lady that day who may have stolen the show for just a few minutes.......flower girl extraordinaire and Courtney's niece AVA who learned to walk just three months before her big day. She was the cutest flower girl with the most perfect dress and even her own pair of sparkly gold shoes.....simply PRECIOUS.

The wedding ceremony took place at Saint Agnes Church in Arlington....looking through the photos Bharat took of the church was like walking down memory lane. I had forgotten just how beautiful that Church truly is......I grew up in Arlington and went to Saint Agnes Grammar School and spent many a days sitting in those pews, obviously not thinking much about the architecture though. The reception was held in Hudson Massachusetts at the Charter Oak Country Club, a breathtaking venue with a beautiful interior and exterior. Courtney's gorgeous bouquet and wedding flowers all came from A Whole Bunch Flower Market in Burlington who did an exceptional job on all the arrangements and bouquets. Now for the cake....for me picking the wedding cake is right up there with picking the wedding dress....oh and of course picking the wedding invitations too! If I was not a graphic designer I totally would want to be a cake designer, I actually have an entire PINTEREST BOARD dedicated to CAKE. What I loved about Courtney and Mike's wedding cake was how simply elegant it was, Kristen Repa owner of Dessert Works in Westwood did a flawless job with the design of their cake. The four tiers each had a band of of gold with pretty dot piping but it's the perfectly placed magenta dendrobium orchid blooms that truly make this cake astounding.

Congratulations to Courtney and Mike, thank you for choosing me to design your wedding invitations. I wish you both nothing but happiness for the future. To Kerri I thank you for following my blog and thinking enough of me to recommend me to your sister, it's so funny how life works out!

PHOTOGRAPHY:  Bharat Parmar Photography
FLOWERS: A Whole Bunch Flower Market
VENUE: Charter Oak Country Club
CAKE:  Dessert Works
ENTERTAINMENT: NuImage Entertainment