Photo: Lynne Brubaker
What do real brides have to say about the wedding planning experience? In the weeks leading up to her wedding, guest blogger Linley Taber shared the ins and outs of finding dance floor-friendly bridesmaids dresses, nailing a foodie-approved wedding menu, and more. With the big day behind her, Linley gives us a sneak peak of her gorgeous wedding photos and a few of her favorite details.
There's no way around it: I'm an unabashed nut for paper products. I get a kick out cardstock and calligraphy, rue the day eVites replaced real invitations, and relish any chance to pen a hand-written note. So when it was time to select invitations for my big day, I approached the task with the sort of reverence and excitement normally reserved for wedding dress shopping.
Early on, I knew what look I was going for: something classic, sweet and fresh. And there really was no question where I would find it: The Pleasure of Your Company, the Baltimore stationary shop where my mom has ordered invitations and the like for almost 30 years.
Of course, one appointment wouldn't be enough for a junkie like me. I wanted to consider every option, run my fingers over the raised print, imagine my name spelled out in the various fonts. Even when I narrowed it down to the designer I wanted to work with—Smock, a line of customizable letterpress designs—it took me a few more visits to actually pull the trigger.
The winning design was simpler (and chicer) than I imagined: chartreuse green text on a white bamboo card, with a pale pink hand-painted edge and baker's twine wrapped around it. To me, the invitation felt just right—current but classic, and perfect for our summer wedding in the Connecticut countryside.
For our day-of paper products, I wanted a similarly crisp, elegant look, and enlisted a local calligrapher to lend her skills. Her hand-lettering adorned our programs cover, escort cards, and dinner menus (which doubled as place cards, with each guest's name on top). Our caterer even got in on the fun, personalizing some of the paper details that accompanied our passed hors d'oeuvres. Who knew you could serve French fries in monogrammed paper wrappers? Come the big day, all of these designs that I had fawned and obsessed over looked positively lovely.
—Linley Taber
Read more about Linley's wedding planning and inspiration here.
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