Table Linens, Oh My!

Table linens...I know that they can make or break a room, however I'm not a huge advocate. I'm definitely not a fan of chair covers and bows and frills. I probably wouldn't even be worried about the linens, except for the fact that our venue only supplies white, short (not floor length!) table linens. I'm just not sure that will fly?! The above colors, patterns and fabrics are my picks thus far - just from looking online at BBJ Linens. I'm off to meet with our reception coordinator tonight to discuss options. Does anyone have any advice, tips or stories from their "linen" experiences?! 

Wedding Invitation: Fuschia & Chartreuse

A new "Keg" creation! I love how this design marries the older, baroque look of the line art with a modern color palette. As always, custom color combinations are possible. Letterpress, off-set, digital...all printing methods would work well with this invitation (and are appropriate for a full range of budgets!). Please email all design inquiries to kelly@kegdesign.com.

Love

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I was actually in Vegas for a few days, hence the lack of postings yesterday. I'm excited to share some great photo engagement sessions with you today. All photos were taken by the talented Max Wanger. The first couple utilized Chicago as their back drop...the second couple was from LA. Enjoy!

Bands of Gold

I can check another thing off the list...I ordered my wedding bands this week! We already have Luke's ring - a simple yellow gold band. I'm getting two custom pavé bands with tiny little diamonds all the way around (in yellow gold). Each ring will sit on either side of my engagement ring (below).

Clean Version

HeHe. I thought I'd post a picture of our dining room, sans gifts. It's one of my favorite rooms in our condo - I love the chandelier, sage green walls, wood accents and sunny windows! And the dining room chairs...they were an awesome antique flea market find!

My Bridal Shower

My bridal shower was last Sunday. All of the family and friends who came were more than generous - it was such a special day! Thank you to everyone who was there and helped with the planning! Love you lots!

Me, most of my bridesmaids and some super awesome girlfriends (and cousin)!

The tables...it was a "wine/vineyard" theme!

Yummy coconut cupcakes!!!

Opening gifts...

Luke was such a trooper! And he's so handsome! :)

So many kind words and thoughtful gifts. Thank you!

Now, if I only knew where everything was going to go?!!!

My Postage, Map & glimpse of the Invite!

Pretty, pretty pictures! Designing my own wedding invitations was hard...the possibilities were endless. I love how they turned out and I went a little "camera happy" this weekend. I mean, this is what I do for a living and this is the one and only time I get to do it for myself...so it's special. My "stamp montage" or collage is lovely, and the maps I created to send with the invitations are all trimmed out. I won't be giving away any of the actual "invitation" design until they're sent out early next month.

Okay, so this is the "sneak peek" of the RSVP envelope all letterpressed and pretty! I'm in love...I have to stop staring at them!!! :)

Pretty Postage - Sneak Peek!

Like I said, I accomplished quite a lot this past weekend. I'm pretty pumped about the stamps I got for our invitations. They look great together and coordinate well with the color of the invitations. I even had a "good" experience at the post office - which, at least in Chicago, says a lot! More photos coming tomorrow!

What A Great Weekend!

This past weekend was busy...and tons of fun! 

1. I picked up our letterpress wedding invitations (I'm in love)

2. I picked out some super cool stamps for our invitations

3. My mom and I started addressing, stamping and stuffing...

4. and, finally, my Bridal Shower was yesterday! It was absolutely fabulous - the amount of love from family and friends was amazing...and now we're overwhelmed with 60+ gifts that I have to unpack and find room for in our condo! Fun stuff!

I'll be back blogging tomorrow.

Hope everyone had a great weekend too!

My Original Wedding Mood Board

This was the mood board that I came up with when I first got engaged (almost a year ago now!). It's funny to see how my visions have changed since then... however I still love the feeling that this board evokes. The green, natural elements will still be a large part of our wedding. The groomsmen and bridesmaid's attire have since changed significantly. I'm going to try and create a mood board for my vision, as it stands today. Then, once the day actually happens, I'll post a final, "this is how it turned out" board!

My apologies for not remembering all of the image sources for this board (it was a long time ago!). Many of the photos came from Martha Stewart Weddings, David's Bridal and The Knot.

Save The Date: Christina & Dayne

Check out the new custom wedding logo and Save The Date design I just finished! Christina and Dayne are getting married in Chicago this fall, and wanted a design that reflected the Arts & Crafts period that is a huge part of Chicago's history, including many Frank Lloyd Wright homes.

Christina writes, My fiancé and I will be getting married at a loft space in Chicago this October and we hope to have an elegant, yet effortless and approachable event. For our invitations, we wanted to match the casual nature of our wedding and embody a feeling of "Chicago." So, we asked Keg Design to create an invitation design that captures the style of the Arts & Crafts period, which is highly prevalent in Chicago architecture and décor. With this inspiration in mind, Kelly did a fantastic job translating stained glass & ceramic tile motifs from this period into our invitation and save the date design. Ultimately, I think the end result achieves a very feminine, romantic feeling, while still remaining casual, understated, and masculine. And, to me as a Chicagoan, the design reminds me of home. Perfect!

Postcard Save The Date - Front

Postcard Save The Date - Back

(Please Note: Personal information has been changed to protect the identity of my client)

Demijohn, say what?

Ballard Designs, oh how I love thee! I was browsing through Ballard's online design shop the other day and came across these great demijohn vessels. What is a demijohn, you ask? Miriam Webster defines it as a large narrow-necked bottle usually enclosed in wickerwork. According to Ballard, they have been used for centuries for fermenting beer, wine and mead. Regardless of their intended use, these vessels would make perfect centerpieces. Place branches or flowers in them for that extra "wow" effect. When the wedding is over, purchase the cork lamp adapter and place a couple of them in your living room or bedroom for a new look!

I LOVE these green demijohns - I might even get a couple for my own wedding!

Spruce it up with a great lamp shade!

Cork Lamp Adapter; $29.00 - $39.00

Burlap covered demijohns - perfect for a vineyard wedding!

The iron meshing on these add great texture to any event.

A Personal Touch

One of my favorite (non-people) shots that is taken at almost every wedding is the "ring" shot. There are oh-so-many ways to do it and making it personal to the bride and groom is super cool. I love the following examples, all from Southern Weddings Magazine:

Hoppy Sunday!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and stuffed themselves silly with yummy foods and chocolate bunnies today! I love the pastel colors above - they would make wonderful spring wedding favors. 

(Source: Retro Tuckshop Sweets Direct)

Brand Development: Molly Meyer LLC

Logo development for a "green roof" solutions and consulting company located in Chicago. Molly Meyer LLC advises design professionals and contractors on technical issues for building vegetated green roofs, offers installers a one-stop shop for green roof products, and guides do-it-yourself-ers through design, installation and maintenance. Molly, the founder and owner of Molly Meyer LLC, chose the top logo design as her final brand mark. For more on her company, go here.

Not Your Typical Bouquet

After almost a full year of wedding planning, I find that most bridal bouquets and floral arrangements don't excite me. Everything is pretty ordinary and tends to look the same. When I stumbled upon Amanda Johnson's work from Butterfly Petals in Arizona, I was "wowed"! Her work is truly unique and artsy. I absolutely love it!

Amanda writes on her blog: I have to admit, I am a funky florist. Or at least an earthy, goofy, quirky one! I am drawn to clients with any touch of creativity and I strive to capture that in their work. You've seen feathers, you've seen cactus and I've even thrown in a vegetable or two. But I also take traditional clients and do my best to capture their vision too.

I love the different shades of green and unique mix of textures. Succulents are so cool.

I think this one is my favorite. The bright, bold colors and the peacock feathers! Oh la la!

That bird is pretty sweet! :)

A truly unique "fall" arrangement. I LOVE the moss under the ribbon!

Branches and feathers make for a new, whimsical combo!

Ranunculus are my all-time favorite...and the branching/twine around this bouquet looks great.

Butterfly Petals was the genius behind Amanda and Dave's flowers I featured last week. Check out the postings here, here and here.

Wedding Invitation: Navy & Lime

Another KEG original...something I came up with while designing my own invitations. This beauty would work well with letterpress or off-set (flat) printing. The navy and lime color palette is bold and punchy. Other color combos are always possible. For design inquiries and pricing, please email me at kelly@kegdesign.com.