Cyd and Nole were both in a Gocco mood today so I thought I’d join in! Angelique created these absolutely fabulous Gocco save the dates – she printed on wood laminate cards and encased them in gorgeous fabric pouches.
YES – you can Gocco on wood. Or tin (using the hand-stamp tool). Or glass (using glass etching cream instead of ink). I’d hazard a guess that if you can find a porous or sealable surface, this miracle of a machine can print on it!
{Tutorial found here}
I love letterpress, but wedding budgets don’t always allow for letterpress or engraved invitations, particularly in today’s difficult economic environment. For brides still seeking custom invitations, the Gocco (or now the Yudu!) can be an excellent, and more economical, alternative. Some brides choose to go the DIY route, but for brides who don’t feel comfortable DIYing, there are a few invitation studios that specialize in Gocco-printed invitations.
Yesterday was my birthday and after a long search, I finally found and purchased a Gocco as my birthday gift to myself. I’ve basically been on the fence about purchasing a Gocco for a year at this point and naturally, by the time I realized just how much I wanted one they were completely sold out basically everywhere. Oops! Oh well, after some sleuthing and a shout out on my blog and some great tips from my readers, I found one and it is supposed to ship today. Hooray! So in the spirit of all things Gocco, I thought I’d share some of my favorite Gocco inspiration.
Happy Monday everyone! We hope you are having a great start to your week, and to make a sunny Monday just a smidge brighter, we have a beautiful free printable save the date from The Lovely Dept. to share! The beautiful watercolor wreath is a lovely touch for any spring or summer wedding, and I just adore the light and airy green and yellow color palette.
So it must be Save the Date week at EAD, I believe I am the third blogger this week to present hers!
After the church and reception venue were booked and the date was set, it was time to think about our Save the Dates. Matt and I were talking one night and decided that we wanted to create a map chronicling the paths we each took to find each other and where we are now. We both went off to college, moved across the country after graduation, and met as two midwestern kids in NYC before getting engaged and moving to Memphis. And now we were planning a wedding in Louisville. Whew. It wears me out to just write it. I mentioned our idea on Pretty Bride and soon Laura Hooper came to the rescue.
To save money, we opted to do an electronic save the date. Most people in my life didn’t even think that was necessary, but with 80% of our guest list being from out of town, and a family history of disorganization and lack of planning skills, I totally ignored them. I also thought it’d be a good way to get the word out about our website, which has a lot of information about our event and San Diego.
About a month ago I made thank you cards. Lots and lots of them. With lined envelopes, of course. I love sending paper cards. Writing them feels a little decadent, and opening the mailbox to a pretty envelope makes my day. Some of my friends send wonderful mail, so I have a set standard already.
In November EAD held a DIY contest, and E. encouraged me to enter my invitations, still in progress. Oh sure, I said, If I finish them soon! E., I totally did not finish them soon. Ladies- (And gentlemen? If you include DJ and one brother) I finished printing the maps on July 17, the night before we mailed them. Expert procrastinator. Hey E., can I enter now??
When it came time to think about our save the dates, I knew I wanted something casual yet classy that tied into the vintage feel of our wedding. But the most important thing to me? The budget, of course!
I’m sure you’ve all been on the edges of your computer chairs waiting to see our final invitations! Well, I hate to disappoint, but they’re not quite ready for prime time. To be honest, Nick and I have had little time to work on them lately, what with showers and parties.
How do girls getting married in just over a month spend their weekend? Crafting, of course! I’ve been working on a lot of easy but time consuming projects this weekend. Table name signs, escort cards, M’s wedding gift, and a mock up of our ceremony programs so I can start trimming down the stock for the covers and laying out pages in InDesign. Am I the only one who gets really really excited to see something working out as planned? Consider me really excited right now. I’m in love with how this mock up program turned out!
Last we chatted I told you about my reluctance to take the Gocco out of its perfectly packed box. But it had to be done. So I spent many hours reading tips on Weddingbee and right here on EAD. I watched videos on YouTube, and I found a very detailed tutorial on Flickr.
Last Friday I traveled to my parents’ house with a Gocco, a Xyron, an embosser, 8 lbs. of paper, and a whole lot of anticipation!
Looking for a creative save the date or invitation idea? How about a fabric postcard? Eco-friendly, cost-effective and completely unique – I’m in love.
It’s been a busy week. I got my dream job offer, flew to DC, found an apartment, and have packed 7 fridge-sized boxes since yesterday in preparation for my big move to DC this weekend. Although this means my fiance and I will continue our long-distance relationship for another 6 months or so before we re-evaluate our next move, NYC (where he lives) is a lot closer to DC than Africa was (where I was living last year).
Throughout the planning process, I mentioned before that I wanted to stay sane and delegate where I could. Â That included finding a florist who I trusted to do just about whatever she wanted, letting my parents be in charge of the catering and the alcohol, and letting my bridesmaids choose much of their own outfits. Â However there was one thing I couldn’t let go of – I wanted to make the invitations and other stationery myself. Â Naturally, that began with Save the Dates.
As I may have mentioned before, M is an English teacher and I an avid lover of books and literature. This common ground proved to be one of the first things we truly bonded over as I made it my goal in life to prove to the English teacher that I, a mere mortal, was actually more well read than he. It took some time and some effort, but he finally relented that my years as a bookworm as a kid while he was honing his pitching skills on the baseball field did, in fact, make my book collection far vaster than his. Luckily for me, his ego was able to handle it and we’ve been trading books back and forth ever since.
As promised, here are a few more of our favorite DIY details from our wedding. As I mentioned yesterday, going the DIY route was a great way to personalize our wedding. Menus, programs, and custom coasters aren’t new ideas for a wedding, but because my husband and I were able to do them ourselves, each one of these details helped to make our wedding a true reflection of us as a couple.
We are so pleased to welcome the girls from Louella Court to EAD today for our next Advice From the Pros segment! Louella Press and Two Paperdolls are sister companies specializing in retail stationery and custom designs, respectively. They are based just outside Philadelphia.
