DIY Postcard

Isn't this postcard invitation great?! Not only could it be used for a shower (as shown) but this is also a perfect idea for table numbers.

A recent bride and groom traveled all over Denver to pose with interesting and different numbers. The photos were framed and were turned into their table numbers for the night of the wedding.

Wedding Etiquette Wednesday - Facebook

With Facebook more popular than ever, we found this bit of etiquette as posted on Martha Stewart Weddings to be quite interesting and relevant.

It seems like the etiquette game is constantly changing. And nowhere is that more apparent than in the digital realm. Case in point? A reader recently wrote in with the following questions:

Lots of my friends and family are on Facebook. Can I create a page just for my wedding, and post updates, etc.? Or maybe an event? Is it rude to post status updates about my wedding planning on my own wall?

Here’s the etiquette rule at play -- and it’s a biggie: It’s rude to talk about a social event in front of someone who is not invited but has reason to think they might have been.

Facebook makes this hard to apply. It's still sort of new, in etiquette terms; people develop so many differing levels of intimacy, and everyone uses Facebook differently. So be cautious with status updates, depending on who is in your “friends” list, and how it compares to who is on your guest list. A few general status updates are fine. You can’t hide the news -- just don’t dwell on it.

As for creating a page or an event: restrict these to be visible only to the “friends” who are also on your guest list. But be warned: Most people don't care about your trips to the florist or cake baker the way you do, so just keep that in mind.

c9 Weddings & Papers readers - what do you think?

DIY Cookie Favor

For the DIY bride, this might be just the perfect favor. As we say, if the favor can't be eaten, forget about it.

These Message-In-A-Cookie Cutters are a Williams-Sonoma exclusive. "Create personalized cookies for Valentine’s Day, birthdays and other notable occasions using our cutters in scalloped-rectangle, heart and star shapes. Customize the cutters by sliding in letters or premade words to form a name or message. When you press the cutter into the dough, your lettering is imprinted on the cookie. The set includes three cutters, seven premade words (Welcome, Happy, Birthday, Holidays, Thank You, From, I Love You), three sets of alphabet letters (plus extras of vowels and other commonly used letters) and a dishwasher-safe mesh bag for easy cleaning and storing."

So, how about sending guests home with a delicious home baked Thank You or I Love You cookie? And, what a fun thing to put on your wedding registry!

Project Runway - Carol Hannah

One of our favorite reads, Daily Candy Weddings recently debuted information about this stunning new line of wedding dresses.

"When Tim Gunn says, “Make it work,” that’s what you do. Project Runway finalist Carol Hannah Whitfield carried out Gunn’s motto beautifully with her just-debuted line of bridal gowns ($1,500-$5,000).

Inspired by Charleston, South Carolina’s high society and luxe boho vibe, the frocks are sassy and sophisticated without being stuffy. Made of 100 percent silk (organza, chiffon, duchess and hammered satin, charmeuse), the collection focuses on flattering silhouettes with details like handmade trim, textured fabric, handmade flower appliques, and perfect draping.

Options include long and short hemlines, flowy and form-fitting styles, and white and ivory hues.

Most importantly, the wedding dresses are comfortable and lightweight, so you can actually enjoy your monumental day."

Click here to view dresses, now available online.

Rum Cakes By Kelli

We had the great pleasure of tasting the most delicious rum cakes today. Rum Cakes by Kelli delivered a variety of cakes - from a 9" masterpiece to mini shooters coming two per box.

We were instantly in love and wanted more.

Kelli's website describes them best, "This isn’t your grandmother’s rum cake. Imagine…exceedingly moist, yellow cake with sugary, buttery sauce so delicious that some customers actually lick the cardboard plate it sits upon. The rum doesn’t overwhelm the cake but offers just a hint of rum fun. (Even people who don’t like rum love this cake!) Pecans (or almonds) line the top of the cake, balancing the flavor and offering a satisfying crunch!"

There is an amazing story behind Kelli's Rum Cakes. Kelli and her best friend Joan started baking together in 1983. After friends and neighbors tasted the rum cakes, they demanded more and Kelli and Joan, together, produced the scrumptious cakes for 23 more years. In 2007, Joan passed away after a battle with breast cancer. The two friends had always talked about one day selling their cakes so Kelli now sells the cakes in honor and gratitude of her friendship with Joan.

The cakes come in either in traditional or chocolate and are absolutely divine.

We think the 9" beauty would be perfect on a dessert buffet or the shooters could be a favor at each place setting or even put inside a guests' welcome bag at the hotel.

If you are looking for a unique and delicious dessert, favor or treat - Rum Cakes by Kelli is the answer!

Etsy Find - Luggage Tags

On a daily browse through Etsy, I came across these vintage, handstamped luggage tags by Of The Fountain. All I can say is 'adorable'.

DIY Photo Booth

For those DIY brides, this photo booth will make you swoon especially when paired with these Whisker and Smile sticks found on Etsy.

We found this idea from the Ruffled blog and think it is adorable. See below for detailed instructions!

What you’ll need:

- Plywood (all wood and tools from Home Depot)

- (2) 2’x3’ Wood beams

- Sawhorse

- Ruler/Measuring tape

- Hammer and nails

- Wood screws

- Handheld jigsaw

- Handheld drill

- Mod Podge

- Paintbrush

- Waterproof sealant

- Vintage picture frame (thrift store)

- Vintage wallpaper (eBay)

- Floor molding (optional)

Instructions:

Step 1: The plywood usually comes in a 4’x8’ sized sheet. To make it easier, have the store cut the top for you – we asked for a 19” cut to make the final height 6’5”.

Step 2: Lay your plywood flat on the sawhorse. Measure your picture frame. Make sure you start your measurements near the middle of the frame itself – you don’t want the plywood to show on the inside of the frame, nor would you want gaps around the outside of the frame! Decide where you want your frame to be, and draw your measurements on the wood.

Step 3: Use a drill bit large enough to make a hole the width of the jigsaw blade in all corners of your measurements on the plywood. Now use the handheld jigsaw to cut out the entire shape.

Step 4: Stand the plywood upright. Cut each of your beams to about 5’ high. Measure and cut a 70 degree angle off the top of the beam. Hold this up to your wood frame until the angle lies completely flat against the block. Now take a ruler and place it horizontally on the ground, against the bottom of the beam, and use it to draw a line against the wood. Cut with the jigsaw – this will make the bottom of the beam level with the ground. Using the excess wood, cut (2) 10” pieces to use as mounting blocks. On the “back” of the frame, nail a mounting block onto each side. Make sure you hammer the nails through the front, so the heads are flush with the wood. Set the (2) beams aside for later.

Step 5: Lay your frame back onto the sawhorse. Measure and cut your wallpaper to size. Working with one strip at a time, brush your mod podge (what I had on-hand, but if you have wallpaper paste, that would probably work well, too) onto the top third of the wood. Line up and press your wallpaper onto it. Run over the surface with a ruler or other flat object to make sure there are no air pockets. Repeat for the middle and bottom third and all remaining strips of wallpaper until the entire front of the wood is covered. Let dry for at least 24 hours.

Step 6: Brush a thin layer of waterproof sealant over the entire surface of the wallpaper. Let dry for at least 24 hours.

Step 7: Optional: We really wanted to make it look like a piece of an actual wall, so we cut (2) 4’ long pieces of floor molding and attached one to the top and bottom of the wood frame, with Gorilla Glue.

Step 8: Stand the wood frame upright. Take one of the 5’ beams that you cut earlier and line it up against one of the mounting blocks. Drill 2 pilot holes (one on top, one 4 to 6 inches directly below the first hole) through the beam and partly into the mounting block. Next, screw the wood screws into the pilot holes. We used a 2” screw for the top (the thinner part of the beam) and a 2 3/4” screw for the bottom. Repeat for the other side.

Step 9: Mount your picture frame over the hole. Whew, you’re done! Now take your new “photo booth” somewhere pretty and snap away!

Wedding Passport and Spark 'Deals'

This adorable wedding day passport, recently featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, is the perfect Save-The-Date for destination weddings. Who wouldn't love to receive this in the mail?!

cloud 9 Papers, the exclusive retailer in Colorado for Spark Letterpress would like to offer customers the following promotions;

Free Belly Bands with Pocket Folds

Our pocketfolds (a.k.a. envelopment, pouch, folder that holds your wedding invite and insert cards) come with a string and button closure that we just love. But, if that's not your thing, then just ask us to skip the string and button and swap for a belly band wrap instead!

Here's how it works. When you purchase...

Unprinted Pocketfolds, receive an unprinted or 1 color belly band wrap.

One Color Letterpress Pocketfolds, receive an unprinted or 1 color belly band wrap.

Two Color Letterpress Pocketfolds, receive up to 2 colors on your belly band wrap.

Upgrades do not apply with this special offer. Offer ends May 31, 2010.

Free Calling Cards or Gift Tags
Receive 100 free calling cards or gift tags when you purchase $700 in Spark custom products from our Wedding Love albums. The cards/tags are printed in the same number of ink(s) as you are ordering for your other wedding day pieces. Die cut shapes are not available with this offer.

Upgrades do not apply with this special offer. Offer ends May 31, 2010.

Do I really need a planner?

The insightful and oh-so-talented Preston Baily, recently published this article that we thought 'hit the nail on the head' - click here or read below.

"Let me ask you this: do you need a doctor to deliver your baby? Or would you prefer doing it yourself? Okay, that is a bit of an exaggeration but you get what I’m saying…

If you are giving a small, intimate party, have lots of time and you enjoy entertaining then no, you do not need a planner. However, having a large event (at times) is similar to producing a play or show and this requires time and experience to produce.

I have interviewed more than one client who has mentioned that hotel or location managers often insist they don’t need a planner–well, these folks are wrong. There is a lot that happens before the day of the event that needs to be managed.

Now comes the bad news: there are great planners and then there are the planners who give the business a bad name. Being also a part of the planning industry, I have had the joy and pain in working with both good and bad. Here is my humble opinion on how you can tell the difference:

Good planners: They make the process as easy and painless as possible, respecting the client’s time and level of involvement.
vs.
Bad planners: They think they are the show. They create drama were there should be none. They over-involve the client, and they need lots of attention.

Good planners: They give their clients realistic budget expectations, telling them what things really cost.
vs.
Bad planners: They unrealistically promise clients they’ll get quality for less and drive all the vendors crazy asking them to lower their prices.

Good planners: They get their normal fee from their clients and they do not accept commissions from vendors, which puts them in a better position to negotiate.
vs.
Bad planners: They collect a fee from clients and also quietly blackmail vendors into paying them commissions. (For example, they say something like, “If you don’t pay me a commission, I won’t use you or your services.”)

Good planners: They are very open to creativity, yet respectful of the vendors and artists they work with.
vs.
Bad planners: They are frustrated designers and seem to think they know what is best for the design. (Though, to be fair, they have seen a lot of designs, which gives them the right to have an opinion.)

So yes, I do think having a good planner is a very essential component to having a successful event. I have often found myself explaining this (and why) to my clients. What do you think?"

Sample Sale at Anna Bé

Soon-To-Be-Brides - mark your calendar for April 21 - May 1 as Anna Be recently announced a to-die-for sale - the one sale that you've been waiting for!

For a limited time only we will have tons of great sample dresses on sale as well as a limited number of consignment dresses (a minimum of 30% and as much as 70% off!)

In the past, our sample sales have booked out completely, so call today if you're interested. We know that there are more brides than ever who are looking for a deal or in need of a last-minute dress, so we've extended the sale for a full week and a half, but it will still book out quickly!

And if you're looking for information on how to consign your wedding dress, check out the sell your dress page.

The Rules: To avoid a chaotic experience, a Filene's basement-esque frenzy, and any potential hair pulling, we've compiled a short list of ground rules.

- Appointments are required and will be scheduled for an hour

- All dresses are on a first come, first sold basis

- We cannot hold dresses. We understand that sometimes you need a second or third opinion and believe that if it's meant to be, the dress will still be there for you when you're ready to decide

- All dresses are sold as-is

Please call 720.855.1111 today to make an appointment!

and two become one - introducing cloud 9

As many of you know, I have owned Nancy Chase Weddings & Celebrations and the stationery company, Pampered Papers, since 2005. These wonderful companies have brought my two passions together, weddings and paper products, and I am honored to be part of the great history which these two entities posses.

With that, I am thrilled to announce our new name and look to you – cloud 9! We have merged the businesses and now have two divisions: Weddings and Papers.

cloud 9 Weddings
There is nothing better than two people in love and hosting a wedding to celebrate with family and friends. With over 300 weddings under our belts, we are excited to continue planning magnificent weddings for the Denver community.

cloud 9 Papers
We have added additional lines to our already extensive collection and are offering 100% recycled papers, letterpress, seeded papers and invites, invitations for all holidays (all yearly), designer wedding invitations, adorable baby announcements, personal stationery and so much more. For your convenience, we have added our stationery books in a second location in the Denver Highlands at StudioWed located at 4500 West 38th Avenue #100, Denver, CO 80212, or 303-455-0969.

Please find us on our website: http://www.cloud9bliss.com/ (official full debut next week), our blog: http://cloud9bliss.blogspot.com/ (official full debut next week) and on Facebook and Twitter. This is a fun way to keep in touch and stay updated on the latest and greatest from cloud 9.

Click here for the recent news in the Denver Business Journal.