Heidi & Greg's Summer Wedding

Last time we spoke I was days away from graduating college on the North Shore of Hawaii. After two and a half months of visiting family, catching up with friends, traveling and other adventures I have safely arrived in my new home of Irivine California. It feels like a whole new life and I'm excited to be able to devote more time to designing and blogging.

While in Utah I was able to design wedding invitations for one of my favorite couples in the world. Heidi and Greg are two of the kindest people you could ever meet. They always seek to help others before themselves. They are considerate. They remember birthdays. They write thank you notes.

I love their love and I was so happy to help.

The bride wanted the design simple and elegant. The reception was a summer garden party - beautiful but in an effortless way. I chose to create a monogram because they typically suggest formality but in a swingy script font it becomes more relaxed. This, along with the typeface choices helped give the balance Heidi was looking for.

One of the design elements of the wedding was lace. From the centerpieces to the beautiful skirts worn by the bridesmaids lace added a feminine touch. We worked this element into the invitation by using a doily design punch to cut out a delicate lace border for the labels. This was a very inexpensive way to add a unique touch.

To tactfully inform guests of Heidi and Greg's wedding registry we printed up a separate insert - on the back was a custom map with directions to the reception. The Latter Day Saint bride and groom were married at a small ceremony held in the temple. As fewer guests were invited to this event a separate insert card acted as their invitation to the ceremony.

The thing I was most excited about making for the wedding were the favors! Heidi and Greg both have ties to and family in Hawaii so they decided to give a little aloha to their guests in the form of macadamia nut kisses. I designed hang tags that were stitched onto each bag of candy 

Heidi and Greg's wedding was a wonderful day and I'm so glad they let me be a part of it!

Graduating

The day has finally arrived - my sorry butt is at long last graduating from college. I will be walking across that fancy stage in my glorified muumuu tomorrow morning to rightfully claim that piece of paper that will forever validate my intelligence.

I never could have predicted the series of events that has led me here, graduating with a degree in graphic design from BYU Hawaii, but I couldn't be happier I've ended up where I have. Many thanks to family who have helped make this possible - especially my mom for persuading me to not quit college basically every finals week of my life.

Thank you to my teachers, here at BYU-H and UVU, especially the ones who gave me a bad grade when I deserved it - you helped me get my act together and taught me that integrity lies in not half-assing it.

To all my design friends - you are amazingly talented people. I feel privileged to have been able to learn from you, whine with you, and at times be completely jealous of you. Keep in touch, please.

Aloha - only this time it's the goodbye kind.

Pattern Pops

Bright, colorful, patterns are everywhere these days. From bold geometrics to florals, pattern is in. A great way to add pops of pattern is with paper goods. Mixing in a few pieces with solid colors adds great visual texture and really makes your table settings pop.

There are some really great online sources for lovely, modern, party supplies. Here are some favorites I found in my search.

Teal paisley from Cakes and Kids Too

Greek key - from Shop Sweet Lulu

Horizontal stripes from Cakes and Kids Too

Houndstooth from A Pretty Little Party 

Zig zag from Cakes and Kids Too

My Wedding Details

I thought a great way to start this blog would be by sharing one of my own special events - my wedding day. It was an amazing day. Looking back it all feels like a big happy blur so I'm grateful to my photographer Three Winks Studio for capturing all the details so beautifully.

There wasn't an overt theme to my wedding, but I did incorporate some of the things Mike and I like to do together.  Since we love traveling I decorated with globes, maps, and cameras. Rather than a traditional guest book, I created postcards in Photoshop complete with stamps and a postmark. Guests wrote a message on the postcard which I later put into a photo album. The 4x6 size was perfect for this.

The DIY vases are cardboard containers covered in vintage maps of Seattle, New York and San Francisco - meaningful places Mike and I have traveled to together.

Mike's family is from Italy. They love a great party with lots of great food, and I love this about them. Our caterer prepared a spread of Italian antipasti that was all delicious. 

One really fun surprise we had at the reception was fresh made Gelato! 

The Mediterranean style architecture of the Springville Museum of Art was perfect 

And finally, our "wedding cake." Mike and I decided that instead of a traditional cake, we wanted a treat we would really enjoy. A favorite of ours is Dunford Bakery's chocolate donuts. They are one of a kind and absolutely heavenly. 

Welcome

Welcome to the Pleated Press blog!  Here I will be sharing lots of great ideas and inspiration to help you make special occasions (and even every day) more meaningful and memorable. For years I worked at a party supply and rental store where everyday I helped people plan for their most special events. I loved seeing all the details come together to create a unique celebration. I learned that a little creativity goes a long way, and it's the little surprises and special touches that really make a great party.

After graduating with a degree in graphic design, I started the Pleated Press as a way to combine two of my great loves - special events and great design. I hope you find something that inspires you today and I hope you make someone's day brighter with what you find!

Ciao!
Natalie