And we love that Jennifer couldn’t choose just one Save the Date–but four! I can’t say I blame her–their photos are fab!

Enjoy.

Wedding Style: We are going for a rustic beach wedding look. I want all the dresses to be very flow-y–nothing stiff or heavy. {I feel so lucky to have Pinterest in my life!}

Colors: Coral, Tan and Light Aqua/Teal.

Ceremony, Cocktail hour & Reception:
Our ceremony will be toes in the sand followed by cocktail hour on the grass under a gazebo overlooking the beach. The reception will be in the ball room at the Tradewinds Resort on St. Pete Beach, FL.

Photographer: Alicia Danene Photo–on Facebook.
Alicia is a friend of the family and she photographed us at Honey Moon Island in Dunedin, FL.  We had so much fun doing the shoot! Greg and I live on Indian Rocks Beach, FL so it was appropriate to have the shoot at a beach. We are ALWAYS in the water, beach cruising, surfing or hanging out at a local beach bar.

Beach Save the Dates: MagnetStreet Weddings
“I loved using Magnet street! I played on it for hours … I went on several sites and yours was the most user friendly and had the most options. I couldn’t just choose one style!!

Thanks Jennifer & Greg–for sharing your fun, engagement photos. We look forward to seeing rustic beach wedding style realized. And we couldn’t agree more–thank goodness for Pinterest!

Jennifer & Greg personalized these Save the Date Magnet designs:

top left: Devoted top right: Snapshot Sweetness

bottom left: Simply in Love  bottom right: Western Charm

Related posts:

1. Beach Wedding Colors: Part 2
2. Color Monday: Beach Wedding Colors
3. Southern Wedding Photography: Jennifer Blair

My bosses were in Germany recently, and all I got were these three very cool photos of the “Love Locks” on the Hohenzollernbrucke railway and pedestrian bridge in Cologne. Are you familiar? A fairly new trend {last 10-12 years or so}, Love Locks are found mostly in Europe, in Canada and if you look closely, in the U.S. too. Been to Lovelock, Nevada or the Brooklyn Bridge lately?

What’s it all about? Forever love! This romantic movement involves couples professing their love by etching their initials onto a lock … attaching it to a bridge, post, fence or if you’re in Moscow–a tree–and then throwing away the key. Here in Cologne, couples toss their keys into the Rhine River.

Although not exactly eco-friendly, it is entirely romantic! Could you see yourself locking your love?

Bridges are romantic all by themselves but to see all these colorful, personalized locks has got to be inspiring!

Have you been here or seen the Love Locks somewhere else?

Sigh …

Thoughts?

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2. Link Love. Be Inspired.
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Damask has the ability to transform the overall feel with the colors you use. It can be bold or soft, vintage or traditional–all the while being modern and trendy.

We’re using three of our Damask Wedding Invitations to discover and illustrate how transforming these color changes can be. On the left is Floral Ornament Wedding Invitation a traditional and bold damask design.

The modern and trendy Damask Dream Wedding Invitations is on the right.  Front and center is the soft, vintage feel of Romance in Paris Wedding Invitation. These three diverse designs will all be transformed by color into completely new looks.

So let’s start off with a bold color palette.

Pop! When damask is used with hot, vibrant colors it becomes very unique and trendy. Bold colors jump right off the invitation. These wedding looks will not be forgotten!

But can something as strong as damask be soft and subtle too?

Of course. It’s so hard to resist these luscious color combinations! The sweet and airy designs are just what you want for a romantic and charming wedding invitation.

Can we make it look vintage just by changing the colors?

Yes–the tones now are muted to reveal these beautiful color combinations.

Now, let’s revert back to traditional Damask …

Clean and absolutely lovely. These colors suggest a more formal affair …

Remember … that all of these combinations have resulted from using the same three wedding invitations! Amazing! And of course you can do this too! Inside Design Studio, our personalization tool, you can play around with color all you want! Totally transform the look of the invitations just using color combinations to get the look and feel you want.

What style of damask to you like the best? Which is the most trendy?

Thanks for stopping by!

Lindsay

Related posts:

1. Color Monday: Chevron Love
2. Color-Blocking on Color Monday
3. Personalizing with Pantone Color: Bamboo

With a Dr. Seuss feel and “Lorax” appeal, today’s free wedding wallpaper is called Spring Forest. These sweet truffula-esque tufts of color and mix and match patterns are quirky and charming at the same time. A modern twist on a classic and colorful tale, “Spring Forest” desktop wallpaper provides fantastic inspiration for a fun, Dr. Seuss-themed bridal shower or simply a whimsical wedding theme.

What do you think of our Spring Forest free wallpaper?

Find this wallpaper plus a whole collection of free wedding wallpapers at MagnetStreet!

Download Spring Forest Wallpaper:

Click on the size below for your monitor. The image will load in your browser’s window. Right-click the image and select “Set As Background”

1920 x 1200

1920 x 1080

1280 x 1024

1280 x 800

1366 x 768

1024 x 768

Want more? We’ve created a bunch of fun wedding resources at MagnetStreet. Find other wallpapers, wedding countdowns … plus wedding planning tools & inspiration… all for FREE!

Happy Freebie Friday!

Related posts:

1. Freebie Friday: Spring Butterflies
2. Freebie Friday: Spring Owl
3. Freebie Friday: Christmas Bells Wallpaper

From colors, fonts, photos and wording–there is so much you can personalize with your wedding stationery from MagnetStreet Weddings! Here are 11 of the most popular questions we get in regard to personalized wedding invitations:

Colors, Fonts & Proofs

1. Can I change the colors on any linen invitation design to any color I want?

Yes! Any design can be personalized with your wedding colors. A). Tell us the CMYK color values B). Choose from our Color Guide {features over 60 of our most popular colors}. C). Create custom colors using Design Studio–our online personalization tool.

2. Can I change the fonts on my design?

Yes! You’ll find over 100 fonts in Design Studio, our personalization tool. Be sure to check out our font guide which features 46 of our most popular script, serif, and sans serif typefaces.

3. Will I see a proof?

Yes! Whether you approve your design within the editing tool or you make notes You will always see and approve a proof of your design before it goes into production.

If you personalize and order your design online: You will be able to view and approve an auto-generated proof from your shopping cart. Once you approve your proof, you can proceed to checkout.

If you request changes to your design: After you have placed your order online, we will email you a PDF proof of your design within 2-3 business days. Your order will not go into production until you have approved the proof.

Photos & Graphic Elements

4. Can I edit my own photos using your design tool?

Yes! Using Design Studio, you can crop, rotate or change the photo to black and white and adjust your photo’s color intensity, brightness and contrast. You can also remove photos, add photos, or make a request to have our designers add a photo to a design that does not already have one.

Special Printing

5. Can I add backside printing?

Yes! Simply add your notes in Design Studio and feel free to call us with your questions. 800. 788.0611

6. Can you print addresses on my envelopes?

Yes! We can print your return address as well as the addresses of your guests on your wedding envelopes. Please see our pricing & formatting guide.

7. Can you create a Custom Design for me?

Yes! Here are our Custom Design for You products.

8. Can I provide my own design?

Yes! Here are our Customer Provided Artwork products. *To learn how to format your files, check out our Graphic Standards.

9. Can I change Table Numbers to something else?

Yes! For an additional design fee, you can change the table numbers to some other text or photos. Please contact us, so we can help you place your order.

10. Can you create an Invitation to match my Save the Date?

Yes! We get this one alot! If you cannot find the coordinating Invitation in our gallery, please contact us to discuss this with one of our Customer Care Reps.

11. Can you print my guest names on some of my invitation items?

Yes! For a per-product fee, we can print your guests’s name on :
- Invitations
- Place Cards
- Thank Yous

Do you have a question that hasn’t been answered? And you don’t even have to raise your hand … just leave a comment!

For further assistance, please visit our Help section for more answers to other questions regarding your account, or personalizing your wedding stationery. We’re here for you! Fee free to give us a jingle at 800.788.0611 {an actual person will pick up the phone} or if you prefer the digital method … email brides@magnetstreet.com and we’ll email you right back!

Happy Thursday.

Related posts:

1. Color Everyday: Any Design.
2. Design Your Own Wedding Invitations
3. Color Monday – Lace It Up

If you don’t already know … Ikat is a technique–a way of tie-dying yarn to make a pattern before the fabric is woven and one of the oldest techniques for beautifying fabrics. No wonder this “trend” is so long-lasting! This gorgeous patterning style is here to stay! And lucky for us–modern processes make it possible to enjoy these gorgeous patterns–on everything from textiles to dinnerware to–wedding stationery!

That said, curating Behind the Design today is Lisa–our graphic designer behind “Bohemian Ikat” our featured Save the Date design. Here she is to share her wedding inspiration from this timeless and unique patterning style.

“Ikat is such a versatile pattern. It has the same zig and zag as classic Chevron, but adds oomph with its jagged edges and syncopated shapes woven throughout. Use it on your reception tables, a clutch carried by your bridesmaids, borders for your signage, and of course on your stationery to add character to your wedding day.

You can choose the level of attention drawn by this pattern. Want to make an emphatic statement? Use bright, bold hues in contrasting colors. Want to keep is subtle? Use the trick employed on this Save the Date design: using complementary colors such as orange and blue, make the primary color a pastel and let the other add punch in its true form.”

What are your thoughts on Ikat? How would you use it in your wedding?

Images: plate, pillow, tile, bouquet, poppy in glass

Related posts:

1. Mint Wedding Inspiration
2. 10 Stationery Trends for 2012
3. Behind the Design: Poppy Dots Invitation

Locations: Times Square, New York City … Morgan Park in Glen Cove, NY … Long Island, NY.
Photographer: Zac Thomas

“Our engagement shoot was so amazing!! After almost two years of going back and forth with Zac Thomas {who I initially found via a Facebook ad} about how amazing his photographs were and how different his work was from traditional engagement shoots, Eric finally popped the question. Zac was one of the first people I contacted upon being proposed to. I knew, even years prior, that I wanted him to capture our day. The engagement shoot was included as part of his package, as he uses it as a way to get to know the couple prior to the big day and get a feel for the kind of photos they are looking for at their actual wedding. He flew into New York and decided to stay in the city for the weekend–this was his first time.

The original plan was just to find a park or a beach that we could go to and get some shots that Saturday for our engagement shoot, but Zac emailed me as he landed in NY, “What are you guys up to after work? Why don’t you come meet me in the city and we’ll get some city shots tonight and do the park stuff tomorrow?” Well, we raced out of our 9-5’s and met him by 7PM, casually dressed, no frills, just out to take some pics in the city and get a feel for Zac’s photography. Needless to say, we all became fast friends.

Zac was literally laying down in the middle of Times Square, stopping traffic, just to get the shots he wanted. There wasn’t a cab driver in the city that was a fan of Zac that night!

We expected to have traditional city shots in front of notable buildings, since Zac was a tourist of New York–but we wound up in random staircases of restaurants, outside parking garages, and in front of random candy trucks.  Zac made it a point to go past a few barriers in Rockefeller Center to get a couple shots he wanted to! I have a theater background, so we stopped to take a few pics in front of one of the theaters I had worked in and used the parking garage attached to it as a “theater space” for photos–which wound up coming out amazing- so amazing. I actually used a few of them as head shots, eventually.

We also took a few shots in a random subway hallway, which to this day, I recognize every time we pass it in the city- it was a little grimy and disgusting, but the shots came out gorgeous!

We went back to the parking garage and he decided to take a bunch of shots of Eric and I in the elevator, as it was closing and got an amazing stream of shots of the doors closing.

As we drove Zac back to his hotel, he decided to take a shot of my ring in the back of Eric’s car … going full speed down the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, and it managed to come out like he did it in a perfectly still room!

The next day, we did our shoot as planned, going to Morgan Park in Glen Cove, NY–which was always a special place for me to take photos as it has so much variety–as far as backgrounds go.

We finished up in Long Beach, New York and Zac even managed to get us to “go a little crazy” getting soaking wet in the ocean for some amazing shots!! We finished up by taking a picture on the very bench that we shared our first date, and that Eric eventually proposed to me on …

It really was an amazing experience and I really can’t say enough about Zac Thomas’ work!

Amazing indeed! Courageous, audacious … we love every urban and beach-y detail of this weekend-long engagement session! Congratulations to you all three of you on your fun, adventurous session! Interested in learning more about Zac Thomas? Well by all means, learn more about his fearless photography style here…

Congratulations Danielle & Eric!

xo

Related posts:

1. Minneapolis Engagement Session: Elyse & Weston
2. Mountain Engagement Session: Katie & Jeremy
3. Minneapolis Engagement Session: Jennie & Brian

Today we’re going to lighten up our color palettes! We’re celebrating the ability to completely transform wedding invitations with color by flipping them all around. We’re going to take dark and serious designs and only switch the color to make them light and airy…

Here is Wall of Love, a beautiful wedding invitation with a cute little monogram and awesome swirls. (You should check out the folded invites! so pretty!) But instead of black we’re going to use Dusty Rose. Instantaneously the whole feeling of the design changes. The swirls become lacy and delicate. Instead of a serious and formal black and white wedding I have visions of pretty pink flowers perhaps even at a garden wedding.

Next we’ll play with Stemming Flowers, a great wedding invitation with a strong fall color combination. Just tweaking the colors to be more muted with lavender and gray this design would work wonderfully for a relaxed, springtime wedding. I can almost smell the lilacs and lavender.

And of course we’ve saved the best for last. We’ve taken the design, Abstract Flowers, and transformed the wedding invitation with brand-new colors. Flipping the black to white and swapping “coral” for the deep purple we have completely changed the look of this invitation. Using one of your favorite colors really makes a difference.

You can use ANY color you love and you can use it on ANY of our wedding invitations. Feel free to try your colors inside Design Studio, our online personalization tool. It is easy to see exactly what your invitation would look like in the color of your dreams! No need to order up front, just go play with color.

What favorite color would you love to use?

For those of you who really pay attention, we’ve done this before and just might do it again. Any suggestions on color or designs to try out?

Related posts:

1. Color Monday: from Dark to Light
2. Color Monday- Surprise!
3. Color Monday: Meanings of Colors

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Our first shout out is for The Hippie Limo–one man’s far-out idea to help support his family and provide brides and grooms with an unusual and eye-catching mode of transport for their special day!

Richard Blake, of Lafayette, CO and owner of The Hippie Limo is a former teacher and corporate training developer turned full-time dad and part-time driver of a 1965 Volkswagen Samba Microbus called the Hippie Limo. 

First–a little history about Richard’s love for VWs:

I had always had a passion for V-Dubs from the 60′s and 70′s, largely because my first car was a 1972 VW Beetle purchased from a junk yard for the stately sum of $35. The Beetle didn’t run and didn’t steer, but Richard studied a manual he found in the trunk and figured out how to fix the car and keep it running for the seven years it took him to complete both college and graduate school while traveling among three different jobs.

How was the idea for The Hippie Limo born?

The Hippie Limo is Richard’s one-man business brainchild, born of both necessity and creativity. In 2009, with the birth of our first child and a confluence of other events, I became a full-time at-home dad. Though the rewards were great, the pay left more than a little to be desired. As a way to earn money to help support my family I decided to dust off an idea that I had had nine years earlier about using our vintage Microbus as a “Hippie Limo.” Encouraged by my wife, I began Hippie Limo as a business in 2011, which was fortunate since by then we were expecting our second child. I am not a business person, and Hippie Limo is far from a full-time job for me, but it is an ideal opportunity for me to share the experience and joy of vintage VWs with others while earning some income in a flexible environment that allows me to care for my children and household. As an added bonus, I get to drive my dream car more often, which puts a very large smile on my face. Read more of Richard’s story here.

What makes the Hippie Limo Ride so unique and unlike any other wedding ride?

The Hippie Limo provides brides and grooms with an unusual and eye-catching mode of transport for their special day that is guaranteed to make guests smile, couples beam, photographs pop, and bystanders cheer! Our 1965 VW Samba Microbus has been restored to dealer showroom condition, right down to correct factory colors, fabrics, and trim, and is a great choice for the couple who wants to make a memorable arrival, take a romantic cruise, or stage a dramatic departure (or all of the above!). Our Samba can also serve as a vintage taxi service for ferrying the bridal party and guests among hotels and wedding and reception locations. The five-foot open-air canvas sunroof and skylight windows let both mountain vistas and city skylines stream into the interior, and if you get tired of looking at the views outside we even have period magazines, knick-knacks, and toys to peruse during the ride. To make the best even better, the Hippie Limo boasts a 1000-watt high-end sound system, a comprehensive catalogue of 60s music, and the ability to play your own MP3 or Audio CDs, which means we can create the perfect custom soundtrack for your day.

Do you have to be a hippie bride & groom to love The Hippie Limo?

Our Samba is a Hippie Limo, not a hippie van, so those wanting or expecting shag carpeting, love beads, and lava lamps will have to look elsewhere for their joy. However, brides or grooms looking for something that will turn heads, make people smile, and provide a one-of-a-kind retro experience will find all of their wishes met in our Magic Bus.

How does the community react when they see the Hippie Limo out and about?

In the late spring, summer, and early fall the Hippie Limo becomes our family’s daily driver. I run errands, shop for groceries, and take kids to play dates in it. Even the most mundane trip becomes a parade in our Samba and there has never been a parking lot yet I have pulled into where I haven’t been approached at least once for the story behind the Hippie Limo. I get more peace signs and smiles than you can count when just tooling around, and even more so when there is a couple or group on-board. The high-end sound system can easily fill up a city block with music if the passengers decide to crank it up, and when they do everyone on the streets looks our way and more than a few start to either dance or sing along.

Tell us about the Microbus. Who are the drivers? 

I am the owner, operator, mechanic, manager, marketer, and polisher of the Hippie Limo. I joke that I wouldn’t let Mother Theresa with a CDL and 20 years on-the-road experience drive our Samba . . . but it really isn’t a joke because I can count on half a hand how many people I would trust to drive it. This is true not just because it is a rare and beautiful vehicle, but because it doesn’t handle anything like a modern car and it really takes someone who knows what they are doing to drive it competently.

How did you restore it?

My infatuation with air-cooled VWs began when I purchased my first car, the 1972 Volkswagen Beetle from a junkyard. The bug didn’t run and it didn’t steer and my mechanical knowledge at that time ended at the awareness that the engine was in the rear. That little blue car’s saving grace was that it was the only vehicle I could afford. Guided by the amateur mechanic’s bible for old VWs, John Muir and Peter Aschwaden’s 1969 classic “How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Complete Idiot”,

I managed to get the bug running and steering again and eventually racked up about 300,000 miles on it. Since then I have owned several bugs and buses (though never more than one at a time) and have nursed each back to health and road worthiness. I am a shade-tree mechanic, not a professional one, but I can do some pretty complex repairs on old V-Dubs, largely due to the fact that they are so darn simple in the first place. I have done just about all of the mechanical work on the Hippie Limo, but I can’t take credit for the bodywork or paint. I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler, so you don’t want to let me near anything that is supposed to look nice. An amateur body man and VW enthusiast named Craig Colley was the artist who made the Hippie Limo into the beauty she is. I am just the one her got her going on the right foot and keeps her going.

Does the Hippie Limo pick up hitchhikers?

Only if they can pay the three hour minimum rate.

What kinds of ride packages do you offer?

The Hippie Limo has a basic 3-hour wedding package that is currently priced at $287 (some additional surcharges and travel fees may apply) and you can add on additional hours at $89/hour. If you book 5 or more hours you can get 12 “Tickets to Ride” to give to guests to take one of two joyrides during the reception.

Thanks Richard!

Is the Hippie Limo fun or what??

Your story is fantastic and we love that you not only have the privilege of taking care of your children but also fueling your passions. We wish you and your family every success!

We’re fans!! And you dear readers {especially our Denver readers} can support Richard by liking The Hippie Limo on Facebook. Want more? Of course you do–check out The Hippie Limo’s website and please encourage Richard to get on Twitter too … 

Have a small, creative business in mind that you think deserves a blog shout out? Please email me!

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