Guest Blogger: Megan Battistella of Adair Design

I met Megan through one of the "usual" social network sites...Facebook. I had read one of her other guests posts and thought wow, this could be a great guest blogger for the Let's Party With Percy Sales Events Blog. So, I asked Megan if she could do a blog for me on the topic of her choice and she graciously agreed. In her guest blog, Megan will be discussing her trend/forecast watch in wedding invitations for 2010/2011. I hope you enjoy it! Here's Megan's blog:

Trend Watch in Wedding Invitations 2010/2011

By: Megan Battistella owner of Adair Custom Designs: Specializing in Wedding Invitations and Stationary.

POP QUIZ: This one is for all engaged couples out there!

What is the most important thing that a wedding invitation set should do for

an engaged couple?

A. Set the tone for the wedding

B. Elicit a response

C. Save money!

D. Wedding invitations? Shoot! I forgot about those…

For engaged couples, the excitement of planning a wedding can overwhelm the most basic principal of what an invitation is intended to do, and that is: get a response! My experience in creating corporate identity has taught me that thoughtful design is essential to creating personality with an impact.

For the budget-conscious couples looking to balance affordability and personal style consider the following: will your invitation be considered a “keepsake”? People know the difference between art and ordinary. The highest compliment is for your guests to keep your wedding invitations. Through exciting the senses with something different, you will find that an immediate response from your guests is not uncommon. People crave a fresh approach as opposed to a tired format!

Next year springs forth a fresh decade of fantastic trends and new ideas! Familiar and entirely new, retro and modern combined; it is indeed the beginning of a new era of contemporary design. These trends are recession busters and have been recycled from decades and even centuries past as tried and true.

THEMES THAT WILL TREND in 2010/2011—Some of these themes draw from the past and will continue to show resiliency in the future, overlapping will be prevalent among all of these categories

“Art Deco” Wedding Packages

This will be one of the most prevalent trends seen in the wedding industry for next year. It is on the verge of exploding. This trend can go in numerous different avenues for wedding invitation sets, but the following will be the most common.

Art Deco: 1920’s and 30’s inspired. Wedding invitations will present strong, contrasting geometric patterning, borrowing from classic architectural elements of the roaring twenties. Vertical paper layouts will prove to be more consistent with the “style” of art deco. Perfect for those watching their budgets, because pieces that print with only one color designs, (black) on white or colored paper are more economical. For added elegance, consider metallic or pearl papers.

Art Deco: Floral Seventies and modernized Baroque: These will still have an overwhelming sense of “pattern.” Flat color, graphic, non-dimensional floral patterns will be prevalent in tomorrow’s wedding invitation designs.

“Folksy/culturally inspired” Wedding Invitation Sets

Falling back on different cultures, the “folksy pilgrim” is borrowing from all types of traditions and cross-pollinating with today’s society. There is also a strong theme of hand-made, hand-painted and custom detailed wood work which can lead into decorative Baroque style.

Wedding invitation trends in this category will consider specialty shapes in papers, die-cuts, decorative embellishments that are unique to the bride and groom’s heritage and/or ethnic background. Bright impressions of the Latin culture, the simplicity and softness of the Midwestern States and a vivid graphic African influence will be seen in this category.

Wedding invitations will be hand-drawn or possibly painted in watercolors and then over-laid with illustration work, generally in floral patterns. Hand-calligraphy (Examples provided by Jennifer Gillespie of “Calligraphy by Jennifer”) and highly decorative lettering will flourish in fonts. On the opposite spectrum, large, bold, sans-serif fonts will also do incredibly well.

“Eco-Chic” Wedding Invitations

“Going Green” has become a mainstream concept, but new technology and advances in protecting the environment are continuously being supplied to the masses for more economical rates. Consciously looking for alternative papers for invites will continue to be important. Recycled papers come in 30% post-consumer waste and 100% post-consumer waste and more printers are supplying soy-based inks.

"Futuristic" & Digital Wedding Package Sets

Going against the grain and all traditions, these wedding invitation sets will offer new thoughts and design directions for the future. Fluorescent accents in paper, metallic cut-outs, reflective materials and holographic papers will portray an almost surrealist nature. Three dimensionally textured bellybands and uniquely shaped invitation enclosures will grab the spotlight. Peacock feathers used in design motifs or as embellishments will gather interest this upcoming year. Adding layers to invitation sets through the use of frosted, translucent, and transparent papers will add visual interest while maintaining budgets.

In this socially connected world, some couples may consider opting out of paper invitations and go digital. Digital invitations are posted videos on the internet and the response is electronic. (See example, work not created by Megan Battistella of Adair Design-http://www.coreyrachelinvite.com/ ) This will eliminate the response cards all together and will help to save on postage cost, return address printing and envelopes. Other options are to spend an extra amount of money on a more decorative invitation and then combining a response and directions card which will direct guests to RSVP electronically.

There are plenty of budget conscious and completely out-of-the box ideas that can portray your wedding in a brand-new light.

Please contact me for a free, custom wedding invitation consultation or check out my pre-designed wedding packages and I can give you some pricing. If you check out my blog or Facebook page, leave a note or some feedback, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Contact: Megan Battistella:: Graphic Design Specialist:: Adair Design::

Adair_Design@msn or call: 704.489.1534

Become a Facebook Adair Design fan at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adair-Design/97382969556?ref=mf

Visit her Megan's blog at:

http://adairdesign.blogspot.com/

You can also become a fan of Percy Sales Events at:

http://www.facebook.com/percysalesevents

-Percy

Photos from Adair Designs

Guest Blogger Fridays: DeAnna Cochran Jewelry and The Thoughtful Gallery

DeAnna is one of my greatest friends and confidants. I asked her to do a blog regarding jewelry that gives back and I think it's appropriate for the thoughtful bride and groom. Here's her guest blog...I hope you enjoy it.

- Percy

When it comes to a wedding, there are so many things for the bride and groom to consider. They put their best creative foot forward to create the wedding experience of a lifetime. They consider the perfect venue, colors, flowers, invitations, and food. But sometimes those creative juices run dry when it comes to wedding party gifts.

Over the years, we have experienced our fill of engraved flasks, frames, photo albums, and key chains. While these gifts have the best of intentions...all too often they end up collecting dust on a shelf, tucked away in a drawer, or forever destined to stay in the box...much like the bridesmaid dress we vow we will wear again.

I personally remember the daunting task of choosing wedding party gifts for my own wedding. Shortly before my wedding my (then) fiancé and I took a pre-wedding trip to Como, Italy. As part of that trip we bought very individualized gifts for our wedding party. If a trip to an exotic location is not in your near future there are still great choices for the discerning bride and groom.

The newly launched DeAnna Cochran “boutique” collection is one of those perfect choices. Charitable? Yes. Green? Yes. Thoughtful and personalized? Absolutely. The new “boutique collection gives back to MEND.org (a worthy organization helping parents heal after the loss of a child) and better yet this collection is a way to further limit your footprint on the environment. Designs are hand formed and hand carved one at a time from a “green” high carat metal called metal clay. It is made of reclaimed from x-rays, film negatives, cell phones, computer components, and other recycled metal. The result is fine silver (.999 silver and the purest of silver) with options in 24k gold plate.

From cuff links, to necklaces and bracelets the I can work with the bride and groom personally to put together a special and personalized package perfect for the wedding party. Each piece comes in custom eco-friendly packaging made from natural and recycled materials. Included with each piece is an card regarding the charitable focus of the collection. This is “Jewelry for a Cause”. It is the gift that gives back in more ways that one.

DeAnna Cochran’s “gallery” collection has been recognized by fashion, television, & news publications including NBC, ABC, Lucky Magazine, OK! Magazine Australia , and ON Magazine as well as numerous online publications. Most recently it was awarded “Best in Show” at the Buyers Market of American Craft by Inspired Retailer Magazine (a trade magazine connecting gallery owners and artists focused on social and environmental causes). Her original “gallery” collection is found in prestigious galleries such as the Dallas Museum of Art Museum Store. The new “boutique” collection was launched in October 2008.

Check Out All The Fabulousness at:

DeAnna Cochran Jewelry Boutique Collection
or

DeAnna Cochran Jewelry Website

Photos from DeAnna Cochran Jewelry

1. Initial Necklace in Silver with Gem Stone

2. Initial Bracelet in Gold with Gem Stone

3. Initial Cuff Links in Silver

Guest Blogger Fridays: Sarah Monson of The Dream Factory

I met Sarah by chance, actually through an email she sent me titled, "I Love Santa Barbara!" She had written me asking advice about the Santa Barbara wedding industry and commented on one of my blog posts. We have actually never met, only written to each other on email, but from her emails you can see how her charisma shines through. Definitely a positive and fun person. Well I looked over her business The Dream Factory, and was loved the focus and product she was representing...so I asked her to guest blog for me about why her services are needed in this industry. Well she did an amazing blog and you are about to read it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! - Percy

Photo Montages - More than just collage

Admit it: You love looking at pictures of yourself. It’s not a bad thing – we all do it! Whether online or hanging on a wall – we all love admiring ourselves and reliving our happy memories.

My name is Sarah Monson and I own The Dream Factory (based in New York City but serving the world). I am so excited to be this week’s guest blogger. I love Percy’s blog and I love Santa Barbara (I will be living there one day soon – mark my words)! At The Dream Factory, I create professionally edited, custom made “Mini-Movie” montages of photos and videos from your life and your Wedding, all set to your favorite music.

Couples love telling the story of how they fell in love through their old photos and home movies. With these photo montages, you can tell your story in a fresh new way to all the guests at your rehearsal dinner or even those at the wedding itself. The possibilities are endless.

There are countless people and companies out there offering you these photo montages (or slideshows) and the quality or their skill and the end product you receive can vary greatly. Many who offer these use simplified “drag and drop” software that frankly you could all figure out how to use yourselves. The photo montages this software generates are often just your photos laid over your selected music, cut together with simple transitions between the photos. There is nothing wrong with these slideshows but there is generally not much “Dazzle” to them. The photos are not precisely edited and timed to the tempo and beat of your chosen music. The transitions themselves are not often the types of things you’d see in professionally done films or videos. But they get the job done.

However, there are a select few out there (like The Dream Factory) who treat your photo montage like a professional “Mini-Movie” of your story or your Wedding. Using professional film editing software, these artists can precisely time and edit your photos to the beat of the music with sleek transitions using graphically designed shapes/sizes/colors, and can also make your photos leap off the screen by creating 3-D versions of select photos.

According to The Knot, photo montages, especially those using visually stunning 3-D images, are currently a very popular trend in Weddings and this trend is growing each day (for an example of these, please visit my website and click the “Now In 3-D” button in the top left). Brides and Grooms are finding themselves drawn to these photo montages because they are an affordable alternative to full scale Wedding video productions.

I was at a wedding event this week (I am engaged myself) and someone told me that on the Top Ten list of Wedding Must Haves, video was only #7 – right after party favors. This surprised me, since I find that couples love some form of a documentary of their special day (and often even want a documentary of their love story to show off to the guests on their special day). I started thinking that Wedding videos are so low on the list and most likely being cut from budgets because they can be so pricey and people feel the still photo images from their special day are enough. Plus, couples often admit that they hardly ever sit down to watch their lengthy Wedding video.

But by taking your current photos along with those sitting around in boxes/albums (and even your old home movies/videos) and combining your favorite songs and even your own voiceovers, photo montages can create the same effect as a Wedding video but at a fraction of the cost. Plus, with these photo montages (which generally range from 5 to 15 minutes in length), couples can send copies around to friends, family and even those who were unable to attend. You can even share copies online. And my clients often tell me they watch their “Mini-Movies” again and again – something I doubt most couples say about their Wedding video.

I love what I do and I get to meet such beautiful Brides and Grooms each day with such amazing stories and lives. I even just created a surprise engagement photo montage that I edited onto the end of a movie for a Groom-to-be to show to his fiancé (of course she said yes!). I come from a production background (I’ve even produced an award winning documentary film) and I create my clients’ “Mini-Movies” on the same film editing software we use for these productions. And while these “Mini-Movies” are primarily made to show at rehearsal dinners or created with the photos from your Wedding, they can also be used for any special moment in life (e.g., Memorable Birthdays, Bar/Bat-Mitzvah’s, etc.). The beauty of photo montages is that while they are each so personal, if done well, anyone can watch them and feel something.

I also should tell you that I myself am getting married in June and I understand how this tornado of Wedding planning can really sweep you up. I know what Brides and Grooms are going through, trying to stay on budget, and trying to be unique yet timeless. I get it. I also know as well as anyone that cost is always a factor.

Truth be told, I am also a tree loving hippie at heart (that’s the West Coast gal in me). Because of this, I also recently decided to launch a new service of super affordable, online, custom made “Save the Date” and “Thank You” photo montages to replace the expense and cost to the environment of using traditional paper cards. I even created one for my own engagement (see below for this sample). I also included a really cool Thank You Eco Card from a wedding.

Whether you choose to use a company like The Dream Factory or get yourself a photo montage made by your cousin on his Mac, these “bite-sized” movies really do add a charming touch to any affair and will be cherished by you and your family forever.

Thank you Percy for letting me blog about what I love most! I am honored and grateful. If you would like more information on my work, please visit The Dream Factory. If you mention Percy's Blog when contacting, you will receive an extra special rate!

Warmest regards,

Sarah Monson

sarah@thedreamfactoryonline.com

(646) 454-1664

www.thedreamfactoryonline.com

Logo and videos from The Dream Factory

Guest Blogger Fridays: Cupid

Cupid is one of my favorite people, because he spreads love, gives love, and makes couples fall in love, which is great for the wedding industry. Most of all, I love Cupid is because he teaches us to love. Since Valentine's Day is tomorrow, Cupid wanted to share some of his favorite poems for you to pass on to your love ones. Hope this inspires you to show the love tomorrow! I am so happy he agreed to guest blog for me today! -Percy

Hello Lovers and Happy Valentines Day! May the following inspire you on this day of L'Amour!

Ah My Beloved - Omar Khayyam
Ah, my beloved, fill the cup that clears
Today of past regrets and future fears;
Tomorrow? Why, tomorrow I may be,
Myself, with yesterday's sev'n thousand years.

Love is Enough - William Morris
Love is enough: though the World be a-waning,
And the woods have no voice but the voice of complaining,
Though the sky be too dark for dim eyes to discover
The gold-cups and daisies fair blooming thereunder,
Though the hills be held shadows, and the sea a dark wonder,
And this day draw a veil over all deeds pass'd over,
Yet their hands shall not tremble, their feet shall not falter;
The void shall not weary, the fear shall not alter
These lips and these eyes of the loved and the lover.

Sonnet 18 - William Shakespeare
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimmed;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Happy Valentine's Day

-Cupid

Painting of Cupid by Franklin Richard from Poster.net

Guest Blogger Fridays: Elizabeth Anne Designs and The EAD Library

I am a fan of Elizabeth Anne Designs. Ami and Rebekah have great ideas on their website/blog. Their site is so fun to explore...both vendors and clients alike will get inspired in creating some lovely events. One of their best features on their site is The EAD Library, a comprehensive one stop shop of vendors nationwide. Check it Out! I hope you enjoy their guest blog. - Percy

Hi, this is Ami Elizabeth and Rebekah Anne from Elizabeth Anne Designs. We are so excited to have been asked to guest blog today about one of our babies, The EAD Library.

The EAD Library is filled with thousands of useful links, from photographers to shops to stationers and our goal is to help every bride and groom, no matter their location, find the vendors and inspiration they need for a beautiful event. The Library is organized into several categories: Photography, Stationery, Planning & Design, Venues, Floral Design, Shops, Beauty, Edibles, Videography, and Miscellaneous. Where applicable, these links are organized by state to help everyone find links quickly and easily!

Links you will find in the Library are not paid listings. Having a link in the Library is completely free - this allows us to present the most comprehensive wedding vendor resource guide possible. We offer vendors the opportunity to expand their listing, giving our readers full contact information as well as images of their work.

Another great feature of the Library is the ability for clients to write reviews of their vendors. It’s a great way for brides and grooms to read real opinions about the vendors they are considering and really helps to build a sense of community on the Library.

We have recently done a full redesign of the Elizabeth Anne Designs website and we are so excited to have a more fully integrated site. It’s easier than ever for brides and grooms to find vendors in the Library!

A big blog hug goes to Laura Hooper for providing all of the illustrations used throughout the EAD site. And another big blog hug goes to Percy for letting us blog here today! We are huge fans of Percy’s work, and of course he is a Library Member!

E. & A.

Photos from Elizabeth Anne Designs

Guest Blogger Fridays: Paul Bott

I met Paul Bott, when we were filming the "Let Them Eat Cake" episode for the premiere season of Peter Perfect, with celebrity stylist Peter Ishkhans. We were two of three event experts that they brought in for show (I think we both had one second of camera time - at least you can clearly see our names on the episode). Since then, the two of us have been emailing and keeping in touch with each other, anticipating the day we will finally work together. I am so excited that he has agreed to guest blog for me on food trends. Enjoy it!

-Percy

food trends: are you really a foodie????

I hear a lot of “we are both foodies” lately from brides and grooms that I speak with…this makes me very happy. Finally, people can speak my language and know that there is more to a wedding feast then breast of chicken!!! Another great trend is they also want to incorporate their ethnic background or "infuse" the menu with their culture. I LOVE THAT PART TOO!

Notice, I used the word "feast." I use that word because I believe that presented well, delicious, and delightfully appealing, a “feast” has a lot of positive power and will completely change the personality of your event and you guests expectations. I have seen and heard entire ballrooms of guests almost fall silent during the dinner course, why, because they are eating and they are happy. The end result is a shared “comfort” (why do you think they call it comfort food?) and a sense of sharing an experience that was truly generous and a gracious gift to them from their hosts, the bride and groom. I have always felt food, good food, carefully made and graciously presented could change lives forever…if you doubt my words then simply rent that marvelous Dutch film “Babette’s Feast” but I digress…

Why am I so happy about this "real foodie" trend? Because, now couples know more then what specific songs they want to dance to and what important words they will exchange at their ceremony. They also know that they want to wow their guests with delicious food, and give them a the kind shared experience that is important to them too. No longer are they satisfied to have pages or pre-determined menu options flashed before them. I believe that couples think that writing their own menu is right up there with writing their own vows. So like seeking a minister for vow help, they need an expert, like myself, to help them articulate this in a way that expresses who they are while creating one of those unforgettable dining experiences.

Here is how powerful food can be...I love this example. I had a bride and groom, a couple of years ago, that was not getting anywhere with what they were wanting for their "feast." They had been to several “caterers” and knew almost everything there was to know about breast of chicken and roast beef. Finally I asked them how they met. WELL, the future bride almost jumped off her seat, turned and faced me square on and said, “I was at this dinner party and I was sitting with a my friend who invited me. The food was so good I actually turned to her and I said, I am going to marry who ever cooked this meal...I do not care if they are male or female, young or old, married or not, I am going to marry them!" So, her friend gets up, walks to the kitchen, grabs the chef (a single man working as a chef), introduces them, they fall in love, and nine-months later they were married. The most exciting part of this story is that I recreated that meal that he cooked and she ate on the night they met at their wedding feast. The same food that made her vow to marry the cook was now being feasted on by their guests. They were sharing a piece of their "foodie" history.

I rest my case.

Paul Bott

Percy's remarks: As you can see from Paul's guest blog, food can become part of your story. Making it a priority for your wedding will only make the event that more special, plus the feast you give to your guests will always remind them of the two of you. For real foodies, making your "menu" a priority is essential in completing the entire look and feel of your event. You know what they say...the food can make or break anything!

For more information on Paul Bott please contact him at:

http://www.paulbott.com/
877.722.7895
323.791.1013

Photo credits: Group Photo: Top large by Paul Barnett, next row from left all by Rebecca Seal, all other photos by Jennifer Dery

Guest Blogger Fridays: Bonnie from Bonita J

Bonnie from Bonita J has been a guest blogger before and she has some great tips for picking the right bridal jewelry. I thought this was such an appropriate topic since most of my blogs this week has been on jewelry. In this blog Bonnie will be discussing choosing the right bridal bracelet. Enjoy!
-Percy

Finding the Right Bridal Bracelet

A bridal bracelet adds that extra mile of sparkle and glamour to the wrist. Although bridal bracelets are not an essential accessory for a bride, they make a nice final touch, like icing on a cake. There are so many styles and options to choose from that you can’t go wrong with any selection.

A great place to begin your bridal bracelet accessory hunt is to take your gown style into consideration. Are you wearing a simple gown with no beading, or an over the top gushy gown with lace and gorgeous bustling? Additionally, you will need to decide if you want a more subtle and simple look on your wrist or a dramatic and glitzy look to finish off your accessory selections.

Additionally, you need to consider your gown's embellishments. Does your gown have pearls, crystals, rhinestones, bows, or is it simple and plain? When selecting your bridal bracelet choose materials that are found in your gown and incorporate those elements into your bridal bracelet. This will make it look like one cohesive look. If you have a simple gown with no embellishments, you have so many more choices, because you are not restricted in any way. You can not go wrong with going with a simple look or add an over the top, glitzy and glamorous piece to set off your gown.

Grouping several bridal bracelets together is another fashionable and trendy take on accessorizing. Maybe a single strand bracelet isn’t enough. You may want to pair it with a chunkier bracelet that has the same elements or several other bracelets to tie in the piece. Debra Messing at the 2009 Golden Globes did this by combining several gold toned bracelets with the same elemental gems and stones.

After you’ve selected the perfect bridal bracelet to finish off your look, remember that you don’t have to pack away your bridal jewelry after the wedding. Many brides pack away their tiaras, shoes, and gowns but the jewelry is one item from the day of your wedding that can be worn again and again, to keep those special memories close to your heart.

For more information on Bonita J:

http://www.BonitaJ.com

info@BonitaJ.com

888-430-2623

Photos provided by Bonita J

GUEST BLOGGER: Bonnie from BonitaJ (Bridal & Bridesmaid Jewelry)

Bonnie from BonitaJ, has some great bridal and bridesmaid jewelry on her site and I am so happy that she wanted to guest blog on my site. Thank you Bonnie for sharing the latest trends in bridal accessories!

- Percy

Different Styles for Different Bridesmaids

All bridesmaids were not created alike, and their accessories can reflect their own personalities in a variety of ways. Although it is now more common for brides to select a color scheme and have their bridesmaids select a different dress within that same exact color scheme, the trend of a variety of jewelry in the same color palette is becoming more popular.

We all have the loud and out going friend and we all have that shy and timid friend. We love them for who they are and how their uniqueness makes them special in our lives. Give your bridesmaids their own unique styles of jewelry to match those personalities.

Why not select big, bold earrings for that outgoing bride and choose a drop or linear style earring for the shy bridesmaid that doesn’t wear huge colorful jewelry. You can do this, coordinate their looks, and have it all look great together. A couple of tips to use when selecting your maids accessories is to keep the color combinations similar. If your color palette is a fall mix of copper, burgundy, and gold, then keep that color scheme throughout your entire jewelry selection.

There is an easy way to accomplish this task, find a jewelry designer that offers Swarovski crystals and pearls in their jewelry line. Swarovski creates a multitude of pearl and crystal color options so that matching your gowns and color palettes with your jewelry is easy. When you wear jewelry made with Swarovski crystals and pearls you are wearing a quality product that doesn’t scratch, has the truest colors and sparkles magnificently.

Whatever jewelry you decide to coordinate for your bridesmaids finished look, find pieces that they will love and cherish. The plus side is that every girl loves to receive jewelry and why not...it's the a gift she can wear repeatedly. Choose jewelry that reflects your most special friend’s personalities and they will love you for it.

http://www.bonitaj.com/
info@BonitaJ.com
888-430-2623

Percy Sales Events Readers:

Bonnie has graciously offered a one time use coupon with a 15% discount off your entire order to all Percy Sales Event readers on her jewelry. Use coupon code: PERCY. This is a one time use - no minimum order coupon. Take advantage of it folks, her jewelry is spectacular.

Visit the BonitaJ Website today!

Photos from BonitaJ.com