New Jersey natives Jessica Wood and Ray Kwo met five years ago and got engaged on Halloween 2015 at Disney! As they started to plan their May 2017 wedding, they found it was difficult to find wedding stationery that matched their unique theme -- and what an awesome theme it was.

They approached Freebird Paperie last May, looking to create a custom collection that truly matched the feel they were going for: a sixties, Mad Men vibe. We got to work pulling together a vibrant invitation design that featured retro fonts, neon colors, and graphic elements reminiscent of Don & Betty Draper’s time.

So many time-honored “rules” surround weddings. Can I tell my guests what to wear? Should I tell my guests to leave their phones in their pockets? Do I need to invite all the kiddos in the family?

Today I'm exploring the reasoning behind and need for some of this traditional wedding etiquette mumbo jumbo. Of course, these are suggestions, and sometimes rules are meant to be broken, but they act as great guidelines should any questions come up.

Relax, and let’s dive in.

Set up a mini consultation with Freebird Paperie today to discuss your custom wedding invitations and day-of stationery!

My very first Mother’s Day is right around the corner! Being a mom has been the biggest blessing, and my proudest accomplishment. I love my little guy (and my handsome hubby). I truly don’t need a shower of gifts and attention on Mother’s Day, I just want some QT with my guys! But with Mother’s Day coming up, I wanted to share a list of some thoughtful, unique, and downright quirky gift ideas – just for fun! I curated this list from a few others I found floating around on the web, and picked some of my faves to share with you. Maybe one of these would be perfect for the mama bear in your life!

1. What I Love About Mom book of prompts: A fill-in-the-blank book, filled with short prompts to help you tell your mom just how much you appreciate her. So cute!
2. This Letters to My Mom set is also so thoughtful, and the perfect way to tell mom how much you love her.
3. At-Home Spa Kit: Because what mom doesn’t need a little pampering?
4. These Pedicure Socks are pure genius. Pair them with a spa gift certificate that she can use for some extra special pampering and some “me time” and she’ll be on cloud 9!
5. Cute Tea Towel: This made me melt a little...
6. Weekly Planner: Help mom stay on top of all the ballet lessons, PTA meetings, work obligations and family stuff… even on days when she feels like she’s losing her marbles.
7. I also love this planner, with a slightly different theme to give mom some much-needed encouragement during even the busiest weeks.
8. Captain’s Knot Earrings: I love the meaning behind these, “for the captain of your family.” And they’re just downright pretty.
9. Family Tree Print: This is just so cool, and so unique! I love personalized gifts, and this one is super special!
10. Coffee set: For all the moms running solely on coffee…
11. Pair the coffee set with a tumbler that will keep her coffee hot for hours, because let’s be real for a minute, what mom has time to drink her coffee while it’s still hot?
12. Last but not least, don’t forget the card! Moms love reading your sweet notes.

I love the start of wedding season every year. I swear my couples are some of the coolest, most creative people! They come to me full of ideas and inspiration and dreams for their big day, and together we work to infuse a bit of each into their wedding invitations.

It seems that every year, a few new trends pop up, and a few old favorites stick around. Here, I’m giving an overview of the five invitation trends that my customers are loving right now to help fuel your own wedding day dreaming.

Gold, rose gold, silver – all the metallic details! Metallic accents are always classy and timeless, but this year seems to be all about the glam details! What I love about adding a metallic accent to your invitations is the texture and interest that it adds to your design. It’s a huge “wow!” moment for your guests when they open their invitations!

Metallic accents are also perfect (and easy!) to add to all of your wedding day details – imagine shiny metallic centerpieces, metallic accents holding your bouquets together, and statement-making metallic bridesmaid dresses! Oh, the possibilities!

Earlier this year, I worked on a beautiful foil stamped design for one of my clients. Her invitation used shades of pink and gray, with just a pop of foil glamour. It was understated and subtle, but oh so perfect.

Freebird Paperie couples get to choose from a comprehensive list of envelope colors – including metallic options at NO extra cost. Check them out here.

This trend is HUGE right now, and I love it! Watercolor designs are so soft and romantic, perfect for a bohemian wedding vibe. They can be subdued with pastel colors, or bolder with bright colors.

Now, I’m going to get real for a minute. Yes, you COULD absolutely DIY watercolor invitations on your own with a trip to the craft store. But do you really want to? You’d have to watercolor paint an invitation for every. single. guest. Controlling the quality and consistency would be enough to drive my perfectionist-self mad- ha!

​Instead, work with a designer. A good designer will be able to digitally create and print a beautiful watercolor design for you – no DIY required. They’ll be just as artistic and colorful as a handcrafted design, with 1/10 of the effort from you. #winning

​This trend is all about the fonts. Invitations with bold typography use a simple background to make the font choices really stand out. It’s amazing how a deliberate font choice (or two complementary fonts!) can really depict a mood – even without other illustrations or imagery.

There are so many cool things you can do with font to style it up a little. Some couples choose to highlight elements like their names in all caps for emphasis. Some couples choose to use 100% lowercase letters. Fonts can be outlined, shadowed, and more to be as simple, modern, or even funky as you want!

I designed a font-focused invitation for a client not long ago, and then turned it into a template design for future couples! Shop the Emily collection here.

This trend is so versatile – I love it! Your design can be as simple or complex as you’d like. You could choose a simple outlined frame, or a more intricate, decorated frame. You could add glitz and glam around the frame, or choose leaves and greens for an earthy look. The design possibilities are endless – you can create a design to match nearly any wedding day theme.

Mason jars, trees, leaves, and outdoorsy accents. The rustic chic theme has been around for a few years now, but it’s still super popular! Rustic charm is a great theme to weave through your entire wedding day – barn reception, anyone?

​Though the rustic theme is a popular one, I love it when my couples want to take their design one step further. Last year, I designed this custom invitation for one of my couples. We added soft pink and purple colors and scripted fonts to add a more feminine touch to the traditional rustic theme and everyone loved it!

This design was a huge hit, so I turned it into one of my pre-designed collections. You can shop the collection here.
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Freebird Paperie couples can enhance the rustic theme by choosing brown Kraft paper to print pieces of their stationery. I love this paper for table numbers!
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What’s your favorite invitation trend right now? Maybe I’ll pick one and design a new template for my 2018 couples!

Every business, new or old, big or small, needs to be visually represented in a way that is true to their identity. Here I’m giving you 4 key visual elements that every brand needs, and explaining why continuity is important to creating a unified brand identity. Read on!

A logo can take on many forms. Some logos include a graphic symbol or image — they rely on a visual interpretation and strive to leave a lasting impression. Other logos are purely typeset — they convey a simplicity and professionalism. And others are a blend of the two! Knowing what’s right for you can be difficult, but a professional logo designer will be able to guide you through the discovery process, helping you uncover what’s right for you and your business.

At some point you’ll likely run into a situation where you need a variation of your logo that’s rendered in a different shape to fit a different space. For example, say you have a logo that fits nicely inside of a square, but you need to order pens for your company. You’re going to need a variation of that logo that can be adapted for a horizontal application. Additionally, while your logo may be a beautiful 3-color masterpiece, at some point you may also need a black and white version. Plan for these variances up front and you’ll always be prepared to deliver a consistent brand experience anytime, anywhere!

Undoubtedly, your new logo will include a color or two that you can use as a starting point for your color palette — let’s say it’s pink and purple. Does that mean that everything you do should be done in shades of pink and purple? Not necessarily. First, your designer didn’t choose just any pink or purple — they picked a specific shade of each and can share that with you to use on your website, in presentation materials, in social media graphics, etc. to preserve consistency throughout. You can also ask your designer to provide a selection of complementary colors that can be used to infuse more life into your brand and offer you more variety.

It’s easy to default to Calibi and Times New Roman on everything that you do. But instead of conforming to the norm, work with your designer to choose 1-2 fonts that you’ll use consistently on everything you create for your brand. Chances are, one font will already be used in your logo and may be more decorative. The second chosen font will complement the first and again, offer variety so that you never need to deviate from your designated brand typography. You should have options that provide both flourish and practicality.

​Be sure to also identify treatments for different types of text. While this isn’t necessarily a design element, making a conscious decision about how you’ll handle headings (larger? bolded? different color?) or quotes (italicized?) or your website (any capitalization?) will bring a cohesive style to any text or writing that you do.

A strong brand should be identifiable in some way even if the name or logo is not present. How do you achieve this? By choosing an image style that represents your business. Your images, used together with consistent font and color choices, will help tie all of the visual elements of your brand together to create a unified identity for your business.

Some businesses choose images that use muted colors for a more delicate or somber mood. Some businesses choose bright and vibrant images that connote life and energy. Some businesses choose photos with people. Some businesses choose photos without people. Some businesses choose not to use photos at all, and instead use iconography or illustrations. Whatever style you choose, be sure that it’s relevant and personal to your brand, and again, be sure that you’re consistent.

Working with a designer to design and develop these visual elements is a great way to ensure that you’ll have a professional brand that will represent your business for  years to come. Read more about Freebird Paperie’s business branding services, or request a free consultation.

Wedding planning is FULL of details. Venue, caterer, florals, oh my! While most items are for the actual day, it's important not to neglect your stationery timelines. The save the dates and invitations are the first glimpse guests will see of the main event. These items also offer valuable information to your guests so they can plan ahead. Use this timeline to take the guess work out of what needs to be sent and when.

What's better than beautiful floral arrangements perfect for your big day? Answer: when those flowers are grown locally by a sustainable farm.

I'd like to introduce my friends at Gib's Farm. They grow their flowers and greens without chemicals and preservatives and still manage to provide seasonal options all year around. For that, they definitely get an A+ from me on being a vendor I love!

Gib's Farm was kind enough to guest blog, so check them out below and on their website and Facebook page.

Gib’s Farm is a small scale, biodiverse, four-season sustainable farm located near Knoebels Amusement Park in Catawissa, PA. We offer produce and flower CSAs (community supported agriculture). We sell cut flowers, edible blossoms, herbs, produce, and select starter plants at the Ferry Street Growers’ Market on Saturdays from May through October in Danville, PA. Also, we provide full service wedding florals, flowers by the bucket for do-it-yourselfers, and floral arrangements for any occasion.

Additionally, we cut flowers and herbs, as well as delicious, nutritionally rich fruit and vegetables. Companion planting, cover crops, crop rotation, compost, and biological controls for pests and disease help us to achieve optimum production in minimal space. With two high tunnels, we grow many crops year round. The goals of biodiversity, lively soil, natural resource conservation, and permaculture inform our efforts. While we are not Organically Certified, we adhere to organic farming principles.

Gib’s Farm does not have a flower shop, and we have no e-commerce services such as Telefloral or FTD. We grow nearly all the flowers and greens used in our arrangements without chemicals or preservatives. If a customer asks for floral material we do not grow, we order it from local supplier Dillon Floral Corporation. We often purchase from Dave's Flowers in Catawissa, a top-notch local grower who sells mainly to florists; and Roots Flower Farm in Carlisle, PA, a grower/florist hybrid operation much larger than ours.

Wildlife Habitat is a conservation plan offered to farmers and property owners by the Natural Resource Conservation Service. Its objective is the establishment of native grassland as a long term conservation cover crop. The warm season grasses and wildflowers in the mix protect soil and water resources, create high quality wildlife food and habitat, and provide organic mulch for our cash crops. Every year we see more and more birds, bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects, as well as toads, turtles and snakes – all of which contribute to a healthy ecosystem and better crops.

Our winter production is limited to cold hardy herbs, salad, and cooking greens grown in our hoop houses or high tunnels. It isn’t possible to grow flowers throughout the PA winter without heat, supplemental light, and ventilation, i.e., a climate controlled greenhouse.

If a bride wants local flowers, cutflower kale, calendula, lisianthus, snapdragon, Asiatic lilies, and some succulents can be grown with the extra protection of spun poly row cover in an unheated tunnel or cold frame. However, their vibrant colors and sizes will be diminished. Greenery is 2017’s Pantone color of the year, so artful assortments of greens are becoming a popular alternative to all floral arrangements.