Sponsor Spotlight: IDoBliss

They say that presentation is key, and that’s never been more true than when it comes to invitations. Gone are the days of boring, plain and simple invitations. It’s time to say hello to a new generation of ones that pop, fun and unbelievably eye-catching. Perhaps no one knows that better than Laura from IDoBliss, an Etsy shop full of all sorts of invitations for every occasion — everything from weddings to bridal showers to baby showers to save-the-dates; there are also a variety of gorgeous stationery sets to choose from! All the invitations are handmade, and Laura describes her shop as a place “where creativity with paper prevails!” Read on for the scoop on what led Laura to open her shop, her love of stationery and her tips for the perfect invitation! xoxo

Keep in touch…
Official Web site: IDoBliss
Become a fan on Facebook
Follow on Twitter
Follow on Instagram
Get inspired on Pinterest

Tell me about IDoBliss. What’s the inspiration behind its launch?
I have always been a creative person and especially in regards to paper, crafts and scrapbooking. I began creating designs for many family and friends’ events and special occasions even as a teen. I worked as a microbiologist for a medical device company for many years, but was looking for a change. My goal switched to a career in forensics, so I began seeking out a new career path. In 2005, I chose to strike out on my own and start a custom design business, and at the same time, my dream forensics job came calling. I became a wife, a forensic scientist, an entrepreneur and a mom all within a few years. I have since then mastered juggling all these exciting facets of my life. I am still solving crimes with fingerprint analysis, and creating invitations for brides around the world.

When did you become interested in stationery and design, particularly in wedding stationery?
In 2003, I decided to create my own wedding invitations and the obsession began. I really enjoy using different papers, ribbons and embellishments to create something unique and unlike any other type of card available to brides. My handmade pieces are truly pieces of art, and each item is hand assembled by my hands — and so I take great pride in my items and work.

Why do you think the perfect piece of stationery/invitation is so important?
Setting the tone for your wedding is crucial. I believe that people still enjoy receiving mail in general, and when a wedding invitation shows up, in between the ads and bills, there is a level of excitement that still exists. With all the technology in today’s world, receiving an actual physical invitation is still important and necessary. I don’t think we should give this up quite yet for the ease of simplicity or cost. Especially when we are celebrating one of the most special events in a lifetime, a wedding invitation should capture the romance, love and anticipation of the upcoming day — and emanate that to their loved ones.

What are you top 3 tips for the perfect invite?
1. Have a budget and a specific color palate
2. Use a variety of textures and paper sheens
3. Adding embellishments such as ribbons, shells, crystals or feathers will help the invitation stand out from the rest

What is your favorite piece in your shop and why?
I have a lot of favorites, but right now, my favorite piece is the Gatsby wedding invitation. I just adore the bright color combination of blues and purples, and it literally makes my brain want to get up and start swing dancing! This invitation has a touch of glitter gold, which is a new color through my supplier, Envelopments. The peacock feather adds that touch of class, and I like the fonts and layout as they are not ordinary.

Behind The Blog: Becoming Mrs. LaRue

One of my favorite things about blogging is the amazing sense of community among fellow bloggers. I love reading blogs and getting to know other writers who share the same passions I do, which is why I’m SO excited to bring you another installment in our Behind The Blog series. I’ve known Jessi for a few years now (she just celebrated her three-month wedding anniversary!) and you might remember her from The Musings of a Wannabe Star. Well, she’s back in a big way with Becoming Mrs. LaRue, where she’s blogging about all things music and newlywed life. Let’s go behind the scenes and catch up with Jessi, shall we…?

Quick facts:
Name: Jessi LaRue
Occupation: Proofreader
Blog: Becoming Mrs. LaRue
When did you start your blog: March 2015
3 words to describe your blog: Life, Love, Music

What inspired you to start a blog? What’s the meaning behind the name?
I actually first started blogging way back in 2009 after my newspaper adviser/mentor Melissa Blake (yes, this Melissa!) encouraged me to blog. She said it’d be a good way to build a name within the blogging community and keep my writing fresh. She couldn’t have been more right.

As for the name, I recently got married and with marriage came some changes: obviously a new last name, but also a new chapter of my life. I think “Becoming Mrs. LaRue” encapsulates it all. I’m becoming a wife, a partner, an adult and more. I think I’ll always be transforming and discovering myself as a person, so I think the blog title will still suit my story, even long after the newlywed glow has faded.

You’re in an interesting position in that you blogged for a few years, took a break and then started a new blog. What made you decide to start over completely instead of pick up where your old blog left off?
I took a few years off from blogging when I was in college and holding down multiple jobs. I left that blog because I didn’t think it was right to only give part of myself to that project. I knew my quality would go down if I tried to juggle too much, and I didn’t want to do that. Instead, I took a break. Once I was done with college and settled into life with a full-time job, I took blogging back on as my hobby, and I’m so glad I did it that way. I know what I want out of my blog now, and I do it with extreme care and pride.

I moved to a new blog because I felt that I had changed a lot in a few years. At my old blog, I wrote about dating, failed relationships, teenage drama and more. The blog title “The Musings of a Wannabe Star” reflected my wishes to be famous or well-known. Since then, my priorities have changed, and I wanted my blog to reflect that.

Were you nervous about “starting over” again? Was it what you expected?
My first blog post on my current blog was actually about how nervous I was to come back to blogging. I thought I wouldn’t enjoy it as much, or that no one would read my blog. I was wrong. In all seriousness, it’s like riding a bike! Sure, my blog doesn’t have nearly as many readers as my last blog, but I have had some old readers stumble across my new blog, which has made me happier than having 10,000 followers. Their support means so much to me.

What are some things you knew this time around that you wish you’d have known when you started your first blog?
Everything! I think the biggest thing is quality over quantity. I’d rather wait a few days in between posts rather than tossing up meaningless content just to say “I blog on a schedule.” I’ve also learned how important it is to have an online presence; I get a lot of traffic from my Twitter and Facebook posts, so that helps a lot.

What do you love the most about blogging? Does anything about it stress you out?
I’m a writer. I love that blogging gives me the ability to get my story out to people. I also love the community aspect of blogging; meeting other bloggers online, talking with them in the comments or on Twitter…blogging is all about honing your art and meeting other people who love it just like you do. There’s nothing else like it. If I’m stressed about blogging, it’s because I can’t come up with something to blog about. I probably ask myself “what should I blog about?” ten times a week!

What advice do you have for new bloggers?
Don’t be afraid to try new things. Get creative! I just started dabbling in photography, and although my photos may make me cringe years down the line, right now it’s good practice and another fun outlet on my blog. If you’re interested in something, try it out. If it doesn’t work out, scrap it and try something new! That’s what blogging is all about. You have the ability to get creative and do things your way.

What has surprised you the most about blogging?
I think the blogging community has surprised me the most. Bloggers are a great group of people; they’re incredibly creative, supportive and helpful. Find a few with similar interests and you’ll have people to share ideas, stories and insights with. It’s so cool!

What I Learned From Attending My First Wedding Alone

My “life timeline” has never followed a typical trajectory. I’ve never really done things in a “normal” fashion whatsoever — I mean, I didn’t take my first sips from a straw until I was well over two or take my first steps until I was four.

So I guess it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that I didn’t attend my first wedding solo until last week. Last Friday night, to be exact. You might remember Jessi, one of my old newspaper advisees, writing soul mate and just all around AMAZING person. She and her equally awesome fiance Chris got married in a small, intimate ceremony and then invited friends and family for a fall-themed reception. Don’t get me going on the delicious food or the fact that Jessi and Chris did almost everything DIY…we’ll be here for hours!

Anyway, a little backstory to catch you up: I’ve known Jessi and Chris since they started dating some five years ago, which is pretty long in young-people years. They met while working at the same movie theater — how cute is that? Jessi would come into the newspaper office and we’d chat about this boy she met at work. As the months went on, they became attached at the hip, with Jessi chronicling their courtship as only a writer could — through This Totally Awesome Boy series on her blog.

Needless to say, I’ve loved being able to watch their relationship blossom over the years, and I couldn’t have been happier when This Totally Awesome Boy became This Totally Awesome Fiance. And then last week, of course, he became This Totally Awesome Husband.

Theirs was the first wedding reception I’d ever gone to alone. Sure, I’ve been to plenty of weddings — aunts, cousins, family friends — but usually with several family members in tow. After all, my dad comes from a family of six kids, so I’m used to my family taking up at least two or three tables. Yes, we’re that family. But last week? I found myself flying solo into very uncharted territory. It was one of those new experiences most people my age probably had at least a decade ago, but here I was, drinking my ice-cold Coca-Cola in a beautifully dimly lit room anxiously waiting for the bride and groom to make their gloriously romantic entrance.

As they came off that elevator, hand in hand, I suddenly realized something: It’s all too easy to become jaded when it comes to love sometimes, to take Simon and Garfunkel’s advice and just become our own closed-off island. I know I’ve felt that way a time or two before. Older generations are even so quick to say that the young people of today have no idea what love is.

But love? I mean, real, true, meant-to-be, feel-it-deep-down-in-your-bones kind of love? My gosh, that still exists. I still believe in love. To all those who say that true love is lost, they’ve never met Jessi and Chris. I saw love that night. I felt it. I know it’s real.

Her Totally Awesome Boy is now her Totally Awesome Husband. And THAT is totally awesome…THANK YOU for inspiring us all, Jessi and Chris!!! xoxo

P.S. Check out Jessi’s new blog to follow more of their adventures as newlyweds! 🙂

South Carolina Barn Wedding

For their “I Do” details, Mary and Max rolled up their sleeves and planned a sweet DIY affair. The result? A beautiful day surrounded by family, sunshine and nature.

They chose to have the reception at the Dutch Barn, just outside of Greenville, partly because it was a scenic locale that was off the beaten path. “This venue was completely DIY. It had a floor and a roof, but was an entirely blank slate,” Mary says. We had a lot of fun making every detail our own. Max is an architect, so he drafted the entire plan of our seating chart and sketched out the space. It was such a dream bringing our vision to life together from scratch.”

Fun fact: When Mary’s sister (also the maid of honor) got the role of a lifetime in her college’s play, the show dates conflicted with the wedding. Knowing how important it was to have her sister by her side, the couple decided to have the reception first and the wedding ceremony the next day. Take that, tradition!

Of the ceremony itself, which took place in a church overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains, Mary says: “It was 100-percent what we wanted it to be, and was an expression of our relationship and love for each other. The support from our family and friends was palpable, and the ceremony felt so intimate.”

Sigh, isn’t that romantic, friends? What a sweet story, and I love how they incorporated such meaningful, personal places into the ceremony and reception. Plus, you can’t really beat that view of the mountains! xoxo

[Photography by Olivia Rae James, via Snippet & Ink]

Wedding Do or Don’t: Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

Believe it or not, I’m not one for big, flashy, over-the-top weddings. I may be a romantic at heart, but this romantic’s heart beats to a more subdued tone. I’m all for low-key when it comes to saying “I do.”

But my sentimental side does love the idea of “Will You Be My Bridesmaid?” cards. They’re such a nice touch and such a special way to ask the women closest to you the big question. I can just picture me one day, inviting my favorite ladies over for lunch (with root beer, of course!), and have their cards waiting for them at the table. A round-up of some of my favorite cards, starting with these cut-out cards that let you choose dress and hair color ($26.25 for set of 3), above…

Rifle Paper Co., $4.50.

Gold foil bridesmaid card, $5.25.

Scratch-off card to build a little suspense, $4.50.

“GIRL!” card, $3.50.

Colorful floral card, $4.25.

Black-and-white dress card, $3.50.

“You’ll Wear It Again” (funny yet true!), $4.

Is this a wedding do or don’t, friends? Would you ever do something like this? Did you? Have you ever been on the receiving end of such an invitation? It sounds pretty magical, if you ask me! xoxo

P.S. You can even make personalized bridesmaids cards! How fun! 🙂