At Weddings By Carue, we’re always down for a party. This includes showers, graduations, and holiday parties. We work year-round to make sure our clients are happy and ready to celebrate no matter what the occasion.
When it comes to planning, most events can be broken down into a simple checklist: venue, invitations, activities, food, and most importantly – guests. Below are a few tips that will make your bash Santa worthy.
So, you’ve chosen your colors, the Save the Dates, and the invitations. Your theme is strong and you feel ready to put the finishing touches on your big day. However, our clients often tell us the most stressful aspect of any wedding is keeping track of all the details that pull everything together.
Take a breath. We’re here to help.
We’ve assembled a list of printable details that are a must for your big day. All of the items below can be customized to match your invitations and printed, folded, and assembled for you!
Wedding Programs
Wedding programs are a staple of any ceremony. They’re not only informative, but serve as a keepsake for guests and the wedding party alike. Give your guests something entertaining to read while waiting for the bride’s debut. Be sure to include honeymoon plans, special thanks, and any fun facts about the couple.
Choosing colors and themes for weddings or any celebration can seem overwhelming. Considering the fact that a color palette determines invitations, decorations, and the overall tone of an event, it’s understandable that many brides agonize over the decision. That’s why we have created a list of our top five things to consider when incorporating fall into your big day.
Through Pinterest, Instagram, and other Internet sites, today’s couples have access to thousands of sources of wedding inspiration. In fact, there is so much inspiration out there that many couples find themselves paralyzed when it comes to making key decisions about invitation design.
Wedding themes bring focus and consistency to your event. Deciding on a theme early makes subsequent decisions much easier. From wedding invitation ideas, to favors, to menu graphics, the theme brings everything together.
If you’re finding yourself stuck with too many choices, consider working with one of our sales representatives to discuss your customized invitation. Here is a look at a few couples who did just that:
The Board Game Theme
Sabrena and Justin’s love of board games is an essential part of their love story. We worked with them to showcase that love with these customized board game wedding invitations, brought to life with a chalkboard background.
Pro Tip: adding texture (like the lace print seen above) adds depth to the design and makes it easier to incorporate different fabrics into your decorations.
Justine & Maxwell’s Charcoal and Coral D.I.Y. Wedding Invitations
When Justine contacted us about her idea for unique and budget-friendly wedding invitations, we were thrilled. “I knew from the beginning that I wanted very unique invitations but didn’t want to pay the high prices to have someone do it for me,” Justine said. Helping clients take a project from conception to completion is one of the best parts of what we do. “All of the staff at Weddings by Carue strives to get you exactly what you are looking for! They are very conscious of staying within your budget and offer suggestions of how to achieve that. They work until your design is absolutely perfect and just what you imagined,” Justine said. The couple’s colors, charcoal and coral, were a perfect mix of formality and boldness that inspired us from the start.
Our recommendation to clients is to imagine what their invitations will be like for guests to receive and open.
Justine was inspired by sites like Pinterest, Etsy, and Wedding Paper Divas, and then brought her ideas to us in order to create exactly what she was looking for. “I combined design ideas from outside sources with my own creativity to create my own unique invitation,” Justine said. When focusing on the message of the invitation, we assisted in reflecting the couple’s personality instead of sticking to traditional and formal wording.
Justin and Jessicann’s “Down Home” Wedding at Wooden Wheel Vineyards in Keota, IA
One of the best things about Iowa is the eclectic mix of urban and rural communities in the area. Just 45 minutes south of Iowa City is the small town of Keota. In addition to the gorgeous views of Iowa-centric farmland, the town also holds Wooden Wheel Vineyards – the site of Justin and Jessicann’s big day. When we were approached to assist with Justin and Jessicann’s wedding, they emphasized the need to bring the best of both rural and city life into the celebration.
“Justin and I met while he was stationed at Fort Drum, New York,” said Jessicann, a native of New York. “We actually met on a dating website. We talked through the computer the first day and then graduated to texting then finally talked to each other on the phone while he was doing one of his retreats for the Army. We talked until six a.m. every day while he was on that retreat and then set up our first date. The rest is history.” The process of combining the tastes of two individuals can be a challenge, but Weddings by Carue strives to make the experience as simple as possible. “Carissa was just so easy to work with,” said Jessicann. “She made me comfortable about decisions I made from my invitations, to the photo booth, to photography, and my favor boxes. She really kept my budget in mind and helped me make beautiful decisions that would keep me within my budget and still fit within my theme. Carissa was just amazing and I recommend her every chance I get.
Tim & Megan’s Wedding Reception Photo Booth at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Cedar Rapids
We had a blast at Tim and Megan’s wedding reception in Cedar Rapids, helping guests celebrate by capturing all the excitement in our photo booth! The photo frames were customized to match the couple’s wedding colors, navy and gold, and quickly became treasured keepsakes. “Having a photo booth allowed all of our guests the ability to take a piece of our wedding home with them,” Megan said.
The guests weren’t the only ones left with keepsakes. A Weddings by Carue attendant assisted in taking the photos as well as compiling them into a scrapbook for Tim and Megan to enjoy. “When my husband and I looked at the scrapbook, we could not stop laughing at some of the pictures in there,” Megan said. “We were flipping through each page, looking at the photos, and reflecting on how wonderful our day had been. We feel so lucky looking at those pictures and seeing just how fun our friends and family are.” Fun was definitely incorporated into the photo booth with a wide variety of props for guests to choose from.
Photo booths are an opportunity to initiate conversations and make new friends, which is reminiscent of how Tim and Megan met. “Tim and I met at a bar while watching the Iowa vs. Iowa State game. He came over to our group of friends and tried striking up a conversation about Iowa State. None of us were that big of fans of ISU, so it wasn’t going too well until he offered to buy us all a drink,” Megan said. “We got to chatting and I found out he wasn’t even an Iowa State fan. It was worse; he was a Husker fan! We talked throughout the rest of the game, exchanged numbers, and went our separate ways. Not even two hours later, Tim texted me. Trying to play it cool, I left him hanging as long as I could – twenty minutes – before texting him back. We continued talking through the night and decided to do lunch the next day. From that day on, we didn’t stop talking or hanging out.”
When the day is over and the edits are finished, as photographers we are absolutely thrilled to be able to show you the way we saw your wedding. In a way, we see it as our duty to become the narrator of your fairy tale, just for a day. We hope that your photos are a reflection of how seriously we take that responsibility. Many times we see couples hesitate when we encourage purchasing a wedding album, primarily because of the cost. We wanted to take this opportunity to explain why these albums are so important and provide some alternatives that will keep your celebration accessible for you to enjoy, instead of being tucked away on thumb drive.
The Wedding Album
Albums are made for more than the tops of coffee tables. They are made to be an experience. We recommend an album to all of our clients because it is the best way to tell a story. When we create an album, we curate the images to take the viewer through the entire day. From make-up and veils, to first glances, to the beading on the centerpieces, a wedding album peppers the details into the big moments. This fluidity from one image to the next is a professional technique that can take many hours to complete. Providing this service allows us to preserve the integrity of the photos and the experience of our clients when viewing the images.
Photo Collages
Photo collages are like a mini album, highlighting several special moments in a single image. These can be composed of as few as three photos, creating a highlight reel to hang with family pictures or on a nightstand. Photographers specialize in pairing specific images in order to create movement within the larger print and letting the pictures tell the story.
Wall Collages
The traditional prints hung on a wall are a classic way to remember your celebration. Photographs can then be paired with detailed images of the rings, the bride’s shoes, or even a shadow box with a dried corsage. Physical elements add texture and depth to an otherwise flat wall display, telling the story of the day. Getting images printed on canvas or adding photo collages along side traditional prints can also make the display more unique.
Gifts
Weddings are sometimes a rare opportunity to take photos of family members who are not often together. Getting professional quality prints of those images to share with family members is another way to get the most from your photo package, as well as emphasize your gratitude for your family sharing in your day.
After reviewing your images, please speak with us about how you want to tell your story. By knowing your intentions for the images and the space you have to display them, we will be able to advise you on the best way to purchase your prints. We look forward to assisting you in remembering your wedding for years to come.
