StyleSchool

This week we're chatting up Melissa Foster of Elum Designs (elumdesigns.com) in San Diego about what brides need to know about wedding stationery.

What's your best advice for the recently engaged entering the world of wedding stationery?
1. Know your timeline. On average, it will take about 4-6 weeks to complete a custom stationery order, and this doesn't include the time it takes to actually settle on a design.There is a lot to see both on the internet and in retail stores, and trust me, you will get very excited about the options available. So make sure you are not in a rush to complete the process; it will be so much more fun.

2. Stay true to your personal style. There are an overwhelming number of designs to choose from, so stay focused on what reflects you as a couple, in addition to the style of your wedding. The invitation creates a mood guests should feel before they even arrive, so decide what you want that mood to be before you start your search.

3. Don't get caught up in the "Matchy-ness" of it all. Don't lose sleep on whether your bridesmaid dresses are an exact match to the ink on the invitation. No one is going to hold it up for a 'color match' at your reception. And, if you're getting married at the beach, but your flowers are yellow and orange, whose to say you can't have a seaside blue on the invitation? A good design group will find a way to help you make it work.

What's been your favorite design so far and why?
I think a good designer is always trying to top him or herself on their next design. So, to be honest, it is hard to go back and have a particular favorite. I fall in love with every new design, but that's what keeps me going. What I love about our collection is that each design gives something new and different. We have a design for almost every kind of wedding celebration. When I am creating for our album, I gather the inspiration from couples that might buy the design. I ask, What are their personalities? Are they risk takers or are they hopeless romantics? When the design is complete, I know exactly who I am selling to. There is always someone new to create for.

What's your best stationery cost-cutting tip that doesn't sacrifice style?
Stick to the basics. Your invitation package should include the essentials: invitation, reply card, reception card (if held at a different location than the ceremony) and mailing envelopes. You can eliminate the need for a printed accommodation card, map and directions by creating a wedding website. Simply reference the web address on one of your formal printed pieces. A wedding website also allows you to make up a list of personal recommendations for your out of town guests. What better way to welcome them into town than with a list of your favorite restaurants and fun and interesting things to see and do while they are in town.

What makes Elum different from other stationery companies?
We are absolute perfectionists. Sometimes I drive my staff crazy with the quality standards we uphold for everything from design and type treatment to printing and finishing. But it is the seemingly small details that set us apart from the masses. We are constantly pushing the limits of design within the wedding industry and at the same time pushing the limits of design that can be achieved through the medium of letterpress. We are often the ones to set the design standard for what is considered new and modern in wedding stationery, and for that I am incredibly proud.

What's your biggest wedding stationery no-no?
It's a toss up between including a color-copied map with your gorgeous custom printed invitation and listing your registry information anywhere on your invitation package. Oof!

To learn more about Elum and see their entire stationery collection, go to elumdesigns.com or visit them on Twitter at twitter.com/elumdesigns.

This week we're checking in with Boston-based pastry chef Jenny Williamson of Jenny’s Wedding Cakes (jencakes.com). After working in the catering business for several years, she created her first wedding cake in 1998 and the rest is history. Here, Jenny dishes on what she thinks is delicious.

How does your bakery differ from the rest of the pack?
As a designer, I have developed a specific look over the past several years. I love modern, yet delicate and feminine cake designs—one of our specialties are our hand-made sugar flowers. Also, because of our small size, we are able to offer more attention to each bride and more specialized cake designs, like a zebra striped confection or banana cream cake layered with caramel buttercream.

Why do you enjoy working on wedding cakes?
I love that every single one is different, which presents a new challenge every week. And, of course, the smell!

What’s been your absolute favorite cake you’ve designed so far?
One of my favorite cakes is a cake we made last summer that was inspired by an exquisite birdcage wedding cake topper that the bride found. We mimicked the soft green and yellow colors of the topper and made delicate little sugar flowers.

What’s been the most unique cake you’ve worked on so far?
I once made a buttercream cake look like a regular stone. Another off-the-beaten path one? A Nascar-themed wedding cake.

Any advice for couples choosing their wedding cake?
Put a little bit of your personality into the cake to make it memorable. I ask a lot of questions about the rest of the affair to try to make each cake special for the couple. Make sure to ask your designer about their own ideas based on the wedding’s additional design elements.

To see more of Jenny’s work, visit jencakes.com.

—Rachel Jacoby, Assistant Editor

Our Q&A series has been going strong, but let's be honest: you simply can’t talk about weddings without talking about the gown! That's why we’ll be chatting with bridal designers every other week, so you can meet the people behind all that tulle and taffeta. Finding your dream dress just got personal.

Matthew Sobaski, the designer of Matthew Christopher, is getting things started.

How did you get started designing wedding gowns?
I was only ten years old when I picked up my first bridal magazine! I opened it up and there’s Galina, and Jim Hjelm, and Lazaro, and Fink and I just knew I would be designing wedding gowns one day. I actually started sewing when I was eight and I hated it. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I started making prom and evening dresses, and when I was in college I had my own little business and I’d make custom wedding gowns for local brides. When I moved to NYC, I was lucky enough to work at several big bridal houses like Demetrios, Galina, and Watters. I started my own company in 2002, and now here I am!

Describe the Matthew Christopher bride.
My aesthetic changes. For example, today my bride is more sophisticated. She’s intelligent, she has a career and very discerning taste. She knows what she wants. Her dress is beautiful, traditional with a twist, I’d say.

What are you working on now?
I’m just starting to sketch for my 2010 collection. I’ve been hearing from so many brides that they want something light, nothing heavy, and also more interesting necklines. I’d love to get a sleeve in there if possible, too. Brides seem to be favoring more traditional silhouettes right now and I imagine that has a lot to do with the economic climate. With that in mind, I’m also designing some less expensive dresses, around the two-thousand dollar price point, which I think is important right now. It's very important for me to pay attention to what my brides are looking for—I always listen to their feedback. 

I’m also working with Tara Sacco, an event planner in N.Y.C., on Matthew Christopher Lifestyle Weddings. Basically, I style everyone in the wedding party on the day of the wedding and Tara handles all the event stuff with vendors. Then three days before the wedding we swoop in and take everything over so the bride doesn’t have to worry about a thing. She can just relax and enjoy the experience. 

What's been your favorite gown so far?
I don't have a favorite; they’re all my children. There have been a couple that have made me say, "What was I thinking?" But only a couple of those in my life. I love wedding gowns because they're such a meaningful thing and I’m proud of my work. I love what I do, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

To learn more about Matthew Christopher, visit matthewchristopher.com

—Laura Wasson

We’ve done cakes, flowers and stationery, but where would all that be without someone to document it? That’s why we've added photographers and videographers into the mix. Every other week we’ll be interviewing one to add their perspective and expertise to our series of Q&As.

This week we kick things off with with Utah-based photographer, Duston Todd dustontodd.com.

What influences your work?
Wow, big question! And many answers come to mind. My parents always encouraged me and my artistic abilities, and I was that kid in kindergarten that was always drawing and knew he wanted to be an artist. Another was a simple design class I took at a local community college. I still rely so much on the design process and principles that were taught in that one course. The definition of design is to visually organize information, and that’s exactly what I do. I organize lines, shapes, textures, patterns, values and colors all within my box of a camera. It is a never-ending thrill to answer this question of designing our world from a camera.

What makes you different other wedding photographers?
I don't play it safe. I’m not afraid to put more of myself in my work—not to say others don't—but I think too many wedding photographers that have amazing talent choose to play it safe because that’s what the market wants. I like to step outside of what everyone else is doing, and, as an exciting result, I am rewarded for it.

Film or digital. Why?
Film, 100 percent. Why? Because I love it! I love the organic quality film has. Everything in our world nowadays seems so hardened and artificial because of instant data. I’ve thrown myself into an interesting niche because on one side I want to be edgy and creative and funky with my subjects, and on the other side I am very old-fashioned and a purist because I still shoot film.

What advice can you give to couples looking for a wedding photographer?
You only get one day and one chance. How do you want to have your wedding day remembered? What type of vision would best tell your story for you? You are investing in a vision, so do your homework, look at what’s out there, make sure the photographer can execute that vision. Blogs, websites, magazines...study, study, study! You only get one opportunity to get it right.

What are some of the new wedding photography trends you've been noticing?
Wedding blogs are the newest big thing, and brides love them. There are so many ways to see photographers work out there and it is really exciting and accessible. But as far as trends of actual photography goes, I have seen a great deal of Photoshop-enhanced photos. It is becoming all too repetitive, in my opinion. That’s why I keep my images free of manipulation as much as possible. I keep my work timeless, and classic, and let the clothes and hairstyles date themselves, not the photo effects on top of it.

What are your top 5 must-take shots?
I prefer chapters. There’s too much to reduce it down to five singular shots. A wedding is a story and it's my job as a photographer to communicate that story. These are the most important chapters in that visual story (though there are many others):

To see more of Duston’s work, visit dustontodd.com.

—Jessica Derschowitz

This week, Jenni Undis of Lunualux (lunalux.com) in Minneapolis, Minnesota is giving us the 411 on wedding stationery.

What's your best advice for the recently engaged entering the world of wedding stationery?
Plan ahead! Most couples want to mail invitations 6-8 weeks before their wedding date. The process of assembling, stamping and addressing the invitations can take days (or weeks, if you hire a calligrapher). Most suppliers take at least 2 weeks to print your invitations, plus there's the time it takes for you to decide what you want, and for the designer to create digital proofs. We encourage our clients to start thinking seriously about wedding invitations no less than 4 months before their wedding day. You will enjoy the process more if you aren't frazzled about the time frame and saddled with rush fees.

What's been your favorite design so far and why?
A lot of clients come to us with unique concepts, and it's fun to make their ideas come to life. When Nicole and Zeb asked for wedding invitations with squirrels, I knew it would be an interesting challenge! We spent a lot of time exploring different graphics, fonts and compositions, and I love how it turned out. The graphic is unexpected, the color scheme is cool and slightly masculine, and the typography is very modern even though we used fonts that are based on old lettering. It's exactly what they wanted, but also has the whimsical-but-old-fashioned quality that defines the Lunalux style.

What's your best stationery cost-cutting tip that doesn't sacrifice style?
I love to create multi-purpose items so our clients get the most bang for their buck. Belly bands for invitations can also be incorporated into tabletop decor. Placecards can double as tags for welcome bags or favors, or enclosures for gifts to the wedding party. Custom coasters can serve as table and bar decorations, and also be bundled as favors for guests to take away. Flat cards imprinted with the invitation motif can be used for menu cards, table numbers and thank-you notes.

What makes Lunalux different from other stationery companies?
We work very closely with our wedding clients to create custom invitations that reflect their personality and style. When clients visit our Minneapolis studio, I always start with our sample album so they can see what we have done in the past, and many find just what they are looking for. But because we do all of the design and production in house, we can easily modify designs to create something unique. Clients aren't restricted by a pre-determined list of colors, typefaces or graphics—the options are almost limitless.

What's your biggest wedding stationery no-no?
Do NOT include information about where you are registered on save-the-dates, shower invitations, wedding invitations or your wedding website. It's tantamount to holding out your hand and saying "can we have a present now?" If you register for gifts, share this information with close friends and family members, and word will get around.

To see more from the Lunalux line, visit lunalux.com.

—Jeanine Edwards, Associate Editor

This week, we’re checking in with Sophie Mendoza, owner of Miami-based Yummy Cakes and More (yummycakesandmore.com). After watching her mother bake cookies for years, Mendoza borrowed the recipe and turned her passion project into a full-blown bakery. Here, she shares her shop’s secrets.

How does your bakery differ from the rest of the pack?
From start to finish of every cake, the customer works with our baker to design and create the cake of their dreams. Plus, we will always beat or match any competitor’s price. We knew when we started this company 5 years ago that it would be hard to break into the industry here in Miami. So instead of focusing on any one aspect of cakes, we decided we would have to be the best in everything including customer service, taste, moistness, and reliability. Many of our best customers are more like friends to us. Everything is created with a personal touch.

Why do you enjoy working on wedding cakes?
Wedding cakes are one of the perks to my job. I am able to be part of a couple’s most romantic, special day. Although I am working when most people are relaxing, going to the mall or the beach (the weekends!!), the most rewarding part of this business is taking part in the most cherished moments in my client's life. It's such a special feeling to be able to make someone's wedding cake, then hear back from them for a baby shower cake, and then the 1st birthday party. It's the relationship itself that’s rewarding.

What’s been your absolute favorite wedding cake you’ve designed so far?
My favorite wedding cake is seashell-inspired cakee. I made it for a couple that was having their wedding on a boat. Each seashell and sea horse was made of white, dark, or milk chocolate, dusted with edible luster dust and airbrushed. I was able to really get creative. The cakes that are the most exciting to put together are the ones that I have free rein on design. Although the couple had a clear vision for their cake, they trusted me enough to give them the cake of their dreams.

What’s the most unique wedding cake you’ve ever designed?
To date the most unique cake I was asked to design was what seemed to be a simple cake. The customer was looking for a plain but elegant look with ivory fondant and cascading roses on one of the corners. The design turned into a classic look that was large but elegant and exactly what the bride and groom wanted.

Any advice for couples choosing their wedding cake?
There are a few things that will help you get the cake you want at the budget you are looking for. First of all, the Internet is your best friend! Google away and find images of everything you like (or don’t like). Give yourself plenty of time to shop around and make sure the bakery is available for your event date, especially Sunday weddings. But mostly, enjoy yourself, it's your wedding! Ordering your cake should be fun!

For more information, visit yummycakesandmore.com.

—Rachel Jacoby, Assistant Editor

I'm officially jumping on the bandwagon—my co-editors have done such an impressive job showcasing their amazing baker and florist freinds, that I couldn't let all the wonderfully creative stationers I know miss out on the fun. So here's the first installment of Paper Break, a biweekly Q&A with paperie types. This week, Liz from Brooklyn-based stationery company Linda & Harriett (lindaandharriett.com) is doing the honors.

What's your best advice for the recently engaged entering the world of wedding stationery?
Go see what's out there. Take a trip to your local fine stationery store and flip through the wedding albums to get a sense of the styles you like. If you find a something that speaks to you but don't see anything that's a perfect match, try contacting the company directly to see if they have anything new, as the albums may not have their most recent work.

What's been your favorite design so far and why?
I love our Signature invitation with a vintage wallpaper envelope liner. The invitation itself is like a modern take on the traditional. It's not overwhelmed with color or graphics, but still has a personality. The combination of hand-lettering and sans serif font is just very clean and classic. And I love a liner with this invitation because it allows for a pop of color and pattern. Personally, I just love the texture and history of the vintage wallpaper. It can work for an outdoor wedding in Maine as well as a black tie affair in Manhattan.

What's your best stationery cost-cutting tip that doesn't sacrifice style?
For letterpress, it's definitely keeping the number of colors down. Going with a one-color invitation will save you hundreds of dollars. So use one color for your invitation and then allow other colors to play out in an envelope liner. Opening an invitation that has a colorful or patterned liner allows for a big impact, but those colors do not necessarily need to be found on your actual invitation.

What makes Linda & Harriett different from other stationery companies?
Apart from offering the best possible materials and print quality, we don't really adhere to trends in our design work. We are more interested in offering contemporary designs that will speak to the personalities of the bride and groom and their wedding day.

What's your biggest wedding stationery no-no?
A big no-no in my book is sending out stationery with your new name before you're married. Bridal shower thank you notes should be sent on your own stationery or on generic thank you notes. I also have a personal aversion to the wedding invitation "folios" that look entirely too business-meeting to me. Like all guests, I can appreciate an organized event, but there are better ways to detail wedding weekend activities without having a folder of tabs and inserts.

To see more from the Linda & Harriett line, visit lindaandharriett.com.

—Jeanine Edwards, Associate Editor

With spring around the corner, there couldn’t be a better time to launch our bi-weekly flower profile. Every other week, we’ll ask the best florists around the country your burning questions.

This week, we talked to Rori Pierpont, creative director of New York’s Castle & Pierpont (castlepierpont.com). Though she works with delicate and exotic stems these days, her background is in graphic and textile design and fashion illustration. Still, flowers were always calling her. While Castellano worked as a graphic designer, she recalls, “I was so fascinated with flowers that I worked in a flower shop on weekends, just to learn everything I could about them.” Here’s her best advice for brides-to-be:

What is Castle & Pierpont design philosophy? Our designs are informed by art, fashion, architecture, the seasons, the landscape, so many things inspire us. Above all else, we aim to keep it simple, or at least make it appear that way. Nothing should ever look overworked or over handled— even if it did take all day and night to create.

What should brides keep in mind when selecting their flowers? We believe flowers really can speak and tell a story, every wedding is a new adventure. Brides looking to save a little money on their arrangements should remember that an uncomplicated color palette and an open mind will ensure you get the most impact for your money.

What do you foresee as the next big trend in wedding flowers? Flowers are timeless, it’s the presentation that changes. Today, more flower farms are going green. For our part, we are producing more ecologically conscious designs, using innovations like less plastic and more recycled glass.

—Randy Miller, Editorial Assistant

This week we’re checking in with Andrea Carusetta-Blaut from Sedona Cake Couture in Arizona. Not only has she been featured on Food Network several times, but she’s won a slew of awards for her designs. Known for impeccable designs, Carusetta-Blaut shares her best wedding advice.

How does your bakery differ from the rest of the pack?
Sedona Cake Couture only does wedding cakes and high-end special occasion cakes. As a result, we devote all of our time to creative, beautifully designed cakes. After running a successful bakery for eight years, we made the change because we are sought out by brides who are looking for an extraordinary cake—and we can put all of our attention into creating wonderful, edible works of art.

Why do you enjoy working on wedding cakes?
We love working on wedding cakes because we can be so creative and over-the-top. The brides that come to Sedona are looking for a wedding cake with a certain aesthetic and are often non-traditional. This opens the door to new and innovative designs with our cakes! Very rarely do we do the same design more than once. Our cakes are always personalized—we weave many elements of the brides’ special day together like a beautiful tapestry.

What’s been your favorite wedding cake you’ve designed so far?
My favorite wedding cake so far is a black, gold and ivory cake I designed for another pastry chef! The look and feel were old world and fit the decor of the reception perfectly. Each tier of the cake was a different flavor—Myer Lemon with Lemon Cheesecake, Mango Passion fruit and Fresh Berries and Cream with a Vanilla Butter Cake. Everything tasted fabulous!

What’s the most unique wedding cake you’ve ever designed?
That would be a Victorian Urn Cake I created. Not only was the shape unique—it was inspired by an 1860's Meissen Urn—but the cake had sugar flowers from a bygone era including big zinnias, old fashioned roses, and floppy poppies. The cake was dark chocolate with an espresso buttercream. It took 3 coveted awards at the 2008 NACE Arizona Cake Competition!

Any advice for couples choosing their wedding cake?
Yes! Don’t go for the mundane. Your cake should really express who you are and tie in as many of the personal elements of the reception as possible—the colors, flowers, monograms, designs from the bride's dress or invitation.

Also, make sure you sample cake flavors before ordering your cake. A stunning cake needs to taste as good as it looks and wow your guests. We often hear that our wedding cakes are talked about by the guests long after the wedding is over. Now that is creating a memory!

Click here to check out more cakes from Sedona Cake Couture, or visit their website at sedonacakes.com.

--Rachel Jacoby, Assistant Editor

This week we’re checking in with one of the world’s best bakers and cake designers, Ron Ben-Israel. Believe it or not, he wasn’t always a baker—he toured the world as a dancer before swapping his ballet slippers for fondant. Now, Ben-Israel creates amazing cakes and serves as an adjunct professor at the French Culinary Institute. Here, he dishes on his bakery, his style, and his best wedding advice.

How does your bakery differ from the rest of the pack?

Our commercial facilities are a cross between a crazy scientist’s laboratory, an art studio flooded with natural light and a sophisticated commercial bakery. Fellow chefs call our location “the bakery in the sky” because we are located on the top floor under large sky-lights in SoHo, a fashionable NYC neighborhood. Lucky enough for me, I don’t have to worry about producing other bakery items such as cookies or brownies; all I do is one-of-a-kind creations. Our clients request a luxury item from us and it’s our pleasure to spoil them.

Why do you enjoy working on wedding cakes?

Working on wedding cakes gives me a chance to reflect on the couple’s taste and style and to show off in front of a large number of guests! After all, every cake is a grand performance that’s given only once in a lifetime. Additionally, I get to cooperate with an amazingly talented group of vendors—the florist, the lighting designer, the chefs, the dress designer and the stationer. It’s very inspiring and humbling to witness all this inspiration.

What’s been your favorite wedding cake you’ve designed so far?

I always say that the next wedding cake I’m going to complete is my favorite: I could never pick just one! I’m very excited about the new designs I’ll be showing this year, as well as some new trends I can’t wait to feature, especially “singular” flowers and colors. Think cakes that feature only sugar anemones or cakes that are monochromatic. In terms of flavors, I’m crazy about our new pumpkin-spice for the fall and candied ginger for the summer.

Any advice for couples choosing their wedding cake?

I would never compromise on the size of the cake. Ordering a smaller cake than the number of guests will look like skimping. I mean, a bride wouldn’t shorten her gown in order to save few dollars! The cake needs to fit in the overall theme and design of the reception. That being said, I’m all for working with our clients to choose designs that suit their budgets.

Another piece of advice? Don’t choose a baker that’s just going to replicate a design they’ve seen in a wedding magazine or online! Instead, engage a cake designer that takes pride in his/her own creations and have experience working on certain styles.

For a complete look at Ron’s designs, visit weddingcakes.com. To book an appointment, call 212.625.3369.

—Rachel Jacoby, Assistant Editor

Photo courtesy of Ron Ben-Israel/weddingcakes.com