Massachusetts and New Hampshire wedding paper products, Invited Design Studio, is a new member of the my Kate Parker Wedding family.  Invited Design Studio creates wedding invitations with each couple in mind and their unique designs are tailored to fit any color scheme.  As they understand the wedding process is a scary one for some couples, they will make sure your invitations are taken care of!  Check out some of their work below! ~ AY

Invited Design Studio
Website: www.inviteddesignstudio.com
my Kate Parker Wedding State and Budget: MA under $25k, $25-50k; NH under $25k, $25-50k

If the family were a fruit, it would be an orange, a circle of sections, held together but separable – each segment distinct.

~Letty Cottin Pogrebin

Rhode Island wedding paper products, Parrott Design Studio is featured in the spotlight this week on my Kate Parker Wedding.  Parrott Design Studio creates letterpress and screen print wedding invites as well as other stationery.  Their beautiful wedding invitation designs are created using couples’ design ideas, color schemes, themes, location, and more.  The invitations are unique and Parrott Design Studio can create a stationery masterpiece, no matter what your taste!  Check out some of their information below and get to know this wonderful wedding vendor.

Number of Years in Business: I began my design studio about two and half years ago.

Photograph taken by Li Ward of Fat Orange Studio, a member of my Kate Parker Wedding.

Pricing Information: A letterpress invitation suite including an invitation, RSVP postcard, and outer envelope starts around $750 for 100.  A full invitation suite including an invitation and RSVP, both with envelopes, a reception card, map, and paper band to hold everything neatly together starts around $1,550 for 100.  Almost all of my designs are custom and each couple I work with are different, so prices vary, and I can adapt to any budget.

What makes me stand out in what I do? I offer a custom design experience that is approachable and affordable.  Couples are getting more creative and searching for a way to incorporate themselves and their style in their wedding invitations.  They want a design that is unique to them as a couple and that is what I offer.  All of my designs are custom and start with a conversation with the client about what they envision not only for the paper, but for their day as a whole.  If a client likes one of my previous designs, we always start with that as a base, but no two invitations come out the same.  With a background in marketing and print design, I think paper is the perfect way to tie details together.  From the save the date to the escort cards, invitations to thank you notes, customized stationery carries the theme throughout the day.  A coordinated and consistent look makes for an even more memorable wedding for the couple and their guests.

What’s the favorite part of my work? Being creative each day!  I love that I am both the designer and printer.  I feel so connected to everything I create because I am there from inception of the design, to cutting the paper, to printing each piece of paper on my letterpress, to all the finishing details of enveloping lining and ribbon tying.  I love hearing about the details of my client’s wedding – their flowers, colors of their shoes, the historic barn where the reception is taking place.  Details are what make a wedding, and my work, extra special.  And of course, hearing from a client that their guests loved their invitations is important because the bottom line is not only for me to be fulfilled creatively, but to have a happy client as well.  I also love working with other wedding professionals and vendors and would love to work with them more to help in designing and printing their marketing materials.

What do I like to do in my spare time: When I am not printing (or thinking of my next best design!) I can be found planning my own September 2010 wedding with my fiancé, Rich, playing with our pups Simone and Scooter, baking, sewing, listening to records, gardening, and now that winter is here, snowboarding.  We love taking mini-road trips, especially to my home state of Maine.

What charity am I supporting and why: I am very excited to have the opportunity to give back through myKPW.  I have chosen to support the research, education, and outreach in finding a cure for cancer and also the ASPCA.  I chose to support efforts in curing cancer because I lost an uncle to cancer, but also have an aunt who is a breast cancer survivor.  In 2008 I had half of my thyroid removed due a tumor, which was potentially cancerous.  The tumor was benign, but it was a very real and eye-opening experience.  I also chose the ASPCA because every animal deserves a second chance.  I am such a lover of all animals!  Our lab mixes, Simone and Scooter, are both rescue dogs from the South and they have made our lives so much more joyful.

Parrott Design Studio:
Website: http://parrottdesignstudio.com
my Kate Parker Wedding Website: http://mykateparkerwedding.com/vendors/RI/Paper-Products/Parrott-Design-Studio.aspx
Email: sarah@parrottdesignstudio.com
Shop: http://sarahparrott825.etsy.com
Blog: http://thingsrbetterwithaparrott.typepad.com/
my Kate Parker Wedding State & Budget: RI 25k – 50k

~Invitation Heartache~

Wedding drama is certainly inevitable.  We must accept that as fact. Family issues, budget stress, decision-making challenges…but nothing seems to cause more anxiety than who to invite, and perhaps more importantly, who not to invite.  Gay weddings have their unique challenges in this regard, because you deal with the extra layer of potential homophobia.

Creating a guest list should be one of the first things you do once you are ready to plan your wedding.  I tell my clients only to invite people who will be thrilled to support them.  In some cases, especially with family, this is easier said than done.  I had clients who were torn up because one of their aunts had signed the anti-gay marriage petition in Massachusetts, and her name was found on KnowThyNeighbor.org.  The aunt was invited anyway.  I am hopeful that witnessing that beautiful wedding changed her heart and mind (as it often does).

It’s difficult knowing where to draw the line with your wedding guest list but you have to, and not only because of the budget implications!  Many couples even find themselves having to invite friends of their parents that they don’t know very well.  Do you invite friends you haven’t talked to in three or more years if the friendship has grown apart?  Do you have to invite everyone whose wedding you attended, even if it was many years ago and the friendship hasn’t survived?  Do work colleagues get invited?  What about friends from high school and college that you reconnected with via Facebook?  And I’m not even going to address the “and guest” issue..

We know that lesbians are notorious for staying in touch with ex-girlfriends (and some gay men are, too) – so do they get invited to your wedding?

How do you draw the line in peace, without being judged?

Unfortunately I don’t have all the answers but my best advice is to make a policy regarding each of those questions and stick to that policy.