“How do I address a couple that is married but have different last names?”

In addressing envelopes, according to etiquette, ‘and’ is the wedding ring on the paper.

Etiquette states that the woman’s name always goes on the first line of an envelope. After the woman’s name an ‘and’ signifies that she is married to the person on the second line. On the second line, her spouses name is written. If there is not an ‘and’ after the woman’s name, the couple is not married but living together.

Married:

Ms.Katherine Smith and

Mr. Jacob Kennedy

(address)

Living together:

Ms. Katherine Smith

Mr. Jacob Kennedy

(address)

“Calligraphy is back in such a big way. I love Sarah Hanna and Samira Gast. In addition to amazing calligraphy, they both do custom designs and maps for invitations – and will even create a completely unique logo that you can then use throughout the wedding.”

- Kelly

Thank you to Kelly McWilliams, with Weddings by Socialites, for the super kind words!! You are the sweetest!!

If you are looking to throw a great party, check out Weddings by Socialites in Cape Coral, Florida!

Not only is 2012 here already, it is here in full force. Many people spend the early parts of January thinking through how the previous year has been and setting goals for the new year. I admire those people – I really do. And I’ll be honest, secretly I wish I set yearly goals because I think setting a yearly goal is cool. However, I know myself better than that… I would rather set my goals in February once I can see clearly and really evaluate what it is I am going to shoot for…unless, that is, it hits me – spontaneously… I like spontaneity!

So, with that said – Congratulations to you, New Year goal setting people! And for those of you who haven’t yet – or simply don’t care to… Cheers.

So much has happened this past year. I know – I say that every year – but honestly 2011 has been quite a full year for me. In fact, the last two years blur into one. Ever since my car got stolen out of my driveway – yep, you read right, it’s been a fast and furious ride ending with three weddings (one of which was my own), a move, five new babies in the family and the passing of my Teta (what we called our grandmother; Arabic).

So goes with all things in life, you get to process as you go. Sometimes you find moments that you can stop, thoughtfully and prayerfully, think or feel through a season – and sometimes you just get to squeeze it in while driving from one thing to the next.

Something that I have thought quite a lot about from this past year are some of Teta’s last words. Before I tell you those, let me tell you who Teta was.

Talk about a fearless woman. She was strong. She raised four children by herself, started Girls’ Town in Jamaica (read a great article about that!), owned a business, worked as an internationally recognized artist, contributed to her church and community all while intimately walking with the Lord. She was quite the woman. She lived a full life and fought stage four cancer for about three years. She never had a bad attitude and was always found thanking God (impressive no matter who you are).

She lived an upstanding life. She lived a life of devotion. She led by example.

Among many attributes of who she was and how she lived, her last words will be forever engrained in my mind. As she lay on her bed, with about twenty-five family members around her singing upbeat songs (she didn’t want anything depressing) she looked around her and said:

“Life is like a dream.

Life is like a dream.”

Her words echoed within me. Words spoken from a perspective only some of us are given, for moments in our lives. A perspective of one who is on earth but also entering eternity.

“Life is like a dream.” Her words stuck.

Life continues to move, moment by moment, year to year. Sometimes life moves excruciatingly slow. Sometimes life moves excruciatingly fast. Yet life doesn’t stop.

Fast forward to this time next year, I will probably be found saying something about 2012 flying by, because it will. As sure as the sun will rise – it will also set – and rise again… and so on. Unless we choose to live purposefully, making what we do, say, feel and how we think matter for something greater than ourselves, this year will fly by like the last with only a few things to remember out of it.

What if we gave today 100%? I want to give this year my best: I want to give my husband 100%, I want to give my relationship with God 100%. I want to serve and take an active part in my community. I want to squeeze every drop out of what I have been given, whether sitting in an art studio all day or out interacting with people… None of us knows what tomorrow will hold.

If we are given the gift of living a full, long, life that can be looked back on, like Teta, lets wake up while we can and intentionally live it. So hopefully when we get to the end of our lives we can be grateful for our time and satisfied with the moments we got to spend – or invest – here on earth.

Humph, looks like I have my New Years resolution.

May this truly be a very happy new year for you and your family!

What a magazine! What a photo shoot!

I was honored when I was asked by Tali Gallo (Solutions Bridal) to play a part in the photo shoot for the new Central Florida Bride magazine!

When I was first asked to participate, Tali told me about her idea of wanting a creative marriage license done in calligraphy. So, I got to work and created a marriage license that fused non-traditional and traditional elements along with a fun and lively flair.

If you are in the area, make sure to pick up the latest copy of Central Florida Bride!

Power house team that made it all happen:

Caroline Johnson Photography: Photography

Solutions Bridal: Gowns

Waldorf Astoria, Orlando: Venue

Lee Forrest Design: Floral

Courtney Karem, Jashua Villatoro, Lori Loftis: Fashion Stylists

Beaute Speciale: Hair and Make-up

AFR Event Furnishings: Furniture

Jeffrey Stoner: Video

Get Lit Productions: Lighting

Mercedes Benz of South Orlando: Vehicles

Rebekah with her husband and son.

Meet Rebekah.

Rebekah recently eloped with her groom and tied the knot in Prague. I mean honestly… how fun does that sound!?

When Rebekah contacted me to calligraph the envelopes for her wedding announcements she told me that none of her guests actually knew that she was eloping. So in the fullest sense of the word, Rebekah was certainly announcing her wedding! Throughout the entire process Rebekah was an utter delight and joy to work with!

When it comes to parting ways with such wonderful brides, like Rebekah, it is always a little bitter-sweet because they are a dream to work with and know. Though it is a privilege to share in such a meaningful and special time in their lives.

———-

Samira provided the calligraphy for the envelopes holding our wedding announcements. (We eloped in Prague on 22 June 2011 and didn’t tell anyone beforehand!)

I had my custom announcements and return addresses printed through Bella Figura (also highly recommended) letterpress and wanted someone to beautify the addresses since my handwriting is atrocious, and I don’t believe in typed labels for formal correspondence.

We chose the Florida lettering style and WOW! I completely LOVED it!
So chic and fabulous.

I hated to see the envelopes go when it was time to mail them out… They look soooo amazing. You will not be disappointed if you hire Samira to do your wedding paper goods. I am beyond thrilled with the results. They are even better than I had hoped they would be.

I am such a perfectionist on these things, and I did not know whether they could meet my impossibly high standards — but they exceeded them no problem! I should have known when I saw that she is Crane’s preferred calligrapher in Florida. If you know your paper, you know Crane’s exacting standards.

I will definitely work with Samira again in the future, although I don’t plan to have another wedding!

The lettering is so precise, it almost looks too good to be true. When I first showed my new husband, he thought she cheated and used a computer font, but you can see the ink strokes easily. It’s like looking at art. Each envelope was absolutely flawless. I have already heard some rave reviews from people who have received them, and can’t wait to hear from the rest.

The woman at the post office oohed and aahed and told me that you rarely see anything that beautiful on an envelope anymore!

On the business note, she is courteous, professional, responsive, and I enjoyed chatting on the phone with her about my project — and discovering that we are both Hoosiers by birth.

She got exactly the look I was going for in concept and nailed it in execution.

There were no typos in her work, everything was exactly how I had it on the address list. She was prompt in producing them and shipping was a breeze when I gave her our FedEx account number for overnight shipping.

I wish I could give her 10 stars. Her pricing is fair, as well. Cheaper than a lot of calligraphers whose work isn’t anywhere near as impressive.

You will be even happier with her calligraphy when it’s your addresses. The Florida style of lettering is amazing — I highly recommend it for wedding announcements or invitations!

— Rebekah (Hildebrandt) Alt ~ Falls Church, Virginia

When I ran the Miami ING, I started strong, I found my pace and enjoyed my playlist. Soon I realized that my body was starting to hurt and all I wanted to do was stop and stretch. Though I knew that if I stopped to stretch I would throw off my pace. I was too determined to let a little knee pain ruin my time. Soon enough, my knees were screaming out to me all kinds of things I never thought my knees even knew… It was then that I entered into the mental part of my race. I decided that I wasn’t going to stop  - unless my body involuntarily threw itself down as a quitter. I was going to push through my pain and finish the race because that’s what I came to do… And so it is with wedding planning.

I am on the mental stretch of the planning process. I have decided that I am here to finish this race and push through the exhaustion – and every other emotion that I have been surprised to see it rear its head. Now I understand why bridezillas exist. I am not saying that sort of irrational behavior is okay, because it’s not. However, I’ll be honest…. Wedding planing is a battle field.

Though I might have to ice my knees at the end of this marathon planning process, I know that this planning time will be well worth it. In a little over a month I will be married to the best man I know, and that is well worth the occasional shin splints along the way.

Top Seven Lessons Learned this Month:

7. There are days that come along where I have found that I actually have a moment to relax from wedding planning. I have learned when these little gems come along, not to freak out that I am missing something, but to enjoy them. After all, if I don’t seize the down time, it will be on its merry little way.

6. Every time someone tells me “no one will know what goes wrong on your wedding day but you,” deep down I breathe a sigh of relief. That’s right… no one will know.

5. A group of friends were asking me the other day about how wedding planning is coming. Nicole, mentioned to me to ‘just focus on Daniel (my fiance) because he is the most important thing.’ (Wise words Nicole, thank you!) It is so easy to focus on every little detail and decision that needs to be made that you forget about the single most important person in this whole process, your fiance.

4. Take everything in stride. Life happens, focus on the things that you can control and let the things that are outside of your control just be.

3. Do your best and leave it at that.

2. Sit down, or go out, and do something for yourself that is not wedding related.

1. Know your limitations. Don’t push yourself so hard that you end up falling over before you reach the finish line.

Flowers – Found.

Table favors – Decided.

Flower girl dress – Chosen.

Invitations – An awesome calligrapher totally hooked me up! – Check.

Hotel room welcome gift – Set.

Now on to month six.

“Wedding invitations were once delivered by hand. If you were a bride back in those days, your footman delivered your invitations to your guests’ homes. Their servants received the invitations and removed them from their outer envelope, an envelope much too pedestrian for your guests to handle themselves. The servants, then, presented the invitation to your guests in its pristine inside envelope. Because the invitations were already at their destination, the inside envelopes had only the names of your guests written on them. The address was no longer needed. They just had to be directed to the appropriate members of the household.”

The Wedding Blue Book, Crane and Co.

Today still, brides love sending out their wedding invitations using a double set of envelopes. I am personally a huge fan of a double set of envelopes. I love addressing the outer envelope to the heads of the home and then personally inviting each guest of the home on the inner envelope. I love the old world feel mixed with a modern-day sophistication that only receiving a double set of envelopes can bring.

Though, not every bride chooses to use a double set of envelopes today. There are many reasons why brides choose to use single envelopes. Sometimes the stationary that a bride has chosen does not offer an inner envelope. Other reasons some brides do not use an inner envelope comes down to taste, priority and cost.

At the end of the day, each bride must find out what works best for them, their wedding and their budget.

If having a double set of envelopes is important to you, make sure to ask your stationer about the options that are available before ordering your stationary.

In honor of Daniel’s birthday month, and the fact that many of you have asked about it, here is the engagement story from Daniel’s perspective. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Daniel! I consider it an honor and privilege to sojourn life beside you… I look forward to many more adventures to come!

Now on to month five.

There are so many things to consider when getting your guest list together for any occasion. If finding your long lost Uncle Ed’s address wasn’t difficult enough, now you have to figure out how to invite him to your wedding without offending his girlfriend.

If you have put together any sort of formal mailing, you know that etiquette matters. No one wants to offend or insult their guests. (Trust me, I’ve done it – it’s not worth any sort of shortcut.) Etiquette is here to make you and your guests feel comfortable. With that said, it is ultimately up to you what you follow and what you ignore.

Good news is that I am here to help you in your time of guest list need!

I will add posts to answer the most popular etiquette questions that I have received regarding guest list etiquette. This way, you can go into the guest list construction zone with confidence and ease.

Along the way, if you have any etiquette questions that I have not yet answered, please feel free to email me and I will answer it as soon as I can. What a deal!

A few months ago I had the privilege of meeting Peggy Post, granddaughter of Emily Post (author and expert of etiquette in society). I chatted with Peggy about her new book and shared some laughs about what happens when etiquette is ignored when it matters. Don’t let that be you!

Stay tuned on how to invite your guests with class and panache!

This month I have stumbled upon a new wedding planning revelation: it’s an adventure.

Lets first go back to a favorite childhood memory of mine: Indiana Jones. (My dad will be so proud.) Indiana was on a search for the lost Ark of the Covenant. Throughout these movies, we journey with him as he searches for something he has never actually seen. Though Indiana knows what he is looking for, his adventures keep taking new twists and turns that only enhance his journey.

This month I purchased a rather large non-returnable (I know…) item for the tables at the reception. I took a little leap of faith in that purchase. I had to envision the practicality of how it was going to fit into everything else that I have conceptualized for the reception. I thought it was a perfect fit for what I was thinking, at least for the first first few hours after I purchased it. Then, I soon came to realize that I was going to have to tweak a few major plans for the reception because of my non-returnable purchase.

After spending some time thinking about it and talking with my sister, the new plan has been discovered! I am confident that this new little twist will make our reception more beautiful… and only enhance our wedding day. Even though I haven’t yet tangibly seen what the reception will look like with all of the linens, candles, flowers, table cards, favors, etc, I know that the journey in this planning process will lead me to exactly where I need to be for a great reception.

Though the inevitable little twists will come along in the journey of wedding planning, they might just be what you need to make your wedding day that much more special. Now our tables will look a little different than I initially thought they would, but now they will also look better! And who doesn’t like a little bit better!?

Top Seven Lessons Learned this Month:

7. Not everything has to be figured out today. Just breathe and pace yourself.

6. Ask for the best deal. I found out that If I pick up and drop off my linens they will take 15% off. Hey, who doesn’t like that!? You never know what kind of money you will really save unless you ask.

5. Do your homework before you drop some crazy cash. I know before I said to check Michaels, but don’t forget about is the Dollar Tree (hellooo $1 deals)! Also if you search Craigslist there are quite a few people out there who want to sell what they used for their wedding to you for less – though know what things cost. I have found that just because people are reselling it on Craigslist doesn’t mean that you are getting a good deal. Get creative and think about options outside the box.

4. Keep moving. Don’t give up. All of the small details that you are working on will add up and make a difference!

3. Keep everything in perspective. I have recently been asking myself: “Will this really matter on my wedding day?” Usually the answer is no. Though I haven’t discovered how to make the decision of the hour matter less, it does make me feel a bit better knowing that whatever I decide won’t ruin our wedding.

2. Invite people in for support.

1. Share with people about the plans and decisions that excite you. In the process of sharing your joys, they will become bigger and the stressors will diminish.

Church – check.

Bridesmaid dresses, found.

Table decor, purchased.

Pastor, booked.

Premarital – started.

Now on to month four.