Real Wedding: Gillian + Shane

We are back from an amazing trip to Maine and around New York State, and we cannot wait to share some photos we received while we were out of town!  Gillian and her mother came to us with a vision of letterpress, lace and elegance.  They chose one of our Bella Figura designs (letterpress and foil stamped on gorgeous, thick 100% cotton paper), and customized the layout, fonts, and colors to create the perfect invitation for their Fort Lauderdale beachside wedding.  Check out the photos below by the incredible Lena Isely.

We're closed for summer vacation!

We're closed for summer vacation!  If you have an urgent question, email us at hello@windmillpaper.com, and we'll be in touch as soon as we can.  Otherwise, the shop will be open and available for appointments again on August 26th.

We're on instagram!

Join us on August 24th at The Club at Boca Pointe

Join us on August 24th from 1-4pm for the South Florida Perfect Wedding Guide bridal show at The Club at Boca Pointe! You'll have the opportunity to see and feel our invitations in person, and meet plenty of other wedding vendors. Plus, one lucky attendee will win one of our gorgeous Smock boxes, filled to the brim with lovely letterpress cards & paper items!  We'll be featuring designs from Dauphine, Bella Figura, Smock, and Allie Munroe - you won't want to miss this!

Be inspired: Miami Skyline

We are wrapping up this busy but amazing week with an inspiration post based on our very own gorgeous Miami skyline, inspired by a photo from the incredible Maggie Stolzberg.  We kept this wedding invitation design soft with dusty neutrals, and added just a hint of deep blue to the edge.

[Photo credit: Maggie Stolzberg]

Invitation of the Day: Violet

Invitation of the day: the Violet design by Haute Papier (available here at The Windmill) is the perfect combination of blush pink, pewter, and ivory - these colors have been so popular with upcoming spring weddings!  Love the design but not the colors?  Everything is totally customizable!

Our road trip to North Carolina!

A couple of weeks ago, we closed up shop to travel halfway up the east coast to Atlantic Beach, North Carolina for a family vacation.  Here are a few shots from our road trip!

   

We left our house at the frighteningly early hour of 4am in hopes of making it to Charleston just in time for lunch.  We had brunch at the wonderful Husk on Queen Street - amazing shrimp & grits!  We managed to avoid the fall of a 100 pound branch right in front of the restaurant.

   

Our stop in Charleston was short, but we did catch a glimpse of a couple of super-cute horse and carriage tours.  Sarah’s detail shot leaves us wondering if she did in fact earn a degree in fine art…

   

We crossed the very photo-worthy Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge on Route 17 out of Charleston.  Again, the detail!

   

And we finally arrived in Atlantic Beach!  The view was amazing.

 

We had two beautiful days of sun and sand, until Hurricane Arthur decided to make landfall… directly on us.

   

We survived!  And the beach and weather the following couple of days was amazing.

   

When our vacation was over, we departed again at an unearthly hour, and found the most amazingly bizarre coffee shop just outside of Jacksonville, North Carolina - Lighthouse Espresso.  If you ever find yourself in this area, go there!

   

Then we were on our way again!  We found a cool looking building (Shawn thinks this is a super villain’s lair. Really.).

   

And then we were back in Charleston, South Carolina!  We made the best. discovery. ever.  Boxcar Betty’s is a fairly new little restaurant in the area that specializes in one thing only: the fried chicken sandwich.  You will wonder how you survived without their sandwiches before.  Life-alteringly good.

   

Side note, we get really good gas mileage (we have a 14.5 gallon tank!).

 

Side roads are definitely the way to go along coastal Carolina through Georgia - amazing sights.  Does anyone know what all the basket stands are about?

   

Hope y’all enjoyed the trip with us!

Invitation of the day: Traditional Palm

Invitation of the day: this customization of the Traditional Palm design by Bella Figura (available here at The Windmill). We love the formal look and elegance the fonts bring to this beach-themed design.

Everything you need to know about save the dates!

With all the winter and spring weddings coming up, we’ve been asked a lot of questions about save the dates.  Well, friends, we are here to help!

When should I start thinking about save the dates?

You’ll want to send them out as soon as you reserve your venue and date.  Typically, this is done 6-8 months before the event, but can be up to a year beforehand if you’re inviting many out-of-town guests.

  How many save the dates should I order?

When deciding how many save the dates to order, the first step is getting your guest list together.  Remember that you’ll just send one save the date to each couple or family, not to each individual, so typically you’ll need about 60% of the total number of guests you’re inviting.  We recommend ordering 10-20 extra for those last-minute guest list additions, and so you’ll have a few left over as keepsakes.

What should I include on my save the dates?

The must-haves for a save the date are name(s), event type, date, and city.  Many opt to include accommodations information as well, so out-of-town guests can make their travel arrangements early.  And if you have a website for your event, be sure to include it on the save the date as well - that way, your guests can keep up with new information as it becomes available.

Do I have to think about invitations now, too?

That is totally up to you.  Many save the dates are sent before the event theme and colors are picked out, so we often recommend that you choose a save the date design that you like and not worry about it fitting the rest of your event.  However, if you’d prefer for the save the date to be a glimpse of what’s to come, then you may want to start by picking out your invitation design first and then choose a coordinating save the date.

Still have questions?  Call, email, or simply stop in - we are happy to help!

Be inspired: Garden Cocktails

It's thyme for our weekly inspiration post!  This week's invitation design, inspired by a photo of the Floridian Weddings relaunch party by Vitalic Photo, shows that a one-color design can hold its own, too.  We spruced it up with sunshine yellow edge paint, and imagine this design paired with a simple, organic patterned liner. Want to see what we would come up with for an invitation design based on your inspiration board?  Leave a comment below with a link to your Pinterest, and we'll put something together for you!

[Photo credit: Vitalic Photo.]