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Behind the Design: ‘Urban Sophisticate’ wedding invitation

Written by Amy Schroeder

Minted artist Carol Fazio, who’s based in Philadelphia, shares the vision and creative process behind her bold and modern brushstroke wedding invitation “Urban Sophisticate.”

Minted: What was the inspiration behind “Urban Sophisticate”?
Carol Fazio: I always say, “You never know where a doodle will end up,” and that’s exactly where this design began. The original drawing was pink! I knew the feelings I wanted to convey: energized, painterly, abstract. I also had some tear sheets on my inspiration wall that influenced me. The juxtaposition of the hand-painted artwork with very clean typography appealed to me. It felt organic and sophisticated at the same time.

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Can’t Help Falling in Love Save the Date Challenge: Special Prizes

Announcing the special prize winners of our Can’t Help Falling in Love Save the Date Challenge! The fourth quarter of the year is the time when the most couples announce their engagement, and we looked to our talented artist community to provide unique designs to announce this exciting news! In this challenge, we were looking for fresh, trendsetting Save the Date designs that would appeal to our broad customer base. We received a beautiful array of designs for this category. Congratulations winners!

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Minted Real Wedding: Jane & Jonathan in Seattle

Written by Heather Lee

After getting engaged in New York City, Jane Song and Jonathan Kim decided to tie the knot in Seattle, where the bride’s parents live. “We were expecting many wedding guests from Asia,” Jane says, “so we thought Seattle would be a convenient location.” Knowing they wanted to marry in a historic venue, the couple stumbled upon The Admiral’s House, a stately, former naval residence with panoramic views of Elliott Bay and the city skyline. The couple chose “Gallery Abstract Art” by Alethea & Ruth as their wedding invitation and worked with a Minted designer to customize the colors to reflect Seattle’s lush-green setting.

Bride and groom: Jane Song & Jonathan Kim
Occupations: Tax attorney at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton (Jane); Digital Engineering Director at Media Kitchen (Jonathan)
Based in: New York City
Wedding date: August 15, 2015
Venue: The Admiral’s House, Seattle
Number of guests: About 110
Minted wedding invitation: “Gallery Abstract Art” by Alethea & Ruth (in a custom green colorway)
Minted ceremony program: “Old Post Road” by Jennifer Wick
Minted menu: “Watercolor Wreath” by Yao Cheng
Minted place cards: “Watercolor Wreath” by Yao Cheng
Minted favor tags: “Monogram Bouquet” by Lori Wemple
Wedding coordinator: Krisanna Elizabeth
Florist: Botanique Flowers
Caterer: City Catering Company
Cake designer: Honey Crumb Cake Studio
Photographer: Belathée Photography

How did you and Jonathan meet?
We met at Tufts University, where we both attended (Jane: class of 2010; Jonathan: class of 2008). We met one fall evening during which we ended up in a wild goose chase with a mutual acquaintance, and ended the night by ordering pizza with a group of friends. We started dating the following summer when we were both interning in Seoul.

Tell us about the proposal!
We had just returned home to Manhattan after a trip to Boston and Cape Cod in August 2014, where we did all of our favorite things (visiting old haunts, a trip to Fenway Park, and dwelling in our love for New England). I was in PJs and on my laptop, sitting on Jonathan’s couch. Out of the blue, he asked me to marry him and whipped out a ring—it was lovely and casual. Then we went to eat at the Odeon (an old-timey French bistro in Tribeca), where I couldn’t stop crying into my frisée salad (which will forever be remembered as the “engagement salad”). We ended the day celebrating with friends at the Ace Hotel.

Who made your wedding dress?
It was an Enzoani dress that was customized with a bolero. I also wore a pair of multicolor flower-patterned Manolo Blahniks.

What was the wedding-dress shopping process like?
I wanted a classic lace dress (my inspiration was Charlotte’s second wedding dress in Sex and the City), and my dress was the first dress I tried on. I ended up trying it on in two different stores—in New York City as well as in Chicago—so I thought it was meant to be.

How did you find your wedding venue?
We decided to get married in Seattle because that’s where my parents live, and where I was planning on studying for the New York bar exam during the summer of 2015. It is also the halfway point between New York (where Jonathan was) and Seoul (where his parents live). We were expecting many wedding guests from Asia, so we thought Seattle would also be a convenient location.

It was very important to our families that the venue be: (1) immaculate, (2) conveniently accessible for our out-of-town guests, and (3) have good feng shui. Jonathan and I wanted a historic venue rather than a hotel wedding; I visited a few venues in Seattle after we got engaged but had to return to law school in Chicago. I stumbled upon The Admiral’s House website and learned it was a historic naval admiral’s home that was recently converted into a venue. My parents went to visit the site, sent us pictures, and we fell in love with the location (in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle), how cozy and private it felt, and its gorgeous location on top of a hill with an outstanding view of the Elliott Bay and the Seattle skyline. It just felt right. My dad loved that we were high up, “close to the sky.” We also thought it was good luck that the available date in August was August 15, the national liberation day in Korea.

Click through for more from Jane and Jonathan’s wedding…

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Minted Real Wedding: Anne & Chris in Healdsburg, CA

Written by Heather Lee

Minted’s very own creative director, Anne Donnard, envisioned a romantic, Secret Garden-like feel for her wedding to fiancé Christopher Bogart. The couple found Barndiva, a farm-to-table restaurant in Healdsburg, Calif., which proved to be the perfect setting for their alfresco celebration. Foil-pressed wedding invitations by Minted (“Floral Crown” by Lori Wemple) set an inviting tone, and the couple’s 92 guests were treated to an evening of poignant vows and toasts, delicious food and wine, lush florals, and plenty of sweets, dancing, and merriment.

Bride and groom: Anne Donnard & Christopher Bogart
Occupations: Creative director at Minted (Anne); director of supply chain management (Christopher)
Based in: Oakland, CA
Wedding date: April 15, 2017
Venue: Barndiva, Healdsburg, CA
Number of guests: 92
Minted wedding invitation: “Floral Crown” by Lori Wemple
Florist: Home Sweet Flowers
Cake designer: Moustache Baked Goods

How did you and Chris meet?
We met through a mutual friend who set us up on a blind date. Chris and I had lunch at The Grove in San Francisco and then wound up going for a long walk in the neighborhood. It was a date that lasted well beyond lunch.

Tell us about the proposal!
My parents came to visit for Labor Day weekend last year; Chris got to my apartment ahead of me and the plan was for all of us to have dinner together at my place. When I got home, Chris and I went up to the roof to watch the sun set behind the Golden Gate Bridge, and as we were admiring the beautiful sunset, Chris got down on one knee. It was actually the same place where we had our first kiss!

Who made your wedding dress?
It was a style called “Kinsley” by Angel Rivera.

What was the wedding-dress shopping process like?
It was actually the first dress I tried on and I bought it that day! Dress shopping was an amazing experience—I went to Kingsley James, a salon in Walnut Creek. We toasted with champagne and hoped that everything would be as simple as getting the dress!

Where were the bridesmaids’ dresses from?
Jenny Yoo

Did you incorporate any meaningful family traditions into the wedding day?
I wore the earrings that my mother wore on her wedding day; also, my sister, who was my maid of honor, and I wore pearl necklaces—the pearls were from earrings that our grandmother wore on her wedding day.

Click through for more from Anne and Chris’ wedding…

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Behind the Design: “Happy Day” Wedding Invitation

Written by Heather Lee

Minted designer Angela Marzuki, who’s based in St. Charles, Ill., shares the vision and creative process behind her bold and modern brushstroke-patterned wedding invitation “Happy Day.”

What was the inspiration behind this design?
I am very inspired by abstract artwork that invites an emotional response and is open to individual interpretation. “Happy Day” was a way to blend these different ideas to create a modern, unconventional wedding invitation that still evoked the joyful nature of a wedding.

Describe your creative process—from initial idea to end result.
I always begin a new design by exploring and brainstorming multiple ideas simultaneously. This step is usually messy and far from glamorous—I sketch ideas, swatch out colors to visualize new combinations, and sometimes simply create a list of words. These steps often lead to a more concrete concept, which I pursue further by sketching a layout to include type and refining the artwork. Next comes scanning or uploading artwork, tweaking colors if needed, and refining the type even more. This is also when I start thinking about the design’s versatility and what any complementary pieces may look like.

What are some challenges you faced as you were designing?
I initially thought I would paint the background with acrylics—I usually love seeing the textural brushstrokes. But once I started, it wasn’t matching the vision in my head. I wanted something more flat, with a color palette that remained very matte. I switched over to creating the entire background digitally on my iPad Pro, and that gave me the exact look I had been envisioning.

Describe the type of bride or wedding you imagined this design would complement?
While creating, I imagined a completely white, modern venue—an art gallery or loft space with minimal decoration so that color would really pop. But I think this design would be equally at an outdoor event in, say, Palm Springs. Poolside perhaps!

What wedding trends do you love right now?
I love the trend of not following trends (gasp!). I truly think the best weddings are ones that reflect the couple, that embrace and celebrate their individual style regardless of what is currently considered on trend.

How did you come to design for Minted?
I came across an ad for Minted on a blog back in late 2010 or so. I had studied art for most of my life before pursuing what was perceived to be a more stable and conventional career path in college. Feeling rather unfulfilled, I was looking for a way to get back to my more creative roots. I started entering challenges in 2011 and, after a few months, I realized this is truly what I should have been doing all along. Designing for Minted has really brought me full circle in many ways.

More from Angela Marzuki:
• “Happy Day ” wedding invitation
• Angela’s Minted Store
• Angela’s Instagram

More from Minted:
• Wedding Invitations
• Save the Date Cards
• Wedding Websites

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Minted Real Wedding: Laura & Joshua in Cleveland, NC

Written by Heather Lee

For their rustic North Carolina nuptials, fashion blogger Laura Leigh Bain and her marketing exec beau Joshua Elliott chose a floral-patterned invitation (“Classic Floral” by Alethea and Ruth) to send to wedding guests. Following an alfresco ceremony, the celebration moved indoors for dinner, dancing, and additional merriment (complete with a s’mores station!).

Bride and groom: Laura Leigh Bain & Joshua Elliott
Occupations: Fashion + lifestyle blogger at Louella Reese (Laura); marketing account executive (Joshua)
Based in: Charlotte, NC
Wedding date: October 15, 2016
Venue: The Arbors Events, Cleveland, NC
Number of guests: 135
Minted save-the-date: “Jotted” (foil-pressed) by Ashley Hegarty
Minted wedding invitation: “Classic Floral” by Alethea and Ruth
Wedding planner: Paris Prusak
Florist: Lily Greenthumbs
Cake designer: Honey Butter Bakery
Photographer: Faith Teasley

How did you and Joshua meet?
We met in our marketing classes in college. My roommate actually introduced us and we worked on a group project together.

Tell us about the proposal!
Joshua planned an incredible day from start to finish, taking me to different places where we had very monumental dates. It ended with the proposal in a sweet park near his home that we frequent often, followed by a surprise dinner with all of our family. All of the details can be found on my blog Louella Reese.

How did you find your wedding venue?
I spent hours searching online for rustic venues in the Charlotte area. After a lot of research, we went through my list of venues and chose four we wanted to visit. The Arbors Events was the last one on our list and we knew the search was over the second we pulled in.

Click through for more from Laura and Joshua’s wedding…

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CONTEST: Pin Your Dream Minted Wedding ($1500 in Prizes!)

Written by Donna Antonijevic

UPDATE: Congratulations to Catherine M. (Grand Prize), Sarah F. (Runner-Up), and Liz L. (Runner-Up) for winning our Dream Wedding Pinterest challenge with their creative Minted Weddings-inspired boards. Thank you to all who entered and happy planning!

Congratulations – you’re engaged! This milestone marks the beginning of a new everything. Once the initial shock of being engaged wears off, you’ll need to start wedding planning. Let Minted help you with your celebration by giving you the chance to win $1,000 worth of credit to use toward your invitations, reception decor and more in our Dream Wedding Pinterest giveaway.

Get all the entry details after the jump…

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Minted Real Wedding: Christen & Timothy in Maui

Written by Heather Lee

Though Timothy Dayton had been a family friend for years, he and Christen Huff had never crossed paths. That is, until Christen’s brother’s wedding. The pair began dating and after two-and-a-half years, Tim surprised Christen with a bedside proposal on Christmas morning. With Christen pregnant with their daughter, the Southern California-based couple decided to host an intimate destination wedding in Maui and planned their celebration in just four months. Guests were sent letterpressed invitations (“Inline Type” by Hooray Creative) printed in navy and pink, and the couple tied the knot in front of their 67 guests during an alfresco celebration complete with bold colors, vibrant florals, and tons of tropical touches.

Bride and groom: Christen Huff & Timothy Dayton
Occupations: Registered nurse (Christen); owner of a commercial fishing business (Timothy)
Based in: Ventura, CA
Wedding date: April 23, 2016
Venue, catering, cake: Sugar Beach Events in Kihei, Maui
Number of guests: 67
Minted wedding invitation: “Inline Type” (letterpressed) by Hooray Creative
Calligraphy: Miss B Calligraphy
Welcome bags: Waller Designs
Wedding planner: Amy Nichols Special Events
Florist: Wild Heart Floral & Event Styling
Photographer: Kathleen Geiberger Art

How did you and Tim meet?
We met at my brother’s wedding. Tim has known my mother and brother for many years, but our paths had never crossed.

Tell us about the proposal!
We got engaged on Christmas morning. We had a house full of people who had stayed with us during the holidays and everyone knew what was about to happen but me. Tim surprised me on one knee me at 6 a.m. at my bedside. I was hardly awake.

Why did you decide to marry in Maui?
Tim and I knew that if we were to get married in Ventura our guest list would be way too large. We wanted something small but not too small, and we both love tropical, warm weather. Our wedding was planned in four months so it also had to be within the United States. Maui just worked!

How did you find your wedding venue?
Amy, my wedding planner, has a friend who’s also a wedding planner based in Hawaii. We asked for suggestions and, based on capacity, we found Sugar Beach Events.

Click through for more from Christen & Tim’s wedding…

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For Minted, customer service is an Oscar-worthy performance

Written by Amy Schroeder

“Sir, I’m literally sitting on a bench with a gun on my lap. I’m calling you from a military phone in Iraq — regarding envelopes.”

That’s a slice of what an American soldier, a Minted customer, described to Donald Antoine, Minted’s customer service supervisor, in 2014. The calm-voiced soldier called Minted on behalf of his fiancée, who had ordered save the date cards for their forthcoming wedding ceremony back home in the States. They needed their return address corrected on their envelopes — and they needed it yesterday.

Enter Donald to the rescue. “Rest assured we’ll do everything we can,” Donald said to the soon-to-be husband. Donald corrected the address, reprocessed the order, and shipped the envelopes to the bride-to-be the same day. Three months later, Donald received an email from the Mrs., thanking Minted for its service.

Donald Antoine heads up Minted’s customer service team. Minted Customer Service not only benefits customers, but also our community of independent artists who produce the products you see on Minted. The Customer Service team helps “close the deal” with customers and retain them as loyal shoppers. By providing this service, we free up time for our community of artists to focus on their creative work and spend less time on administrative work.

This is just one of the stories Donald shared when we asked him to recall some of the most memorable customers he’s met on the job. Donald and his team of associates serve customers around the world, many of whom are celebrating life’s most memorable moments — weddings, births, graduations, birthdays, and anniversaries. “It’s amazing the people you come across,” Donald says, gleefully.

Donald retells a number of stories from the front lines of customer service with vigor, but one is particularly close to his heart. In 2014, Donald “hit it off right away” with a customer who was also a nearly-wed — this time, a Golden Girl who needed help with the process of ordering her wedding invitations online. She loved the elegance of many of Minted’s designs and knew she wanted crisp black text — but was searching for something a little more simplistic. Like a trio in harmony, Donald, the customer, and her fiancée talked on the phone for nearly four hours, throughout the course of a day. Donald helped to personalize the couple’s invitation design and message, and the more they talked, the more they got to know each other. Donald got choked up when he learned the customer’s first name — which is the same as his sister’s middle name. “My sister passed away in 2012, and we were very close. Then when we realized the couple’s wedding date was the same day as my sister’s passing, they started crying,” Donald says. “We established a wonderful relationship, and they invited me to their wedding.” Although he wasn’t able to attend, he’ll never forget the experience.

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Wedding Inspiration: Pantone Color of the Year Greenery

Written by Heather Lee

The color experts at Pantone recently announced their “it” color for 2017: a bright, vibrant hue called “Greenery.” They describe the color as “a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore, and renew.” From bridal bouquets and wedding cakes to invitations (natch!), we’re loving how “Greenery” effortlessly translates into a lush, nature-inspired celebration. Here are a few of our favorite ways to incorporate the color into your nuptials.

1. Bridal Bouquet: Opt for a full, textured arrangement with simple white blooms and an emphasis on fresh greenery like eucalyptus leaves and trailing ferns.

2. Ceremony Backdrop: DIY your own ceremony or photo booth backdrop by attaching small bundles of fresh greenery to twine with clothespins.

3. Reception Centerpiece: A grouping of potted ferns in different containers makes for an elegant-yet-unexpected tablescape.

4. Wedding Cake: Decorate a simple fondant-covered confection with a handful of sculptural ferns.

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