This weekend my goal was to send out our save the dates. With my job, I design invitations to all kinds of events all the time, however it was very fun to finally get to design something that was entirely for me and JB. This has probably been the most daunting job for me simply because of the inspiration overload that I keep talking about. From letterpress, to printed balloons and magnets to film strips, here are some of my very favorites.

one, two, three, four, five, six

JB and I have been together for almost six years (2.5 of which were in high school), because of this we have done a TON of monumental things together from attending senior prom to venturing abroad to moving in to college dorms. I wanted a way to remind people of all the things we've done together in a simple, concise and adorable way...enter, the punch card.

We are punch card fanatics, if your restaurant has a punch card, you better bet that we'll fill that card for the free froyo, sandwich...So we decided to combine our love of punch cards with a list of the things we've done together and there you have it, a *hand-punched* punch card ending with an un-punched "Vow I do."

Kraft envelopes are my favorite and with my mom's swirly handwriting they are the perfect amount of whimsy and handmade. The one thing I wish I could have done was to use antique stamps on the envelopes (like number six above), but when I really looked at my budget, it just wasn't something I chose to do. I ordered the rubber stamps with our return address and the heart with "JB and Taylor" from RubberStamps.net and even though it said 7-10 days, they had it to me in 5. Plus on this site, you can easily upload any .jpg image, see a preview and order a stamp (aka you can use your own handwriting for a stamp to make everything look perfectly handmade).

Next, on to the invitations! I want something more elegant for the invites, but still modern and fun. My mom is an incredible artist, so I would love to use her work. What do you think, hand painting, watercolor, more with the modern typography like the save the dates, what's your pick?

This weekend, Dan and I took our engagement photos! I thought it was going to be awkward, but it really wasn’t. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and really, quite romantic! During our shoot, we took some photos that we are hoping to use in our Save the Dates. That got me thinking about how much fun Save the Dates can be, and can be a great way to show your personality, and set the tone for the wedding. And, since there isn’t as much tradition associated with Save the Dates as there are with formal invitations, it gives you a lot of leeway to do something really creative, unique, funny, quirky—or whatever fits you!

Here are some interesting ideas I found.

These are really unique and out-of-the-box ideas.

Sources: Balloons, 3D, Ribbon

Lots of people use engagement photos for save the dates, but these are a few ways to put a unique twist on that idea.

Source: Tree, Fun Slide, Dog, Grass, Traveler

And I'm a sucker for something a little geek-chic :)

Sources: Mac, Infographic, Scrabble

Finally, never under estimate the power of something simple and beautifully designed. How gorgeous and simple are these?

Sources: Letter, Illustration, Date

I think we are going to go a little quirky and tongue-in-cheek, but still simple. One of my bridesmaids is doing a fabulous stop-motion animation video for her wedding, that hopefully she'll let me share with you all when it's ready :) Do you guys have any other unique save the date ideas? Anyone going crazy with their save the dates? Send your ideas!