I've talked a lot about invitations here on E&I. I'm a girl who LOVES paper goods, graphic design and pretty stationary, so the invitation process was really fun for me. That means that I'm particularly excited about this week's post--I finally get to reveal our final invitation to you all! I decided a while back that I wanted to design my own invitations. It was a bit daunting but I knew that's how I was going to get the perfect invitation. And I was excited for the challenge.

I set off to find some inspiration. Here's a reminder of some of my favorite ideas.

Source: 1, 2, 3, 4

And then I began designing. I wanted something personal, that let our guests know what kind of wedding this is going to be as well as the kind of people that Dan and I are. After lots of iterations and ideas (and stress), I developed a design that I love and that I'm really proud of.

Again, I really wanted this to be personal. So the hat on the chair is actually a trace of one of Dan's hats. The the left chair style is the same chair that Dan used in the proposal at the Palace of Fine Arts. The font was a font that I searched high and low for, one that looks a bit like my handwriting (on a good day). My dress even provided some inspiration (though I can't say more than that!).

Designed by me, Photos by me (sorry about the blurred text!)

What is even more special about these invitations for us is that we designed them from scratch, and also printed them! Remember this from a few weeks back? We also had help from our wonderful friends and family (yes, cutting out each piece of envelope lining!)

So, what do you think? I hope you love them as much as I do! A quick shameless self promotion: If you like what you see here, message me! I'm starting my own graphic design venture and would LOVE to help you with your custom wedding invitation.

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!