What's Up Weddings...Again!

So excited to find out that our invitations are once again featured in What's Up Weddings! This time, we are in the Fall 2009/Winter 2010 issue. The new issues features about 17 of our invitations...check it out!

ps - If you saw us in the last issue, the article might look familiar! :)

Express to Savannah

Kara and Joe emailed me a little over a week ago looking for custom table names, programs and favor tags for their September 5th wedding in Savannah, Georgia...hence the express! They had a great idea for the table names -- famous squares in Savannah. Anyone who has been to Savannah, read/seen Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil or watched the movie Forrest Gump, knows how picturesque these historic squares are. Using her navy blue and celery green color scheme we designed table names with a watermarked oak tree, name and a little special tidbit about the square. I just loved how these turned out. We also designed a very classic folder style program with a simple monogram design and matching favor tags that will hang off of custom cookies with a big "S" on them. Too cute! I can't wait to see pictures from this wedding. Congrats to Kara and Joe! Enjoy!

Vintage Glam

Okay, let me just say that I LOVE this invitation! I even designed a version of it that was featured on TV a few weeks ago...now, that's a whole lot of love. And, I have SO enjoyed working with Nyya (the bride) and her mother, Carole.

Nyya came to me armed with pictures and lots of ideas for her invitation and prepared brides are a treat for me! She wanted a vintage look -- definitely with a chandelier -- and also swirl or brocade motif. Her colors are black and red with a touch of graphite and deep purple. I don't think I have to say more...the pictures speak for themselves.

I will add in closing that I received the sweetest note from Carole and Nyya thanking me for designing invitations that set the stage for the wedding and put forth the look and feel they were trying to capture. Awh! Enjoy!

Blast from the Past

I received a wonderful email tonight with pro pics of an invitation we did over a year ago for Tyra and Bill. The colors and theme for this wedding were all tiffany. I'm attaching my favorite picture...enjoy!

Shara and Blair - 08.21.09

So, I decided to post about Shara and Blair's wedding, which took place this past weekend, with some "not-so-pro" pictures. Shara and Blair are family friends and so I had my uncle, aunt and cousins on hand to get shots of the big day, which took place at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club.

In addition to their invitation, I designed their table name and place cards for the reception. I just loved the feel of their wedding and heard that guests were stealing the table names to take home and frame...especially, if they lived at the beach in which the table was named! Go figure! Congrats to Shara and Blair...enjoy!

Wine and Whimsy

Veronica and Jason came to me months ago to have me design their save the date, so I was very excited when they came back for their invitations too. This invite is a little different than our normal designs....first of all, it's a different style of square pocket with the insert cards sliding in from the side of the pocket, which is in a very pretty wine color. Secondly, we used a wider silver ribbon to close the invite and finally, check out the adorable and whimsical meal choices -- yes, those are little pictures of a cow, lamb and carrots. I just LOVE how it turned out and know that this will start a trend with other brides! Enjoy!

Jetting to Jamaica

Brenda and Mario are having destination wedding in Jamaica in just a few months. Samara Mendoza from By Design Events provided some beautiful inspiration photos for their wedding, which really gave me a great idea of what the couple was looking for in their invitations. The color scheme for this wedding is so pretty...deep purple, azalea and apricot. I really love how this invitation came together and I hear from Samara that the bride really loves the invites, so I couldn't be happier! Enjoy!

Allison & Aaron - 7/31/09

I love when I get to see the big day in pictures! Allison and Aaron got married at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation a few weeks ago and I was so excited to get the pro pics from Kate Pelura at Kate Fine Art Photography. (Funny side note, we are doing Kate's sister's invitations...small world!)

The bride and groom chose a very classic and nautical look for their wedding stationery...from the blue and white color scheme to the compass monogram design...everything just worked perfectly for a wedding on the beach in Annapolis. We designed their invitation and all of the day of accessories, along with some very cute monogrammed thank you notes. Here are lots of pictures from the wedding! Again, thanks to Kate Fine Art Photography! Enjoy!

Cranberry Creation

This pretty invitation was inspired by the very popular "Silver Sensation" invitation that is featured on our website. Michel met with me a few months ago to design this invitation. She really loved the pearlescent cardstocks and of course, the rhinestone adornment to the monogram tag. I love the colors for a classic Autumn wedding. We are looking forward to working on the day of accessories for Michel and Wayne's wedding! Enjoy!

Perfect Wedding Follow Up

In my travels through Facebook tonight, I found this awesome picture of my "Perfect Wedding" couple, Lisa and Dennis. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share this awesome picture of the happy couple by Vanessa's Photography. Too cute! Enjoy!

Perfect Wedding

When Lisa came to me a few months ago and asked me to design her invitations and day of accessories, I was honored. Lisa is the associate publisher for The Perfect Wedding Guide and has seen my business grow from the very beginning...when I worked off the dining room table in my house! So, I was excited to have the opportunity to do something for her and her fiance, Dennis.

We started with awesome classic invitations that had a twist. These beautiful invitations combined Lisa's classic color scheme of ivory and gold, with a rhinestone circle buckle that just gives the invite a special touch. These invitations were mailed in boxes, which had custom labels for each guest.

All of Lisa and Dennis' wedding day accessories followed the same theme and feel -- with more rhinestones, of course! The one departure from the classic look was the fun welcome tag that incorporated azalea and turquoise. Lisa tied these onto turquoise buckets filled with goodies for her guests..too cute!

I can't wait to see pictures from the big day! Congrats Lisa and Dennis! Enjoy!

After the Show

Yesterday, we attended the Baltimore Bridal show and I have to say, it was one of the best turnouts we have ever seen. We ended up giving out about 250 sample invitations (which are actually our promotional packs too!) and about 450 lip glosses! We heard that about 800 people came through the doors, so it was a busy day! The new booth design was a huge hit! Below are some pictures...enjoy!

Baltimore Bridal Show!

No pictures today...boo! But, we've been hard at work packing up all of our goodies for the big Baltimore Bridal Show on Sunday at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront from 11am to 5pm...yeah!!! We are so excited about our new booth design...it's definitely worth coming out and seeing!

Okay, I lied, here is one picture for you...I'm so excited about this picture...our awesome bride, Mandee and the phenomenal Jen Lowe humored me and took a bunch of great photos with our invite...we're thinking of using it for an ad in the future. Thanks Mandee and Jen!!!

It's a Wrap!

Exciting day for Allison Barnhill Designs...hopefully, you saw me on WBFF Fox 45 Morning news today -- and even called in to win the $500 gift certificate! I can't wait to hear from the lucky bride who won!

Well, here is the wrap up from the day...Very early this morning (at the crack of dawn, literally), the awesome, sweet and talented Amie Decker did my hair and makeup. Love her!!! I drove to the studio and was ushered back to "the door" of the studio, where the news was being recorded live. During a commercial, I was brought inside the studio -- very surreal. After a quick set up of the invites, getting 'mic'ed up and meeting Patrice, the interview flew by in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, I was packing up my invites! Whew! Oh, and great story -- on my way out of the studio, Jessica, the weekend weather anchor and weekday Hometown Hot Spot reporter, asked for my card and we'll hopefully be designing her wedding invitations!

Such a great start to a fun weekend! We're looking forward to the Baltimore Bridal Show at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront. And, we still have a few free tickets, so please call or email, if you want them. And, when you stop by our booth at the show, please be sure to enter for our grand prize giveaway!

Below are lots of pictures from the day! And, we're including pictures of all of the invitations that were featured during the interview, in case you missed it or want a closer look. Enjoy!

Amie Decker and me...ready for TV! :)

So, that's the interview...and here are the invitations we featured!

Tomorrow is the Big Day...

...nope, I'm not getting married...but I will be on TV!

Remember to tune into WBFF Fox 45 Morning News tomorrow morning around 8:30am to see the live interview! (I've been watching this week and it looks like I could be on anytime between 8:20 until 9am) We'll be showcasing some new invitation designs -- along with same favorites. And, at the end of the interview, we'll be giving away a large gift certificate...so be ready to call in to see if you can win!

And, hopefully, we'll see you on Sunday at the Baltimore Bridal Show - 11am to 5pm at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront.

It's All About the Ring

Catherine and Brian came to me earlier this year to design their wedding invitation. When we met, we discussed a lot of design options, but in the end, Catherine decided that the filagree design on her engagement ring was so unique and meant so much to her, that she really wanted to try to incorporate that into their invitation. Well, you know I love a design challenge! So, below are pictures of the ring and the invitation that inspired it all! And, you'll see in coming posts, that Catherine inspired other brides with this design too! Enjoy!

Triple Surprise!

We were surprised when Lauren emailed us last Wednesday in need of invitations for September 26th wedding. And, that she wanted to send them out this Tuesday! Eek! Normally, we do require a lot more time to design and handcraft invitations, but Lauren had this big dilemma and we really wanted to help. So, we surprised ourselves by turning around her order of invitations, response sets and reception cards in two days! And, we surprised Lauren on Friday and told her to come pick everything up! Triple surprise! Enjoy!

Exciting News!

Drum roll please…okay, maybe we don’t need the drum roll…

Next Thursday, August 13th, Allison Barnhill Designs will be featured on the WBFF Fox 45 Morning News as part of wedding week and to help promote the Baltimore Bridal Show. Allison will be heading to the TV studio early on Thursday AM and will be interviewed live around 8:30am. So, find the TV station, set your DVR and cross your fingers for Allison!

Honestly, we are very excited about this awesome opportunity and can’t wait to showcase our work on TV. For those who aren’t local to the Baltimore-Annapolis area, check the blog on Thursday afternoon for pictures and the post-interview wrap up.

Watch Fox 45 Morning News all week for interviews with other wedding vendors in the area. And, be sure to visit us at the Baltimore Bridal Show on Sunday, August 16th at the Baltimore Waterfront Marriott. The hours are 11am to 5pm and we have VIP Guest Passes that get you in the door for free. If you are interested, please drop us an email or give us a call. FYI, tickets are $8 from the web and $10 at the door.

Nichole and Chris

We were so excited to receive a CD in the mail today from the awesome Amy Raab with pictures from Nichole and Chris' wedding on May 30th. I had seen a few of the photos of their big day and just had to have them! Check out the great shots of their table numbers, place cards and even Mr. & Mrs. signs. It's so nice to see the big day come together when you have been working with the client from the beginning! Enjoy!