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Mark Zuckerberg Marries Priscilla Chan

May 20, 2012 in In the News by Jeremy | No comments

Mark Zuckerberg Marries Pryscilla Chan

 

Congratulations to Mark Zuckerberg and his university sweetheart Priscilla Chan who married yesterday. Their wedding announcement broke the news as a surprise update on Mark’s Facebok timeline that ends a busy week for the Facebook Founder after his company went public on the stock exchange valuing it at over $100 billion.

 

The couple met at Harvard wed his beau at a small ceremony in his home in Palo, Alto California on Saturday. The couple met at Harvard and have been together for more than nine years. Priscilla, 27, graduated from medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, on Monday, the same day Mark turned 28.

 

Zuckerberg is said to have designed the ring himself and the couple surprised fewer than 100 guests in their backyard who thought they were all there to celebrate Priscilla’s graduation. We’d like to wish Mark and his new wife all the best for their marriage an congratulate them both on a fantastic end to an incredible week in both their lives.

 

 

When to Send Save the Date Cards

August 11, 2011 in Wedding Stationery Advice by Jeremy | 1 comment

Save the Date cards aren’t just for couples marrying abroad, a lot of couples use them in order to buy themselves more time so they can organise the rest of the information needed for their wedding invitations.

Butterfly Love Save the Date

Butterfly Love Save the Date Cards

Many people plan their holidays and spending budgets up to a year in advance these days, so it’s important to let your guests know the date of your wedding as early as possible if you want to be sure of them attending. We recommend sending Save the Date cards out 6 – 12 months in advance of the wedding date for couples marrying abroad or at peak holiday times like July and August. It’s also very important to do this if you have a lot of guests travelling from abroad. Giving as much notice as possible allows guests to plan ahead and avoid clashes in their calendars (which is ultimately why Save the Date cards are so important, particularly for those in circles of friends and family with busy schedules).

The information you include doesn’t have to be too detailed. Although the wedding reception or church venue doesn’t have to be confirmed, we recommend giving your guests an idea of the geographic location you are planning. We also advise including an email or telephone number so guests are able to contact you if they have any questions.

Janet Mohapi-Banks Sculptural Cakes

March 17, 2011 in Wedding Ideas by Jeremy | 3 comments

When you work hard to create the best wedding stationery for brides and grooms who want that extra special attention to detail, it is always a pleasure to make friends with other wedding suppliers who are similarly doing their very best in their respective fields and producing high quality work. This month Janet Mohapi-Banks Sculptural Cake Design kindly included our wedding stationery in their latest photo shoot, run by a team of talented wedding pros. The results of everyone’s magnificent efforts are simply stunning.

'Rose' Cake by Janet Mohapi Banks with Ivy Ellen Rose Scroll Place Cards

'Rose' Cake by Janet Mohapi Banks with Ivy Ellen Rose Scroll Place Cards

Not only are Janet’s wedding cakes breathtakingly beautiful, but she is also a lovely warm person that I am sure brides must love working with. You can see how much clients like her in a recent appearance on Wedding TV’s The Great Cake Bake. What we also like about her is that, as a recent winner of the Precious Start Up Business of the Year Award 2010, her customer centred focus on exquisite wedding work for cherished clients is something we aspire to as well . As she says, “You are only as good as your last cake.” When it comes to our clients’ weddings, we want the very best for them and their guests. This is a view shared by all of the other wedding pro’s involved in this shoot, including Stacey-Marie from Cherry Topped Wedding Planning who styled the shots.

Janet Mohapi Banks 'Addison' cake styled by Stacie Marie with Ivy Ellen Wedding Invitation

Janet Mohapi Banks 'Addison' cake styled by Stacie Marie of Cherry Topped featuring an Ivy Ellen English Beauty Wedding Invitation

It’s a subtle art making these photos look good. Obviously you need nice things to photograph, but they way they are laid out on the table and the details included add so much to the overall feeling that the images give you. It’s this quest for perfection that makes hiring Stacey-Marie such a pleasure for her wedding clients. Not only does she save time, money and stress, but most importantly she delivers on that special feeling brides want for their ideal wedding day. Visit her site to learn more about what people like about working with Stacey-Marie and find out further information about hiring a wedding planner.

Janet Mohapi Banks 'Florence' Wedding Cake photgraphed by Sugar and Spice Photography featuring an Ivy Ellen Wedding Invite

Janet Mohapi Banks 'Florence' Wedding Cake photographed by Sugar and Spice Photography featuring an Ivy Ellen Wedding Invite

Also key to this shoot were Leah and Paul from Wood’s Florist of Epsom in Surrey who’s beautiful floral arrangements really bring the styling to life. In fact you don’t even have to wait until your wedding in order to work with them. Mother’s Day is coming up soon and they offer the perfect solutions for putting an extra big smile on your mum’s face on April 3rd.

Rose Scroll Wedding Invitation by Ivy Ellen

Rose Scroll Wedding Invitation by Ivy Ellen

Last, but by no means least, we simply love the photography by Juliet from Sugar and Spice Photography. I particularly like her use of natural light and her fun friendly approach to her work. Be sure to visit her website and take a look at her portfolio.

You can see more of our wedding invitations and stationery on our website and we have linked all the above photos to their respective Ivy Ellen designs. So just click on an image if you want to know more about that particular wedding stationery product.

It really is a privilege to have our work included in this beautiful photo shoot and we are eternally grateful to Janet, Leah and Paul, Stacie-Marie and Juliet for doing such a wonderful job and producing such amazing results. Thank you everyone. x

 

 

How digital technology increases the value of Handmade Wedding Invitations

May 18, 2010 in Ivy Ellen News by Jeremy | 1 comment

This last month seems to have had a digital theme running through it and it has had me thinking a lot about wedding invitations and their future in an age which is moving more and more towards digital relations using email, texts and websites like Facebook.

In fact this week there has even been a couple in Tokyo who were married by a robot that conducted the wedding ceremony rather than a human. With the majority of our time being spent interacting via texts and on sites like Facebook and Twitter and less and less time spent using traditional mediums like writing letters and sending cards how can this possibly strengthen the value of wedding invitations you might ask?

Picasso's Nude, Green Leaves and Bust

Well scarcity is one of the key drivers of value. Take, for example, the sale of Picasso’s Nude, Green Leaves and Bust which sold this month for $106.5 million. The less widespread and less available something is  the more valuable it becomes. If you want to show your lover how important she is to you, a beautiful handmade card or a bunch of the best flowers go a lot further than a text, an email or a Facebook poke. Anyone can do those in no time. Likewise, by posting wedding invitations to your guest you are signalling to them the importance of your big day. A luxury handmade wedding invitation takes this a step further and really sets the tone for a wedding that’ll be a cut above the rest.

Vintage Garden wedding stationery by Ivy Ellen

It’s not just how easy technology is that strengthens the value of the more time  consuming floral or card purchase though. It seems that we still have a strong pull towards the tangible things in our life. Hewlett Packard recently surveyed 1,000 British consumers 16-60 and discovered that, whilst 86% have access to digital media, 68% still prefer physical photographs to digital and 95% prefer books to ebooks. In fact, in a recent survey by the Greeting Card Association, the vast majority of people, even 16-24 year olds, would not feel very happy if they did not receive a card for our Birthday. When your guest holds that beautiful luxurious wedding invitation in their hand they feel a stronger connection to the day and to you. This works in much the same way that holding a vinyl album brings a greater feeling of closeness to the artists and their music than looking at an image of the same album on your ipod.

Ivy Ellen's Wedding

Lastly, the tangible tells a story in a far more powerful way than the digital. Take Picasso’s Nude as a case in point. The painting tells a tale of Picasso’s all consuming passion for his muse. It’s powerful because painting it took him time, because it’s crafted, considered, it painstakingly captures a moment in time and because there isn’t another quite like it in the world. We feel that our handmade wedding invitations will tell your children and your grandchildren about the special importance of your big day and what it meant to you. We named our company Ivy Ellen after Jo’s nan because of this and partly inspired by her wedding photograph. Ivy Ellen has a story to tell (Interestingly, there is only one original copy of this photo so it has heritage and beauty in its very fragile nature). Ivy’s story reminds us that our weddings are the story of our existence, of love, of passion, of relationships, family and of people caring for one another.

When you think of how powerful a beautiful wedding invitation can be in this context its value seems to far outweigh all of the practicalities and efficiencies of eternal lasting digital alternatives. It’s because of the proliferation of the internet, email and texts that they have become so much more valuable. When a card or an invitation arrives through your letterbox, you know it’s special.

To browse Ivy Ellen’s beautiful handmade wedding stationery and see how they can add more value to your wedding click here.

Has Apple’s new patent sounded the death knell for Wedding Stationery?

April 19, 2010 in Industry News by Jeremy | 7 comments

Will Apple's Wedding Ticketing system destroy Wedding Stationers?

Apple have applied for a patent on a new ticketing system that could revolutionise the wedding industry and boost wedding photo and video sales. But will it sound the death knell for wedding invitations?

Apple’s iphone, ipods and ipads are changing the way we interact with information and entertainment. Their new ticketing set up (called “Concert Ticket +”), which integrates with itunes, is a natural add on and could be a huge boost to Apple’s sales. Using the barcode based system concert goers may never have to worry about forgetting tickets as long as they have their phones, there are assumed environmental benefits of a paperless system as well as cross selling opportunities of being able to sell tickets to album buyers and visa versa.

One of the additional ticket systems mentions a wedding invitation system where wedding party members could access maps, gift lists, calendar reminders, etc through their smart phones. The exciting cross selling opportunities for wedding photographers and videographers are that the electronic wedding invitation or program may include an option to view or purchase wedding video or wedding photos, to get an audio recording of the toast, or to obtain the playlist of music at the reception.

So what will this mean for wedding stationery suppliers like us? Is this the beginning of the end? Why should people buy beautiful paper stationery over electronic alternatives? At Ivy Ellen, we have noticed a trend towards people communicating certain aspects of their wedding online. For example, instead of using an information insert (or booklet) details like maps, hotels, etc are being posted online and instead of purchasing RSVP’s some people have simply been adding their email on the RSVP line of their invitation.

Far from seeing the end of invitations we believe that there are still good reasons to send beautiful wedding invitations and the environmental argument is not necessarily as straightforward as you may think.

From an eco perspective paper is a natural fibre and is one of the best environmental stories on the planet. For example, did you know that in the forests we source our trees from, for every tree cut down, three to four trees are planted in its place? Paper only accounts for 11% of wood extracted from forests. There are an estimated 25% more trees in the world than 100 years ago and in Europe forests are increasing in size at a rate of 1.5 million football pitches a year. That means that when you buy wedding stationery from us and FSC accredited sources you are increasing the number of trees on the planet.

Compare this with the web, smart phones and computers. All of which use electricity in abundance. With Google, for example, scientists have found that an average search on a PC generates about 7 grams of C02. According to The Sunday Times performing two searches is comparable to bringing a kettle to boil. Although that may not sound like a lot, Google handles in excess of 200 million searches daily. Google’s data centers actually use half the energy of your standard data centre. These data centers are constantly active providing us with the internet, burning through electricity and emitting C02. Also paper has a 62% recycle rate (in Europe), which is far higher than the rate at which computers and phones are recycled. Using an online information system is not adding trees to the planet and may be a lot less environmentally friendly than we think.

We believe there are other profound benefits to using beautiful papers and printing techniques for your wedding stationery in much the same way that listening to an album on vinyl beats the tinny sound of an MP3. Sure both play the same tune, but it is the subtle differences and nuances that you lose. Beautiful wedding stationery has soul. It is wonderful to receive. Just think how many truly personal letters or invitations come through your letterbox each year. How do you feel when you receive them? They are way more special than an email in your inbox or on your Facebook page. They feel wonderful in the hand and often have your friends’ handwriting on them (how often do you see that these days?). When you send your guests an invitation by post you are giving them that feeling. How does that make you feel?

Wedding stationery also supports the work of creative people and craftsman who create something you can keep and hand on to your grand children. Wedding stationery won’t crash, get a virus, be accidentally deleted or disappear because there’s a power cut.

Your wedding stationery can really add a key visual element to your table decorations and tie together your colour scheme on the day with important elements like, menus, place names and table plans all of which would not have the same effect if this information was stored on your guests phones.

Finally, as with your wedding invitations your guests will appreciate a thank you by card more than a thanks by phone or email. It says so much about how you feel about them and their gift which in turn makes them feel really appreciated. It if you want to feel closer to your friends and family, beautiful wedding stationery, well chosen and posted through their door can really help you.

Your wedding is one of the most important and personal moments in your life. You deserve the best and your special day deserves to be remembered always. Beautiful wedding stationery from Ivy Ellen can help you do just that. Good luck with your plans and do call us if you need any advice or help.

Details of Apple’s new patent can be found at patentlyapple.com

Details of Paper’s great environmental story can be found at twosides.info

Why should you spend good money on good Wedding Invitations?

November 12, 2009 in Wedding Stationery Advice by Jeremy | 3 comments

It’s not often that brides look at wedding dresses and think “I could do that”. Usually you look at a dress, think “wow that‘s gorgeous”, try it on and imagine yourself in it on your big day. Then it’s just a question of how are going to pay for it. Cash or credit. It’s rare to look at a wedding dress and just see fabric, and a project that, in your mind, you could totally do on your own. This is the dress for you, you’re going to buy it and you’re going to feel a million dollars in it on your big day. Many brides and grooms see wedding stationery differently. They just see paper and text, and cannot see what’s in it for them when they spend their hard earned budget on good quality stationery. So what’s in it for you?

Gorgeous Wedding Invitations

Well, firstly you get expert advice. Do you know about typesetting, colour balance, composition, wording, paper stocks, envelope styles or FSC accreditation? Even if you know some of these things you may not really understand how to put all these things together. As Brian De Palma, the film director, once said, “anyone can record something on a video camera, but directing is the art of invoking emotion and feeling in your audiences”. It’s the same with wedding stationery. Top wedding designers bring all their design experience into creating wedding stationery that feels great, to look at and to touch. Choose a company that lives and breathes paper and design and watch the emotional response it creates in you and your guests to enhance your special day.

gorgeous wedding invitations

Secondly, those that do choose the DIY route, always underestimate the time and effort it takes into designing, producing and distributing their own wedding stationery. We know because we just set up a new company (Ivy Ellen) to do this. It took us six months to get it all sorted and we are experts in greetings cards with 10 years experience designing, producing and selling cards to the finest shops in the world. Working with a wedding stationery expert means that all this work is done for you. All you have to do is choose a company and a design that feels right for you and match it to your colour scheme. If you choose to make your own stationery, whatever you do, avoid copying a wedding designers work to cut corners. This is bad Karma and disrupts the positive flow of creative energy around the world. Not something for your special day to be a part of.

Finally, working with a quality wedding stationery company means that you are contributing to the creative spirit in humankind. Just like buying a work of art from an artist brings warmth and joy to your soul and connects you to that artist, so it is with buying beautiful wedding stationery from a good company. In fact often you are supporting a network of creative people connected to bringing the stationery into life. We work with designers, illustrators and even musicians who supplement their incomes, by working with us, to keep doing what they love. What better sentiment to add to your wedding than to spread the love of your day out to people who are pursuing their dreams and creating beautiful things to exist in the world.

Gorgeous wedding stationery adds to the rich visual fabric of your day and brightens up your guests’ tables, it sends a cue to your guests as to what to expect and shows them what that you care about them, you care about beauty in the world and you want to share the joy and harmony of your most special of days with them. Most importantly though it is an emotional expression of your own self, like the song you choose to dance your first dance to or the dress you choose to wear. It can have a profound life affirming meaning beyond just paper and text.




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