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Saturday, November 29, 2008
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something BLUE!
Move out of the way citrus hues,
the hottest wedding color trend for 2009 weddings are BLUES!   
We're talkin' all shades of blue--navy blue, cobalt blue, bright blue, aqua blue, baby blue, turquoise blue, teal blue, cyan blue, steel blue, sky blue...
We are seeing shades of blues all over the wedding scene and fashion world and although there was a lot of blue last year, it was often complimented with chocolate brown. This year, pair blue with lighter neutrals such as cream, champagne, taupe, gold, and grey!
  Blue bridesmaid dresses are
everywhere and look good on everyone!
We especially loves these ones
found at jcrew!
Going for a monochromatic wedding color theme, choose blue flowers such as Irises, Delphiniums, Volkenfreidens and/or Hydrangeas.
   
Check out a few of Bella Kai Invitation's blue themed
wedding invitations and favor boxes that would be perfect for any blue themed wedding.
as many other amazing colors to compliment any blue!
 
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Gratitude
WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOU...... From all of us here at Bella Kai, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for taking the time to read our blog and offer your words of wisdom and support.
Our adventures in blogging have so far been a blast and we look forward to searching the web for more new and exciting things to bring to your attention!
All our love,
Megan and Alecia
Branding
Branding Your Wedding While monograms are lovely and traditional, the latest and greatest in weddings is the act of "branding" your wedding. A brand often includes an explicit logo, fonts, color schemes, symbols and sound which may be developed to represent implicit values, ideas, and even personality. This is typically used in the business world but has recently crossed over into the world of weddings. Couples are striving to create a unique and special wedding that stands out from all the rest. They are creating their wedding , that reflects them, that only they could think of. And they are enlisting the help of graphic designers to do so. One way to brand your wedding is to have a logo. This can be designed around many different ideas. We worked closely with our long time graphic designer, Kevin Starbird and his lovely bride, Carrie Mortensen to connect their logo with their invitations, place cards, table cards, programs and menus. Together, we created the Starbird Wedding Brand. Using Stamps.Com, we printed their postage to adhere right to the A7 Mailer Boxes. We also used large, circular labels to print the return and guests addresses.
Kevin Starbird is a freelance graphic designer. Contact him if you are interested in having him create a brand for your wedding.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Envelopes and Boxes
Anatomy of An Invitation
Part 3 Envelopes and Boxes
Choosing an envelope may seem like an easy task, but there is actually quite a bit of thought and knowledge that goes into this decision. There are many different sizes, textures and colors and I hope to clarify everything for you now.
INVITATION BOXES These are on sale now for $1.95 a box, minimum of 50 boxes!  The latest trend for mailing invitations is to send them in a box. Your guests will feel like they are receiving a little present and once they open the box, your invitation will make a definite impact. There are a few different ways to address the boxes. One, you can have a calligrapher hand address the boxes. This will typically cost between $2.50 - $4.00 a box, depending on the calligrapher and the detail of the script. Another option is to use labels. We like using large round stickers that wrap around the top and bottom of the box, thereby sealing it shut and properly displaying the return and guests addresses.
Our A7 Boxes coordinate perfectly with out A7 Vertical and A7 Horizontal Pouches. The colors work well together and the size is just right. We carry these in 9 different colors.
OUTER ENVELOPES  
Our A7 Vertical and Horizontal Pouches work with our A7 Top Flap and A7 Side Flap Envelopes. They come in 40 colors in shimmer and flat. The size is 5 ¼" x 7 ¼". Most printers will take these envelopes, so you can use the same font that you've printed your invitations in to print the addresses of your guests and your return address. You can also use a calligrapher to hand address the envelopes. We highly recommend the amazing Laura Hooper.
Our Square Envelopes are a perfect fit for our Marsupial square pouches. These envelopes are available in shimmer and flat colors and definitely stand out in the mail. Square envelopes to cost a bit more to mail, so keep that in mind when you are planning your budget for invitations. REPLY CARD ENVELOPES
Almost all wedding invitations include a reply card for your guests. This helps you keep track of who is and isn't coming to the wedding. These numbers are especially helpful for your caterer. Proper etiquette states that you must print or write your address on the front of the envelope as well as stamp it. This way, all your guests have to do is let you know if they are coming and pop it in the mail. We will discuss wording options in the next segment.
Typically, these envelopes are 4Bar - which stands for Baronial, or A1. They both measure 5 1/8" x 3 5/8. We carry the marsupial line of reply envelopes in A1 in 40 colors in flat and shimmer, just like our outer envelopes. You can match these, or try a different color to add more interest to your invitation.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
San Diego
To start my "Best Places to Get Married In..."series, I have decided to start with my hometown of San Diego, California where my cousin, Tara, is planning on getting married sometime next year. In helping her plan her wedding, I have been inspired by the infinite amount of options for wedding ceremony and reception sites throughout beautiful San Diego County.  San Diego is a great place to get married, with endless places and regions to choose from. With so many ceremony and reception sites throughout San Diego County, any wedding is possible. From cozy and romantic settings to elaborate, over-the-top weddings, whatever your dream wedding may be, it can happen in San Diego.
My own personal favorite beachfront venue to get married in San Diego is at Seagrove Park in Del Mar. For a casual wedding reception, walk over to Powerhouse Community Center and hear the waves crashing as you toast your marriage and dance your first dance or walk a little further north and choose from L' Auberge's various beautiful reception (and ceremony) venues.
 Rancho Santa Fe's posh atmosphere is the perfect place to get married for those looking for an elegant and sophisticated wedding. Get married in luxury at Rancho Valencia Resort and enjoy the resort's 40 acres of lush landscaping.
For those looking to get married in the heart of San Diego, Balboa Park offers a timeless and spectacular setting to get married (just ask Bella Kai's Alecia!).
Head inland and there are countless wineries to choose from. For an intimate wedding ceremony and reception, the quaint Bernardo Winery is an authentic old winery nestled amongst grape vines and olive trees.
If La Jolla is your place of interest, feel like a princess at La Valencia. The charming 1926 hotel offers breathtaking oceanfront ceremony and reception sites.
Cross the bridge to Coronado and feel like you are getting married on your own private island. Hotel Del Coronado offers various choices for your celebration to take place. Choose from either the Garden Patio or their luxurious ballroom that can occupy up to 700 guests.  For those planning a garden wedding, Quail Botanical Gardens is a spectacular place to get married. Many years ago as a flower girl in a wedding there, I was so awestricken by the beauty of the garden, I forgot to throw the flowers from my basket. Luckily there was enough beauty in the venue itself that my unsuccessful flower dropping went unnoticed. What's your favorite place to get married in San Diego? Until next time when I return to dish about The Best Places to Get Married in.... San Luis Obispo County
Liners and Pouches
Anatomy of an Invitation
Part Two Printed Liners and Pouches Once you have chosen your pouch , the next step is to decide how you want to add interest to it. A few things to keep in mind are
- Your wedding or event colors
- Your theme
- How formal or casual your event or wedding will be
- Your budget
Our liners are available in many different colors and patterns. If you are going for a modern look, our Soho invitation is perfect. 
This invitation uses our Chicago printed liner. This liner is available in 5 different sizes, depending on which pouch you would like to use it in. A7 fits our A7 Vertical and Horizontal Pouches. The 6 Inch Square fits our Square Pouch. The DL fits our DL Pouch. We also have a size that fits our Petal Enclosure.
If you are going for a simple, clean look. You can skip the printed liners and use a backer. These are solid colors that add weight and elegance to the invitation. Let's say your main color for your wedding is champagne gold and your accent color is ivory, you can mix and match the pouches and backers to reflect this.
Our Gold and Ivory Invitation does just that. Using two shimmer papers, this invitation exudes elegance and sophistication while still remaining modern.
Our backers are available in the following colors: 
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Pouches
Anatomy of an Invitation
Pouches
An invitation to a party sets the tone and we at Bella Kai are here to help you do just that! My name is Alecia and I am going to show you exactly what you need to make your invitation speak volumes about your event.
 I am going to focus today on a Do-It-Yourself invitation using our Marsupial Pouches. These are available in many different shapes and sizes, which I will explain for you.
First, we have the A7 Vertical Pouch. This pouch is perfect for a wedding or party invitation. The length gives you plenty of space to fit all of the information needed, and the pouch provides a pocket for your reply cards, maps, direction cards or anything else you need.
Next is the A7 Horizontal Pouch. This pouch also is perfect for a wedding The pocket is a bit smaller, so if you have bigger insert cards, I would go with the Vertical pouch.
One of my personal favorites, is the Square Pouch. This non-traditional shaped invitation adds a touch of surprise and personality to your event. Although, if you are on a budget, you must be aware that it costs more to mail square envelopes, so keep that in mind.
If you really want to make a statement, consider our European (DL) Pouch This pouch is sort of like a pocketbook. It is long and sleek and very modern. It pairs well with our smaller printed paper liners because there isn't much room to show them off.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Going Green!
 Something old, something new, something borrowed, something green!
Even if your wedding colors are espresso
and sea foam blue, why not go "green" as well? If you care about our planet, why not integrate some of those "going green"
1. Watch the numbers. No matter what other choices you make, the biggest factor in the ecological and financial impact of your wedding will be its size. The cold hard fact is that each person you invite means more miles traveled, more food consumed, a bigger venue, and more waste when it's all over.
2. Source locally. Almost anything can be found locally, but some things are more important than others. Food and drinks are a great place to start. If there's a good micro-brewery down the road, why use up the earth's precious resources trucking in a keg of your favorite organic ale? For finding local food producers, check out networking sites like Local Harvest in the US, or Big Barn in the UK. 3. Source green. Everything you buy or rent for your wedding will have an environmental and social impact, so keep this notion high on the list when planning. Can you encourage caterers to use organic produce? What is your dress made of? How was the gold in the rings mined? Did those tasty little gift bags of chocolate involve slave labor? Even if you can't establish the green credentials of every single supplier, at least by asking questions about such issues you are already making a difference. Remember though, what is green may not always be obvious--while a hemp suit may be a good eco-statement, if it is going to sit in the closet for most of your married life, you could be much better off with a traditional rental service. 4. Pick your venue. Choosing a location that is as close to as many of your guests as possible will reduce your wedding's impact in a big way. But once you've done that, you might also want to consider what type of venue you will be using. If you are not tied to a particular church, synagogue, mosque, or rammed-earth eco-dome, why not consider supporting your local community garden, farmer, LEED certified building, or other worthwhile project? 5. Green your transportation. So, you've picked the venue, now how will you and your guests get there? Try to provide as much information on transport options as possible. Let them know that you'd really appreciate it if they arrived by train, bus, bike, or at least by carpool. You could even include a link to travel guides like Seat61 in the invitations. If you are a little ways out of town, why not provide shuttle buses—that way you don't have to worry about drunk driving either. It may also be a good time to educate your guests about alternative fuels: "what do you mean this bus is running on used veggie oil?" And while your own transport is likely to be a small part of the overall footprint, it certainly sends a big message. Pictures of the happy couple arriving on a Christiania Bike or G-Wiz electric car will preserve the eco-propaganda value of your wedding for some time to come. 6. Make it personal. While you've definitely got to throw a good party, it doesn't need to feel like ancient Rome (or the Playboy mansion). What you lack in material decadence, you can make up for in personal touches. Why not ask friends to grow and bring flowers? You'll end up with the most fabulous flower (un)arrangements ever seen, and your guests will appreciate being involved. Or why not create a scrapbook to which friends and relatives can add poems, drawings, pictures, or anecdotes. These are the things that most folks remember most fondly--not the chocolate fountain or the cut-glass chandeliers. 7. The perfect eco-invites. An invitation sets the scene for a party, so you don't want to look cheap or tacky, but you also don't want to compromise your principles. Fortunately, there is an increasing number of suppliers of recycled, handmade, or tree-free invitations out there. Some may offer a self-assembly option, which saves on money but can take considerable work, others will put the whole thing together for you. If you are happy breaking from tradition, then electronic invites like Evites are worth considering, too. 8. Gifts of conscience. There are almost too many retailers of green gifts to mention these days, and many offer registry services. So why not ask for that solar cooker you've always wanted? Popular eco-choices for gift registries include Viva Terra, Branch, and Gaiam. Many local craft stores may also do registries, and even mainstream retailers now have many eco-options, such as organic linens, etc. Remember though, less is almost always more when it comes to being green--so think carefully about how many bamboo yoga mats you really want or need. If you have all you need, why not create an online donation registry to a worthy cause instead? 9. Offsetting the rest. To be truly green, make every effort to cut emissions, waste, and other negative impacts of your wedding at the source. However, the thing is still likely to create a significant impact. Offsetting can be a means of taking responsibility for that impact and channeling funds into some positive projects--as long as you pick your offset provider carefully. Popular choices include Terrapass, Native Energy, and MyClimate in the US, and Climate Care in Europe. Native Energy even has an online wedding offset calculator. If you can't afford offsets for the whole wedding, then why not offset a portion and ask guests to contribute to the rest? You can at least include information on offset providers on the invites so guests can choose whether to offset their travel. Be aware though, that some see offsetting as fundamentally flawed, no matter which provider you choose--so make sure it fits with your version of what’s green. 10. Communicate. Whatever you do to green your wedding, make sure you tell people about it. Screening An Inconvenient Truth during the ceremony is probably over the top, but you can still take advantage of having your friends and family gathered in one place to do a little friendly education. Tell them about yourselves and about what is important to you. If you can create a wonderful, magical celebration that treads a little lighter on the planet, then people will remember it. Too many folks still believe environmentalism is all doom and gloom--this is the perfect opportunity to prove them wrong!
Thank you PlanetGreen.com for these awesome tips!
Favor Ideas
Bella Kai's Favorite Favor Ideas  Here are a few of our favorite wedding favor ideas that we have seen throughout the years. What is your favorite wedding favor?
1. "Green" favors such as seed packets, flower bulbs, or tiny succulent pots. 2. In lieu of favors, a donation made in the guests' honor to a favorite charity of the bride and groom.
3. Measuring Spoons with a "Recipe for Love."
4. Music CD with music played at the wedding.
5. A two cup package of "The Perfect Blend" of coffee for the next morning. Perfect for the late night partygoers. Need a place to put your favorite favors? Check out Bella Kai's line of Favor Boxes below. Add your own creative touch by decorating however you want!
Embellish with pictures, ribbon, stamp, emboss or use a printed seal for the perfect detail. Our Take-Out Favor Box is great for holding candy, chocolates, candles, personalized fortune cookies, seed bags, or even small plants such as succulents or bulbs.  Our A7 Favor Box is great for holding flatter favors such as music CDs, sand dollars, or chocolate bars. Use this cool box as a way to package bridesmaid and groomsmen gifts.  Pillow BoxOur Pillow Box is great for holding personalized soaps, candy, chocolates, candles, coasters, or seed bags.  Pocket Box
Our Pillow Box is great for holding personalized soaps, candy, chocolates, candles, coasters, seed bags, or even small plants such as succulents or bulbs. Our Pyramid Favor Box is great for holding seashells, candy, or chocolate treats.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Holiday Parties!
It's Party Time!  With Thanksgiving just around the corner, that means it is almost time to break out the Christmas Lights and Mistletoe and start planning those holiday parties! This year Bella Kai is offering festive Holiday Invitations 10% off all Holiday Party Inviations ordered by November 30th.
Money Saving Tips
In today's economy, many brides are looking for ways to save money. We have compiled a quick list of our Top Ten Favorite Money Saving Tips for planning a wedding without a money tree! 
photo by Jonathan Roberts Bella Kai's Top Ten Money Saving Tips 1. Choose Do-It-Yourself (DIY) "Save the Date" cards and wedding invitations. Why not start the party early and get together with your bridesmaids and family for an “Invitation Making Party!” Check out our amazing line of DIY Invitations here.
2. Find a location that doesn't break the bank! Many venues charge a high site fee and can eat up a big chunk of your budget. Instead, look into churches or synagogues you or your parents are members of where the site fee may be waived. Also, city-owned sites such as public gardens may be free or only charge a small fee.
3. Plan your wedding for earlier in the day to avoid high dinner and nighttime open bar costs. Instead, set your reception time earlier for either brunch and mimosas or hors' devours and cocktails.
4. Choose seasonal and local flowers and avoid planning your wedding around holidays such as Valentine's Day when flower prices spike up.
5. Pick a wedding site that offers beautiful scenery. You won't need so many decorations and flowers if your guests are happy staring at the swaying palm trees and ocean behind you or the winery's endless rows of grape vines.
6. Getting married on any other of the week other than Saturday. Many venues have lower costs on Fridays and Sundays and often wedding and reception sites have more available dates for these days as well.
7. Look for wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses on sale. Most post-season dresses will be on sale, but will maintain the elegant style of the next season for a fraction of the cost. Same goes for shoes which are usually barely seen under the dress anyways!
8. Save on expensive make-up artists and hair dressers by finding a friend or friend-of-a-friend who has experience in doing hair and make-up, or just someone you trust to make you and your bridesmaids look great!
9. Instead of hiring a pricey videographer, have a friend shoot the ceremony, messages to the bride and groom, first dance, and other key moments on your or a friend's video camera. Suggest that this be their gift to you and everyone saves!
10. Instead of spending a fortune on favors, look into small items that coordinate with your theme to give as favors. For example, give out seashells to guests at a beach themed wedding.
Leaves
Autumn is a beautiful time of year for weddings. It is such a warm and cozy time of year, perfect for celebrating  love and marriage. All the colors around us have inspired some new designs that we'd like to share. Falling Leaves invitation is a modern, simplified designed inspired by Autumn. Shown here with pinks and browns, the accent colors can range from browns, to greens, or a simple ivory.
As always, we like to keep our Do-It-Yourself and budget bride in mind. Using your own color scheme, you can design your own invitation, pick the size, shape, accent paper, and we'll send you the kit. Our favorite prints right now are:
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Vote!
 Happy Election Day! Today is a big day for our country and we hope you all got out to vote! We came across these fabulous wedding photos of Barack and Michelle Obama and John and Cindy McCain and thought you'd all like to see them. In honor of this Election year, we are offering a 10% discount to all customers who voted. Enter the code IVOTED at checkout to receive your discount! 
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Blue bridesmaid dresses are 
