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Screen shot from a Minted video promoting their designers 

Minted is one of my favorite places to buy paper goods. There, I said it. I’m not currently in the market for wedding invitations (though luckily, lots of you are), but New Year’s cards are one of my important traditions, and I use Minted every single year. Their save the dates, invitations, cards, and baby announcements are impeccably curated (and lots of the save the dates and holiday cards let you use pictures, which I love). But they also happen to be a San Francisco company who’s very involved in the creative community here—and I like supporting local small businesses.

But with Minted, it goes a step further. All of Minted’s designs are created exclusively for Minted by their community of independent designers. Just like APW, Minted is a community that’s built around valuing independent artists. One of their team recently explained to me how their process works. Every time I buy a holiday card, or you buy a wedding invitation, an email is sent directly to the designer that created it, telling them a little about who you are, and letting them know that a (generous) portion of the profit of the sale will be added to their next check. This lets designers do work they love, without worrying about doing all the marketing and printing themselves. Beyond that, Minted’s prices are great. For invitations, they’ve recently expanded their offerings to include letterpress (high five!), but also offer you the options of their luxurious Signature Paper, 100% Recycled Matte Paper, Luxe Museum Board (triple the thickness of their Signature Paper), or gorgeous Pearlescent Paper.

Today, in true APW style, I’m thrilled to get to highlight two Minted designers. Maddie and I interviewed Laura Condouris and Trista Sydloski-Tesch, and we are delighted to share a little bit of their stories.

Photos clockwise from top right: Laura at work, Watercolor Frame Invitation, Mantilla Spanish Lace Invitation

During a reception, my favorite moment is dancing to old R& B or hip-hop, and, even better, watching the older family members dance.

My artistic philosophy is, in a word, honesty. Being yourself, being playful and not taking yourself too seriously, honing your individual style and not riding the coattails of others, or mindlessly following trends

As a calligrapher, I do most of my work at my dining room table, since it’s the only place where there’s enough space to spread out the dozens of envelopes that need to dry before they get stacked up together. Though I definitely feel more at peace and “together” when it’s not total chaos, there are often little half-finished bits and bobs piled everywhere at the end of the day.

I try to imagine a look or a color scheme a couple might be going for—something that’s a bit different than what’s already out there.  Once I get what might be a strong idea, I’ll start with a few sketches for the layout, and get out my pens or paintbrushes to work on something to scan or reproduce in Illustrator.

I think 20s/prohibition-era style is going to be huge this year after the release of the new film version of The Great Gatsby. So maybe I’ll do something art deco-inspired?

I really like my invitation Mantilla Spanish Lace, because I’m so into hand-drawn patterns. I wanted to do an invitation that incorporated lace, but that wasn’t too “girly” and was more modern. I was inspired by the beautiful edging on the mantilla veil that I wore in my own wedding.

I honestly think Minted customers have very good taste. Coming to Minted allows them to find and support an artist whose style fits their own.

I’m a full-time calligrapher and designer, but I’ve recently started doing stand-up comedy, which is incredibly nerve-racking.  Being totally dependent on the audience’s reaction is completely terrifying, but it’s also exhilarating when you get a big laugh!

Photos clockwise from top left: Trista at work, Ballard Nautical Invitation, Whimsical Kelp Invitation

My philosophy is to create beautiful and original work that’s inspired by the past, but modern in its sensibilities and is a bit edgy. I like to create things that are unexpected, a bit rock and roll, and a bit like, “I do it because I can.” I love flourishes, being dramatic, and telling a story with my work.

It’s usually over the top, involves things that are handcrafted and handmade, always has texture in some way, and has an edge. My thing as a designer is my work is definitely feminine but has a hardness to it.

I’m conflicted in aesthetics as a designer. Here are some examples of my varied interests: my favorite shows are Sons of Anarchy and Sailor Moon. I was a metal head in high school that also happened to be a varsity cheerleader. If I could look a certain way every day I would wear a full lace gown à la Jane Austen but be completely covered in tattoos like Kat Von D. I’m kind of obsessed with the idea of a beautiful but hardcore woman, and I think the duality of tough and soft, feminine and masculine shows in my design work. Continue reading Minted: Wedding Invitations by Independent Designers

Even outside of our superpartnership with them, I’ve always held a special fondness in my heart for TurtleLove.com. Partly because they are based in my hometown in Maine (founder Adrianne actually lives just a few miles away from my family), but mostly because they are committed to supporting independent artists, so I always feel really good after I buy something from TurtleLove.com knowing that my money is going toward artists making a living with their art.

These days, with their awesome selection of hip handcrafted necklaces, TurtleLove.com is my go-to for things like Mother’s Day Gifts, the graduation present for my sister I really ought to buy since she’s graduating next week, and sometimes for presents I really just want to buy myself (cough Gondola Earrings cough).

But today I want to rewind and take it back to what made me fall in love with TurtleLove.com to begin with when they first joined APW as sponsors a zillion years ago: indie, artisan, and vintage engagement rings that are beautiful, ethical, and affordable. So today we bring you five engagement rings under $1K from TurtleLove.com. This doesn’t even begin to represent all of the amazing, varied, and equally affordable styles these guys have in their inventory, so I encourage you to hop on over to their site and see for yourself. It’s possible there’s something there for everyone (even me, with my Liberace tastes).

—Maddie
Continue reading Five Engagement Rings Under $1000 From TurtleLove.com

One of the benefits of having a wedding photographer who has already gotten married is that they tend to have good perspective on the things that matter most at weddings. But then there are photographers like Vivian Chen Photography in San Francisco, who not only got married recently, but had one of those nightmare wedding experiences (like ending up in the hospital on her wedding day) that gives her a whole new level of badass perspective (and calm-bringing). If I’ve learned anything from photographing weddings myself, it’s that inevitably something will go wrong at some point in the day. And you want someone with the chops to handle it, and maybe make it a little better. And, well, Vivian is up to her ears in chops.

I fell a little bit in love with Vivian Chen Photography last year when Viv wrote a grad post about how she rolled with the punches from the ER on her wedding day. Well, it turns out that experience gave Vivian a renewed sense of purpose in this industry. With 150 weddings under her belt, Vivian is committed to being the person you can trust to keep things relaxed on your wedding day. But it’s not just that Vivian Chen Photography brings the serenity to your wedding. Vivian’s jaw-dropping images look exactly like her philosophy: powerful, while maintaining a light, airy vibe.

Vivian explained her philosophy (and a little of why she loves working with you guys):

The most important part about what I do, besides taking beautiful photographs, is making sure my couples are comfortable and at ease. This begins even before I pick up my camera. Wedding planning can be a daunting process (having done it myself recently, I feel your pain), and I always make myself available to answer any questions about the process and what to expect. There’s a lot of moving parts that have to come together when planning a wedding and if my six years in wedding industry can help, I’m there. Communication is key to having a great wedding photography experience.

I love learning about my couples: how they first met, their shared interests, their shared differences and what makes them just right for each other. Knowing more about who they are helps me photograph authentically. It’s essential for me to bring that awareness to when my couples are in front of the lens. I strive to capture genuine moments, nothing fake or overly posed. The best way to achieve that is to be tuned in to my couples. If a couple is camera shy, I don’t force them to pose in any way that makes them feel awkward because that discomfort is going to show in the photos. Having fun with our shoots and allowing my couples to feel like they can truly be who they are is what I strive for at the end of the day. As I like to say, “Reality can be just as fabulous as fantasy.”

But where Vivian’s skills (abundant as they may be) really shine is in small and intimate weddings (like her own, no surprise), which she has holds special passion for. Because here’s the thing. Plenty of photographers can take a well-decorated space filled with lots of stuff and make it look awesome. But it takes a special level of talent to strip that all away and capture the raw emotion, the people and the moments that are front and center at more minimal weddings.

Viv explains:

A big part of what I love about the APW community is that it connects me with couples that are just like me: laid-back, easy going and looking to enjoy themselves on their wedding day. Sharing the day with your friends and family is what I believe to be the core of weddings. That’s the main reason why I love shooting small and intimate weddings because they are often more relaxed and focused on everyone celebrating together. It’s not about the material things, it’s about the human connections. I’m a people person and love getting know the families but my calm and quiet nature allows me to seamlessly slip into the background and photograph the day unfolding naturally. I have a keen eye for shooting the small candid moments that other people might miss. I love shooting emotions and capturing the feeling of the day, not just the pretty details. Continue reading Vivian Chen: No-stress San Francisco Wedding Photography

Sometimes it’s hard to describe what exactly it is that wedding planners and coordinators do, because generally if they are doing their jobs well, you probably won’t ever witness them pulling all the strings behind the scenes and making magic happen on your wedding day. Luckily, being an industry professional has given me a backstage pass to see all this hard work myself. And what I’ve learned is that the difference between a good planner and a, uh, not so great planner, is night and day. A good planner will listen to your ideas, give you educated feedback, and work with you to come up with a game plan for how to execute your wedding in a way that’s going to keep everyone’s stress levels down. A not so great planner is going to treat all their clients the same and make you do things you don’t want to do because that’s the way things are done.

I have worked with both kinds of planners, but APW sponsors always (always) fall into the former category. And today I’m thrilled to add Dominique of Big Juicy Events in NYC to that list of good guys. First of all, Dominique is just kind of badass (check out her bio and tell me you don’t want to be friends with that lady). I mean, first of all, she’s a native New Yorker and you can’t buy the kind of local expertise that native’s possess. But perhaps just as important, you’re going to get whiplash from nodding at everything she has to say about this industry and why she does what she does. So keep reading to find out why Big Juicy Events might be the best news you’ve heard all week (hint: it may come in the form of a discount that Big Juicy Events is offering just for APW readers! Trust me, it’s a good one.)

Now, before we dive into the details of Big Juicy Events, I want to get right to the meat of what makes this lady special. Because when I asked Dominique about her business philosophy, I almost fell off my chair I was clapping so hard. Here’s what she had to say:

I firmly believe that a wedding should be about the getting married part! I consistently notice that when I start working with clients, they have a fear of getting it “wrong”. The mainstream wedding media is just relentless! So much of my job is helping clients de-program and get really clear on what they want vs what they have been told they want. I have always loved what I do and have always had a sense of the above philosophy, but it was when I was planning my own wedding in 2011 that I really got it. I was surprised to find that even I, knowing what I know, was having a lot of anxiety about the day. I knew I had entered crazy land when I was in the midst of a 15 email exchange with my cake baker trying to decide how large my cake would be and how many macaroons to have (Cake for 60 plus 100 macaroons? Cake for 70 and 75 macaroons?) Literally 15 emails. I had to talk myself down, remind myself that I have a Master’s Degree and am a successful entrepreneur and that there was no wrong answer! It is my mission to save couples from that kind of crazy!

I mean. Just—yes.  So how does Big Juicy Events translate that philosophy into a business model? Well, Dominique believes that every couple deserves a beautiful wedding, regardless of budget, so her services vary far and wide to reflect that, from full-blown planning, to just a little help here and there. She explained to me, “I feel particularly committed to creating a beautiful day for every couple-instead of reserving a beautiful wedding just for those with a huge budget. For example, I have a couple right now who are both in rock bands. They aren’t crazy for flowers and they are on a tight budget. So I am making all of their centerpieces—origami kusudama flowers out of sheet music. Pretty cool!” (Um, yes. Want.)

And the Big Juicy Events‘ pricing reflects that philosophy as well. Dominique says:

• I will work with you to figure out exactly how best to help and support you.
• ​​​I will never sell you a one size-fits-all package, making you pay for things you don’t really need. Continue reading Big Juicy Events: Sane NYC Wedding Planning