Romance in Wine Country

We are so elated that many of our 2008 couples are married! The photos are rolling in and we have a back-log of wonderful weddings to show. First up... romance in wine country.

We love Jamie and Charles's invitations and now we are in love with their romantic, serene Napa Valley wedding - set in the courtyard of a cottage inn. The color palette is soft and natural, perfect against the vineyards and mountainous backdrop.

ceremony & reception venue: The Harvest Inn
photographer: Ken Viale
wedding day coordinator: Bellissima Vita
floral design: Huckleberry Karen Designs
caterer: Elaine Bell

Tidying Shop means Free Samples!

Wedding season is slowing down so it's time for us to do some housekeeping. We have a pile of overprints or slightly imperfect invitations from this and previous years' work. Instead of throwing them out, I am offering free sample packs for the first 20 couples who email me.

Email me at: samples at cardsdeluxe dot com
Include your name and address
Wedding date
Any particular designs (from my portfolio), colors or theme that you would like me to include in the packet (provided that sample is available)
How did you hear about our blog? (it'll be nice to know)

This is a great way to check out our work, quality and paper samples (especially if you are not local)!

Stunning Tiffany Blue and Red

Wow! I just saw some photos from Jennifer and Michael's gorgeous wedding at Rancho Las Lomas. They are one of our summer-wed couple whom we featured their invitation in an earlier post. Their wedding is definitely full of eye-candy with great designs and details created by Jennifer herself and event planner Courtney from { Joyful Weddings and Events }.

photography: Chenin of Boutwell Studio
event planning: Courtney from Joyful Weddings and Events
floral design: Flower Allie
linens: Fusion Linens
cake: Great Dane Bakery

Blossoms and Butterflies

This invitation set is exta special... because it is designed for my very good and long-time friend, Linda. I've known Linda since my grade school years (and probably much earlier, since she is quite a few years younger). Growing up... our families knew each other and I went to school with her sisters (from grade school to high school). We lived a few streets apart and her mom frequently invited us over to play and eat. It is nostalgic just thinking about the good ole days....

Linda asked me to design an invitation with butterflies and cherry blossoms. With that in mind, we designed a nifty accordion-style invitation where butterflies played and fluttered in a garden scene of cherry blossoms. Each panel was devoted to information guests needed to know about the event. We kept it modern and casually elegant (to mirror the gallery venue) with whimsical touches to reflect the bubbly love and personalities of Linda and Kohei.

We are so happy for Linda! And we will be celebrating with her next month.

Linda, thanks for the honor you have given me to design your wedding stationery!




Offset printed in deep cranberry and tangerine orange (which I love!) on textured warm white.

CDL at The Wedding Salon

We were not physically present at { The Wedding Salon } event yesterday in L.A. (we wish we were!), but some of our work was. From what I hear, it was a blast with some of L.A.'s finest event professionals.

We are honored that Betty at { Type A Planning } invited us to contribute our stationery to showcase on her theme table. She did a fabulous job designing a modern table inspired by the black and white paisley print linen with soft and bold touches of pink. The stationery on the table is one of our newest and most popular design this year.

We thank Betty for the opportunity to work together, and congrats on a successful show and well-designed booth!

Photos courtesy of { Henry Chen Photography }

Elizabeth Ann Designs Library

I was on { Elizabeth Ann Designs } yesterday, and was surprised (and excited!) to learn that { Cards de Luxe } is listed as their "Blog of the Week". I'm not a very good or consistent blogger, so it's encouraging when I get the slightest mention or when prospective clients note that they have read/found my blog. Thank you very much, Rebekah and Ami, for making my day (week)!

I have been an avid reader of Elizabeth Ann Designs ever since I met Rebekah as a Christmas card swap buddy last year. Her (and Ami's) blog is fun-to-read, resourceful and full of inspirations. Recently, they officially launched the
{ Elizabeth Ann Designs Library } which houses an exhaustive directory of event professionals. We are honored to make the list!

If you are planning a wedding or event, Elizabeth Ann Designs is a must-read and it is addicting.

Aqua & Red Rose

Like the Olympics, we are breaking records with three posts in one week! That's because we have lots to share....

We delivered this cool aqua and poppy red invitation back in the spring for a summer wedding. I have always adored this color scheme as it gives off a fresh, light and whimsy feel... perfect for a casual elegant, breezy early summer wedding.

And just to show you how fun and deligthful it can get, see the ever-so-popular { snippet & ink } aqua-poppy inspiration board below. The airiness of it makes me think of cotton candy...mmmm... Click on board for credits.

Cross Cultural Celebration

One of our earlier weddings this year... Cristina and Amit planned an intimate celebration blending three cultures between two families. From the invitations to the reception and all the little details in between fused together elements from their Chinese, Brazilian and Indian heritage and customs.

The wedding color was red - an auspicious color for both Asian cultures. The invitations used a paisley and double happiness motifs to symbolize the coming together of their respective families. The reception was a carnivorous feast in Brazilian style with meats of all kinds delivered on skewers to the tables. Wedding favors were Brazilian-imported chocolate bonbons. And I love Cristina's turquoise and pink lehnga.

Our photographer friend, Calvin from { fisheye photos }, captured these striking and vibrant images of a truly unique wedding.

Forgarty Winery

While we were on vacation, one of our couples got married on the 4th of July with an elegant BBQ reception at Fogarty Winery. I've been to a wedding at Fogarty Winery, and the panoramic view of the SF Bay area is captivating for a wedding backdrop. Now to mention, their Gewürztraminer is one of my favorite.

Our friend, Lisa from { Belissima Vista Weddings }, day-coordinated this wedding and took the following photos. Flowers by { Nicole Ha } and cupcakes from { Love at First Bite }. { Cards de Luxe } created the vineyard-inspired programs, menus, table numbers and escort favor tags.







Having a caricature artist { Doug Shannon } is a fun addition and treat for the guests. I've never had a caricature of myself.

As Seen In... The Knot

We came back from vacation to exciting news that one of our weddings is featured in the Northern California's The Knot magazine. It just seemed like yesterday we were working on Joy's complete stationery suite. See the spread below to see what we've created for her stunning wedding.