Most of the time, the content on this blog is the result of my puttering around on Google image search and other wedding blogs and Pinterest until something dazzles me or some piece of advice pops into my head. But I’d like y’all to know that I actually do read my emails, even if I am slow to log in sometimes. And recently, when I finally sat down to check my email, I found a nice note from Courtney of Courtney Khail Stationery inviting me to check out her wedding invitations and other wedding stationery featuring hand drawn illustrations done in ink and watercolor on 100% cotton cardstock.

Have I mentioned lately that I am a 100% sucker for anything that is hand drawn or hand painted? Because it’s true. I am. And why not, when opting for handpainted wedding stationery results in awesome and amazing invitations, etc., like these?

Bees buzz along, birds sing a love song...

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In Nevada, where The Beard grew up, they called them cootie catchers. In New York, they were fortune tellers. In either case, these simple, folded paper sheets make easy DIY wedding programs – or seating cards or recyclable wedding favors or reception menus, for that matter. I’ve even read about some couples putting them at reception tables to help break the ice.

But I still think simple paper fortune tellers make the best wedding programs, especially when done a bit cleverly, since they give wedding guests something not only to read, but also to do. (Even if it is just flipping paper.) Which really comes in handy during that inevitable pre-ceremony delay! Here are some from around the net:

Cute cut-outs on this one - simple paper can get pretty fancy!

Beautiful fortune teller wedding programs spotted on Delightfully Engaged

No time to DIY? Get custom cootie catchers from katskrafts on Etsy

For the DIY set, Ruffled has a fortune teller wedding program template that brides and grooms can download and customize with everything from details about the couple and ceremony to actual fortunes or other conversation starts, though I think it would be sweet to see hand-drawn wedding program cootie catchers. Er, for those who either are having smaller weddings or feel inclined to practice their pretty script on 150 of the things, that is.

It struck me just the other day that we probably don’t talk about wedding photography as much as we could around here. Possibly because we’re not expert wedding photographers – unless Twistie has been keeping secrets from me. Or I’ve been keeping secrets from her and from you. But I haven’t. I’ve just been taking a lot of photographs recently, so photography is on my mind. Wedding photography in particular, of course. And since having a theme for the week makes my life easier and two and two make four, I am declaring this WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY WEEK at Manolo for the Brides!

Now, you don’t have to wait until the actual big day to have some serious wedding photography fun. For the hardcore wedding photography enthusiast, there’s the Chinese practice of taking insane amounts of wedding photos way before the actual wedding. And for the less dedicated among us, there are always engagement photo shoots and photo save-the-dates and photo wedding invitations. Which is what Toni shared with me just the other day, and she was kind enough to say I could share with you. (Uh, in case you missed it, our very own Toni is engaged, so show her some love!)

This is the back

And this is the front (or is that the other way around...)

I love ‘em, don’t you?! Toni’s wedding invitation makes me wish The Beard and I had done something with photos of ourselves – even our postcard save-the-dates featured a vintage photo with a dour bride and groom instead of a snapshot of us. Oh, well! That’s why I live vicariously through you lovelies and through all the research I do for this blog. Speaking of, to kick start Wedding Photography Week, I though I’d make a list of some of my favorite posts about wedding photography here at Manolo for the Brides for those who may have missed them the first go around.

• A link to a great instructional site for DIY wedding photos
• Fun wedding photos to take as a group
• Wedding photography etiquette for guests
• Some of the best wedding photos around
• Just some brides on bikes!
• How about those artsy-fartsy wedding photos?
• Handling the taller bride and shorter groom “problem”
• On being yourself in your wedding photos

Enjoy! (P.S. – I may extend Wedding Photography Week into two weeks, just because there’s plenty to talk about! P.P.S. – Want to share your wedding photos or wedding photos you’ve taken? Email me the best ones, and I’ll post them!)

It’s starting to look like the David’s Bridal of today and the David’s Bridal of the past are not exactly the same beast. In case you missed it a few months back, Vera Wang debuted a lower-price collection at David’s – the White Collection, featuring a small number of wedding dresses and accessories, with a bridesmaid line to follow. A few years back, they even launched a small online inventory for the bride-to-be who’d rather shop virtually. An inventory that’s grown significantly since. And now wedding invitations by David’s Bridal, shoppable online? Apparently so.

Wedding invites at David's? Well, huh.

And they’re none too shabby, with plenty of fun patterns – including monograms – and lots of color choices. The main omission in their stock of invites seems to be embellishments – there are ribbons, but none of the little string ties and leaves and lace and pockets and charms that are still quite popular. Which I used to love, actually. But the older I get, the more I seem to like simple one-sheet wedding invitations with, say, letterpress printing or something that looks like it. One-sheet invites are easier to turn into keepsakes if you want to scrapbook them, and similarly easier to recycle if you’d rather not clutter up the works with a whole lot of paper.

So, you tell me: Did you know David’s Bridal carries wedding invitations now? Would you consider (or have considered) shopping at a chain for your wedding invitations?

Remember that video game wedding invitation from a while back? I’m reasonably sure that it was the first real interactive wedding invitation I’d seen – but once a good idea starts making the rounds, it’s bound to be replicated. And in bigger, badder ways, too. A quick minute brainstorming, and I’m imagining a Choose Your Own Adventure wedding invitation (which I would SO do) or maybe a scavenger hunt wedding invitation for those who had the time and the inclination. But you know what tops pretty much every interactive wedding invitation I could think up?

This one. It’s a freakin’ papercraft record player, for goodness’ sake! I’m less impressed that it kind of plays an original song written by the couple – Karen Sandler and Mike Tarantino – who sent it out than I am that you can even make a record player out of paper. That someone even conceived of this idea in the first place, and then someone – that would be designer Kelli Anderson who talks more about the whole project on her website – took that idea and rolled with it. Seriously. A papercraft record player interactive wedding invitation. Seriously… Doesn’t that just beat all?

What it is: A wedding invitation designed by Nuage Mulberry Digital Art, known for its unique custom handmade wedding invitations that are more affordable than most. What it looks like, to me anyway: Skin, stretched and dried. Not that there’s anything wrong with that if it’s a look you love! I’m just not loving it. To be fair, I do love just about everything else that comes out of Nuage Mulberry Digital Art. Just not this particular invite.

It’s pretty obvious where my opinion falls on the spectrum. What do you think? Am I judging this one wedding invitation too harshly? Am I missing the point? Or is there something of the amateur anthropodermic bibliopegy about this one?

The fabulous Rebecca sent me a link to this totally amazing quilled marriage certificate created by paper filigree expert Ann Martin. Glorious!

Now, paper filigree is new to me, and maybe to you, too. According to Wikipedia, “paper filigree is an art form that involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to create decorative designs. The paper is wound around a quill to create a basic coil shape. The paper is glued at the tip and the coil shaped, these shaped coils are arranged to form flowers, leaves, and various ornamental patterns similar to ironwork.” Zow! Sounds like one of those hobbies that’s time consuming but produces an amazing finished product.

And what a nice way to display a marriage certificate – it’s certainly a lot nicer than the one issued by the state. I have one of those, and it lives in my fire safe.

You can see more of Ann’s quilled marriage certificates in this little Flickr set – and from what she writers, it looks like she’s in the market for commissions. So if you love what you see, get in touch with her!

P.S. – Don’t forget to enter the yummiest giveaway yet!