To Have & To Hold

On a Friday afternoon, I leave you with a simple image & sweet sentiment. This is a close-up of one of my favorite products, the Wedding Tote by Mindy Weiss. I honestly think this tote can be used for the wedding & beyond. Only three left at Koru Wedding Shoppe!

Happy Weekend!!

Here Comes the Solution!

In Stock NOW!!!

Good news: The Wedding Day Survival Kit is in stock!!!

Here comes the solution! Say “I Do!” to disaster relief with this must-have Wedding Day Survival Kit, a convenient collection of emergency items for the blushing Bride. Inside the chic, reusable train case are 30 essential items to help brides fend off any last minute fiasco. Bad breath, unruly hair, awful stains & more can be treated with the kit. A Bride is prepared for virtually any emergency on her wedding day & beyond with these items by her side. Topped with a white satin ribbon & a novelty diamond ring, this kit is a Bride’s best friend for her Big Day!

Also available is Wedding Day's little sister, Bridessentials, a mini-version packed into a sleek silver case & topped with a blue crystal heart.

After a brief lull without our popular items, they're in stock! Swing by our Hoboken boutique or our e-boutique Shop Koru for yours!

Life Beyond Tulle & Lace

This Week I'm Thankful For . . .

It's easy to get lost in weddings. As a wedding professional, a week can go by when I think of nothing besides invitation fonts, reception flow & Koru Wedding Shoppe's updates for its Facebook page. I know my Brides feel the same way as they tackle the countless details preparing for their big day. Somehow, we need to remember that there's life beyond tulle and lace.

This is why I was delighted to receive a 2010 Vera Bradley agenda from my boyfriend's Mom for Christmas. Besides keeping me organized in style, each week features a prompt reminding me to appreciate life. The prompts include 'this week I'm thankful for', 'this week I laughed when', 'the best thing that happened this week was', etc. This exercise is fun & valuable! I vowed that I won't include anything related to Koru Wedding Shoppe. Each week, I look forward to taking stock & choosing something or someone special outside of work & weddings. So far, I've noted things about my awesome boyfriend, my beloved dog & my delightful goddaughter.

I urge you to do the same each week. Yes, your wedding is important. So are your fiance, family & friends. Just for a few minutes, put aside your Wedding I-Do list & reflect on the beauty in your life. What are you grateful for? What random act of kindness did you experience? Who made you smile?

Craftiness Now

I loved fingerpainting! Fingerpaints from & available at AC Moore

As a kid, I loved arts & crafts. Art was always my favorite subject in school. I was happiest armed with a big box of crayons & a fresh stack of colorful construction paper. Some of my best memories involve afternoons spent fingerpainting on a refrigerator with a good friend. I remember laughter, messes & fun!

One of my handmade 10% off gifts to Koru customers tucked into Koru's merchandise

Sadly, it's been many, many years since I fingerpainted a refrigerator. A few months ago, I noticed that I really missed arts & crafts. It's not the same designing an invitation or wedding, while I love both. I longed to work with my hands, get messy & have fun. In a dizzy burst of inspiration, I handmade Christmas decorations & 10% off gifts for Koru Wedding Shoppe.

From Craftiness Now, Jen's beautiful Decorative Decal Pillar Candles

Then I hit a lull. I had zero inspiration for another craft project. Thankfully, my high school friend Jennifer Kim launched Craftiness Now, an awesome blog about the calm art of crafting in a crazy city life. Her blog is full of her craft projects, her resources & her inspiration, along with beautiful photographs. All of sudden . . . inspiration galore! I could turn my armoire into a craft center! I should join AC Moore's rewards program! I would love to make gorgeous candles like those shown above! Now I'm a happy girl with several craft projects in progress, thanks to Jen.

Do you count Martha Stewart Weddings as your inspiration? Do you love to craft? Do you enjoy craft eye candy? For all this & more, I recommend Craftiness Now!

Take Me Away!

Jullian's invitation. I simply adore the colorful envelope lining that provides the first hint of the tropics for Jullian's lucky wedding guests.

The Original Distinction invitation, dubbed as an invitation to set yours apart from the rest.

During the long, cold winter, I dream of sunny, blue skies & tall, graceful palm trees. My daydreams are more vivid after countless invitation appointments with Destination Brides. San Juan, Puerto Rico; Palm Beach, Florida; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico- you name it!

Back in November, Jullian came to me with a vision of a formal invitation touched with the tropical color of mango for her wedding in gorgeous San Juan, Puerto Rico. Within minutes, we had zeroed in on the Distinction invitation (second photo shown above) from the Exclusive Collection II, although the Champagne & Expresso color scheme on ecru paper clearly wasn't right. Things were looking better with the simple change of colors to Mango & Slate on white paper with a fun script font. We worked together & created this beauty. See the results of our hard work above (first photo). Don't you agree Jullian's invitation ensemble is perfect for her destination wedding?

Jullian, feel free to invite me!

Hand-in-Hand

"We shall walk hand in hand into every day of our lives."
~author unknown

Photo by Jeffrey Vock Photography

My Passion, My Idea, My Necklace

When I started my wedding business in 2005, one of the first challenges was choosing a name. I was in the wedding industry long enough that I was tired of the Beautiful Occasions & Memorable Weddings & Joyful Events (no offense to these businesses). I ruled out using my name as well. I wanted a name that was different & meaningful. I was stuck with my passion for weddings & my idea for a business but no name.

One day, I reached for my favorite necklace & everything fell into place. This particular necklace features a simple & beautiful swirl. The jewelry designer had explained it is a Koru pendant. The Maori people of New Zealand use the word Koru to describe the shape of a curled fern frond & its uncurling movement into a fern leaf. Symbolized by a spiral, Koru represents positive new beginnings. As the story of this pendant flooded over me, I knew the search for my business name (& logo- bonus!) was over. Weddings = New Beginnings = Koru. Koru symbolism & legend fit my shoppe perfectly! Koru Wedding Shoppe. As they say, the rest is history.

To this day, I proudly wear this necklace that inspired Koru Wedding Shoppe. Whether you are planning a wedding, starting a business or redecorating a room, keep your eyes, ears & other senses open wide. Inspiration is everywhere & you never know when it will find you!

Welcome!

Welcome to the official blog of Koru Wedding Shoppe! At Koru, positive new beginnings are inspired & celebrated by connecting Brides & Grooms to wedding planning, invitations, gifts & accessories perfectly suited to their weddings. Commonly known as Koru Kate, I'm the lucky gal who inspires & celebrates weddings. I consider weddings my passion! So what inspires me? The list is long: Brides & Grooms, weddings, vendors, photographs, quotes, family, friends, etc. Here, I share my inspirations with you in hopes of inspiring you. Enjoy!

Official Koru Wedding Shoppe photograph by the fabulous Timothy Glenn Photographers