Paper Eggs

The grown-up version of decorating eggs- paper eggs!

My first Easter card with four paper eggs

Three naked eggs wait for decoration

I loved coloring Easter eggs when I was younger. I clearly remember the impatience as I waited for the big batch of eggs to boil. Once they were ready, I had hours of creative fun at our dining room table covered with rainbow colors of dye, special egg crayons & spring stickers. Each little egg was a canvas. In the end, we had a bounty of unique, colorful eggs to celebrate Easter & Spring.

The major downside was I don't like eggs & it fell on my family to eat all of them. Since they're not in Hoboken to eat my vibrant creations, I had to find another outlet for my creativity this Spring. I decided to make Easter cards for my family & friends; each card would feature decorated, paper Easter eggs. Fun! I had card stock, decorated paper, sparkly pens & paper edgers from past projects. For the remaining supplies, my crafty friend Jen, of Craftiness NOW fame, headed to our local craft mecca, Michael's for this project & my St. Patrick's Day project. I bought textured, shimmer paper for the eggs & pastel, patterned ribbon for decoration.

I spread out all of my craft supplies on our dining room table & the scene very much reminded me of Easters past. Instead of the eggs, dye, crayons & stickers of my childhood, I had paper, scissors, glue & ribbon in front of me. First, I cut out my eggs from paper called Spoiled Brat (orange), Infatuation (purple), In the Pink (pink) & Glitz (blue). Then I decorated the paper eggs with edged, patterned paper &/or adhesive ribbon so each looked different. Finally, I arranged my paper eggs on the cardstock & added pen details or extra ribbon as needed. I enjoyed myself as much as I did all those years ago & I wasn't stuck with eggs I don't eat!

I'll reveal my final creations on Friday! Happy Wednesday~

We're In It To Win It!

Help us win a free wedding by voting for us HERE!

My fiance & I entered to win the $100,000 Ultimate Wedding from Crate & Barrel & Daily Candy. Because, really, who are we to pass up the opportunity for a free, fabulous wedding? Not to mention, the Crate & Barrel gift cards given as secondary prizes are pretty drool-worthy. How happy we would be to get a new couch!

We need YOUR help! Please follow this link & vote for us:

Our Ultimate Wedding Contest Entry

You'll see our smiling faces & know that you're in the right place. Feel free to read our humble entry, including descriptions of our love story, our dream wedding & our ideal day. It takes only a minute to enter your email & then follow up with a confirmation email to prove your vote is legit. Please HURRY: voting ends on March 31 at 11:59pm cst!!

We appreciate your support! Thank you!

Blonde Bridesmaids

Will You Be My Bridemaid? Even if you're not blonde?

Will You Be My Matron of Honor? Will you hold it against me if you're not a brunette?

Since Koru Wedding Shoppe opened almost five years ago, the "Will You Be" & "Thank You for Being" Bridal Party cards have been best-sellers. Brides love these sweet, sparkly cards! Available for Bridesmaids, Matron of Honor, Maid of Honor & Flower Girl, there is no better way to ask your bridal party in style & to thank them with grace. The cards are blank inside for the Bride to pen a personal note to each bridal party member & they become sentimental keepsakes from the wedding. Love, love these cards.

The following is a true story!

Last week, a Bride came to Koru & spent a fair amount of time admiring the "Will You Be" Bridal Party cards. The "Will You Be My Bridemaid?" card features a tiny blonde bridesmaid in a yellow dress, as shown above. The Bride asked me if the cards were available customized. I replied no, thinking perhaps she wanted each Bridesmaid's name printed. She said, "So all of my bridesmaids have to be blonde?"

Um, no, not exactly. I didn't know what to say. I received this card from my best friend when she asked me to be a part of her bridal party. Naturally, I said yes. I didn't care that the card featured a blonde bridesmaid & I'm a brunette. I doubt her other bridesmaids cared either because only one is blonde & everyone said yes. And, crazy as this may seem, we didn't wear yellow dresses like the card shows. The card is more about the sentiment, not the fun drawing of a bridesmaid.

People tell Brides that it's all about the details for a wedding. Yes, that's true to a certain extent. There is coordination of the details & there is matchy matchy of the details: coordination is the most realistic. Is it the end of the world if the color of the calla lilies in your bouquet doesn't match the reception table cloths exactly as planned? Nope, nobody will notice. Will your raven-haired best friend say no to being your bridesmaid because the card has a blonde bridesmaid? No, probably not. You can drive yourself crazy with the details or you can take the details in stride!

Just Carry On

Awesome message from Paper Source

"Keep Calm and Carry On"

Since I started this week with a quote, I decided to end with an inspirational quote. It was a pure stroke of luck when I stumbled upon this gem from my beloved Paper Source. How perfect! I need the water bottle ASAP.

There are countless instances in my professional & personal life when I should stay calm & move along. So what if my fiance tossed the silverware in the dishwasher again & I have to fish the forks from the bottom? Does it really matter if my food order arrived wrong? Should I be offended that the Bride mentioned she can get free shipping on invitations from an impersonal web site? Keep calm & carry on!!

According to Paper Source, the original "Keep Calm and Carry On" artwork was produced in 1939 as a propaganda poster for World War II. It was intended to stiffen resolve of the masses if the Nazis were successful in invading Great Britian. The poster was never formally released. Today, the great message applies to our day-to-day life.

When could you use this message? I've already mentioned I need the water bottle by my side 24/7. It's quite perfect for weddings too. Presented about one week before the wedding, this is the ideal gift for Brides. In the place of Brides, insert Grooms, Mother of the Brides, Mother of the Grooms, etc, etc. I wish I could offer the water bottle for sale at Koru Wedding Shoppe!

Option Three: Hyatt Regency Jersey City

Hyatt Regency Jersey City from TheKnot.com

Daytime NYC views from the Manhattan Ballroom terrace from Koru's Gallery

Teeny, tiny photo of the Manhattan Ballroom & its glorious views from Project Wedding

I could kick myself. Who goes to a site tour without a camera? Me. The very same me who reminds Brides & Grooms to take photos on site tours. Sigh. I'd hoped to return to snap some photos but my schedule didn't allow. Please bear with me on this one.

The Hyatt Regency Jersey City, perched on the Hudson River overlooking New York City, was our final site tour in nearby Exchange Place of Jersey City (requirement one). I have worked there before & I love everything about it. The big question was whether my fiance would agree with my assessment. I kept my mind open & I tried to see things through his eyes, like I was seeing everything for the first time. It's pretty safe to say we fell for Hyatt Regency Jersey City hook, line & sinker.

To reach the event space, we took an elevator to a top, private floor of the hotel. As we exited the elevator, we entered the Cocktail Hour, a pre-function space with a grand piano & one wall of floor-to-ceiling windows offering river views. Then we moved along to the Manhattan Ballroom. Try to picture this if you can: three walls of floor-to-ceiling windows with picturesque, 180-degree NYC views (requirement two). You can see from the George Washington Bridge to the Statue of Liberty! The skyline glitters & sparkles in the night, creating the perfect backdrop for a wedding reception. Talk about a WOW factor!!

Deja vu from our past site tours: we could easily imagine hosting our wedding reception at Hyatt Regency Jersey City. We did stop gawking at the NYC skyline long enough to sit down with the nice catering manager & discuss other details of our wedding. Once again, we were pleased with the space, service & food. Having worked there before, I could attest that everything is top notch. My fiance's eyes lit up at the mere mention of a sushi station. I spied mac & cheese as an hors d'oeuvres too! Also, we appreciated a price adjustment (yeah, winter wedding!) to better fit our budget (requirement three). Did I mention the NYC views? The views are phenomenal, it's tough to beat those views.

So where will we host our wedding reception??!! Coming soon: our final decision!!

Pretty in Pink

The closed pocket invitation features a seal with the couple's name & design

The pocket opens to reveal the wedding invitation & enclosures

The invitation showcases combination lettering & a delicate design

Love, love the blossom pink design

The whole invitation ensemble that I simply adore!

Stop the presses. I had another post planned for today until this wedding invitation arrived in the mail. I had to share it with you immediately. Just look at this incredible invitation!!

The invitation was a long time coming which explains my excitement when it arrived today. Way back in the cold days of November (can you believe it's almost April?!), the Bride & Groom came to Koru Wedding Shoppe looking for an invitation for their June wedding. It was love at first sight when they saw the album Wedding One by Marsupial Invitations. They focused on a traditional pocket invitation shown in a dark gray/silver color scheme with a snowflake motif for a winter wedding. Clearly, not the right look for a June wedding.

The Bride & I worked together over the next three months before we finalized a design & look that matched her vision. She chose the blossom pink for her pocket & envelopes, a color I had only used as a backer before. She picked a mahogany backer for definition, a color I had used many times for the pocket, & matching mocha ink color. Rather than a motif, we chose a delicate design in pink to be placed on the side of each card behind the text. All in all, the look of this invitation was different than any I had previously done.

The invitation is light & airy, just perfect for a June wedding. The design is delicate, yet makes a statement. Pretty in pink indeed.

Option Two: W Hoboken

Beautiful orchids greet you in W Hoboken lobby

Sweet Stargazer Lily arrangements displayed on the way to the event space

The sleek space for Cocktail Hour. I fell hard for the purple lighting.

In addition to traditional cocktail tables, some cool banquettes offer seating for guests

A wedding table set in the Ballroom

After our successful site tour at Chart House, I wondered if we should keep our next appointment at W Hoboken, the one & only wedding venue in our hometown of Hoboken (requirement one). W Hoboken opened one year ago, located along the Hoboken waterfront with signature W Hotel style; it's cool & hip. Here is the thing: W Hoboken has no New York City skyline views from the ballroom (requirement two). Despite my reservations about the non-view, we decided to check it out anyway.

Let me tell you, we were blown away by W Hoboken. We were whisked up a staircase lined with wheat grass & candles to the event space. For cocktails, we preferred the open, sleek, pre-function space lined with banquettes & lounge furniture & highlighted with purple lighting over the club-like room with limited NYC views. In the ballroom, we were greeted by a waiter offering mimosas & chocolate-covered strawberries. My fiance & I are complete suckers for the sweet, small touches! To discuss our wedding further with the lovely catering manager, we sat at a sample table set for a wedding. I barely noticed there were no city views!!

Just like the Chart House, it was easy to imagine our wedding at W Hoboken. We were thrilled the space, the service & the food. It's really hard for me to pass up an appetizer menu that includes mini grilled cheese with tomato soup shooters! Also, we appreciated the fact that W Hoboken was willing to work with us on the price (hello, advantage to winter wedding!) to better match our budget (requirement three). Plus we adore Hoboken & there is a definite charm to hosting our entire wedding in this great town.

All in all, as we wrapped up our site tour & headed back into the rainy day, we had the sinking feeling that deciding where to hold our wedding was going to be a much, much tougher decision than we realized.

Coming soon: details of our visit to Hyatt Regency Jersey City!