Meaning of the Butterfly

Madame Butterfly Wall Paper

The butterfly is renowned for its symbolism, representing life and the associated phases of life. Before their graceful crescendo, butterflies experience various stages of life to achieve metamorphosis.

Couples select butterfly wedding invitations as the life cycle is metaphorically synonymous to the development of their relationship, from humble or uncertain beginnings to a spectacular new phase in their lives.

This sentiment is universally recognized in all cultures.

 Rachel Sigmon Couture Headdress

There are also cultural significances with the butterfly. They are an international symbol for life, love and strength. To the Chinese, butterflies represent a long prosperous life whereas to the Japanese, men in love is the interpretation.

Irrespective of a couples interpretation of the significance, the choice for butterflies is one that is so often selected to the romanticism of the symbol, and the subliminal message that this is now the stage of their life whereby they have achieved their perfect stage, and will remain in so until death do them part.

 Butterfly Design

All of this has provided us inspiration for our latest inspiration board The Butterfly

Inspiration Board Source and Credits 

Butterfly Wedding Stationery 

Butterfly Cake 

Karen Millen Butterfly Bag 

Butterfly Perfume  

Butterfly Balloon 

Butterfly Shoes 

Butterfly Favor

Butterfly Wine Glass

Butterfly Flowers

Butterfly Keepsake

Butterfly Pots

Diamond Butterfly Crystal Broach

Butterfly Wedding Dress

Innovative Invitations

It appears that many couples are coming up with unique ideas on how to invite guests to their weddings.

Increasingly, couples are now showing favour with inventive methods of inviting guests to their special day, as opposed to the traditional wedding invitation. This in turn, has developed into a niche market, supplying unusual wedding invitations the gathering masses. 

We have already seen a rise with paperless wedding invitations with such examples including social media posts, emails, and even web pages dedicated to the ceremony with RSVP confirmation links.  

Now it seems wedding vendors are becoming increasingly innovative in order to stay at the top of their market.

Here are a few such invitations that demonstrate the ever changing trends.

Wedding Movie Invitation Movie

The Wedding invitation DVD, a concept in which couples get to star in their own movie aimed at inviting guests to their wedding. These DVD’s are available in many different themes from Hot Pink to Romeo and Juliet.

 

Available from Fabulous Wedding Invitations.

 

Tea Towel Wedding Invitations

Guests are presented with personalized tea towels detailing the wedding. This is a lovely idea, as guests will never forget the date of your wedding even when doing housework!

They are available in several different themes including winter or spring themes.

 

Available from Wedding Tea Towels

Origami Wedding Invitations 

Made from a delicate white cotton organza fabric, these are  hand-folded into beautiful origami invitation designs. There are various designs available with multiple ribbon and label color schemes, and prove an attractive addition within the guests homes.

 

Available from Paper bird design

 

Flat acrylic or Perspex Wedding Invitations 

An invitation styled such that it can be placed on a metal stand, so that your guests will remember your wedding date and have their own unique customized memorabilia of the day.

 

Available from Precision Units

 

The Candy Bouquet Invitation

Why not treat your guests when inviting them to your wedding with these candy bouquets? Each one comes with a selection of favourites.

   

Available from Kellys-Candy-Bouquets

This selection is just a small taste of the vast range of inventive methods in which invitations can now be offered.

Our Guest Blogger from the USA.

This week we have had the privilege of a guest blogger Joanne Braxton. She's living in Atlanta, GA. and is freelance blogger that enjoys invitations and party-planning (especially weddings!). She has written this blog for you all to enjoy. 

Creative Save the Date Card Ideas

Long before wedding invitations are sent out, a save the date card is mailed to friends and loved ones, notifying them that your special day is approaching. The card doesn't have to be expensive or fancy. In fact, a unique and personal notice is all that is needed. Save the date postcards and save the date photo magnets are just a couple of ideas that have been successfully used by creative brides-to-be. Not only are they relatively inexpensive to make, they make delightful keepsakes for your recipients. 

Save the Date Postcards

Save the date postcards are easy and inexpensive to make, and you don't have to be a graphic designer. Design layouts can either be found online or are contained in the template files of most photo editing and greeting card design software. These resources are very user-friendly. Blank postcards are available at most office supply or craft stores, or you can purchase a good quality card stock and use a postcard template.

Once you have the supplies you need to design and print your save the date postcards, all you have to do is put your creativity to work. To help get those creative neurons flowing, here are a few ideas to use as inspiration:

-Miniaturized mock movie posters with the name of the bride and groom substituted for the stars. Put your wedding date where a movie’s release date would usually go.
- A picture of the wedding location, substituting ‘Wish You Were Here’ with ‘Hope You Can Come’ or ‘Save the Date’. You can also include more details about the location.
- Magazine covers or newspaper features with the big news and details added.

Save the Date Photo Magnets

Save the date photo magnets are another great option that are inexpensive to make and easy to design, These can be placed on a refrigerator, file cabinet or any other metallic surface, ensuring the date is front and center.

Ideas for the design run the gamut from a photo of the couple and their wedding date super-imposed over it to a mini calendar that has the date outlined with a heart or wedding bell shape. The save the date photo magnets can reflect a wedding theme or interest of the wedding couple, such as a favorite sport or hobby.  In addition to including a memorable image, these cards can be trimmed with a border or ribbons in the bride's colors.

Magnet material can be bought online or at craft stores. You purchase magnets that are either buttons or rolls of sheets, which can be custom cut into any size or shape.

The photos should be printed on photo paper or card stock. They should then be cut and glued to the magnet. The bride and groom can set aside an afternoon together to assemble as many as needed in no time.

Inventive layouts and themes, clip art, downloadable design software and templates, and craft stores can help make your save the date postcards or save the date magnets fun, creative, and memorable. Regardless of what you decide to use to make your cards, be sure to make them include personal touches of both you and your soon-to-be spouse. 

Thank you so much Joanne, from the Black Pearl Weddings team. x

For more from Joanne Braxton see the links below 

All about wedding invitations blog

Joanne Braxton Twitter page 

Competition Time

Win your very own Chocolate Trinket Box, hand crafted by Sweet 'N' Fancy. All you need to do to register for this gift, is to like the Black Pearl Weddings Page, and once we hit 100 likes, a winner will be selected at random, and we will arrange for this unique item to find its way to you! 

The winner can select from a choice of White, Milk or Dark Chocolate, with the Heart details offering a selection of Pink Strawberry or Orange flavour, or White, Milk or Dark Chocolate.
 
Best of luck!
Black Pearl Weddings xx

Our Facebook link is below

http://www.facebook.com/Blackpearlweddings

Toast your wedding in style

Lolita, a former DKNY artist, ­­­­has released a collection of super stylish drinking glasses that have enchanted the USA to become the new “must-have” accessory.

Individually stunning, the quality and style of Lolita Wine Glasses has made them instant collectibles, with each glass also having its own unique selling point - a recipe written on the bottom of each glass. With such a varied range of designs and glassware for martinis, wine, mojitos, margaritas and pilsners - the perfect set awaits you.

The official collection of glasses designed by Tracy Lolita Healy can be found at hula island

Here are some of Lolita's wedding wine glasses

The Glamour Wine Glass

 The Bridal Bouquet Wine glass

The Just Married Wine Glass

The Guest Book Wine Glass

The Special Day Wine Glass

The The Just Married Wine Glass and Guest Book Wine Glass come with marker pen's so they can be personalized.

Image source and credits below. Please follow the links to purchase any of these glasses

Glamour Wine Glass by Lolita 

Bridal Bouquet Wine Glass by Lolita 

Just Married Wine Glass by Lolita  

Guest Book Wine Glass by Lolita 

Our Special Day Wine Glass by Lolita  

Children's Wedding Treats

SWEET 'N' FANCY

Julie, the owner of Sweet N Fancy has sent us a picture of some of her wedding treats for children.

Julie says "These treats are made of organic milk chocolate and enhanced with mini smarties for the added detail. The scrumptious cup cake has a strawberry flavored chocolate button on top for a taste sensation. These treats are ideal for children as they are visually and tastefully sublime."

She went on to say  "These delightful treats are a genuine pleasure to make, knowing the happiness they will bring to children. There are other designs in this range available including ginger bread men and teddy bears"

Any enquirers can be forwarded to Julie at sweetnfancycreations@yahoo.com

Roses are Red

Our latest inspiration board is inspired by the latest trend of red bridal dresses and red Roses

Red symbolizes many strong positive emotions - love, courage, enthusiasm, confidence, strength, determination, and desire. We also know that a red rose is a Symbol of true love.

With this in mind we came up with the red rose mood board.

Mood Board Image source and credits listed below

Heart of rose flowers,

Clutch bag 

Red wedding cake 

Crystal red rose

Red Shoes 

Rose Cufflinks 

Red Rose Wine Glass 

Rose Sofa 

Red Rose Lights 

 

Seeing Red

Currently, weddings throughout the UK and the rest of Europe are being heavily influenced by themes from the orient. In keeping with the tradition of a wife bringing her husband luck and fortune, and red being the colour associated with such fortuitous beliefs.

Many well established high end couture designers are now expanding into Chinese weddings, and are releasing ranges that match the traditions of China, which are becoming increasingly accessible and fashionable throughout the western world.               

Vera Wang and Oscar de la Renta are two of the many designers who are now developing a link between both sides of the globe and demonstrating respect for Chinese tastes and beliefs. Here is an example of how stunningly beautiful this tradition can be translated into a western wedding style, providing an entirely unique theme.

Here is an example of red bridal dresses with Vera Wang's latest bridal collection

Image source and credits 

Vera Wang

Magnificent Minaudières

We have found the most exquisitely detailed wedding Minaudières crafted by Judith Leiber

Judith Leiber, the American luxury brand, is synonymous with elegance, style and sophistication. Each product is executed with meticulous attention to detail and flawless hand-craftsmanship. Judith Leiber has re-defined the accessories category with products that are on the cutting edge of high fashion while always remaining timeless classics.

Below is a selection of these spectacular Minaudières. 

Crystal Cupcake Minaudière

 The Crystal Flower basket Minaudière

The Crystal Cake Minaudière

Cake Slice Crystal Minaudière

For more information or to purchase these stunning Minaudières please see the link below,

Judith Leiber 

Image source and credits

Judith Leiber 

 

Look Like a Star

We were recently contacted by the owner of Star Wigs, Miss Sophie Parker – Jeal.

Star Wigs specializes in wigs for all occasions. During our meeting we took the opportunity to ask Sophie about her products and how they could benefit our clients. Her answers were as follows.

Tell us a bit about you and your business

Moving across to using wigs was a natural progression for me as I would use hair extensions and weaves to give my hair a fuller look, however that came at a price as my hair began to fall out and my hours at my job had been cut which lead me to no longer be able to pay £200+ every couple of months. 

I began to investigate wigs and immediately fell in love with them as they gave me the hair I desired at a fraction of the price I was previously paying, yet delivering high quality hair. It then seemed logical to develop this into a company and share my discovery with all the other people that need and use weaves, extensions and wigs.

How could your products benefit a bride/bridesmaid?

Star Wigs would really help a bride or bridesmaids on their big day, as it will give you beautiful hair instantly. Wigs help save so much time, especially when time is of the essence, without jeopardizing style or quality. And let’s remember, no bride wants to be late for their own wedding! And the less stress on the day, the better!

Coupled with this, wigs can enable you to vary your hair colour, length, style and shape immediately, which can be ideal for the switch from ceremony to reception party.

Can you tell us about your range of wigs?

We have 4 ranges: Glamour Star, Rock Star, Party Star and Everyday Star. Each of the ranges has its own selection of wigs that suit the name, so no matter what your mood or what the occasion, we will find a wig to suit you.

Each Star have been hand picked and tested in an intense Boot Camp to make sure each synthetic fiber does not falter and keeps you looking beautiful in the most extreme circumstances!

Do you have any new products launching in 2012/13

We are currently working on the “V.I.P Lounge”; a new range, that will include Lace Front and Full Lace wigs.


We are also releasing a “Bespoke range” which will allow everyone to make their own wig to suit their own budget.


Here is a sample of the Star Wigs Range

Glamour Star

Rock Star

Party Star

 Everyday Star

To purchase any of these products or for more information please see the link below,

Star Wigs

Images compliments of Star Wigs.

Star Wigs