First Anniversary Paper Shoot by Courtney Dellafiora

Happy Monday everyone! Hopefully you all had super rad weekends celebrating the official start of summer. I think I'm finally starting to feel like I'm back in the swing of things. Last week was so crazy busy with my girl cave shoot on Monday (which was so incredibly fun) and the inspiration shoot up north (which was also so incredibly fun), that when I woke up Thursday, I thought it was Saturday. And on Friday I was telling people Happy Monday. Ugh how embarrassing right? Suffice to say, I was a hot mess and ended up taking a few naps throughout the weekend to get myself back on track. That and a nice Sunday afternoon at the Bucks. So sit tight I have an entire week of pretty posts prepared for you all! Starting with this one right here.

Which leads me to explain: The first thing I thought after all the excitement came to an end following our wedding, was how can I feel like there's something big and blog-worthy to look forward to? (Before you go thinking I'm all selfish and stuff just hear me out, guys). Like most girls, and especially as a wedding blogger, getting back my professional wedding photos was one of the highlights of post-marital bliss, and once that was all said and done, I was itching to get engaged all over again just to have another engagement session. But whose kidding who, that wasn't going to happen. Enter this adorable and clever shoot idea sent over from Courtney Dellafiora; why not celebrate your first anniversary (you know, the one that's all about paper) with a fun photo shoot? Obviously, I'm all over this wicked idea. Scroll on to catch the amazing details prepared by the gorgeous Deirdra, who happens to be Courtney's wonderful assistant. This is one post you'll want to bookmark, blogettes! xo

{From the beautiful, Deirdra} The inspiration from this shoot started with the concept of our first anniversary being another chapter in Duston and I's Love Story. We met in college and have really gotten the opportunity to grow with one another from college life, starting our first careers, getting engaged, making the commitment of a lifetime together, and now living out our life dreams with one another. I wanted the shoot to capture the chapter of our first anniversary by having a very soft, passionate setting. On your first anniversary, you are supposed to give paper gifts to one another (a boudoir album was definitely the best paper gift ever to give him!) Therefore, I wanted to try and incorporate paper into the shoot as much as possible. Some of the paper items I created up for the shoot were: paper flowers for the bouquet, boutonniere and vases which were jars wrapped in paper doilies, tissue balls to hand from the ceiling of the barn, paper doilies found under the desserts and place settings; a paper umbrella used for a prop, and awesome paper invitations, menu cards, dessert cards, and banners were made by Lauren VanZandt. The set included many items borrowed from my grandmother and mother which made it even more personal as each of the tea pots, plates, platters and some furniture had meaningful history behind it. I do not think our love story could have been captured any more perfectly then by the one and only Courtney Dellafiora, and I hope that she captures the many chapters that lie ahead in our lives. (To see the rest of the beautiful shots from their shoot head over here).

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Photography: Courtney Dellafiora / Hair/Makeup: Courtney Davis, Kiki's Consulting / Paper Goods: Lauren VanZandt, Everyday's a Soirée /  Deirdra's dress: Bustle / Couch: The Estate Center / Bouquet, boutinniere, decorations, hairpieces: Deirdra Doré / Bowtie: XOELLE

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Giveaway {Monogrammed Note Set from Lemon and Lavender}

Monogrammed note set? With custom colours and designs? Yes please and thank you very much. Ashley, the gorgeous chick behind Lemon and Lavender has been a fave of mine for some time now in the blogging world so you can imagine how thrilled I was when she offered up this giveaway. Not only is she super talented and innovative but she's beautiful and totally the most down to earth girl I know. And get this, the designs you see above are from her new line of monograms and you guys are the first to see them. The winner will win 25 folded monogram note cards in linen or smooth finish in white or natural. You can also choose any colour, liner (these are mix and match) and monogram. And well could you imagine how simply adorable a little HGE monogram would be? Oh snap, yup these are too perfect for words.

{To win your custom set of monogrammed note cards please do the following}

• Please go become a follower of Lemon and Lavender over on Twitter

• If you're not already then pretty please become a follower of this blog!

• Visit the Lemon and Lavender shop to find your most favourite design

• Come back here and leave a comment with your fave monogram pick

Also, for those of you looking to purchase something from Lemon and Lavender, Ashley has extended a generous 15% discount on any order until next Friday when you use the code HEYGORG. Contest is open until next Friday morning, May 27th. A winner will be picked at random. Good luck loves!

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Giveaway {$125 Gift Card to Papertalk Press}

I have a really big soft spot for Papertalk Press. Not only did Michelle do our wedding invitations, or all the paper products for our last inspiration shoot but she is a total sweetheart and a dream to work with. In addition to creating wonderfully unique and modern wedding stationery her and her husband also own a company, Stak Inc where they cater to business professionals and create all sort of goodness like business cards, logos and websites (Hint hint, not a bride? Need business cards? A logo? Something designed? This giveaway is for you too!) I can't say enough great things about Papertalk so I am obviously thrilled that one of you lucky readers will win a $125 credit towards your order. 

{To win a $125 gift card towards your next Papertalk Press order}

• You know the drill, go like the Papertalk Press facebook page

• Please be a follower here of the Hey Gorgeous bloggity blog!

• Check out the PTP store and pick out your most fave product

• Come back and leave a comment below with your fave pick

A winner will be picked at random next week on the morning of May 26th. Photos above by Michelle herself and Elizabeth Kaye. Good luck everyone! And a giant hug to everyone for your sweet birthday wishes, texts, tweets, emails and calls. I feel so loved and lucky today :) xo

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Giveaway {Anastasia Marie Cards $100 Gift Credit}

I squealed with happiness with I first looked at the photos of Anastasia Marie Cards fine paper products. Not only is the styling spot on but her work is so perfectly pretty and flawless. And the chick behind it all? She is a complete sweetheart and exactly the kind of vendor that makes the wedding industry such a fabulous space to be a apart of. But enough from me, here's the best part for all you guys: the winner of today's giveaway will win a $100 credit towards a custom wedding stationary order or a $50 gift card to be used towards any purchase from her stunning etsy shop packed to the brim with eye candy. And just to give you a little taste of what you're looking at here, check out these stunners featuring some of my fave pieces:

Pretty gorgeous right? To win $100 towards a custom wedding stationary suite:

• Head over and like Anastasia Marie Cards via facebook
• Pretty please be a follower of the Hey Gorgeous bloggy
• Check out the AMC etsy shop and find your fave design
• Leave a comment below letting us know your most fave!

And for those of you who still want to purchase something from Anastasia Marie's etsy shop, a generous 15% off discount code is being extended to all you Hey Gorgeous readers from now until the end of May. Just enter the code HEYGORG upon your checkout and the discount will be applied to your purchase. Happy shopping, loves! Contest is open until next Tuesday, May 24th at midnight. A winner will be picked at random. All photos above by Daniel Usenko.

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Giveaway {$50 Gift Card to Wedding Paper Divas}

Happy Afternoon, blogettes! Today I am so thrilled to bring you an incredible giveaway from Wedding Paper Divas, an official sponsor of the Hey Gorg blog and a fantastic company that provides stylish, modern and unique stationery. From thank you notes and save the date magnets, to custom wedding invites (like these beach invitations, discount wedding invites and cheap wedding invites), Wedding Paper Divas offers exclusive designs from the nation's top designers, easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality. I mean, awesome right? Even better, the Wedding Paper Divas designs have been lauded by numerous television networks, publications and celebrities. With WPD by your side, planning your perfect wedding will be a cinch. Check out how fabulous their designs are:

{To win a $50 Gift Card to Wedding Paper Divas please do the following}

• Visit the WPD website and check out the massive selection of beautiful designs

• If you haven't yet, please head over and like the Hey Gorgeous facebook page

• Leave a comment below letting us know what WPD design you love the most

Oh and no problem if you're already married guys because this giveaway is perfect for just about everyone. Wedding Paper Divas offers every product imaginable to cater to your social stationery needs (think baby showers, birth announcements, party invitations, and the list goes on). If you need it chances are they've got it! The giveaway will remain open until May 23rd, 2011 at midnight and a winner will be picked at random. Good luck! xo

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Stunning Wedding Invitations by Lemon and Lavender

Just when I thought things couldn't get any more exciting over in my corner of the blogogsphere, Lemon and Lavender goes out and launches a brand spanking new website along with the most stunning invitations I've ever laid my eyes on. Since Lemon and Lavender proudly supports Hey Gorgeous, the beautiful Ashley sent me over some sneak peek images to share with everyone. She says the inspiration for the invite designs came from her sweet daughter and other loves in her live and it surely doesn't get any sweeter than that does it? Check out some select designs below and don't forget to swing by the Lemon and Lavender blog to catch all the prettiness a girl could ever want or need.  

Do you and your fiance have a love for bicycles? Then the Emma invitation suite would be perfect for you. The entire set is available on premium #110 white or natural card stock in either a linen or smooth finish. The invites are flat printed, include coordinating envelopes and custom ink colours are available to fit your wedding. P.S. Aren't these fluffy white hydrangeas the prettiest accent to the coral-hued bicycle on the invitation? I think so. Can somebody please have this kind of wedding. Thankyouverymuch.

If you're having a more formal wedding celebration and want to your invitations to elicit this to your guests, then the Madeline is absolutely the perfect choice. Like the Emma suite, it too comes in a complete suite with coordinating envelopes and response cards and ink choices to fit your wedding colours are available. The cursive font really adds a bit of fanciness to the design, and I like it. A lot.

The Olivia wedding suite. Pure love. That font, the monogrammed details, the background motif. I can't say anything more. Except perhaps this would be oh so perfect for a vintage style garden wedding. With pale purple flower centerpieces. And lovely pops of gray throughout the decor. Just sayin. It would be gorg. Fabulous work Ashley and thanks for the sneak peak. Check out everything Lemon and Lavender over here, here and here. Happy Sunday loves xo

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Pretty Paper by Lemon & Lavender

Lemon and Lavender has been one of my fave places to visit for quite some time now. Not only is Miss Ashley the biggest sweetheart with one of the loveliest blogs out there but shes an incredibly talented stationary and invitation designer with an eye like no other for pretty paper (Did I mention she's a total babe, too? :) She's been a sponsor of my little blog for a couple weeks now and I haven't had the time to formally introduce her but she sent me over some images from a recent wedding she served as a vendor for and I was blown away. Ash you're a superstar and I adore you. Check out the Lemon and Lavender blog for daily inspirations and a peak into Ash's life and you can look around in her shop here. In the meantime check out the photos from the wedding I mentioned above. This is one wedding I would have loved to be a guest at; Kelly Brown Weddings did an incredible job with the photography, Ash went above and beyond with tons of personalized touches for the bride and groom and that bride? Gorgeous. Well done ladies, well done.

On to the details!

Homemade jars of pickles as favours! I can't even handle how adorable this idea is and those little deli style tags are brilliant. Throw in custom stir sticks, drink flags, monogrammed cigar labels and matchboxes and this is one stylish affair. As much as I love my dreamy pink-hued weddings and vintage themed parties I have to say that a glamorous and warm palette of browns, greens and purples is quite beautiful. What do you think?

Be sure to check out Lemon and Lavender for more inspiration and photos from the above wedding. From what I've seen, the bride Maria, had a pretty styling bridal party with some adorable out-of-the-ordinary footware. Hopefully everyone is back on track after the huge snow storm too; here in Chicago we went almost 24 hours with no hot water, heat, electricity, cell phone service and are you ready for it? Internet. Yup, I am officially spoiled by the things in my life that I way too often take for granted. Enjoy the rest of your day blogettes and catch you tomorrow for the first FAQ Friday! xo

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