Are wedding programs required? No.  Programs are optional, but they are so nice for your guests to have.  Programs are particularly nice for guests of different faiths or if they don’t know your family and friends very well.  They make a great keepsake too – so be sure to save one or two for yourselves!

What’s included? In a nutshell, the program is a communication tool where you have the opportunity to let your guests know what will be happening and who’s who. Programs often have 4 parts: the title page (bride and grooms’ names, location, date), the wedding participants, the ceremony order and a brief note of thanks from the bride and groom. In addition, I have had clients include the following:

- an explanation of any traditions, rituals or ethnic customs.

- moving announcement with new address

- directions to the reception

- a poem or song lyrics

- a surprise element that will be included in the ceremony

- remembrance of family or friends that have passed that would have played a big part in your big day

How many programs should I have printed? There are no steadfast rules on this.  The determining factors are your budget and the number of people attending.  You know that not every person will take a program, but you don’t want to run out. My theory is that the number you need depends on how the programs are distributed.  If your ushers are handing them out, you will need a program for each person.  If you are putting the programs in baskets or on tables near the entrance(s), my guess is that about 85% of your guests will take one.

When should I order my wedding programs?

Plan ahead!  There is usually a little bit of a lull between the time you send your invitations out and the time you start receiving your rsvp’s.  Most of your other decisions have been made, so it is perfect timing for planning the ceremony!  Work with your officiant and get samples from your stationer for ideas – then put your own personal touches in.  Once you have that done, you are ready to order!  A good rule of thumb is to give the final okay a month prior to the wedding.  This allows time to make sure any specialty stock can be received without expedited shipping, time for the printer and any assembly.

Other thoughts…

- Programs do not have to match the invitations, but it is a nice touch if all of your wedding stationery can tie in somehow.

- Have fun with the programs!  The program is a great place to show your creativity.  Pinterest is a great tool for finding program ideas.

William Arthur’s 2013 Wedding Sale ends on March 31, 2013 — until then, for every 75 you order, you will receive 25 free. That includes every piece: invitations, reception cards, response cards, envelopes, envelope liners, tags, ribbons… anything from the William Arthur wedding volumes I & II and the Truly Album.

Schedule your appointment at Stone Hill Paperie using the online scheduling system to shop the albums and place your order.

Save the world: stop fracking

In May, I attended the National Stationery Show in New York and I have ordered some new lines and I am still obsessing over others that I will be carrying soon!  I learned after last year not to order everything at one time… it’s more fun to be receiving new items all throughout the year!

Coming Soon…  Gorgeous Wooden Recipe Boxes and Recipe Cards (above).  I love these recipe boxes!  Suzy Jack put so much thought into these; from the customizable label on the front to the little notch cut into the top of the box for your card to fit into.  The card design itself is beautiful and there are 3 to choose from and matching linen towels as well.

Neon… I’m a child of the 80′s and have to laugh at all of the neon making a comeback.  I think that officially makes me old.  I do love some of the neon I saw at the show and am still obsessing over these cards:

Letterpress your own signature!  I love this idea from Jigsaw Graphics.  Have your signature or have your children design their own letterpress stationery.  Wedding Gift?  Have the bride & groom sign their names to a card and send it in to Jigsaw and they will create an amazing gift for the newly married couple!

Ridding the world of ugly notebooks!  I fell in love with these little notebooks with their bright colors, great price point and personalization options… these are available through the studio now!

There is too much more to mention, but you can bet I will be posting more as I add more products to the studio.

I just spent the day in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia with my family.  We walked the streets and talked about how easy our lives are now compared to the 1700′s.  We visited many of the little shops and trades and the printer.  The printer!  It is so easy to type something up on the computer and print it or send it out on the internet.  Newspapers, magazines, books, kindles – all available to the masses.  Make a mistake?  Highlight and change it or delete it altogether.  The Viriginia Gazette, published from 1736 -1750, required 25 hours work to set type for one page!  And it all had to be set backwards!  The newspaper was available to the community, but owning a book was a sign of wealth & education.

What a great experience to think about how difficult life was and to appreciate all that people did to make our lives easier now.  It was quite a hot day with a little whining from my kids, but so easy.

{© 2012 Stone Hill Paperie | Amy Hammond | Photo © Colonial Williamsburg}

One of the ways my Grandmother showed her love best was through her cooking.  As kids, we would all get excited to go to Grammy & Grampy’s house for ice pops made from Tang, strawberry lemonade, strawberry shortcake, Grammy pickles, Grammy’s chocolate chip cookies, brownies, ginger snaps, and pancakes topped with homemade strawberry jam! My grandparents owned a strawberry farm – where we wandered the fields and woods freely and our imaginations would take us all over the world… with constant pit stops for a little strawberry picking nourishment.

I have Grammy’s recipe box.  It is one of my most treasured possessions.  It is a tangible piece of Grammy that I have.  The recipe box is unattractive, does not go with my decor one little bit, and it  doesn’t matter.  When I open that recipe box, I have those delicious recipes and memories in my Grandmother’s own handwriting.  When I look at those recipes I feel like a piece of Grammy is still here.  Those are love letters from heaven.  I miss Grammy and think of her often, especially on her birthday and Mother’s Day – but in a way she’s still here.

Incidentally, I have since discovered that many of those Grammy amazing recipes were not Grammy originals.  They are Nestle Tollhouse Cookies and that my Grandmother could have had a few episodes of “Semi-Homemade” on the Food Network.  I just thank God that she actually wrote out the recipes instead of cutting them out of a magazine!

Consider writing those recipes out by hand!  You never know what it will mean to someone 30, 40, or 50 years from now.  Recipe boxes are available at Stone Hill Paperie with matching recipe cards if you want to put together a keepsake of your own.  I’m starting mine today.

{© 2012 Stone Hill Paperie | Amy Hammond | Photo © Amy Hammond}

To find out more about Clairebella and their products, visit www.clairebella.com – and as always, I’m here at Stone Hill Paperie, on your schedule,  to help you place your orders and show you some wonderful samples!

Clairebella Supports Foster Care to Success

by Clairebella Studio on 05/01/12