A Passion For Handmade Books: Weddings

Weddings

Nice day for a black&white wedding!

You may or may not know that we here at Jenni Bick Bookbinding contribute to our fair share of weddings by helping brides, grooms, and all of the above pick out wedding guest books & photo albums from our selection. This past weekend, one of our own tied the knot. It was a pretty amazing day here on Martha's Vineyard.

So here's to Laura and Brooke!

If you're in need of a wedding guest book, album, present, etc., take a gander at Jenni's designs on our Personalized Wedding Guest Books & Albums page.

photograph courtesy of Katie Pietrowski Photography.

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The First Family is Coming to Martha's Vineyard

We're all gearing up for President Obama's visit to our little island this week.

(cue "Hail to the Chief")

For the past two summers, we've enjoyed the excitement and pride that flutters around the island while he's here with Michelle, Malia and Sasha.

As you probably know, we deal with a lot of brides, grooms, engaged couples, bridesmaids, mothers of the brides, etc., and we think this is the perfect time to share a little known fact about your wedding and the President. If you send your wedding invitation or announcement to the president, you'll receive a very sincere and charming congratulatory reply! And on White House stationery!

Check it out:

I really love that the Presidential stamps feature an American calligraphy pen; Really nice touch, Mr. President.

Want to invite the first family to your wedding? Here's his address, just in case:

President and Mrs. Barack Obama & Family

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

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A Martha's Vineyard Wedding

An elegant country wedding on our little island, Martha's Vineyard, was featured on Snippet & Ink today. What charm and style... Not too fussy, and oh so romantic.

The wedding was held in our Agricultural Hall, where the annual Martha's Vineyard Ag Fair is held, as well as countless community gatherings and celebrations. The rugged barn architecture contrasts so nicely with the sophisticated wedding details.

Photos by photographer Adrienne Page and details by planner Tara Guérard. It’s equal parts classic preppy and sophisticated rustic, and I know you’ll find tons of inspiration here, from the something-blue bouquet to the wedding menu board…

Martha's Vineyard Morning

Getting dressed...

A pretty blue and white color scheme is SO Vineyardy

The wedding party and guests arriving

Outside view of the Ag Hall

Martha's Vineyard details...and a custom designed tent

Welcoming the guests for an evening of festivities

A few views of the interior of the Ag Hall. 100% Old New England.

Vendors

Photography: Adrienne Page / Design, flowers, planning: Tara Guérard Soirée / Stationery: The Lettered Olive / Bridesmaid dresses: Lela Rose / Catering: V. Jaime Hamlin Events / Cake: Val Cakes

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Made to Honor: bridal attendant gifts from Rag & Bone

One of the best parts of wedding planning thus far has been all of the correspondence with my bridal party - not to mention all of the showers and parties! When I decided a few months ago to mail each of them some info about the wedding , I wanted to include a small and special gift to “kick-off” the extravaganza that is being a member of a bridal party. This presented a small problem, as my six friends are all very, very different: an artist, a writer, a college student, a wine buyer, a psychologist and an interior designer (oh my!). I didn’t know what one gift could possibly work as a little something sentimental for the wide range of personalities. The same day, an order came in here at JBB for a variety of Rag & Bone Accordion Books. Perfect! Available in over 30 cover choices, it was easy to pick and choose which colors and patterns went with each of my friends’ styles. The cover choices range from simple and elegant to whimsical and charming, and my friends loved them!

Today, Rag & Bone featured the Accordion Books as attendant gifts on their website. Check out this adorable idea for making a perfect keepsake, for a wedding or any occasion.

Absolutely darling. Via Rag & Bone Bindery.

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Creative Guest Books

OK, so traditional wedding guest books is what we do, granted. But it is so much fun to see how creative couples come up with innovative ideas to capture sentiments and wishes from their guests. I found this wonderful round-up of wedding guest book alternatives, and just had to share it. Thanks very much to Love & Lavender!

If you’ve ever read through someone’s guest book, you’ll notice that most of the entries are pretty repetitive: “Congrats, we’re so happy for you!” etc. We’ve rounded up some more creative ideas for guest books that would be a little more interesting to read through later. Here’s a roundup of our favorite ideas:

#1. Wishing Tree. Put beautiful branches such as cherry blossom, manzanita, or magnolia branches in a pot. Make cards with ribbons attached and ask guests to write their well wishes or advice and hang the cards on the branches. via mydiyweddingday

#2. Postcards/Mailbox. Provide postcards of the city or state where your wedding is held. Ask guests to sign the backs, then slip them into a mailbox. Perfect for a travel-themed wedding! via Martha Stewart.

#3. Framed Poster.We la-la-love this idea. Frame a sweet poster or a picture of yourselves and have guests sign the mat. You can get this exact poster from SparklePower on Etsy. via we met in a bar.

#4. Fingerprints Tree. This is such a sweet and unique idea! Draw a tree with lots of empty branches on a poster, then put up a sign asking guests to “leaf” a fingerprint and sign their name. See more photos here!

#5. Typewriter. It’s not a new idea anymore, but we still love vintage typewriters as guestbooks. Provide some direction, like asking guests to share some words of wisdom, and you’ll get more interesting responses.

#6. Photobooth/Chalkboards. Hang a patterned cloth or create a backdrop to serve as your photobooth. Provide chalkboards and chalk and leave a sign instructing guests to write a message and take a picture with it. You’ll get sweet pictures that showcase your guests’ personalities! via welovelaughkiss.

#7. Polaroid Guestbook. Another spin-off of the photobooth guestbook is to have guests take Polaroids of themselves, mount them in a book, and sign next to their photo.

#8. Dirty Laundry. Write instructions on a detergent bottle asking guests to “air out your dirty laundry” by writing funny stories about the two of you on cards shaped like pieces of clothing. Then clip the cards onto a clothesline–what a fun idea! via Bridal Inquirer.

Other ideas include a time capsule, fill in the blank pages, signed plates, quilts, and even surfboards!

via Love and Lavender, March 30, 2010

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Arrivederci Adesso

So sorry to see Adesso Albums closing. It was always a pleasure to work with the lovely Lesley Mattos and her innovative guest books. We'll miss you!

Here's the story, in an open letter from Lesley:

After almost 10 years of providing its unique instant photo guest books to consumers around the world, Adesso Albums has closed its virtual doors.

Since 2002, Adesso Albums’ Instant Photo Guest Books have been a part of over 50,000 events. The Company began its relationship with most of its customers at their wedding, and their Adesso Albums became such a treasured keepsake that they made one part of all of their celebrations – baby showers, parents’ anniversaries, siblings’ graduations, birthday parties, retirements, even memorial services.

Over the past couple of years, we experienced a series of events which were entirely unforeseen and completely out of our control:

Polaroid exited the instant camera and film market and ultimately filed a second bankruptcy
Fuji came into the US market with a version of the instant camera and film, but with virtually no marketing
The bottom fell out of the economy in October 2008

The confluence of all these events resulted in a sharp decline in revenues, deteriorating profits, and ultimately resulted in the decision to discontinue operations.

What lies within us as we turn the final page of the Company’s history today is a great sense of pride in having brought a product to market that captured so many memories for so many people at so many events. Adesso Albums will live on in our customers’ lives for generations to come and that is a legacy that we are very proud to have built.

Thank you for the wonderful memories.

Lesley Mattos

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Enter to win a Personalized Wedding Guestbook!

Vote for your favorite guest book by liking its photo and you're entered to win a Personalized Guest Book! Winner will be chosen on July 1. Click here to enter the contest

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our contribution to the Royal Wedding!

The British Consulate of Orlando, FL chose our white leather wedding guest book for HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton's upcoming wedding. We were happy to oblige!

Will you be up early to watch the wedding? Some of us just won't be able to resist!

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Storybook Albums » Melissa Perella Photography

Melissa Perella, a professional wedding photographer, has a really special approach to album design. Not only do her photos make every wedding look like a storybook, but her custom designed albums a masterpieces of storytelling and design. She doesn't take the common approach of ordering a standard, bland professional album, but instead chooses one of a kind handmade albums that take into account the personalities of every couple, their favorite colors, and their personal style. The resulting albums are simply breathtaking. We are always so excited to see what she will do with one of our albums.

“My love of photography is partnered by my enthusiasm for custom album design. I strive to create pieces which make clients rejoice in having a physical presentation piece, not just images tucked away on a disc! In the modern design world, I am a total renegade. I utilize no computer programs, templates, or typical technology in my design process. I am a purist and I consider my storybooks to be pieces of art, created by the technology of eyes, heart, and hands. I patronize only the best bookbinders and crafters: their work surpasses the highest standards and expectations of the industry. My books are not only visually appealing, but archival, functional, and of solid quality. Melissa Perella Storybooks contain real photographic prints, not images printed directly onto pages. Because of the nature of my books, I am able to include paper ephemera such as invitations, programs, printed poetry and quotations, to achieve the most unique heirloom pieces possible. Clients seeking a true conversation piece meant to be handed down to future generations need to look no further than my assortment of custom crafted books!”