Behind the scenes of our save-the-dates

Note to self: do not refer to save-the-dates as STDs. ;)

Our engagement shoot with Brian Mullins was so much fun. I put a lot of thought into the styling of it:

I also knew I wanted to include our three dogs in the shoot since they are such a big part of our lives. 

So many have asked me how we got all three dogs to pose for the photos. David will tell you that my dogs are should be expert models by now. For the most part, all three are very photogenic. However, getting all three to pose while sitting in front of us and wearing ridiculous wooden signs around their necks was a bit tricky. Luckily, we had Brian and a pocket full of dog treats. :) See? They're not always that good.

That being said, we ended up with so many wonderful photos, that we couldn't pick just one...so we chose four!

Brian did such a great job! They are printed very high quality card stock with a pearlized finish. It's amazing what quality card stock will do.

Before the shoot even happened, I had already decided I wanted to come up with something special and memorable to include with the save-the-dates. Being in the fashion and textiles field, I came up with the idea of designing, printing, and sewing a custom fabric bookmark.

Each save-the-date came with a custom bookmark (or two).

The back of the bookmarks read: This bookmark was designed and created by the bride. It is digitally printed on 55% linen 45% combed cotton fabric. Hope to see you at the wedding! -Dorothy & David

Last but not least, I wanted to add a few personal touches to the envelopes--from the calligraphy and postage, right down to the embossed return address.

(The address is blurred out for obvious reasons.) My favorite part about this is what the stamp represents: Big D, little d.

I am so pleased with how everything turned out. It was a lot of work, but I am proud of each and every little thought and detail that went into the process. The finished product is something that (I hope) our guests will appreciate and remember.

Luv,

the Bride