Southern Fete

New site is live!!

southernfete — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:59:23 +0000

Check out our new mega site for the Southern Fete brand. We explain it all here!

Real Weddings: Sam’s Bridals

southernfete — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:12:13 +0000

We had perfect weather yesterday for Sam’s bridals at Jungle Gardens. The bride drew inspiration from her celeb doppleganger Mary Louise Parker for her makeup (hair and make up by Sara Buteaux). Doesn’t she look just like her?

Here is a sneak peek from fab photog Laura Reaux. The pictures came out amazing! She really captured Sam’s sweet nature so well. Check out her blog for more images!

Why I love my job

southernfete — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:13:10 +0000

It’s days like to today when I remember exactly why I do what I do. It happens more than I think but today brought tears to eyes. I’ve been engaged for about 5 days and already have learned so much more about what my brides face throughout there engagement. I plan on posting all about it soon! This weekend I was working on my own wedding inspiration board and realized how hard is it as a bride to bring everything together.

When I book a wedding, I talk with the bride about what she sees for her wedding. She shows me through pictures, words, feelings etc. I filter those ideas and create a vision. Ever since I started this, the response has been great:

“It all looks FANTASTIC! Seriously this is amazing!!!…Valerie you NAILED IT!”

Bride S

“I LOVE IT!!!!!! I think everything came together perfectly! I am so excited!! Haha It’s starting to come together “

Bride K

Today I sent the third inspiration board and vision to a bride and got back this response:

“OMG!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!!! You did a such great job Valerie. I think it’s fabulous and I’m super excited. It’s so perfect, I just want to keep putting exclamation points in this email!

Again, fantastic job Valerie!! You really captured it and I can’t wait to see it come to life January 22!”

Bride J

I immediately teared up! I want my brides to have the most special day of their lives and the thought that I am able to translate their desire into a full vision of what they have dreamed of is my favorite part of this job. Brides, thanks for letting me be a part of your planning and special day!!

Polaroid Collection

southernfete — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:58:22 +0000

Today’s collection is all about save the dates and great photography. You spend oodles of money getting your absolute favorite photog. Why not show them off to your guests??

I picked several photos from my favorite Louisiana photographers to showcase the designs. Why? Because I love their work and would love to show them off to the world. Click on their names below the picture to see their site.

Obviously all pictures will be different, and we can work around most photos. This just gives you an idea of styles (fonts, text, etc.) we can incorporate into your photo. Also, I’ve included color options for all invitations! Enjoy!!

Photos by Steven Myers

Jason Cohen Photo

Steven Myers Photography

Britney Smith Photography

Courtney Dellafiora Photography

Mark Eric Photography

Magazine Collection

southernfete — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:11:08 +0000

I am extra excited to show you today’s invitations from the Magazine Collection! With a background in journalism, I absolutely love how design can be done simply with text placement, sizes and fonts. This set allowed me to do just that creating more “textual” invitations. I found inspiration from four magazine covers and designed around them.

Before I show you, a little explanation on the new site. We know you brides are pretty visual so we wanted to show you atleast a little variety for how one design could look with a different color palette. We chose one color palette for each invitation for the product shoot and a different one for the pdf’s we will use. For this collection, I wanted to show you the original invitation design that will appear in the product photos because you can better see how the magazines inspired the design. The pdf’s are alternative palettes. Leave a comment and let us know your favorite! Enjoy!!

The Esquire Suite has a special feature. The text in the background can be changed to feature a favorite song, poem or vow. This invitation currently features a quote from Shakespeare and the program features vows. The sky is literally the limit with personalizing this set!

Butterscotch Collection

southernfete — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:05:43 +0000

Note: Just wanted to say how greatful I am for your excitement and support yesterday! I am so excited to be engaged to my best friend and know I am a very lucky girl! Proposal post (with pics!) coming soon. I am excited to share this journey with y’all.

You may be wondering why one of our collections is named after our invitation company. More on that to come!

The Butterscotch Collection was inspired by all things sweet, bright and colorful and is our most playful collection. Butterscotch is for brides looking for something untraditional and vibrant. Like the Flora Collection, it is printed on a crisp white 100 lb silk paper. Enjoy!!

Monarch Collection

southernfete — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:30:45 +0000

Today I am introducing the Monarch Collection. So what’s the inspiration? Family crests, heritage, royal families and traditions that go with them. This collection is by far the most formal and traditional. Squares shapes give a modern twists and the natural white linen paper complement the simple designs perfectly! Check out the product shoot preview here for a few other color options. Leave a comment and let us know your favorite in the Monarch Collection! Enjoy!!

Flora Collection

southernfete — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:34:51 +0000

I want to introduce you to what I have been working on the last couple of months. When I was coming up with this collection, I wanted variety. Something that could fit any bride’s taste, from simple to modern, minimal to colorful. And of course, all within a modest budget!

First up, our Flora Collection! These designs are loosely inspired by nature: vines, trees, flowers and even bird’s nests. We’ve kept some pretty abstract and some quite literal. Leave a comment and let us know which one is your favorite!! Enjoy!

Credits:

Nest: The Knot, Forest: Grey Camera, Magnolia: Geitgey and Vines: Chicago Illinois Wedding Photography

2010 Invitation Collection Preview

southernfete — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:25:12 +0000

This week I am very excited to be bringing you, a preview of the new invitation collection. There are 5 collections with 4 invitations each. So this week , each day through Saturday, I’ll show you one collection. You may have seen the sneak peek from Jason Cohen. If not, here is a taste! See more on Jason’s blog. Enjoy!!

My Google Reader

southernfete — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:08:05 +0000

Spent part of the morning catching up on wedding blogs and the latest trends. Here were a few of my favorite posts! Click on the links to view the full posts.

AT-HOME ENGAGEMENT SHOOT

Love, Milk and Honey

VINTAGE CITRUS SHOOT

Snippet&Ink

CONCERT-INSPIRED INVITATIONS

Raspberry via Wedding Unveiled

VERTICAL SUCCULENTS

What Junebug Loves

COUPLE ILLUSTRATIONS

Green Wedding Shoes