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Happy Friday, friends! And it is a happy Friday, indeed, because we have an awesome Minted giveaway to ring in the weekend!

As many of you know, we are big fans of Minted at Southern Weddings. I even used one of their designs for my save the date! We love that they source their fresh, modern pieces from independent graphic designers – a great way to support small business owners!

We also appreciate that they’re super into customization – they’ll switch out fonts, switch up the layout, and custom match colors, among other things. Love! In addition to wedding invitations and save the dates, Minted also offers lots of coordinating goodies, including address labels, pretty patterned backers and envelope liners, and coordinating place cards and programs.

All of that’s great news for those of y’all who still need some paper goodness for your wedding, but the even better news is that we’ve got a $200 gift certificate to give away!

Click here to be taken to the giveaway entry form to be entered to win a $200 gift certificate toward a Minted wedding suite! Be sure to enter by August 3rd!

And tell me: Have y’all ordered something from Minted? Do you love them as much as we do? So far I’ve used them for my save the dates, personal stationery, and Christmas cards, and I’m now itching to get my hands on this art print!

emily Written with love by Emily
4 Comments
  1. avatar Melanie reply

    I LOVE Minted! I have used them for my holiday cards, wedding save the dates (My Sunshine) and have my wedding invites in my shopping cart!

  2. avatar Laura F. reply

    I love Minted! Thanks so much for the contest!!

  3. avatar sarah reply

    I LOVE minted!

  4. avatar Kaitlin Boles reply

    I love Minted! Absolutely wonderful giveaway! Thank ya’ll!

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Finding the perfect paper goods that show off your personality while maintaining great quality is a challenge. I can get in a rut just choosing blank note cards sometimes!

Personalization can be tricky, too. You want your details to reflect who you and your beau are, but you still want the design to be clean and precise.

We just adore Ashley Brooke Designs for her way of effortlessly making paper products combine the best of both worlds. Her aptly-named Tailored Collection has been a favorite of ours. We even gave away her Tailored Holiday Cards this Christmas!

When Ashley told us she was creating a wedding collection for her Tailored line, we knew she would have a winner on her hands! Now, your save the dates and thank you cards can be customized with your face and hair. My favorite part? You can even add your dear furry companion to the illustration!

Win: 100 folded cards from Ashley Brooke Designs Tailored Wedding Collection (including one pet!).

To Enter: There are two ways to enter!
1. Leave a comment below telling us how you and your sweetie’s personalities mesh wonderfully.
2. Tweet “I just entered the @ABDesigns giveaway on @iloveswmag!” Then come back here and leave a SEPARATE comment telling us you did so!

This giveaway ends at midnight on May 15. Good Luck!

nicoleyang Written with love by Nicole
53 Comments
  1. avatar amanda reply

    my fiance and i compliment each other so nicely! he’s my rock and foundation when things are crazy, and i’m his support when things are crazy for him. although he’d say the exact same thing about me, that i say about him. we’re best friends and i would never change that. i also tell him i appreciate him never borrowing me clothes without asking.. that’s a plus too! but really he’s the perfect arm candy and i get to marry him in november! cannot WAIT!

  2. avatar Ashley Brooke Designs + Southern Weddings = A Giveaway! – Ashley Brooke Designs reply

    […] color, your hair, and even add in your favorite furry companion… so, you are going to want to enter! These cards also make perfect and personal gifts for showers and […]

  3. avatar Elizabeth reply

    M is the man I always dreamed of. He is kind and considerate. He makes me laugh when I’m angry and comforts me when I’m sad or sick. I am a strong, independent woman, and he lets me be that way. But he also knows exactly when I need him, and he relishes in his role as “protector.” I am so in love with this man and thank the Lord every day that he is my forever Mr. Right.

  4. avatar Elizabeth reply

    I also just tweeted :)

  5. avatar Jen M reply

    These are such cute “Thank You” cards! For an example of how we “mesh” together, here’s a quick story about our wedding shower. As a surprise to me and all the ladies, Steve, my dad and his dad participated in some “household challenges” where they had to peel a potato, set a table, fold laundry and diaper a baby doll. All the ladies got to cheer them on! He loved being in on the surprise and I always love being able to cheer him on! He’s a great competitor, but he was also very gracious when he lost to the dads who each had 30+ years of married life experience! We’ll make a great team!

  6. avatar Jen M reply

    I just tweeted about this contest, too!

  7. avatar Katie O’Keefe reply

    I would definitely love to see how she would depict my 6’5″ man with me at 5’3″, and our yellow lab puppy. :)

    Thank you cards would be wonderful as we can use them for anything.

  8. avatar Courtney reply

    My husband and I mesh together because we have a lot in common but still have our differences. I am the social butterfly and he is more reserved, I handle the financials and he handles maintenance, I like bold colors he likes earth tones, etc . One thing that will always bind us is the love we have for one another (even if differences arise) and our love for University of Georgia football (GO DAWGS)!

  9. avatar Patty reply

    These are too cute! I would absolutely love to use these as my wedding thank you cards. My handsome fiance and I are head over heels in love and can’t wait to get married in October. Together, with our silver lab, Miles, we are a happy little family! He encourages me to be my best self and we are supportive of each others goals and dreams. I am the luckiest girl to be marrying my best friend.

  10. avatar amanda reply

    i tweeted y’all! and ashley retweeted me! WOOT!

  11. avatar Larissa reply

    My sweetie and I really are opposites, but I can’t imagine life without him balancing me. I tend to stress about things, but he calms me down. I motivate him while he assures me living my life is okay :)

  12. avatar Sarah Lindsay reply

    My fiance and I definitely mesh (and we should because we’ve been together for 9 years) before he popped the question! Now I’m only 23, so do the math — high school together, college together! He is my best friend, someone who I can talk to about anything and who I can always be myself with.

    If you are interested in how he proposed, check out my blog (I included the link above). Let’s just say that I would absolutely love these cards b/c he proposed to me on my new puppy’s dog collar!!! And I am obsessed with the save the date cards from ABD that have the two dogs used as the bride and groom.

  13. avatar Taylor J reply

    WOOHOO! I love when y’all give away Ashley Brooke stationery!!! Fantastic. I have to say the best way our personalities mesh is that Z is more of a “take charge” kind of man, whereas I’m more timid and the “team player”. But best of all, is even when I decide to head a big project, he always is my number one fan and support system.

  14. avatar Taylor J reply

    Tweeted “I just entered the @ABDesigns giveaway on @iloveswmag!” :)
    @taykatelyn

  15. avatar KristinD reply

    Love these!!! I think being opposites help “mesh”. I’m the “I have to have it planned days in advance…know what I’m doing” where he’s the “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of guy. Makes wedding planning a little difficult. heehee. Can’t wait to get married this September and these thank yous are adorable!!

  16. avatar KristinD reply

    Tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/LOAH12/status/199896185861967872

  17. avatar Mary reply

    My sweetie and I complement each other because we can both keep the situation light for one another when either of us needs it!

  18. avatar Erin reply

    My main squeeze, Stephen, and my personalities mesh so well because he’s a big, goofy, crazy, man! He brings the big, goofy, crazy girl in me out!! In general I’m not a big risk taker, so I’m the calm one of the two of us, but I’m teaching him responsibility (yes, it IS important to pay bills on time!) while he teaches me how to get the most out of life (“guess what baby, I forgot half of our camping gear! we’re Bear Grylls now!”)…it’s crazy, it’s silly, it’s love <3

  19. avatar Carolyn & Dave reply

    My fiance and I are such a good match! My strengths and weaknesses are different than his so we support each other, in good times and bad. We make each other smile!

  20. avatar Katie O’Keefe reply

    I just want to say yay! and thanks again for having a ABD giveaway…love love love this! And I just tweeted about it.
    How we mesh- My man is country boy and I’m a city girl. He keeps me grounded and I keep him organized. I think what makes us mesh so well is that we’re best friends who happen to be madly in love with each other. We appreciate each other’s strengths and see beyond each other’s weaknesses. We also laugh a lot. :)

  21. avatar Carolyn & Dave reply

    Just tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/TheWeddingQueen/status/199945765332844546

  22. avatar Sarah reply

    He likes cooking, I like cleaning, what could be better than that?! But in all seriousness, our personality traits keep us perfectly balanced out. My fiance loves to be spontaneous, and I love to be organized, so we manage to live our day to day life incorporating both of those sensibilities!

  23. avatar Tyla reply

    My fiance and I met almost 6 years ago at a sleep-away camp in West Virginia, where we were both camp counselors. Being confined to camp for two months, we had to get creative with our dates. We made fires and cooked smores, canoed down the river on our hours off, and watched movies in the gym. We saw each other at our silliest and messiest moments, and knowing we could survive the good ol’ outdoors together, I knew we could do just about anything together and have fun while doing it. Now, years later, we still enjoy the same things. We are both passionate about education; he is a teacher, and I am in graduate school to be a school psychologist. We are both so excited to start our lives, as we truly feel that we complete each other.

  24. avatar Jessica Williams reply

    I have to say, those are the most adorable thank you cards I have ever seen!! My fiancé and I have been together almost 8 years and are getting married on the beach in NC in September. And yes.. Our little Maltese will be right there!! Chris and I are 2 peas in a pod. We both love sports, Especially the Indianapolis Colts!! I am the luckiest girl in the world, because I am actually marrying my best friend. Thanks so much for this opportunity, and we will be keeping our fingers crossed!!

  25. avatar Vicky reply

    My fiancé and I love to cook with each other. Although he’s more of the cook and I more of he baker, we compliment each other and always make a fabulous meal. We also work with each of our strengths in our relationship to create the strongest bond possible.

  26. avatar Vicky reply

    I just tweeted. :) @VMurph8

  27. avatar Deb reply

    These Tailored Thank You Cards are ADORABLE! They would make a perfect way to thank all of our amazing guests who will share our special day with us!

  28. avatar Jenna reply

    Oh.my.goodness! I love these! So cute!

    My fiance and I both have such a fun sense of humor and love laughing and living life to the fullest :)

  29. avatar Kristyn M reply

    We are both so strong willed but we keep each other in check. We challenge each other daily to be better people.

  30. avatar Kristyn M reply

    I tweeted about it! @FireflyCarolina

  31. avatar Shannon soon to be Vizenor reply

    My soon to be, as we now call eachother, compliment eachother wonderfully. We can drive eachother crazy, but sometimes I think that’s why we love each other so much. We both come from totally different backgrounds, but one thing is true, we value family above all else and will work to no end to make that a priority. We joke about how we both get so wound up, we work together, and if it weren’t for the other, I don’t know how we would ever have calm after a stormy workday. He makes me laugh, i make him laugh harder. He’s spontanious and I can go with the flow. I love everything about him, and the things i don’t make me love him more.
    Love this contest, we are doing a primarily DIY wedding but every little extra will help!!

  32. avatar Erin reply

    My fiancé & I truly balance each other out in a wonderful way. He’s from Texas, I’m from New York. I’m an planner, he’s completely laid back & calm over everything. He shows me that certain things in life aren’t worth stressing over, and I show him the practical side. He’s my best friend & I love that we’re different!

  33. avatar Erin reply

    Tweeted!

  34. avatar Legal Preppy reply

    Me and my man are like two peas in a pod. We mesh so well because we are so similar to each other, we can complete each others sentences, we can be ourselves around each other and love each other for who we are, and we are always completely open and honest with each other which is what makes us the perfect match. xo, LP

  35. avatar Legal Preppy reply

    I tweeted about your giveaway @legalpreppy – thanks for hosting such a wonderful giveaway, I love Ashley Brooke!!

  36. avatar Lindsey reply

    These are adorable; I would really like some of the thank you notes. The art work adds such a special touch that you cannot get anywhere else in my opinion. That is a thank you not to hang on the fridge or proudly display.

  37. avatar Lindsey Long reply

    https://twitter.com/#!/LindseyLL/status/200239555012599810 I sent a tweet about it!

  38. avatar Erin E reply

    My love and I compliment each other well! I actually broke up with him after a month of dating because I thought we were too different. Turns out his conservative, even keeled country boy personality tempers my crazy, neurotic city girl tendencies.

  39. avatar Elizabeth L reply

    I knew we were meant to be when we raised the most amazing black lab ever. Our personalities made for an incredibly laid back puppy that is a spitting image of the best in both of us. We are incorporating her in our wedding day and these cards would be the perfect thank you’s for us.

  40. avatar Liz reply

    I just tweeted! Plus- we mesh because we complement each other. I like to plan, he’s spontaneous. He likes to try new things to do & places to go, whereas I’m more habitual. But it works & we’re loving life right now with about 20 days till our wedding!

  41. avatar Ashlee reply

    My fiance, Ray, and I compliment each other very well! We’ve been together for 12 years, since playing soccer together in high school, and have many of the same interests and values. We had the same group of friends and transitioned into a couple with ease. We both love to cook together and have a strong passion for all things food & dogs. Our friends say that we play off of one another when we joke around, making it much more interesting to listen to or watch. He grounds me: If ever I complain, he learned very quickly to ask — would you like me to just listen or help solve the problem. We are getting married in less than 3 months and can’t wait to marry my best friend, literally in the city we grew so fond of one another when we were young, Savannah, Georgia.

  42. avatar Becky reply

    The thank you cards are fantastically adorable! Thank YOU for the opportunity to win via Twitter. (Here’s my tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/Becky1012/status/200946405135749120)

  43. avatar Liz Harvey reply

    We are each others best friends and I think its not necessarily just about how much you are alike, but also accepting and encouraging each other for your differences. Chris is a Red Sox fan and Im a Yankees fan!!! Due to our differences, it makes for exciting baseball seasons! I wouldnt change this about him at all!

  44. avatar Laura reply

    Some people say opposites attract, but me and my sweetie mesh because we are so similar! We rarely fight about anything. I do have to say, though, that he is THE HAPPIEST person in the world (literally never gets upset about anything) which is amazing because he can pull me out of mood funks I get into occasionally. Love, love, love him! And I’d love to win this giveaway too :)

  45. avatar Laura reply

    Just tweeted too :)

  46. avatar Christy L reply

    My fiance and I fit wonderfully together because we share the same interests, values, and sense of humor! We met three years ago in Dallas, just as I was planning a big move to Chicago… and gosh am I happy I chose to stay in the South! :) George and I love going to football and hockey games, cooking dinner together (I must admit he does most of the cooking!), traveling back to the midwest to spend time with our families, and hanging with our new rescue puppy, Tim Riggins. George is the most kind & considerate person I’ve ever met, and I can’t wait for our wedding day! We would be so excited to win cards from Ashley Brooke Designs Tailored Wedding Collection – what a great way to include Mr. Riggins in our big day!

  47. avatar Christy L reply

    I just tweeted as well! Thanks for this great opportunity, I love Ashley Brooke Designs & these thank yous could not be more fitting for our wedding :)

  48. avatar Ali reply

    I just tweeted about the adorable Ashley Brooke Design cards…fingers crossed!! These would be perfect to send out as our thank-you notes!

  49. avatar Ali reply

    Eric and I fit perfectly together because we have the same values…faith, family and football above all else! We would love to send out these Thank-Yous by Ashley Brooke Designs to all our wonderful guests!

  50. avatar Nicole reply

    I tweeted! ( @NLM92 )

  51. avatar Sarah Lindsay reply

    I tweeted! @SarahMargaretL

  52. avatar Elizabeth @ HobbyLobbyist reply

    Our personalities are a great match because he’s easygoing when I get stressed.

  53. avatar Erin reply

    I’m a huge fan of my guy and I’m also a huge fan of Modern Family which is why this quote from one of their episodes describes everything about us PERFECTLY…

    “There are dreamers and there are realists in this world. You think the dreamers would find the dreamers and the realists would find the realists, but more often than not the opposite is true. See the dreamers need the realists to keep the dreamers from soaring too close to the sun. And the realists? Well without the dreamers, they might not ever get off the ground.”

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Did you know that, not counting today’s post, there are only 16 “Emily Plans a Wedding” posts between now and, well, when Emily Gets Married? That may seem like a lot to some, but yikes!! Our big day is going to sneak up faster than we can believe, I just know it.

It only makes sense to chat about dates in today’s post introduction, because this week’s post is all about our save the date! For those who might not know, a save the date is typically a simple card that gives your guests a heads up on the date and location of your wedding. They can be sent six to twelve months in advance, unlike a formal invitation, which is traditionally sent just six to eight weeks before the wedding. Save the dates are by no means necessary, but they’re definitely useful if your wedding is on a holiday weekend or you know the majority of your guests will be traveling. Of course, they also serve to get guests excited about the upcoming celebration, too! For instance, I’d be pretty excited if I got this lovely in the mail:

One of my favorite save the date designs, a collaboration between Love*Jenna and Swiss Cottage Designs

As many of you probably know, I am an inveterate paper lover. I attend the National Stationery Show every year, and almost nothing makes me happier than collaborating with designers and calligraphers to develop stationery suites for editorial shoots. Great paper details are usually one of my favorite things about wedding submissions, too. So of course I was excited about the first paper-related detail of our wedding!

Knowing my love for paper and my general craftiness, I think some of my friends and family members were surprised I didn’t DIY our save the date. It certainly was a possibility that crossed my mind, but I pretty quickly decided that with my busy schedule and busy Etsy shop (where I design things for other brides – ha!), this was one wedding project that I didn’t need to take on. I am a little sad about not having gone “all out,” but I’ve come to terms with it :)

My decision was made much easier by the abundance of chic save the date designs available today. My personal favorite source? That would be Minted, and I know I’m not alone in this. Their crowd-sourced designs are the cream of the crop, and their prices are quite reasonable for the quality and customer service you receive in return. Plus, they often offer 10-15% off discount codes, so sign up for their emails and be ready to pounce once you’ve picked your preferred design!

Once I had decided we were going with Minted, it was time to pick. John and I considered several options, including these below:

Sources: 1) Fireflies save the date ($1.58 each), 2) Winter Flourish save the date ($1.58 each), 3) Float + Spring Shades save the date ($1.58 each), 4) Midnight Vineyard save the date ($1.58 each), 5) Fling save the date ($1.36 each), 6) Charming Go Lightly save the date ($1.58 each)

We did a little crowd-sourcing on my blog, and happily, public opinion seemed to line up with what we were already thinking: Midnight Vineyard was the winner. To make it our own, however, I knew I wanted to make a few modifications to the standard design. Happily, Minted is totally fine with that! We changed the font, the arrangement of the text, and the color of the text with no difficulty. We also added a solid colored backer, and a fun striped envelope liner. Literally about a week later, we had these beauties in our hands!

It’s a bit hard to tell, but the back is a solid pale blue.

I hand addressed each one with my best script, then stamped on the return address (I made the design in Illustrator, and then we ordered it through Rubberstamps.net.) The stamp was about $16 with shipping, and since I didn’t include our last names, we’ll be able to use it long after the wedding! I also very carefully chose our postage — the Edward Hopper Forever stamp is perfect for our ocean-side reception spot! (Is it weird to feel as strongly about a stamp as I feel about this one? Because I’m slightly obsessed with this design…)

The envelopes, front and back:

And with the pretty striped liner:

Many thanks to Nancy Ray for snapping these lovely photos! Now, ladies, tell me: Did you send save the dates? What did they look like?

In case you missed a post…
The main characters
Where we’re getting married
I go dress shopping
We choose a photographer
I ponder bridesmaid style
Mini food!
The music
We’re renting a tent!
We discuss bouquets + boutonnieres

emily Written with love by Emily
11 Comments
  1. avatar Madelynne Miller reply

    Gorgeous! That was instantly the one I picked for y’all before I saw which one you picked! Love the liners and your calligraphy and stamp choice!

    We designed our own save the date, but were DEF inspired by etsy and other sources. We did postcards on 80# metallic linen finish bright white paper – so PRETTY! They were digital printed and had our own custom logo on the front and some bright yellow chevron on the front w/ lovely rounded corners! We also picked some USPS stamps that had our wedding colors in them! We were so pleased!

  2. avatar Mary reply

    Love these! They were my extremely close second choice to the ones I ended up with! How exciting!

  3. avatar Julie reply

    Save the dates are a must! I made my own online and used our engagement photos for the cards. On the back of the cards (I used a postcard template) I left space to write in the addresses and then included some smaller pictures with the date and our wedding website. Still waiting to get the cards mailed to me, but I’ve seen the proofs online and they are fantastic!

  4. avatar » Southern Weddings Shout Out Swiss Cottage Design reply

    […] with the SW readers. Yesterday she gave our watercolor save the date {a colab with Love, Jenna} a little shout out- very exciting! Thanks […]

  5. avatar AmandaR reply

    I had big plans for our Save the Date! My mom was repainting the big barn on the farm before the wedding anyhow, so we painted “Save the Date, June 9, 2012” REALLY big in John Deere green paint (cue the Joe Diffie song) and posted ourselves in front of it for our Save the Date picture. SO. MUCH. FUN. and a lot of work…. :)

  6. avatar Emily reply

    Which stamp did you order on their website? Can you send me the link? I seriously need one of these with 200+ invitations to mail out. haha :)

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Emily! We ordered the 3 inches wide by 1.5 inches tall rubber stamp (http://www.rubberstamps.net/art-stamps.aspx). I uploaded a custom design, which was pretty easy. Hope that helps!

  7. avatar Emily Plans a Wedding: Accessories! – Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] style Mini food! The music We’re renting a tent! We discuss bouquets + boutonnieres We send out our save the dates I gather hair and makeup inspiration We talk cake and sweets I introduce you to our videographer We […]

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

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