Courtney Callahan Paper

February20th

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Real Wedding: Anna & Chris

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Warm, romantic, elegant and most of all – personal. These are the words that come to mind when I think of Anna and Chris’ downtown Chicago wedding at Spiaggia, executed flawlessly by Katie Kozlowski of Bliss Weddings & Events.

I was lucky to work with Anna (and Katie) on all of the paper details for her November wedding – each marked with a personal touch by the bride and groom and with their guests ever at mind.

From the first moment guests arrived in the hotel, they were greeted with a custom tote adorned with a personalized map of Chicago noting their favorite spots and wedding event locations. The totes were filled with a variety of goodies and a movie that was filmed in Chicago (the bride collected these over her engagement). Plus, a list of restaurants, coffee shops and even a place to get your nails done.

The invitations and menu were designed by calligrapher, Babuk Ink, and then I printed letterpress and digitally. Although I wish I could write as beautifully, I am left-handed and therefore leave that up to a professional calligrapher.

Menus backed in a pearl cocoa stock had a touch of shimmer on this stunning place setting. The florals were created by the wonderfully-talented Fleur.

Wedding programs were also backed in the same pearl cocoa stock with a simple, elegant design.

And when guests departed for the evening, they received a jar of rosemary tied with a quote from Shakespeare and a personal note from the couple.

All of these stunning photos are from Pen Carlson.

Tote, Program and Favor Design: Courtney Callahan Paper | Printing: Courtney Callahan Paper | Event Styling and Planning: Katie Kozlowski of Bliss Weddings & Events | Calligraphy: Babuk Ink | Florals: Fleur | Photography: Pen Carlson| Venue: Spiaggia
February13th

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BHLDN opens in Chicago!

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If you are a bride-to-be, run don’t walk to the new BHLDN store located in Chicago’s Gold Coast!

Filled to the brim with intricate gowns, unique headpieces and gorgeous jewels – this is the perfect destination to be inspired. In fact, with the first floor dedicated to bridesmaid and cocktail dresses, a room littered with paper and party goods and a cozy nook stocked with intimates; this is the perfect destination for any one that is throwing OR going to a wedding.

The Bridal Gown room features one amazing dress after another and all with their own, unique twist. I was already picking out a “getaway” dresses and this pearl-incrusted bolero.

Anyone planning a wedding shower or party will find oodles of inspiration in here.

And last but not least, I had the pleasure of meeting Darcy Miller, the editor of Martha Stewart Weddings – a highlight of the night!

Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Planning!
February9th

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Valentine’s Day Printables

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I simply adore Valentine’s Day and all that comes with it – the flowers, the candy and the opportunity to tell loved ones how much you care.

So as a thank you, I’ve created some Valentine’s Day Printables that are easy to use – all you need is a color printer, paper, scissors and glue. Just like the Valentine’s you made as a child!

The Drink Flags and Cupcake Toppers feature sweet phrases including my favorite “hello, gorgeous.”

While the Valentine’s Day Cards are adorned with what’s meaningful to me – “love, family, friendship, happiness, laughter” – and wraparound address labels to adorn your envelopes.

Just download the templates below, print on a heavier card stock (I used Paper Source Luxe White) and cut.

Download the Free Valentine’s Day Flags and Cupcake Toppers

Attach the Drink Flags to coffee stir sticks or striped straws using a glue gun or Zots.

Attach the Cupcake Toppers to a toothpick. If you have a nifty-Xyron machine, you can even turn the Cupcake Toppers in stickers for treat bags or gift wrap.

Download the Free Printable Valentine’s Day Cards

Cut just inside the grey lines and the cards will fit perfectly into a 4-bar envelope. The wraparound address labels can either be glued to your envelope or created into a sticker using the Xyron machine. Remember to fold right in between the two boxes for a perfect fit around your envelope. I think I’ll use a pink pen to address them!
February8th

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The Paper for the Belles & Gents Bar

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As you may have read, I teamed up with a slew of talented Chicago vendors for the Inspired Creations contest at Indie Wed. We created a guys (and gals) drink and dessert bar aptly named Belles & Gents. While you can see the entire feature over on Elizabeth Anne Designs (and you should), I wanted to give you a closer look at the paper details I created.

Custom beer labels in peach, sage and mocha featured the couple’s names and wedding date plus “Bottoms Up!” I think it is fun to include a variety of styles in your day-of pieces to ensure your guests aren’t on monogram-overload.

His and Hers cocktail recipes were created by the ever-inventive Femme Du Coupe which I designed and printed on ivory napkins with sage and mocha ink. These are great for guests to take home too so you they can re-create your signature drink!

And since you never want your cocktail to “settle”, striped drink flags adorned the gorgeous glassware.

Truffle Truffle provided the delicious pretzel and beer cigars to be wrapped with a custom cigar label and check out those Triple Chocolate Ganache Cakes! It was hard to not want to grab one all day!

In addition, the stunning florals seen here were created by Fleur (ADORE the cotton), planning and design by SQN Events and photography by Simply Jessie. I have said it a dozen times, but it was so much fun to team with this talented group of women and I can’t wait for our next project together!

Photo Credit: Simply Jessie
February7th

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Indie Wed Inspired Creations Contest

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I can finally share our Indie Wed Inspired Creations Contest – the Belles and Gents Bar! Created to be the perfect after-dinner drink spot for both guys and gals featuring florals by Fleur, custom cocktail recipes by Femme Du Coupe, images by Simply Jessie, styling by SQN Events, delicious treats by Truffle Truffle and paper goods by me.

Here’s a sneak peek of the custom beer labels I created featuring a custom logo made for the couple, but you need to head on over to Elizabeth Anne Designs to see our entire creation. Make sure to leave a comment if you like it!

I’ll share the specifics of my work later this week – His and Hers custom cocktail napkins, drink signage, a framed logo for the front of the bar and cigar wraps – so make sure to come on back!

Photo Credit: Simply Jessie
February1st

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Downtown Chicago Save the Date

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Even though Meghan and Justin are celebrating their wedding in St. Louis this summer at The Coronado Ballroom, the place they call home is Chicago.

So, what better way to display their love for the Windy City than a stunning picture captured in front of the Chicago Board of Trade…subtly topped off with a flourished font and classic gold and navy to express the pertinent details of their big day.

More to come on Meghan and Justin’s summer wedding!
January30th

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Honey bee-inspired Save the Date

Posted in: Articles, Inspiration

After an amazing weekend with my Inspired Creations team at Indie Wed (more on this to come), it’s back to the grind!

This Save the Date bookmark created for Jen and Chris is the bee’s knees! Bride Jen, along with talented wedding planners Greatest Expectations, came to me with a honey bee-inspired theme for her summer wedding. We all agreed that we wanted the pieces to be elegant with only a slight nod to our “bee theme” while incorporating yellow, ivory and grey and I think they turned out just as planned.

Rounded corners give this bookmark a slightly vintage feel, while the pin-dot pattern and bright yellow on the back keeps it playful.

A custom logo was created for their Save the Date and will continue throughout their invitation suite.
January26th

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Where do the days go…

Posted in: Articles

My oh my, I have been slacking here on the blog and I do apologize. Work has been ca-razy these days with new brides, prepping for Indie Wed and delivering invitations to my lovely spring brides. But, I do promise to return next week with a downtown Chicago Save the Date and chevron-themed baby shower pieces.

Plus, Valentine’s Day is coming up and there are a ton of ways to tell your loved ones how much they mean to you. Are there any Valentine’s Day printables in particular that you want?! Reply in the comments and let me know.

Image via Geronimo Balloons by Hak Lonh
January17th

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Style Me Pretty Wedding Feature

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In case you aren’t a fan on Facebook and missed my utter delight at Sean and Catherine’s wedding featured on Style Me Pretty yesterday – here it is again!

Style Me Pretty called it “sweep-you-off-your-feet good. Jaw-droppingly gorgeous gown good. Contemporary yet classic good. Pretty color palette good. Beautiful Bride and dapper Groom good. Actually it’s better than good – it’s perfection.”

I couldn’t be more excited with all the wonderful images of Sean and Catherine, the details of the day and all the paper projects I created - all captured by the amazingly talented Simply Jessie.

Head on over to Style Me Pretty to see the full post!
January11th

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A bright and modern Colorado inspiration shoot

Posted in: Articles, Inspiration, Projects

Do you remember Kasey and Phil’s long-distance love-inspired wedding invitations from last year? Well, their amazingly talented photographer, Jenny Nelson, contacted me to see if she could use the wedding suite that I designed for an upcoming photo shoot. I willingly agreed and let me tell you, this team did fantastic work!

La Dolce Events and Fiori Flowers wanted to create a modern approach to a Colorado mountain wedding and their collaboration, along with Jenny Nelson, is fantastic. Jenny kindly shared these photos of my work and I couldn’t be more appreciative and happy to be among a talented team.

Click here to see the entire shoot at Caribou Ranch in Ward, Colorado.

Kasey and Phil calculated how many miles they had travel to see each other throughout their courtship.

The tri-fold invitation featured a quote on the front and custom passport monogrammed used throughout the pieces.

Photo Credit: J. Nelson Photography