WEDDING BLOG

Damask, it’s a classic pattern that packs a big visual punch! It’s elegant and glamorous, and at the same time bold and graphic. Using the pattern in your wedding day decor could work equally well at a formal black tie evening event or at a funky modern afternoon party. I got an e-mail the other day form a reader looking for resources for damask patterned decor, and here are some of the great finds I came across on-line…

Top row:
Paper guest towels, dinner plates, dessert plates and napkins from Plum Party (search for “damask”)

Middle row:
Just a few of the damask woven fabric samples from Waverly (use their store finder to find a retailer near you)
Fabric inspired cake from Martha Stewart

Bottom row:
Menus and place cards from Apiary Design
Damask paper and ribbon wrapped tea cookies from Martha Stewart

After writing the last post on daguerreotypes, and thinking about other fun ways to incorporate photography into wedding planning, I realized that something I’ve seen guests go wild over at weddings are photo booths! All guests, from the little kids to the grandparents, seem to get wrapped up in the fun and have a blast taking photo after photo! These days there are all kinds of booths available to rent including lots of digital options, but I will forever have a soft spot in my hear for the old fashioned, classic back and white versions. Using real photographic paper in a strip of four, each one is a mini work of art! You can use them for a photo guest book, as part of your wedding album, or just to let guests take home as keepsakes. A great Seattle, Portland and Hawaii resource for photo booth rentals is Photobooth Services, and around the country there are lots more including Photobooth StL, Classic Photo Booth, Photo Works Interactive, and The Altman Entertainment Company. If you’re a true old fashioned photo booth aficionado, visit PhotoBooth.net for a list of booth locations at clubs, shops, fairs, markets, bars and restaurants around the world to go out there and have fun with!

Images from Photobooth StL

Remember seeing those old, old photographs in your history textbooks that looked rich and gray and slightly mysterious? If they were from the mid to late 1800s, they were probably daguerreotypes, an early method of photography that created a negative image on a mirrored silver surface that was then reflected back off the mirror as a positive image. How cool! Making a daguerreotype is a time consuming process using all kinds of delicate chemicals and intricate procedures, but it produces stunningly crisp and vibrant images that, unlike film, digital files or paper prints, can last indefinitely. Believe it or not, daguerreotypes are still being made today by a handful of artists around the world. One in particular, Mr. Jonathan Danforth, offers up custom made daguerreotypes from images you already own. What an amazing thing to do with your favorite wedding photo! On his website ShinyPhotos.com Jonathan says “I love to make daguerreotypes from just about any source image you have…Many customers select a favorite wedding photograph to be rendered as a beautiful keepsake.” Maybe it’s just because I’m a photographer, but I really love this idea- how incredible would it be to have this antique looking image framed in your house and passed down to future generations! Visit his site to learn more about this interesting and beautiful art form, and to place an order for a wedding memento unlike any other!

(via The Practical Archivist Blog, via my sister- thanks Sally and Chela!)