Despite (or maybe due to) being 600 years old, letterpress fell out of favour as a printing technique for a while and has only recently experienced a resurgence as an alternative to printed or engraved stationery. Chantal Bennett, Owner & Creative Director at Papillon Press, says that renewed popularity is due to the combination of featured letterpress items in Martha Stewart’s magazines and, more recently, to the handmade movement. “Without {Martha}, most letterpresses would be rusting in someone’s garden or in the scrap heap by now,” Chantal wrote in an email.

“People who buy letterpress understand the handmade aspect of letterpress and appreciate quality” Chantal explained, “It’s a very hands-on, labour-intensive process,”  she believes people who buy letterpress appreciate the work that goes into it and that it doesn’t have the assembly line-produced feel an offset or digitally printed product has, especially since there is a craft involved in the process, and most people who create letterpressed items, like Chantal, “consider themselves artisan printmakers rather than commercial printers.”

Letterpress now has a distinctive place amongst the range of stationery options and that’s a niche we don’t anticipate will disappear anytime soon — tucked between the ultra expensive engraving and embossing and offset printing, one of the oldest styles of printing has returned to fill out the gamut of invitation possibilities for the modern wedding.

I came across these gorgeous pictures of origami cranes on a blog called Photography Blogger and just had to share … they are so beautiful.

Love this beautiful wedding by Winnipeg photographer Rachael (Luckygirl Wedding Photography) that featured 1000 white origami cranes Francisco made for his bride, SueAnn …

For more pics from the wedding check out Luckgirl’s blog.

Our latest cranes for The Crane Chandelier Project came from Tammy and Terry, whose wedding is just around the corner, taking place at the end of this month in Lansing, Michigan. We love that they sent two cranes and the paper they chose is absolutely gorgeous.

To date, we have 5,140 beautiful cranes from wonderful couples all over the world that are signed and ready to be incorporated into the chandelier.

Two more couples have recently informed us of their plans to make 1000 for their weddings and we’re keeping our fingers crossed we get a bunch from each of those. We’ve got a long way to go but this project has already done so much — connecting us to new people, giving us a reason to reach out to an international group of engaged couples, and showing us just how amazingly involved people get when it’s something that matters to them. We can’t wait to make that donation (50¢ from each crane) to The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation on behalf of all the people who so kindly contributed to the project!

Andre Chartrand is The Wedding Co.’s ‘concept-to-reality’ man who has put the final touches on The Wedding Show year after year: he lays the floorplan, hangs a million signs and supports everyone’s last minute scramble to put it all together. And while we usually only see him annually a mere hour before move in at the Carlu begins until the show is just about to open when he ‘Houdinis’ himself off the show floor, he dropped in for a mid-year visit a few weeks ago to start the process of designing the chandelier of 10,000 cranes for the show in January at the Carlu.

The chandelier will mark the end of a two-year project to collect 10,000 signed origami cranes from engaged couples around the world and the final art installation will represent both the importance of the connections between couples and their communities — each crane will swing independently from the rest but attached to the massive structure by an intricate support system – kinda like the invisible strings that connect communities and families together. It will also represent that amazing ‘leap of love’ every couple takes in committing to each other — the outspread wings of the cranes suggest each one is just about to fly off, symbolizing the launch of the new life each couple will create together.

Simple … to turn 10,000 cranes into a single art piece, right? Not so fast. Not only are we going to be collecting cranes right up until the show, but those delicate paper birdies aren’t good travellers and tend to get tangled at the first sight of a string. Andre’s job is to figure out how to get the chandelier started, to transport it without destroying it {or an intern’s life when they happen to mention that muddling through tangled webs sound like fun} and to make it look pretty as a final item {we’ve been given almost every possible size and colour of crane possible}.

So … these pics are your sneak preview to the final item, and true to form, Andre avoided the spotlight and seems intent on keeping his mystery man status by not looking at the camera

Stumbled upon this wedding from a while back and just loved how this couple incorporated the 1000 cranes he made for their celebration into so many elements of the day.

Images found at Elizabeth Anne Designs blog, photography by Gwyneth Colleen.

The final result will be a massive chandelier art piece made of 10,000 individual origami cranes. Swaying on its tether to the larger group and with its wings outstretched, each paper crane will represent one couple’s leap of love and the start of their adventure while the entire chandelier: the mulicoloured cranes, strings and stabilizing support together symbolizes the importance of community, and the invisible ties we all share at life’s pivotal moments.

“In 2010 Cancer will be the single leading cause of death worldwide overtaking chronic illnesses such as heart disease and stroke,” reported Medical News Today. The shared bonds of the chandelier also represent the universal reach of cancer as well as how the fight against it has united so many individuals and communities internationally and for each crane we collect, we’re donating 50¢ to The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation.

To fulfill the final goal of 10,000 cranes and make a $5,000.00 contribution to the Foundation, we are asking for every engaged or newly married couple to contribute, please, send us a crane signed with your names, location and wedding date (if you know it). Not sure how to create an origami crane? Click here for instructions and here for us to send you a pre-folded crane.

Catherine first hit on the Chandelier Project idea when she learned to fold origami cranes at a local craft workshop. Always looking for a way to incorporate personal touches and fresh elements into wedding celebrations, Catherine found she loved the few short moments of quiet she achieved while folding a crane in the middle of a busy day.

Busy doesn’t begin to describe the way a couple feels when they’re in the midst of wedding planning, and yet, that is exactly a time that should be experienced to its fullest, and when moments of reflection should be incorporated into a brimming schedule so the real meaning of the wedding isn’t lost to guest lists and cake tasting: taking the time to enjoy the windup is as important as the adventure itself.

The Wedding Co. will continue to accept cranes until January 2010.

Cranes can be mailed to:
The Wedding Co.
1084 Queen Street West, Suite 3
Toronto, Ontario
M6J 1H8
Canada

Nothing says celebration as universally as a balloon and it follows that someone who spends his life decorating with eight foot balloons would be a kid at heart. That’s exactly what we discovered when the lovely Dennis Mills showed up at The Spring Wedding Show with staff and pink balloons in tow and we were so smitten with his work {and love to see beautiful balloons at weddings} that we thought we’d ask him a little about his work, and his company: Balloon Trix

5 Questions with Dennis Mills, Balloon Trix

The Wedding Co.: What is your favorite thing about your job?

Dennis Mills: Meeting with a client who says, “I have a beach ball with a monkey on it, and that’s my centre piece. It needs work, what can you do?”  First I curse, then I question what the —- can I do with this, then usually on the drive home {down the Don Valley}, it all comes to me. It’s so rewarding to be able to create and have clients say, “Wow! I would never.” The other best thing is to have the bride cry as she walks into the room, I then call for make up.

TWC: Tell us a little about your company.

DM: Twenty years ago, I was already working in the event design industry and friends with the owner of a balloon company, when I eventually approached her for a job, she told me I should start my own company … and Balloon Trix was born. “Trix” because we do centre pieces, head table back drops, and sign-in boards. We go for the larger scale décor rather than balloon bouquets. Twenty years ago, the industry was stating to explode with balloon sculptures and centre pieces, balloons were turned into arches, clusters, pillars, or tied to a chair … we have never tied a balloon to a chair, that is the worst way to decorate a room.

With the movement in the industry, and better equipment to blow up balloons (instead of by mouth) and hang them, it was possible to do bigger and more creative designs. I started about ten years ago working with the 3′ balloons and soon started using 4′,6′ and 8′ balloons over dance floors or entire rooms. One of the first big events was at the AGO, and I covered the entire ceiling with different sized white balloons and then images were projected on to them.

When we do a function, either I am present, or one of my designers is there for the consulting, the set-up and the tear-down to ensure the vision is complete.

TWC: What’s the most popular balloon or product you have for weddings and do you see that changing or evolving?

DM: We have done in the past pink and white hearts, two locked hearts, arches, and pink and white clouds. Sometimes we do three balloons attached to the table centre, pink white and silver.  This all can be very nice and help add festive to the evening. The large balloons supply a wow factor: they’re fun, and make a large impact, especially when they’re flooded with colour lights. We now also have star shapes (not balloons) that inflate and light up, they also can be lit for different colour effects.

TWC: What’s the history behind these massive balloons? Where did they come from and how long have they been available?

DM: The large balloons have been around for a long time, but were first used as weather balloons. The industry has had 3′ balloons for over 20 years and they come in a large variety of colours. The 4′,6′, & 8′ come in only 7 colours: white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. I get many requests for pink and black, but the ballon manufacturers sometimes take a long time to see potential.

TWC: What’s the average cost for your balloons at a wedding?

DM: We price the large balloons individually and we have a set-up and take-down service charge. Decorating a dance area would usually start at around $450 to $1000 but we have done functions for $20,000. I try to be flexible but I always want to make sure that it will look complete, with no gaps, and not like we just put up balloons at random. I want the balloons to give some feeling and meaning to the atmosphere of the function and in this way they’re not balloons, they’re art.

Love these pics taken in the Smilebooth (Mango Studios) at the show on Saturday … for more, go here!

Toronto’s Adele Wechsler has teamed up with Aveda to educate brides across North America on the topic of how to make a wedding green—no matter how small the steps.

“Adele Wechsler designs for the bride who cares about the world in which she lives and her motto is that every small step we take can lead to a larger impact and next week Toronto’s Civello Salon is pulling out all the stops with a full fashion presentation along with tasty treats by the following eco-friendly vendors: Cupcaketionery & Vert Catering…food that gives.

“Brides can have the chance meet Adele Wechsler in person and view a large variety of her designs. In addition, Aveda specialists will be holding clinics on the best wedding hair for your big day, count-down tips for your skin and make up consultations.

“Brides can also enter to win an Adele Wechsler headpiece that evening along with special prizes from Aveda. They will also have the opportunity to enter to win the grand prize of an Adele Wechsler wedding gown or a honeymoon at Hamanasi, an eco-friendly resort in Belize!!!”

The event will be held on Tuesday, May 116:30P to 8:30P

Civello Salon Rosedale (887 Yonge Street, TO)

RSVP to 416-924-9244