In town, you can usually find Three Designing Women at The Pretty Penny and Pressing Events, or visit their site for a list of online retailers.

To get a sense of her wedding couples’ invitation needs, Chi asks clients to bring in “albums, magazines, pictures of things they like—as much stuff as they can.” She also inquires about their wedding flowers, color palette and bridesmaid dresses. From there, Chi sets to work. “I get really into creating textures and patterns,” the veteran designer notes, and Chi’s passion for her work shows in her finely wrought representations of peonies, peacocks, butterflies and clematis vines.

When it comes to printing techniques, Chi says she’s a sucker for letterpress—the relief-printing technique that produces beautifully textured invitations, often with an alluring vintage feel. But with the expense of letterpress, it’s no wonder Chi says that these days, “I’ve started doing a lot of embossing,” which provides a pressed-dye texture similar to letterpress, but at a lower price point.

To view more of Chi’s designs, visit Hello & Co.’s invitation gallery, and remember that each one of the styles you see is totally customizable—your design will be yours alone. Which is exactly what you deserve for your wedding, Houston bride.

Katie & Co. Shop

We hear you, Houston bride: This wedding planning thing can be pretty stressful. Creating seating charts. Hounding guests who don’t RSVP. Houston’s fickle weather. Talk about things we’d just rather not deal with.

But as far as we’re concerned, some of this stress is inevitable, so your best bet is to seek out ways to have fun planning your wedding.

May we recommend a trip to Katie & Co.? This fabulous new shop serves up huge doses of style and fun in the form of stationery and, oh yes, wedding invitations galore.

Located in the über-hip Washington corridor, this airy shop radiates style from the red—yes, red!—chandelier hanging from the ceiling to the beautiful stationery lining the walls. Toss in the wedding stationery collection, and you can see why Katie & Co. has all the makings of a Houston bride’s guilty pleasure.

Katie & Co. Invitations

Owner Katie Hackedorn regularly goes to market to check out the hottest new wedding invitations, rehearsal dinner invitations, save-the-dates, thank you notes, programs, and just about every other piece of wedding-inspired stationary you could want. And without fail, she always returns with some ultra stylish and colorful finds. That includes tons of gorgeous letterpress designs by the likes of Spark Letterpress for those of you who want to apply that “something old, something new” adage to your invitations.

Katie & Co. Invitation Portfolio

The shop’s also always adding special offerings that Houston brides won’t find anywhere else. Case in point: These black velvet invitation portfolios made especially for Katie & Co. by Revelry Invitation Studio. Talk about making a statement with your invitations!

Katie & Co. Board

And your wedding stationery isn’t all you’ll find here. Katie & Co. also sells chic note cards and personalized stationery, gift items and candles. As paper loving addicts, we might be a little biased, but we think Katie & Co. has got some pretty fabulous gifts for those ultra hip, paper-loving bridesmaids of yours. And as an added bonus, they’ve even got some absolutely gorgeous paper for wrapping those sweet finds for your gals.

So what are you waiting for? Ultra fun one-stop wedding shopping and planning awaits!

Psst, Houston bride: Haven’t picked out your save the dates, wedding invitations, place cards, programs, or thank you notes yet? We’ve got a secret for you: There’s a new stationery studio in town, and it’s filled with must-have paper treats for discriminating Houston couples.

If you’re looking for fine, one-of-a-kind paper products and invitations for your big day, head straight to Pressing Events in Memorial. This elegant shop caters to Houston brides who understand that save the dates and invitations set the tone for a wedding.

Pressing Events specializes in Letterpress Paperie designed by in-house artists. Alternatively, you may opt for letterpress invitations by southern California’s Wiley Valentine or The Lettered Olive of Charleston, South Carolina. Letterpress isn’t your thing? Don’t worry: Pressing event also offers thermography, embossing, and engraving for all of your custom wedding stationery needs. Did we mention that Pressing Events designs your stationery just the way you like it?

From the moment you enter the small shop, you’ll know you’ve come to the right place. The studio itself screams elegance, and the knowledgeable staff are brimming with creative ideas to help you translate the visions in your head into an invitation, save the date, or program that will make your guests say, “Wow!”

And if you’re still looking for parent gifts, attendant gifts, or a gorgeous guest book, Pressing Events can help you with that, too. The shop has a small but lovely collection of fine gift items, photo albums, and monogrammed guest books that will remind your guests of the most beautiful invitation they’ve ever received—yours!

LolliBrides

We’ve covered
boxed invitations, feather-accented invitations, message-in-a-bottle invitations, sculptural-floral invitations, video invitations…and now, chocolate invitations!

LolliBrides from Naturally Gifted in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., are 8 ½-inch-tall, 2-ounce chocolate lollipops dressed in gorgeously colorful strapless ball gowns complete with tulle overlays and ribbon sashes. These edible lovelies are available in milk or white chocolate and come in a range of juicy gown colors including Gem Peridot, Gem Citrine and Gem Pink (when you order online, you’ll have to send a separate e-mail specifying which colors you want, and how many of each). Personalized labels let you customize your LolliBrides for your occasion, whatever it may be.

We especially love LolliBrides for bridal showers…as invites, place-setting favors, take-home centerpieces, game prizes, dessert—you name it. Truly unique, truly gorgeous, truly WEDDING. Here comes the LolliBride!

MyVideoMyVoice Video Memory Album

We’re always looking for cool new wedding photo/video ideas, right? Well, lucky us—wedding-planner and Style Network star Mary Dann recently clued us in to one of the coolest!

Dann has teamed up with MyVideoMyVoice to introduce brides to the Video Memory Album—a full-size (8.5-by-10.5-inch), hardcover wedding album embedded with a 2.4-inch high-resolution audio/video player for viewing your cherished wedding videos in the palm of your hand.

The Video Memory Album can be uploaded with 45 minutes of wedding footage divided into five chapters. A built-in mini USB jack allows the album’s batteries to be recharged up to 500 times.

As for the albums themselves, they are beautifully constructed, sturdily bound books, with covers that can be personalized with your monogram or other text. Designs include the Modern Vibe (black with a pink, turquoise or lime-green ribbon accent) and Formal Elegance, with gorgeous Swarovski crystal detailing, along with several others.

Dann made sure we knew that MyVideoMyVoice knows its stuff: The company produces video inserts for Fortune 500 companies and recently did a video insert for CBS that was featured in Entertainment Weekly. Impressive!

If you like the idea of a Video Memory Album (and if you do, you might want to go ahead and put it on your wedding-gift wish list, Houston bride), then check out MyVideoMyVoice’s Video Memory Books (smaller versions of the albums) and fabulous Video Invites/Save-the-Date cards (Dann’s brides LOVE these).

Wedding invitations, too, are gaining dimension. Creative designers are turning out all kinds of textured and embellished invitations that raise excitement and intrigue upon arrival. Here are some of our favorites (magic goggles not included—or needed!).

Momental Sculpted Invitation

Momental Designs owner and stationery artist Kristy Rice’s love of nature shows in her sweetly stylized representation of flowers, trees, plants and seascapes. We adore the Sculpted Bloom collection, which features magnificent hand-formed flowers, each one a unique work of art. Each custom Sculpted Bloom invitation set comes in a lidded invitation box and can be embellished with extras like rhinestones, wraps and tags.

Hanson Ellis Message Bottle Invitation

Planning a beach wedding? Check out this cute and clever message-in-a-bottle invite from Hanson Ellis. Corked, raffia-tied invitation bottles are filled with sand and real mini-seashells, and can hold a natural-oil-paper and cedar-leaf invitation message scroll, response card and envelope, and map. White corrugated mailing boxes are available, too. Fun stuff!

You're Invited Alchemy Invitation

The Alchemy Union Silk invitation from You’re Invited has layers of subtle texture throughout. Inside a folder of handmade woven-grass paper bound with a nice, thick raw-silk ribbon are nestled corresponding pieces made from textured cardstock, all enclosed in a heavyweight handmade envelope.

Kenzie Kate Vienna Invitation

Not a mere flat envelope, but a 3-D sealed box bears the stately Vienna invitation by Kenzie Kate. The Vienna is a three-panel-folder of luscious linen cardstock, folded and bound with a hand-tied satin ribbon. Available colors include Deep Coral and Ivory, Violet and Sand, and, our fave, Scarlet, Silver and Aqua, among many others.

Paper Olive Peacock Invitation

Paper Olive’s opulent Peacock invitation has a couture look and multi-texture feel. A layer of hand-torn vellum overlays a pattern of plum, lime and teal, atop a plum shimmer backing, and the whole gorgeous ensemble is accented with an exotic peacock feather trimmed with a glass bead. Guests receive this remarkable invitation in a deep-blue silk box (accompanied by a heart-flutter of anticipation, we’re sure).

Photo Courtesy of Classic Bride

Something about the long, warm, lazy days of summer always gets us thinking about vacation. And when we think about vacation, naturally we think about EUROPE. And when we think about Europe, we tend to get more than a little inspired about weddings with effortlessly chic continental flair (you see where this is going, right?). And when we get inspired—we just have to share our inspiration with you, dear Houston bride.

Our transatlantic daydreaming recently led us to a fabulous blogosphere find. Classic Bride, according to its own self-description, “strives to celebrate a balance between the traditions of yesterday and the modern trends of today.” Amen to that.

In striking this balance, Classic Bride has put together some simply delightful ideas for weddings with a sophisticated, yet completely down-to-Earth, European (mostly French) “je ne sais quoi.” From Paris to Provence (to England, a little bit), from fashion to favors, it’s all here. Peruse, muse, fantasize—then share your thoughts (and a link to this lovely blog) with your Houston coordinator, floral designer, stationer, caterer and/or bridal boutique. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t have the European wedding of your dreams right here at home.

Invitation: Embossed Graphics of Texas Photo: Eason Photography

Invitation: Tad and Faboo

Your wedding invitation is much more than an informational packet instructing guests where and when you and your one and only will be tying the knot. It is the first opportunity you have to introduce guests to the style and tone of your wedding. Grand and elegant or cozy and whimsical? Celadon and coral or silver and sage? A well-chosen wedding invitation entices invitees and gives them a taste of the celebration to come.

Since there’s no second chance to make a first impression, it pays to know a bit about invitations, particularly the different printing techniques available to you. Houston’s finest stationers are experts in the latest—and most traditional—printing possibilities. Before you select the one who will create perhaps the most important invitations of your life, let our handy printing-technique guide give you the head start you need.

Engraving: Formal, elegant, timeless. Engraving typically utilizes copper plates to produce raised print, and works well with black ink on light paper. Engraving is time-consuming and expensive, but the cost goes down with the volume of invitations produced, making it a good choice for weddings with large guest lists.

Letterpress: This centuries-old technique is in vogue once again. With letterpress, words are stamped by machine, and letterpress print looks especially good with textured or handmade paper. Not as expensive as engraving usually, but still on the pricey side.

Lithography: Also known as offset, lithography uses plates, emulsion and light exposure to produce crisp, flat print. It allows for a vast range of colors and works well with almost any kind of print surface. Lithography is a versatile technique that costs less than engraving or letterpress.

Thermography: With thermography, ink is applied to paper then treated with a chemical and heated to produce a raised-print appearance. This technique can only be used with certain ink colors and paper types, so it has its design limitations. BUT, it is considerably less expensive than engraving, and produces a similar effect.

Digital: Fast, flexible, modern, inexpensive. Digital printing is a great option for contemporary invitations, short planning schedules and limited budgets.