wedding

You're Cordially Invited

12:00 PM


So, it only took me 4 months and 11,579 invitation styles later but we finally decided on our wedding invitations! A huge thank you to Minted for making this process as easy as possible for me. The site is extremely easy to navigate with options galore. You're able to pick filters based off of the wedding style your have planned, from rustic, to minimalist, vintage or modern. On top of that, you can find invites based on a color or shape. Some add-ons are foil (very popular option) and letterpress. I've listed out all of the options on Minted below for you to see. Take a deep breath, it's a lot (but that's a good thing). I've listed all of the options below:
Style:
- Modern
- Modern
- Classic & Formal
- Simple & Minimalist
- Botanical
- Rustic
- Vintage
- Geometric
- Bohemian
- Bold & Typographical
- Painterly
- Offbeat
- Illustrative
- Preppy
Theme:
- Beach & Nautical
- Watercolor
- Religious
- Cities & States
- Destination
- Monogram
- Photo
Color:
- Color
- Foil Color
- Gold Press Color
Price & Format:
- Four Panel ($)
- Four-in-One ($)
- Petite ($)
- Classic ($$)
- Minibook ($$$)
Printing Type:
- Flat
- Foil
- Letterpress
- Gloss-Press™
Orientation:
- Portrait
- Landscape
- Square
Shape:
- Straight Edge
- Bubble Scallop
- Classic Frame
- Curved Frame
- Rounded Corners
- Scalloped Circle
- Tag
- Waved Frame
- Heart
Photos on Front:
- 0
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4+
Photo Orientation:
- Portrait
- Landscape
- Square
Tip: Create an account and just wait for emails to come in with coupon codes (they usually have them around holidays). Who knew being indecisive on which style to choose would also help save me 20% on my invites. That's a win/win if you ask me!
You can heart (save) all of your favorite invites to decide on later, which is what I did (a lot). Let me add that I had to take a month off and when I came back to it I knew exactly which one I wanted. We went with a rustic theme with succulents. **Alexa, play Sucker by the Jonas Brothers** "I'm a sucker for you! dum dum dum dum!" It matches our centerpieces perfectly too! Anyway, here are some ideas to get you started.
Photos (from Minted.com)
Decision Making Time
After you decide on and design you want, submit it and go to the payment screen. If you have all of your addresses ready, you can upload it (via Excel) into Minted.com. They have a template you can download to use as the format, which I found incredibly helpful. I'm using Zola and was able to download my attendee list and adjust it to the needs of Minted. If you don't have all of your addresses when you're ordering your invitations that's okay because they will leave all the extra envelopes blank for you.
From here, someone from the Minted team will review your order and check for any special requests and implement them. They'll send you an email once all your requests have been entered and will await your approval. Once you review and are happy with everything, you'll do your final submission and off to the presses they go.
Note: during this time, you'll be able to add address up until the final review. Which means, you can pay for the order and have them work on it before you enter all the addresses.
Addresses and Envelopes
Minted allows you to edit the invites with names, dates and addresses to see how it would look with all of your real information. You can also select font, size and color for each text section, which is a treat because you really do get to customize every part of your invitation. Matching envelope designs and printed addresses are free!
Tip: If you choose the enveloping labeling option with a cursive/script font the post office will charge you an extra fee per envelope. It's free if you choose any of the basic print fonts (which is what I did, because it's really not that big a deal and I'm trying to save $$).
Special Delivery
The items were delivered in a small box with Minted printed on the side so there's no way to be confused once you see it. Inside is a beautiful canvas bag with additional wedding paper samples (dinner menu, program, place cards, etc.). The invitations come wrapped in plastic with a ribbon around it with your name and the name of the person who was working on your order, and then two bundles of envelopes (one for the ones with addresses and the other for blanks). For my particular order, they provided 7 extra blank envelopes which I truly appreciate because my penmanship is not perfect! Only thing left to do was to put the invitations into the envelope, add a stamp and away they go!
Your Turn
If you're interested in creating your save the dates or wedding invitations through Minted, click here. You can also order individual samples with a $10 credit, code: 10FREE.
Share With Me
If you're in the processing of creating save the dates, wedding invites, or anything Minted has to offer, I'd love to see which design you picked! Please share them with me on Instagram @labouroflovecrafts. I can't share our wedding invites just yet but here are the few save the date options we played around with.
Leave a comment and let me know which one you think we ended up using!

bridesmaid

Surviving My Bachelorette Weekend

12:00 PM

Vochella 2019 was beyond anything I could have ever imagined! My bachelorette weekend was full of fun in the sun, and let's be real, the AC. We all heavily depended on battery operated and hand fans. I'll be honest, I consumed a lot more water than alcohol that weekend but with the crazy heat, I didn't want to be dehydrated. Wow, who is this responsible person?




Vochella Begins
I wanted a more relaxing bacherlorette weekend so I decided to keep it small by only inviting my bridesmaids. They all met 2 years ago during my birthday at Malibu Wine Safaris but it was important to me to give all my bridesmaids the chance to bond and get even closer.


The Desert Door
We booked a two night stay at The Desert Door. This home was absolutely stunning and the hosts were even more amazing. Two of the bridesmaids and I decided to take the whole day off and the other three ladies would meet us there after work. The first half of us got to the Airbnb around noon (so thankful for early check-in) and began decorating our little hearts away. We grabbed some sushi by a nearby spot (it was really delicious) and watched a movie or two while we waited for the other girls to arrive. They rest of the girls got there around 7:30 PM and we had dinner and began the festivities. I gifted the bridesmaids with their weekend survival kit (Bach & Boozy) and custom Vochella t-shirt. They gifted me with a "Bride to Be" sash, a bridal crown with a veil and an adorable tropical set. We spent the rest of the night hanging out, sharing memories, laughing and bonding.







Ace Hotel Pool Party
We spent Saturday afternoon getting our tan on at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. The pool was full of fun, colorful floaties (my favorite was the giant llama). I wish I knew this before we went but apparently you can bring your own floaties! They even have an air pump for you to use. The pool had some umbrellas but it’s a first come, first serve type of deal. The bar had a small menu, but the watermelon margarita was super refreshing. There’s an area to sit down and eat in the shade or you can just order food right by the pool. There were about 4-5 round cabanas in the shade as well and probably over 40 beach chairs. They had a live DJ but to be honest, the music wasn’t really my favorite. We were there the same weekend as Splash House but I knew I wouldn’t be able to survive 2 hours there so we opted to do something a little more chill. They also have outdoor showers if you just needed a quick rinse. We had dinner reservations, so we used the bathroom to get cleaned up and changed. The bathroom was connected to the spa and had the AC blasting which was amazing. They were really clean and spacious, just remember to wear you sandals when showering.



Yummy Bites at Tac/Quila
We headed to Tac/Quila for an early dinner (reservation required). We were all pretty tired from being in the sun all day but the restaurant couldn’t accommodate our party of 6 inside so we had to sit outdoors. It was a little hard to enjoy at first because we were so hungry and it was so hot, but the delicious food made up for it. We met the manager and he told us that everything was made from scratch which we couldn't believe but totally loved.


Here’s what we go: (everything is 100% recommended)
-  Pazole (better than your mom’s pazole)
-  White fish ceviche
-  Shrimp ceviche
-  Shrimp taco (bigger than a street taco)
-  Carne asada taco
-  Seared ahi tuna taco
-  Watermelon fresca




Also, the unisex bathrooms were incredibly adorable, it totally fit the Palm Springs vibe. One had walls covered in very cute cactus wallpaper (even on the ceiling) and this giant gold round mirror which looked like an art piece. I’ve never loved a restroom so much. If you want to check them out, here’s their Yelp: Tac/Quila. Photos below are also from Yelp.





Backyard Photoshoot
We came home and everyone took a real shower and half of us napped while the other half hung out in the living room. Right when the sun was getting ready to set, we all rushed to get ready again and took photos in the backyard. When I say that every inch of this Airbnb was Instagram-worthy, I am NOT exaggerating.





Homebound
I packed the night before, so Sunday morning wasn’t that stressful. All that was left was to  do was clear out the fridge, load up the cooler and pop all of the balloons (this part broke my heart). It was around 9:30 AM when I was getting ready to put my things in the car (keep in mind that I was the only one in the living room at the time). I opened the front door and directly across the street was a coyote! It looked like a younger coyote, but a coyote nonetheless. It was straight across from me and stopped to look at me when it heard the door open. I screamed so loud and shut the door. All the girls came running when they heard me yell “coyote!” and swung the door wide open telling me “I want to see!!” When I see a baby animal, I always have it in my mind that the mother can’t be far away. So, we ended up staying in Joshua Tree another night… no I’m just kidding. We waited another 20 minutes and did a buddy system thing (one watching the street, while the other person loaded the car). Once everyone was done getting ready, we all said goodbye to the house and parted ways. We survived. I am so grateful.


So here's the secret to surviving a bachelorette weekend: fill it with great friends. Yup, that's it. So thankful to have made more amazing memories with the women I adore the most.

Weekend Survival Kits:
-  Water and electrolytes for hydration
-  Liquid IV if you’re drinking
-  Face masks to keep your face refreshed and restored
-  Under eye mask to keep your dark spots minimal
-  Hand or battery operated personal fans if you're in the heat

 Photo Credit: Keshia Sih, thank you for capturing all of these magical moments. I'm so thankful for you! If you want to check out her inspiring blog, https://www.keshiasih.com/. To read her blog about my bacherlorette weekend, check out her blog post: Spilling the Tea on Being a Matron of Honor

Quick Links
-  The Desert Door (Airbnb)
-  Ace Hotel & Swim Club – Palm Springs
-  Tac/Quila
-  Tropical Vochella Frame and Banner - @soviloveshop

bacherlorette

Bach and Boozy

12:00 PM





I spent hours and hours on Pinterest and blogs trying to figure out the most perfect gifts for my bride tribe during bacherlorette weekend. So, I thought it'd be fun to share the process and show you what I finally decided on.

Finding a Theme
Let's start off with the theme. This sets the whole mood for the weekend and just makes everything more fun! I knew that we were going to spend our weekend in Joshua Tree which was more of a desert vibe. But we were also spending a day in Palm Springs which was more of a tropical vibe. During brainstorming these were my two big ideas:

   1.   Vochella (my last name is Vo but the theme would reflect a Coachella vibe)
   2.   Final Flamingle (we threw my mom the cutest flamingo themed birthday party in July and I was still not over it)


I was having the toughest time deciding, so I decided to blend the two ideas together. I kept "VOchella", but the décor definitely had a tropical flair. Verdict: I did not regret my decision one bit because look at how gorgeous everything turned out!


Small disclaimer before we move forward: I 100% understand that the bachelorette weekend isn't supposed to be planned by the bride. I'm so thankful that my bride babes knew me well enough to know that I wouldn't be able to stay out of it. Especially with the décor piece because I knew I wanted to create all the things I've seen on Pinterest. I'll link my boards here: Finale Flamingle/Boho-chella.

Bride Tribe Badges! I've seen these all over Pinterest and knew I had to make some for my bridesmaids. I've see nicknames as well as puns that fit the theme of the bachelorette weekend. I hot glued a clip on the back so they would be able to attach it to whatever they were wearing.

Okay, how insanely gorgeous are these custom cups! I can't believe I waited this long to use holographic vinyl. Obsessed is an understatement. The bachelorette weekend color scheme was pink and green, but I ended up using the orange holographic vinyl because I felt it gave a great pop. Actually, truth is, this was Jonathan (my fiancé's) decision and I'm not mad at it. He made the right decision because they turned out just perfect! And wow did they come in handy during the warm weekend! If you don't want to use a cup, I've seen beach bags, make up bags, tote bags, backpacks and even boxes if that's your style.

My amazing MOH, Keshia, helped pick up most of the items in this photo. A majority of the items are from Dollar Tree (full list at the end). I ended up adding a few other items a week before and didn't have a chance to take photos of them. They were: Hi-Chew fruit candies, a paper bow with a clip, a charcoal nose pore remover, a mini nail file and my personal favorite Liquid IV (helps prevent hangover.

You shouldn't have to spend a fortune on this part of the bachelorette (save it for the weekend festivities). It's meant to be cute and fun. Think of it like a weekend survival kit, just some items to help you make it through.

Meet the Bride Tribe
I have been so incredibly blessed with the best group of bridesmaids and MOHs. I wanted to take some time to send some love their way.
Janus: has such a calming personality and being in her presence just makes me want to be a nicer person. Her kind soul and optimistic view on the world is unmatched. She lives her life in constant gratitude and is always able to see the better side of any situation. She has helped me down the path of discovering my faith as an adult and I am so thankful for her friendship.


Justine: is the closest thing to a little sister to me and it's been so fun watching her glow into a young woman. I'm constantly impressed by her sass, wit and ability to keep up with my bizarre sense of humor. She'll never cease to remind me that she keeps me young (she's does) and I'm so grateful. We spend countless nights parading around Target and Marshall's and honestly those are some of my favorite nights (next to our weekly wine and movie nights). She's also dog-godmother to our rescue pup Naia (@aresxnaia).


Jackie: the thing I love most about this woman is that she is ridiculously protective of her friends. Be it from people trying to hurt them or just ensuring that they have eaten for the day. She's tough but nurturing, honest but compassionate. She is one of the most giving and thoughtful people I've ever known. You always know where you stand with her and I respect that so much because if you can't be upfront with your friends when it matters, what's the point.


Keshia: my matron of honor/bff-ager. I met this incredible woman over 3 years ago when I started my current job. We sat next to each other and haven't stopped talking since. She continues to push me to be a better business woman and always gives me advice when I need it. She thinks that I've helped her on her IG path (check her out @keshiasih) but she's also motivated me just as much. She has been the amazing leading force behind the planning of the bachelorette weekend and the bridal shower and I am so thankful to be friends with someone who enjoys planning as much as me!

Solie: my maid of honor! We’ve lived the best of our 20's together and I’m so thankful for all of memories we’ve made together. Solie actually knew Jonathan before I did and has remained close friends to the both of us. She’s someone you can always rely on to make you laugh or smile. Her energy is always all full charge and she always makes me feel like I can conquer the world. Her positivity restores my faith in the world that good people still exist.




Vi: my lovely sister who has been incredible during the entire wedding planning process. She sat down with me and we planned table by table and she helped sketch out how each table would look. Without her I would have been a hot mess (ok, I was for a good minute). But thanks to her I was able to finally get the wedding planning process going and I am so grateful for her. On top of that, she along with my mother will be decorating my mom's house for the Vietnamese/Chinese tea ceremony the night before the wedding. I cannot wait to see how everything looks! (@soviloveshop) It's going to be amazing. Blog post on that later.

Process Videos (so I know it's real)
Video: Creating the bridesmaid badges


Video: Prepping the holographic vinyl
Video: The final look, the GLOW though


Where to Shop
Chap Stick - Dollar Tree
Extra Gum - Dollar Tree
Tylenol - Dollar Tree
Band-Aid - Target
Hair Ties - Dollar Tree
Card Stock for Badges - Michaels
Cricut Holographic Vinyl - Michaels
Cup with Reusable Ice - Michaels
Charcoal Nose Pore Remover - Daiso
Hi-Chew Fruit Candy - Daiso
Liquid IV - Amazon/Costco
Handmade soap - @soviloveshop
Paperbow - @soviloveshop

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