Top Secret Baby Announcement... revealed!

Alright folks, I've been given the 'all clear' to post this sweet baby's chosen announcement. It was my first design for her (and secretly, my favorite). Once again, fantastic photography by Jennie D Photography. I was IN LOVE with the purple blanket that Lyra was lying on. It reminds me of the afghans that my grandmother crocheted. So sweet! Enjoy!

The Cutting Room Floor: A beautiful baby

I know some of you have been DYING to see these announcements for little Miss Lyra. Great photography by JennieD Photography made designing these so natural! My intention was to give the parents three completely different styles to choose from. 

Since not all of the announcements have hit the mailboxes of the recipients, I'm going to hold off on revealing the announcement that they chose... and just show you the two that hit the cutting room floor. 

And just for fun, here's a couple quotes I stole from the emails from Erica: 

"OMG that is so cute! I can't wait to see the rest. I know you are going to make it hard for me to pick. :-)"

"Okay, we are in love with all of them. Your work is phenomenal!!!!!!! And you made this very hard."

"All 3 are sooooooo good. It was a very tough decision for us."

Thanks so much Keith & Erica for choosing me to share your beautiful new addition with the world! She's so adorable!

Awesome Customer Feedback... gotta love it :)

I always enjoy those emails where a customer is raving about your work! My goal is to give a bride everything she was hoping for and more. I mean, that's why they trusted ME with their wedding invitations, right? Well, I just received this email from a bride whose wedding invitations I dropped in the mailbox just this weekend. She included a photo and all!

"So far, the response has been bananas!  Everybody LOVES the RSVP!  I should start seeing some in today/tomorrow’s mail! I am keeping a scrapbook of all the responses…  I thought it was so fun, I have to keep them all!" -- Rebecca S.

And here's a terrible picture taken with my phone of Rebecca's invitations all ready to be dropped off at the Post Office :) I always like to send them a little note to let them know I'm on my way. And her response to my picture message: 

"OMG…. I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!! I cannot wait to start getting RSVP’s back!!!!! Thank you so much… you have no idea what a stress-free process you have made this for me!!!!" -- Rebecca S.

And yes, she really did have THAT many explanation points! :) I'll post some better photos and share all the details with you later. 

WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 Winner!

Omaha, NE – January 25, 2011 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce Courtney Brewer Designs (formerly Simply Said by Courtney) has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for Wedding Invitations! 

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation. 

Courtney Brewer Designs stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year. 

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Courtney Brewer Designs for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.” 

We are happy to announce that Courtney Brewer Designs is among the very best Wedding Invitation Designers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011. 

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/courtney-brewer-designs-omaha/2a5c32339b48da49.html. 

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com. 



About WeddingWire, Inc. 
WeddingWire.com, the nation's leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives local businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. Businesses that join the WeddingWire Network appear on WeddingWire.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), ProjectWedding.com and Weddingbee.com (both part of eHarmony), and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS). 

Happy New Year

Wow, I've been officially doing wedding invitations for brides all over the country for 5 years now! I started with my very own wedding invitations back in 2006. It's crazy how time flies. And looking at my calendar, it doesn't look like 2011 is going to be any exception. I've got brides booked all the way through the end of the year and my first wedding invites of the year should be in the hands of their guests already!

Katie came to me quite a few months ago knowing exactly what she wanted! I love the recycled paper that these invites were printed on.... so much that I may just start using them for everyone :) It was so smooth and bright white and very economical. Which is exactly what brides like to hear!

Now that I have an SLR camera, I'm going to start posting "real" picture of my invites when I can. Now, I'm not a photography pro... but I promise to get a class under my belt so they at least look decent :) And once my office ready, I'll have a little area set up just for photoshooting those invitations. I'm really excited about it!

Anyways, here's a look at Katie & Mark's wedding invitations -- both in the flesh AND my digital layout. And a special THANK YOU to Katie for referring me to her friends!

A sneak peek into Michelle and Edsels upcoming wedding!

I love this Indian culture inspired wedding stationery set. The save the dates are getting ready to be mailed, so you can have sneak peek into what everything is going to look like. The antique gold and jade colors give this card a rich and elegant feel. I can't wait to see the entire finished invitation package! Stay tuned!

Now that they should be mailed....

I always want to wait to make sure my clients get the chance to mail out their holiday cards before I plaster them all over the internet. These cute couples came to me to design their photo cards. As always, thanks for thinking of me to wish your family and friends a Merry Christmas!