From home décor to fashion to cuisine, Asian culture has had a major impact on America. Now, traditional Asian imagery is merging with contemporary designs to create a popular new look in wedding invitations – and this “New Asia” trend was evident at last month's National Stationery Show in New York City.

“I think Asian art represents serenity and peace, and many of our brides are looking to find that,” states Jeannie Keim, owner & lead designer of Bliss Ink, which carries a new line of contemporary Asian-inspired designs. Among the company's offerings are The Value Line with includes the Fuji, Kyoto and Beijing invitation sets.

Other Bliss Ink Asian-inspired stationery products feature florals such as cherry blossoms, winding vines and bamboo. Strong hues of black-and-red are appealing in addition to traditional Chinese or Japanese characters.

“The concept may be inspired by Asian culture, but the designs are very easy to understand,” continues Keim. Bliss Ink began as a niche company specializing in custom wedding invitations, and has grown into a trend-setting design firm.

“We have a commitment to our clients, craftsmanship, quality and we still have a love of unique design,” she says, adding, “We’re very excited about where we are today.”

The Bliss Ink Value Line is affordable, starting at $1.85 per invitation, which includes customization with color and typestyles.

There's nothing quite like receiving a piece of personalized mail, so give your guests an old-fashioned thrill, updated with modern twists and new conventions: your wedding invitation. Although classic design will always be in fashion, the contemporary invite has evolved from the standard white paper and script lettering to encompass a whole host of options.

Know Your Theme Whether planning a casual affair or a grand gala to rival all weddings, establish the tone of your wedding before you select your invitations. The overall look of your invitations will give your guests guidance as to what type of event you are hosting.

Shape It Up Set your invitation apart with a unique shape or experiment with horizontal designs. Remember, the shape of the invitation is consistent with the formality or informality of your wedding.

Perfect Penmanship Try alternative fonts. No longer restricted to the flourishing letters of old, choose more modern lettering for the invitation, or restrict cursive fonts to the header. The pairing of clean lines with soft, curving letters makes for an interesting contrast, but never use more than two fonts.

Invite Embellishments Experiment with texture by weaving ribbon through the top of the invitation, use a color border around the edge, insert a personalized logo, or use a photograph as a watermark.

Invitation style is your style put to paper. Be it fun and funky or old world glamorous, send a little bit of your personality when you send out your announcements.

Check out our latest designs by viewing our Client Preview: http://www.blissink.com/clientpreview/

My favorite thing (right this minute):  Wings!!

Bird motifs are landing on numerous stationery-related items. “The most significant trend by far this Spring is all things birds and winged creatures,” remarks Jeannie Keim, creative director at Bliss Ink, LLC. “I think it’s due to their approachable imagery and the obvious connection between an actual nest and our instinctive need to nest,” she says.

From their sleek feathers to a fanciful flight through a blue sky afternoon, everything about birds evokes elegance, romance and wonder. Now, these symbol of grace & style are appearing on a variety of stationery products, from notecards and invitations to giftwrap and more!  Their stylings run the gamut from vintage elegance to retro charm...

In addition, butterflies, dragonflies and all adorable winged creatures are caputuring the hearts of brides-to-be this year.

Random song lyric of the day:

My favorite thing (right this minute):  Silhouettes!!

My favorite thing (right this minute):  Making Waves...   (As in, nautical themed weddings!)

With nearly 53 percent of Americans residing in or near coastal areas, according to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, and many more wishing they were, it's no surprise that coastal-themed wedding invitations have long been popular. Thanks in part to a rise in destination weddings, this trend continues to evolve.

Destination Anywhere
Destination weddings are a driving force behind invitation design today. “This is the biggest influence we’ve seen this year,” observes Mikie Gallagher, of Bliss Ink. “Pocket folds and other enclosures can hold tiered cards with travel and destination information. In addition, save-the-date cards have become essential, with graphics and color choices set to reflect the destination’s theme.”

Gallagher continues, “The places people are getting married have changed, thus providing more creative choices in their invitations.  In addition to destination, we’re also seeing growth in non-summer weddings – resulting in increases in autumn, winter, beach and cruise ship invitations."

Treasures from the Sea

Clearly, coastal-themed stationery products are strong for 2007. With a bright color palette, variety of product and fresh themes, it's no surprise that sales of coastal-themed products are making waves in the stationery business!

Random song lyric of the day:

Do you remember when we met
That's the day I knew you were my pet
I want to tell you how much I love you

Come with me, my love
To the sea, the sea of love
I want to tell you how much I love you

Come with me, to the sea...

SEA OF LOVE, The Honeydrippers

My favorite thing (right this minute): Las Vegas weddings!  And here is the "Top Five Trends" list from those in the know...

#4 - Fabulous Las Vegas-themed wedding announcements are becoming the norm as more and more brides don’t want a slot machine or a deck of cards on their Las Vegas wedding invitations anymore. The hottest invitations selling off the presses are those with the Las Vegas welcome sign.  Other unique invitation designs include ribbons with dice, playing card save-the-dates

#3 - Photos at the Las Vegas Welcome sign. The Las Vegas Welcome sign is one of the major icons of Las Vegas, and most brides and grooms who come from out of town to get married in Las Vegas drive down to the sign with their Las Vegas wedding photographer and get some greatsnapshots. It doesn’t matter how much a couple, (or the couple’s parents) are spending on the wedding, whether it’s $50,000 or $50, you can see brides and grooms always taking photos down at the Welcome to Las Vegas Sign.

#2 -  Using a night club as a reception center is sure to be one of the most popular trends for Las Vegas in 2007. Brides and grooms will host a beautiful meal with their guests at a nice restaurant, but then all of the guests and the bride and groom go to a club to celebrate the rest of the evening. This new trend cuts the wedding budget in half because no reception hall needs to be rented, the decorations are already placed, and it’s already hopping by the time the guests arrive.

#1 - The number one hippest Las Vegas wedding trend is (and will probably always be) a favorite for Las Vegas weddings and that is Elvis. Couples still want to get married in front of Elvis at a $50 quick wedding chapel like the Little White Wedding Chapel on the strip. Others will hire Elive to serenade them at their wedding reception. This is still quite popular and probably always will be...

Random song lyric of the day:

Love me tender,
love me sweet,
never let me go.
You have made my life complete,
and I love you so.

By "The King" (Elvis)

My favorite thing (right this minute & always!):

Happy Clients!!  I am so thrilled when I get an email or a phone call from a bride-to-be and she lets me know how happy she is with the invitations we worked on together.  It puts such a smile on my face!

I have recently had the pleasure of working with Shannon & Tom on their save-the-date cards & then their invitations (and now on to the thank you cards!).

 Shannon wrote me the following:

"

My favorite thing (right this minute):

Blooms, flowers & petals galore! Someone once said that the earth laughs in flowers & I couldn't agree more.  All flowers evoke a certain magic, a certain mystery; this is why Bliss Ink's newest invitation line has been inspired by lush and colorful flowers, the finest that nature has produced.  From roses to tropicals and everything in between, "Vintage Garden" collection has something for every bride.  Please enjoy this "sneak peek" into our newest invitation collection which will be available Feb. 14th, just in time for those fabulous spring weddings!

According to the Flower Council of Holland - Roses and Calla lilies are the most popular wedding flowers and there is more emphasis on foliage. These are the flowers brides asked for most: Roses, Calla lilies, Tropical Lilies, Orchids, Tulips, White roses in summer, Red roses & berries in winter.

"We are seeing plenty of light coffee tones and dirty pinks. With bouquets remaining compact and domed. Brides don't want a great big mass of flowers that they have to carry around all day.", says UK floral designer Jamie Aston. 

White flowers remain an eternal favorite for weddings - symbolic of purity and innocence - classic white flowers such as roses and lilies come in many shades of white, from ivory, cream to a white with just a touch of pink.  Trend-savvy Aston continues, "We are also seeing shades of pale green coming through with many brides wearing green sashes. Green is a powerful colour, only the braver brides seem to be going for this one. ... ".

My favorite thing (right this minute):

Heartfelt weddings...  Every wedding is special, but there is something that makes my heart smile when I work with a couple that is so passionate about their commitment to each other.

Once again, Bliss Ink teamed up with Jon’ette Jordan of “Weddings by Jon’ette” and Lori of “Calligraphy by Lori” to help pull off a very special celebration. 

Jon’ette tells us, “Planning this magnificent wedding for Angelica and Abdiel truly touched my heart!  Their wedding day was a celebration of family, friends, and freedom!”

As active members of the United States Marine Corps, Angelica and Abdiel were very thankful for the blessing that was bestowed unto them in the form of their union.  Jon’ette continutes, “This wedding was one of the few that I have had the pleasure of planning that was not about the fluff and minor details.  It was a genuine display of  their love and admiration for their families and each other.  I will never forget these two beautiful individuals!”

Angelica and Abdiel’s blue and white color scheme was complimented by stunning custom “Rose” themed invitations sets & escort cards, all designed by Bliss Ink.  The classic envelopes & seating cards were beautifully hand lettered by “Calligraphy by Lori”.  Of course, the ever clever event planner Jon’ette Jordan took care of all of the heartfelt details for the ceremony and reception.  The result was, well...  Wedded Bliss!

Invitations:  Bliss Ink

Wedding Coordinator:  Weddings by Jon’ette

Photos by Jorge Flores

Calligraphy:  Calligraphy by Lori

Random song lyric of the day:

From the Halls of Montezuma
To the Shores of Tripoli;
We will fight our country's battles
In the air, on land and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
of United States Marine.