Fall in love with a rust and burgundy wedding colour palette

A fall wedding colour palette

Curating a colour palette is one of my favourite parts of stationery design. We pull inspiration from all areas of your wedding - from florals to venue, to bridesmaids dresses and table linens. And we add in lighter and darker shades to create a paper palette that is perfect for your wedding day.

Take this fall inspired cosy styled wedding shoot where deep burgundy, bold rust, burnt orange, soft neutrals, and light pink are woven throughout the venue, decor, make-up and stationery.

Wellington wedding stationery

Public Trust wedding venue

Wedding venue illustration

Wellington wedding vendors

Photos by Wendy Bowie Photography

Styling, florals & planning: Magnolia Wedding & Events

Gowns: Astra Bridal Wellington

Venue: Public Trust Hall

Stationery: The Ess Letter

Makeup: Zoe the Makeup Artist

Hair: Veronica Makeup Studio

Linens: Tble. Linen

Model: Ashley Clark

Your wedding guest list and covid-19

Does love conquer all, including covid-19?

The reality is that everyone around the world is tackling the virus, and many countries have put in place restrictions to help combat the spread. And if you’re planning a wedding during a pandemic, it can feel like a deflating experience with ever-changing updates. In New Zealand, even after reaching elimination of the virus, we’ve seen a resurgence, and our restrictions have come back into play. At any given moment, the restrictions can change… for better or worse.

Restrictions on wedding guest count

So how to plan a wedding with so much uncertainty? When it comes to wedding invitations, the three areas you need to know are the venue, the wedding date, and the number of guests you are inviting. If your original guest list is too high, and you need to reduce your guest count due to restrictions on gatherings, here are some tips on how to pare it down:

• Overseas guests - Chances are, overseas guests are likely not able to travel as easily as they had hoped. Start here, count your guests who are travelling from overseas - see where that number takes you.

• Out of town guests - Just like overseas guests, it’s possible that out of town guests may find it a bit of a challenge to attend depending on how far they need to travel. Look at your guests from out of town and consider those travelling a large distance that might be okay with cancelling their plans.

• Those invitees that you felt you had to invite - Yes, we all have a few of these people on the list. Often they come from obligation or maybe your parents felt they needed to be invited. These guests may have been pleasantly surprised to be invited, but chances are they will totally understand your need to pare down your guest list knowing they aren’t super close to you or your partner.

• The guests who were probably going to decline - There’s a chance you’ll have guests on your list that were unable to attend anyways, if you know of any, add them to your no-go list.

• Kids - This one is a hot topic with wedding planning in general, is your wedding adults only or not? If you were planning to have kids at your wedding, this is one area you may wish to revisit. It’s a tricky one, so you’ll have to be comfortable with the new plan of letting guests know you’ve pared down to adults only. (Often couples that have adult-only weddings still allow babies to attend with their parents).

• Plus 1’s - Ah, another hot topic, those plus 1 guests that are bringing a date you’ve never met. This is kinda an easy one to explain to a guest, that you’ve needed to pare down to bring your closest friends (and family) together, but it can sometimes be a bit hard for a loved one to understand. If you have a high number of plus 1’s that you’ve never met, consider reducing these guests - but proceed with a bit of caution. There’s a bit to consider with this one, especially if the two guests are in a relationship.

• Consider a family-only event - Take it one step further and go with just family. This one is a hard decision to make because you’ve been looking forward to celebrating with all your friends too. On the other hand, going with family only is probably one of the easier ways to explain to others that they are no longer invited.

From here, if you still need to pare down you guest list further, you’ll have some hard decisions to make. It can be helpful to create a guideline of someone on the yes list or not. For example, you could agree with your partner that only guests you both know, or only guests you’ve known for a period of time. It’s not easy, especially when thinking of those close to you.

Change of plans - invitation wording

If you haven’t sent out your wedding invites, the good news is you won’t have to send out a change of plans, however you may wish to have a stand by explanation to those who might have been looking forward to attending based on your earlier plans.

But, if you have sent out your invites you may have to send a couple of different messages depending on the changes. Here are some change of plans wording examples:

GUESTS NO LONGER INVITED

Change of plans

With an abundance of caution and care for our guests, we have decided to marry in a small intimate ceremony. We sincerely appreciate your love and support, and ask that you celebrate in your heart with best wishes from afar. We look forward to when we can be together again.

With all our love, (your names)

ADDING A LIVE STREAM OPTION

Change of plans

With an abundance of caution and care for our guests, we have decided to marry in a small intimate ceremony. We sincerely appreciate your love and support, and would love if you could join us virtually instead as we say ‘I do’.

(include virtual details)

With all our love, (your names)

INVITED GUEST COUNT CHANGE

In light of the current health restrictions in our country, our wedding is sadly smaller than intended. We have reserved # of seats for you and hope you can join us as we celebrate our wedding day. Please reply by (date) to let us know if you can still attend.

All our love, (your names)

NEW DATE

Same couple, same place, new date!

(include updated details - add on any of the above info as needed)

Covid-19 wedding restrictions

Having to tell guests they are no longer invited is not easy, and can feel awkward. Take a little comfort knowing that your guests are all facing the same restrictions in life, and while you can’t control how people respond, there’s a high chance many guests will totally understand that you have to pare down your guest count due to the pandemic.

Bohemian Wedding Inspiration - Romantic Blush & Burgundy Garden Celebration

Boho, Blush, & Burgundy

This boho inspired wedding shoot is full of romantic details! Lush gardens, soft and cosy seating, a dramatic wedding dress cape, and a colour palette of blush, ivory and burgundy accents—it’s sure to make you swoon!

The dreamy romantic boho vibes captured from Larosa Photography.

Romantic Wedding Details

Blush and burgundy wedding invitations with a rose gold wax seal from The Ess Letter. And, below, the gorgeous bridal robe from Clarence & Co.

Boho Wedding Inspiration

Take a seat in this lush garden space from Rent for Events in Waimauku outside of Auckland. Beautifully detailed styling and florals by the talented Becky of Envy Events. And romantic, custom menus with personalised names from The Ess Letter placed upon a stunning table cloth and napkins from Pacific Linen.

All eyes on the dreamy long cape by custom wedding dress designer Harriett Falvey.

Wedding Decor & Details

The wedding cake decorated with pink and gold details made with love by Sweet Bite Cakes. And a customised star map highlighting a special date by Lovexpresso.

Hair and make-up by the talented Abby Hazreem, and groom’s attire from Dorset Suit Hire.

Our team of talented vendors

Stationery & Calligraphy ~ The Ess Letter 
Photographer ~ Larosa Photography
Venue & Props ~ Rent for Events
Florist & Stylist ~ Envy Events 
Hair & Make-up Artist ~  Abby Hazreem
Dress ~ Harriett Falvey
Suit ~ Dorset Suit Hire
Linen ~ Pacific Linen
Cake ~ Sweet Bites Cakes 
Model ~ Yuri Chetty - Model
Robe ~ Clarence & Co 
Stars Map ~ Lovexpresso 

Dark & Moody Styled Wedding Inspiration

The beauty of wedding planning is the creative freedom you have when it comes to themes and colour palettes. This styled shoot took place in Wellington, New Zealand with a creative brief that was dark, moody, vintage, Halloween inspired.

Designing custom wedding stationery

What I love about design custom wedding stationery is the opportunity to work with couples, listening to their wedding dreams, shared adventures, and memories of their relationship. Then working with them to bring their wedding style and plans together, in a creative meaningful way. While my aesthetic may appear light and blush palette driven, what I’m really drawn to is textures - creating something guests can touch, feel, and love. Playing with texture and colours, you can take the same materials to each wedding aesthetic and create something different.

Here’s how a team of wedding vendors, brought this dark and moody story together.

Wedding vendors

Photography - Natureinsync Photography
Make-up & Hair - Ruby Retro NZ
Decor & Props - The Vintage Party
Florals - Flowers Rediscovered
Cake - Cakelab NZ
Dress - Trish Peng
Wedding Stationery - The Ess Letter