From the Mother of the Bride
Weddings are a family affair. Learn more about the Bespoke experience through the eyes of Shelley B., who shares how she helped her daughter plan her special day. Thank you for your kind words, Shelley! We love working with you and look forward to your next party! Xo, Shari
In Shelley’s words:
My daughter and I had a long list of things we didn’t want. We wanted to not follow a trend. We wanted to be off trend. Shari loved that. She understood that we wanted to create something unique. With Shari’s guidance, we created a truly bespoke invitation where each invite was individually hand painted. Shari helped us to scale this for the size of our guest list. She was great about putting on her thinking cap and making the concept work for us.
The invitation suite begins with original watercolors of flowers from the garden. It is layered with hand calligraphy that is engraved, then each piece has hand flourishes added in gold, and wrapped in a custom dyed silk ribbon.
The process was professional and on time. We were in the best of hands. We were pretty easy clients because we were decisive. The whole experience was incredibly seamless, a huge delight. The cost was high, that’s true, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Shari made us feel special, and everything felt warm and personal.
The day of details included the wedding programs, menu card and table cards. It was totally creative and carried my daughter’s vision through the event. It was a garden wedding, and we liked the idea of the program reflecting the invitation but we didn’t want to carry the invitation feel to the table. Shari had the idea to put a dragonfly, so you felt like you were in the garden, and the theme was still there, but it wasn’t a replica of the invitation.
It’s so interesting how a bride can evolve. My daughter chose something incredibly romantic, which wasn’t what I expected. She found something that spoke to her and it was a beautiful thing to see. She wanted the flowers that we have in our garden. She wanted the invitation to look like it was plucked from our garden. You knew what the venue was going to be by looking at the invitation.
Everybody said it was the most gorgeous invitation they had ever received. They loved seeing the invitation echoed in the program booklet at the wedding. My daughter’s peers were blown away. With this kind of invitation, you know you are going to a really special event.
My advice for others: even though you have a vision for what you want, be open minded. You might change course and you might evolve. It’s great to bring ideas and your Pinterest board, and at the same time, be open to Shari’s creative process. If you give her an inch, she will run with it in the best ways. Be a good listener and trust Shari. I love beautiful things and I know what I like, but you have to trust your designer because this is her wheelhouse. You get a level of service and attention, a really bespoke final product, and the value is really there.
For mothers of the bride, know when to step back. It’s not your wedding, you’re there for guidance. Remember it’s your daughter or your son’s day. Be there for them, but don’t try to take over. Working with great professionals also helps. There were times when Shari helped refocus us—we knew we were in good hands and it took the pressure off the mother-daughter dynamic. Shari knew when to voice an opinion and when to step back. She’s a people person, and the whole team is incredible.
I built a relationship with Bespoke. I wanted to shop locally. I’m old school. I like to go into a store. It was important to me to be able to pop in.
The invitation suite sets the tone for the rest of the wedding. It’s not the corner to cut. The Bespoke invitation was so gorgeous—it was everything we wanted it to be. If you are looking for simply the perfect partner, that’s Bespoke Designs. We couldn’t have been happier.
Photo Credit: bridal images by Jacqui Cole