My years in the wedding industry have been incredible. Whether high or low, they have shaped me to be the creative individual I am today. I have worked some amazing people in the past years and have come to appreciate the way this industry works. Many times I have joked that I would be the perfect “Wal-Mart greeter”, but honestly, that still wouldn’t beat this job! I am excited of what the future may bring and thank God for what he has given me thus far, but it is time to move forward and explore.

Unique Designs has been a passion of mine from the beginning, but all good things must come to an end. Unique Designs will be closing it’s doors and I will be heading over to Footstone to be the full time marketing director for Love Wedd: A Bridal Boutique and help expand the Footstone brand! The end of the “Unique Designs Era” is not a sad one for me; it’s about evolution. Evolution as a creative individual with high hopes and dreams! This is the beginning of Giovanni’s new life and career. It’s the right time, it’s the right place, so…

I am beyond thrilled to finally introduce Footstone Ink: A Custom Invitation and Stationery Studio. This is the evolution of not only my career, but of the Footstone family and brand. With Kristin and Paul of Footstone Photography, we are building a company with exceptional style and an innovative approach to stationery. I have been working closely with Kristin and Paul for over a year now. We run designs by each other and push each other to “go further”. It was a natural progression to form a company that blends graphic design and custom stationery, and provides the convenience that should come with planning a wedding. We are extremely proud of what we have in store for the future of Footstone Ink and hope that you love it as much as we do!

All new Unique Designs inquiries will be re-routed to Footstone Ink, and all of our current orders will be finished as normal. Your support in this new part of my life is priceless and I thank all of you for always continuing to believe in me and my art. Thank YOU, from the bottom of my heart.

“Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.”

Sincerely,

Giovanni Lugo

Follow Footstone Ink on Facebook

Twitter: www.twiiter.com/footstoneink

Website:www.footstoneink.com

Email:info@footstoneink.com

Come by and get the opportunity to discuss all aspects of your wedding with all of the Love Wedd professionals. Admission is free and we can’t wait to see you there!

Taking the First Step as a Bride-to-Be.

So you’re engaged…now what? Some girls delve into the wedding planning process while others enjoy the bliss of engagement. Whenever you make your first step, you want it to be in the right direction, and here’s how.

First, take a few minutes to budget your wedding. Think about the overall cost for your wedding, and break it down. For example, a wedding dress typically costs 10-15 percent of the budget. Finding your dress is such an exciting experience, and you don’t want to limit yourself with a tight price range. Leave a little cushion to splurge if you do happen to find the perfect dress that’s a few hundred dollars outside your range.

Photo credit: southshorenow.ca

Research! Cut out magazine clippings, print pictures and jot down ideas. These little pieces of inspiration can help you make decisions later down the road. Some wedding vendors can even help you create an inspiration board. Solutions Bridal stylists often create inspiration boards for brides that need a little help bringing their vision together. Selecting a wedding dress and venue will help you envision your wedding, making other decisions much easier.

Take advantage! There are so many wedding resources and events that are available for brides-to-be. Follow wedding blogs, facebook pages and twitter accounts to stay in the loop. Wedding expos are also a great resource to expose yourself to a multitude of wedding vendors.

Often times there is a fashion show, prizes and samples that can give you a better idea of what you want for your big day. The Florida Bridal Expo is held twice a year, the next show being on January 30th.

Enjoy the process! This is such a special time in your life, so remember to stop and smell the roses. There are so many wedding professionals that want to make this as easy as possible for you, so let them help you! Happy planning!

Everyone here at Unique Designs wants our brides to have a fabulous wedding day! The Knot has a great article with tips for things for brides NOT to do on they big day. Some of the tips include not answering your phone, not trying new makeup and not getting a massage the day of. Who knew getting a massage could be such a bad idea?

Check out the rest of the tips at http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/planning-a-wedding/articles/things-not-to-do-on-your-wedding-day.aspx?cm_ven=Responsys&cm_cat=KnotNews&cm_ite=December%2001,%202010&MsdVisit=1

Here at Unique Designs we wanted to share with you a fun font that we love!

This font is called Andrea’s Handwriting II.  It has such a feminine feel while still keeping casual, great for fun invitations!

You can download this font at myfonts.com and browse a bunch of other great fonts!

It’s the end of the year and Jillian, one of our interns, has finished up her time here at Unique Designs.

While at Unique Designs Jillian has had the chance to experience a lot and learn some great things. Jillian had learned a lot about the wedding industry, especially in the Gainesville and surrounding areas. She has enjoyed working on many blog posts and creating the finishing touches on many invitations and other materials. Her favorite part of her time here at Unique Designs was working at the different events, especially the wedding expos where she can see what other creative things the other vendors are coming up with.

Jillian will be finishing up her Masters Degree in the Spring, she hopes to get into some kind of planning or programming, with possibly some photography on the side.

One of my favorite traditions at a wedding is the uniting of the families through the sand ceremony. There are several different variations of the tradition and recently brides are looking for a more unique way to represent their union. Some opt for a candle ceremony, or recently I saw a braided string ceremony, but my favorite so far is the salt ceremony. The salt ceremony is similar to the sand ceremony except that the bride and groom have a vial of salt, as salt represents purity. Once the bride and grooms salt vials are poured together the marriage is unbreakable, unless they can separate the individual grains of salt, which is impossible. Therefore, the marriage is forever together.

Do you have any other unique ideas for the sand ceremony at a wedding?

It’s time for the Black Friday madness…. Place an order with us by Friday, November 26th at midnight and get one of these amazing deals… and the best part? You don’t have to stand in line at 2:00am! Call or email us for..

10% off any custom invitation order

10% off any save-the-date order

FREE thank you notes (quantity based on invitation order)

15% off any letterpress order

and for the business owner… 20% of logo design or branding package

Email us at (info@daretobunique.com) to get you on our production schedule. If you are a current client (meaning you already paid a design fee, but have not payed for the actual order), email us and we will honor the specials too!

A lot of brides these days are all about making their own decor and accents for their wedding.  I love this next wedding, you can tell that every little detail is personal to the couple and the color combinations are just wonderful.

Photo by Edyta Szyszlo

Check out the rest of the wedding at The Wedding Chicks

Some of our brides here at Unique Designs are getting ready for a wonderful winter wedding and with the holidays QUICKLY approaching, it is only appropriate to talk a little bit about winter weddings! Winter weddings have the ability to have some unique details, since bright flowers are not usually part of the decor. Take a look at these adorable place card settings using pine cones!

I also love the idea of having hot coffee and hot chocolate in place of a cocktail hour!